Chef’s Knife With a Twist: Benchmade Wildcoast Review

I’m a low-maintenance camping companion, but I can also be an uninspiring camp planner. It’s not because I don’t know some great spots or lack fun adventure ideas, it’s because I could eat backpacking meals and trail mix for days on end. And that’s even if I’m car camping!

But ever since a friend made pesto gnocchi with me on a camp trip — from scratch! — I’ve been inspired to zhuzh up my camp kitchen when weight and supplies allow. It started with a simple cast-iron skillet, and then I added a Dutch oven. Now I’ve taken a swing at upping my prep game with some outdoor-minded cutlery.

Launched this spring, the Benchmade Wildcoast blends aspects of a field knife with a true chef’s knife. Its clip-point blade looks unorthodox for tackling meat and veggies. However, the body and belly of a chef’s knife make it a true kitchen blade. Best of all, it’s designed to be just as at home at home as it is at a campsite.

In short: The Benchmade Wildcoast ($350) could make an invaluable addition to your camp kitchen kit if you value cooking and fresh meal prep at the campsite. With a 6.83-inch CPM-154 stainless-steel blade, it’s Benchmade’s version of a chef’s knife. Its utility at home — and striking appearance — help justify its premium price.

Benchmade Wildcoast Review

The real appeal of the Wildcoast is its versatility: The materials are durable, and the design sets up the Wildcoast as a damn-near-everything-blade. There are chef’s knives with more purpose-driven designs (thinner spines) and materials at similar price points and higher, but the Wildcoast is built to handle more tasks in more environments.

In that way, its $350 price tag merits a look for home and camp cooks.

In the hand, the Wildcoast is lighter than it looks, but not surprisingly so. It still has good substance and fills the hand. I am familiar with traditional chef’s knife blade shapes, so the Wildcoast’s clip-point came with a learning curve.

At first, chopping and dicing were slower. But after a couple of weeks, I can feel the sweet spot where the blade rocks and am back to moving as quickly as ever.

I don’t love G10, but it makes sense for an indoor/outdoor kitchen implement, and its texture adds a nice grip. Most importantly, it has solid balance; I can balance the knife on one finger right behind the choil, where the handle contours for the index finger.

Design and Materials

This adaptability stems from both the blade’s design and its material choices. A clip-point is an odd choice for a chef’s knife. Typically, chef’s knives have a mostly straight spine and a big belly. This allows the user to get that classic rocking motion — the tip is not a major player in these traditional chef’s knives.

But the Wildcoast is meant to pierce and score. This makes it ideal for trimming proteins. Still, the belly sweeps up a bit near the tip, so you can still slice and dice just fine.

The CPM-154 steel is a high-end stainless steel with exceptional corrosion resistance. I opted for the DLC-coated option, just to add a little more protection to the blade, though the stonewashed option would work just fine. Both the G10 handle scales I tested and the Richlite option offer a durable, reliable grip in wet or dry conditions.

Kitchen to Campsite Use

I set aside my large and small chef’s knives and made the Wildcoast my go-to meal prepper. As with all Benchmade knives I’ve tested, this arrived razor sharp. It’s made short, easy work of slicing the mirepoix (carrots, celery, onion) that’s the base for most of my soups and stir-fries. I’m no Jacques Pépin, but I’m good at the few dishes I can make.

I’ve halved avocados and grapefruit with ease, too. The DLC-coated stainless steel has little to worry about from the sticky green flesh and citric acid. For fun, I scored through blocks of tempeh instead of chopping them, and the clip-point lasered right through. I expect it will make short work of trimming fat or breaking down a whole chicken.

Solo or Set?

Note that the Wildcoast is available as a standalone blade or as part of the 3-Piece Set, which also includes a Paring Knife and Meatcrafter Blade. The set starts at $900, and given the utility of the Wildcoast alone, it is more for serious foodies and those who take their food prep very seriously. It’s a beautiful set and a more premium option to get hold of the Wildcoast.

Drawbacks

I believe everyone needs good knives in their kitchen, not just budget options that will break. But $350 for a single knife is a lot to ask for many folks. The knife you get for the money is very much worth it if you enjoy cooking and do so even when you’re away from the kitchen.

The Wildcoast’s unique profile also comes with a small learning curve. Anyone used to a traditional chef’s blade will notice their muscle memory needs some retraining to get the slicing action right. It’s a small point, but note this is a knife with its own character.

Conclusion: Who’s It For?

If you bring a cast-iron to the campsite, you are in the target market for the Wildcoast. This meal-prep knife is made to process meats and veggies and can be cleaned with only a wipe-down afterward.

The clip-point adds extra utility for piercing and precision work, so as a single-quiver camp knife that looks just as good at home, it’s a beautiful beast.