3.5" flat-ground folder?

I got my hands on a Manix at a gunshow and must admit the G-10 scales gave it a very solid feel. G-10 naturally has a more solid feel and weighs more than Glass-filled Noryl GTX. The Ritter Grip weighs in at 3.82 oz while the 83mm Manix weighs in at 5.5 oz with a shorter blade. Then I looked at prices: the 83mm Manix comes in at $121.95 while the Ritter Grip comes in at $115.

The Manix is a nice knife, but the Ritter Grip has a longer cutting edge for fewer $$$ and less weight. If I eventually buy a Manix it will be the larger 3 3/4" (95 mm) blade, but even then the cutting edge is still a hair shorter than the Ritter Grip.

For even less $$$ the standard Benchmade Griptilian now comes with 154CM if you like that blade profile.
 
Thanks for all the input!

I sold some of my collection and bought a couple folders to try-- a Buck Strider 889 and a Benchmade Griptilian 551. They have both been on my want list for a while anyway.

The Buck Strider arrived today. What a little monster it is! First thing I noticed was the weight-- 5.1 ounces on my digital scale. Reminds me of a .45 auto-- if you run out of ammo, you still have a hammer! The blade profile is almost the same shape and size as a Becker Necker, but thicker and it is hollow ground. I did diverge from my flat-ground criterium.

The handle is long and gives a couple different grips as there is a choil on the blade as wellas the handle, so you can choke up on it. It's a liner lock and the lock looks a little thin, but it locks tight and I like the fact that it travels fully past the outboard edge of the blade. The jimping on the edge of the lock was a little sharp-- I got in there with some fine abrasive and smoothed it. The handle strikes me as a good one for a gloved hand-- it's heavily textured and there are large bumps on the pommel and both the spine of the blade and the adjacent handle top. I said bumps rather than jimping-- they are big. The scales look better than the catalog shots, where the scales look kind of dry and rough; in reality they have a good checkered texture and the edges are much smoother than I expected. If your hand slips on this rig, you've been skinning banana slugs again :rolleyes:

Would I go off into the woods with just this knife to survive with? Sure. I might EDC it on the weekends too, but it's a little heavy for work and with the texured scales and the strong clip, it would tear up the pockets on my Dockers (usual work "uniform"). I'll stick with my Boker Trance for work EDC.

Would I baton with this knife? Sure, as much as I would any folder, only in tight spots and with some care. I would avoid trying to pry big wood apart with a folder pulling sideways after getting a split going-- better to jam another stick or rock in there for a wedge.

Other than batoning, this knife will do any kind of woodcraft you would need for survival techniques-- making fuzz sticks, making traps and snares, cooking, cleaning game, etc. It is on the heavy side for hiking. I got the green handle. I've always liked green and black together. I do wish they offered this knife with a satin blade option rather than only black.

[Elmer Fudd voice] Now I need to go camping and catch a wabbit :)
 
Another vote for the Ritter Griptilian, either the full size or mini. I EDC the full size both in the bush and around town. It sits very nicely in the front pocket of my Carharts or khaki pants. Not heavy at all. Also the Axis lock is ambidextrous and the clip is interchangeable between sides. I am right handed but in a pinch I am able to quite easily open and close the knife left handed. Very smooth that Axis lock. It is a solid knife and worth the money. Definitely a lot of cutting power in the that blade profile. My .02
 
BenchmadeBoy said:
Another vote for the Ritter Griptilian, either the full size or mini. I EDC the full size both in the bush and around town. It sits very nicely in the front pocket of my Carharts or khaki pants. Not heavy at all. Also the Axis lock is ambidextrous and the clip is interchangeable between sides. I am right handed but in a pinch I am able to quite easily open and close the knife left handed. Very smooth that Axis lock. It is a solid knife and worth the money. Definitely a lot of cutting power in the that blade profile. My .02
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IMHO, the Ritter is a perfect choice for a hiking folder, but it runs twice what I paid for the stock Griptilian. If I were going to buy one knife, it would be at the top of my list. I agree the mini would make a great EDC. The round edges on the handles in all the Griptilian models make them hand and pocket friendly.

I've been carrying a Boker Trance that makes a great EDC in a slightly-less-than-3"-class. I wish they made a 3.5" version of the Trance. The Boker Subcom is a great "small knife" option for a PSK. Add a pair of scissors to that knife and it would rock, especially the Wharcom (wharncliff blade) version-- an SAK Classic on steroids :)
 
My Benchmade Griptilian 551 showed up in today's mail. It's a no-brainer-- this is the folding knife for me. Flips open AND shut (watch your fingertips), nice steel, and the handle is like part of my body. The AXIS lock is more like a firearm than any knife I've had so far. The heck with survival, this is my EDC :thumbup:

Hehehe--- I think I'm in love :cool:

http://www.benchmade.com/products/product_detail.aspx?model=551
 
To keep it semi-local for you, check out the Blade-Tech Wegner Pro Hunter from the fine folks in Tacoma. Mine is S30V steel, plain edge blade, G-10 scales, flat saber ground, easy-open ambidextrous hole ;) , and so flat it carries unnoticed in the pocket until I need it. While it ain't cheap ($125'ish online price), I've found quality tools are worth the extra cash outlay up front for the aggravation they save me later in not having to jury-rig around the shortcomings of the tool while in use. The folder in the pic below is my Pro-Hunter when it looked a lot better than it does now.

(My recommendation is to get the real one, not the 440C Lite series. However, if budget restrictions apply, folks who have the Lite series say they are very nice knives.).

As the name implies, its design was motivated to be a pocket folding hunter, which deer hunters report it does a fine job of. The shape is deceptive.... the long-bellied drop point (but still somehow looks upswept) blade & hump-backed handle, with all those Persian-looking curves, make it look like some kind of porpoising alien medical device that won't fit well in the human hand. WRONG!!! I find it's super comfortable and friends who are into martial arts say it's a more than ample self defense blade in all sorts of grip positions.

I've used the hell out of mine. It's always in my pocket and is my default go-to tool (note I said tool, not just knife). So it has seen a lot of use scraping, prying, gouging, performing hack 'n slash on packaging, and doing things Tim Wegner would likely flog me for doing to his knife. I figure that if I'm not good in this life, in my next life I'll get reincarnated as my own pocket knife. ;) :D

The only downside I've found to the Wegner Pro-Hunter is that the jimping notches on the front of the hole-hump chews at my pocket when re-pocketing the knife. But I must say that the jimping there and elsewhere along the blade and in the choil area, make this a *super-secure* knife in hand. Also, the fact that it's a liner-lock may make it awkward for lefties, as you noted.

Some specs from the Blade-Tech webpage for the Pro-Hunter model:
Blade Steel 1/8" CPM-S30V (Flat Ground)
RC 58-60
Blade Length 3-5/8" (mine is 3-3/8" edge, 3-5/8" tip-to-scales)
Overall Closed Length 4 7/8
Overall Open Length 8 1/2
Blade-Tech V-hole
Eccentric blade adjustment mechanism
Ambi. Tip up/ Tip down pocket clip
Double nested liners w/radius ramp liner lock.
G-10 scales
weight 4.3 oz.

Bottom Line: I like it so much that if I lost it, I'd replace it immediately with the same model.

Blade-Tech_Pro_Hunter.jpg
 
RokJok said:
To keep it semi-local for you, check out the Blade-Tech Wegner Pro Hunter from the fine folks in Tacoma.
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Great info! It's a little long for my local carry laws, but still a good woods rig. The handle looks like a good design-- made to be used without blistering the user and a hunting knife MUST have a good grip for cleaning game.

Your comments about the oddness of the blade design brought Spyderco knives to mind right away-- looks weird, works good.

I can't agree more that for my needs, knives are tools. It's easy to get caught up in them as status symbols and what becomes jewelry for all intents and purposes. If people want to make and collect beautiful knives, more power to them, but my needs are to get the job done.
 
mrostov said:
Just curious, what jurisdiction has the 3.5" limit you are encountering?
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I'm in Seattle. This regarding personal carry in the city limits, unless you have a hunting or fishing license and are coming or going. Tradesmen are allowed to have cutting tools in their toolboxes, etc. Fixed blades or any kind are prohibited for personal carry. There are also the usual taboos against knives with fully automatic opening, brass knuckles, saps, swords and so on.

The law was challenged and went to the State Supreme Court when a pimp was caught with an 8" fillet knife and it was upheld. While I think it gets ridiculous and treads heavily on my constitutional rights, I also don't want my life turned upside down with a weapons charge for having a knife that is 1/4" over the limit. I'm a fat old white guy with a family and I don't forsee any problems with the law, but then I don't want end up being somebody's poster boy either. It costs a lot of money to not lose a lawsuit-- you never "win." I didn't want to buy a wilderness folder than I couldn't legally EDC too, so I went looking for good knives that were 3.5" or a little less. Now I can go happliy down the street with a Buck Strider or Benchmade Griptilian and my "illegal" AG Russell Woodswalker with a 2-1/4" blade is in a drawer at home. I guess if I see a crime being committed, I can run into a restaurant and grab a steak knife to defend life and property:rolleyes: Or I could get a fishing license and always carry some tackle..... [Dale shakes his head sadly].

I searched the Washington state laws up and down and could only find that a knife comes under the definition of a dangerous weapon and would be prosecuted if used to threaten or harm someone as opposed to simple possession. A baseball bat or a pipe or a brick would be evaluated the same way. I have free legal services and I really should give them a call to get the real skinny on the legal do's and don'ts. Guessing is poor legal advice!
 
My understanding is that getting a CCW permit in the State of Washington is not that hard. Just get a Swiss Army Knife and a compact pistol, like maybe an inexpensive, used, .38 snubbie. Bring a gun to the knife fight.
 
mrostov said:
My understanding is that getting a CCW permit in the State of Washington is not that hard. Just get a Swiss Army Knife and a compact pistol, like maybe an inexpensive, used, .38 snubbie. Bring a gun to the knife fight.
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Other complications: Mrs. Dale no like guns. It's that old guns-or-sex quandry, so I guess I'l be getting guns in another 10 years or so :D
 
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