940-1501 / Regular Ritter Grip

[gull wing]

I really like my Mini Ritter Grip, the M390 is my favorite steel, but that blade grind makes it all the more great. Ok, I've set the groundwork.
I would like a larger knife and the Regular Ritter Grip seems the logical choice, but the thick handle gives me pause. How do they carry?(small person here)

I also am looking at the 940-1501. I think the 20CV is similar to M390 in performance. The slimer 940 should carry well, I think. How do they carry?
Then there is the blade grind, they look a little "wedgey". How do they cut?

 

[wright88]

Benchmade's 940 (especially with upgraded steel) is one of my favorite knives (only knife model that I have two of). I've owned a few Griptilians and sold them. I'm also a smaller person and they are just a little too "chunky" for me. I've actually been leaning much more toward slimmer knives, as I don't do a lot of heavy duty cutting on a daily basis.

So, in my experience, the 940 carries much better than the Griptilian because it is thinner. But, the Large Ritter will be a much better slicer than the 940 because from blade spine to blade edge, the 940 has a "narrow" blade whereas the Ritter has a "broad" blade (meaning since the two blades have the same blade thickness, the Ritter should be thinner behind the edge and slice with less effort than the 940).

You'll have to decide which factor is more important to you, pocket-ability or slice-ability. Personally, I would rather have a slim knife that doesn't slice quite as well than a chunky knife that cuts better, because I want my carry knife to be comfortable in the pocket.

Both are fantastic versions of great knives, though!

 

[jswa2]

Here's a thought: 552 with some aftermarket scales.

I picked up a 552 just a couple weeks ago and promptly mounted a pair of AWT scales. Weight went up, thickness went down (0.52"). It pockets really well now, and, with a polish of the washers before re-assembly into the AWT scales, is probably the smoothest Axis-lock knife I've used! It's still a bigger (and heavier) package than a 940 will be, but cost is pretty comparable, and the 552 definitely cuts great. I'm thinking I need a mini-Ritter to compliment it, though I may lean toward a 555-1 just to compare the steels.

 

[wright88]

Aftermarket scales can help quite a bit with the chunky feeling of the 552, I should have mentioned that. I've used some flat Micarta scales from Igorded for a 552 and they made the knife feel more like a PM2 (which I think carries quite comfortably). It all depends on how much you want to spend.

 

[gull wing]

Thanks guys.
Did I think this would be easy.

I found a picture of the regular Ritter and the Mini side by side and the regular is quite a bit wider in the handle as well as thicker. I have problems wrapping my fingers around a wide knife.