The May 2022 Buck of the Month is here and…..it’s a bit of an unusual one. Buck took its very recent Budgie model and made some slightly unconventional changes to create this special edition Budgie.
Originally released in 2021, the Budgie caught our interest because it was a thoroughly modern EDC knife, with a frame lock, one-hand opening, a pocket clip, and an S35VN blade steel; the Buck of today is far more willing to experiment in the modern folder arena than it used to be, but this on-trend releases are still standouts in their lineup. And as usual with a Buck of the Month variant, there are no fundamental changes to the underlying design. Instead, this Budgie’s differences are all in the materials.
Generally, a Buck of the Month comes with better materials than the standard model. However, the blade steel here has been changed from S35VN to D2. To be frank, by most appraisals D2 is a step down from S35VN. It’s a semi-stainless steel and a capable performer, but there’s a reason it is most popular on budget knives. And, in the case of this limited edition Budgie, the presence of D2 doesn’t even reduce the cost, with the special edition fetching a higher price than the standard S35VN model. Coated with silver Cerakote, Buck says that the steel choice is a nod to Star Wars‘s R2-D2, with whom this Budgie shares a blue-on-white color scheme.
Of course the Buck of the Month project is for collectors, not hardcore users, so the knives released under the BotM aegis are defined more by their uniqueness than their utility. The aesthetics-driven May ’22 Budgie comes with a white cerakote finish on the handle scales. The front scale, by the way, has been changed from G-10 to aluminum, which does not affect the weight; this is still a very light knife at 2.1 oz.
Even though the price of this Budgie is higher than the standard version’s, it’s still more affordable than some other recent Bucks of the Month with an MSRP of $125. It’s limited to 500 pieces.
Knife in Featured Image: Buck Knives May 2022 Buck of the Month Budgie
