We are celebrating the five year anniversary of the Banter with the release of the Bougie Banter. 

Five years. It's crazy to see how my knife design completely changed the trajectory of my life. Now five years later I have several knife designs, an office/ warehouse building, and a handful of employees.

As I thought about what direction I want the Banter to go, I couldn't help but get a little sentimental. So this knife came back to my roots.

If you take a walk through the streets of downtown Ogden, Utah, you'll see a variety of buildings that seem like they would fit better in a European village. The local high school, a theater, the forest service building, the city municipal building-- all of them bear bold, glamourous shapes inspired by the European Art Deco movement of the early 1900's. Art Deco was iconic for rare materials and exquisite craftsmanship, gathering inspiration from the styles of ancient Egypt, China, India, Japan, and more. Ever seen the Empire State building? Art Deco.

So how did this exceptional styling make its way to the dusty, gritty streets of a town founded by trappers and grown through the railroad?

Well, Ogden is the poster child for the 1930's Civilian Conservation Corps as part of the New Deal created by President Roosevelt. The federal government paid civilians to construct these buildings dedicated to social progress as a beacon of hope during the Great Depression. Ogden is a city full of grit, industry, and perseverance, and I'm proud to have the city's legacy run in me.

Now that you know the backstory, let's move onto the actual knife.

Five years ago, I designed the original Banter with a crossbar lock. At the time, WE couldn't do a crossbar, so we ended up with a liner lock. As WE's manufacturing has improved, they've been able to create a really amazing crossbar lock that I love in many of my knife designs. This is more of the look that I had in mind with the original design.

The titanium handles feature the upscale Art Deco look that pays homage to my hometown. Bringing the handle away from g10 and into titanium makes the knife lightweight but with the strength of steel. The inside is skelotonized for even more weight reduction.

The blade is called a drop point, but it's more of a modified look between a drop point and a clip point. It's made from American-made S45VN steel, which is a better steel than the original S35VN. 

An easter egg to note are the 31 chevrons across the backspacer, one for each Banter model that we have created. We are celebrating five years of the Banter series after all. The chevron pattern ends in a sunburst with four lines which represent my four children.

My hope is that you hold this knife and know that it's a Ben Banters design. It came from a real guy with a real past and a real family.

The original Banter was designed for the everyday man. This knife is called the Bougie Banter. Everything about it is high end. The premium fit and finish is accented by some incredible anodization that gives a pop of color in my favorite blue. Comes with a titanium thumb stud.

This is a high-end product. It has better steel, a better handle, and incredible detail work. I can't wait to get it into your hands.

~Ben