Battle for benchmade?

$77 is a fine price for a new one. But, I am a Mini Grip kinda guy. It is a bit small handle wise, but they cut well, have full liners unlike the regular Grip and carry very small in the pocket. In fact, my Mini Grip is one of the few "high value" knives in my EDC rotation and I am not sure many knives are better.

Yeah, yeah, the "cheap plastic handles". They get a lot of flak for the Noryl GTX handle scales, but I have never had a problem with them. They are tough (durable), comfortable in any temperature in the hand, not conductive, and highly chemical resistant. Oh yeah, they are comfortable for me. I will admit that the Mini handles are quite small, but the blade:handle ratio is incredible.
 
I got bit by the benchmade bug myself years ago when i was still a teen. My frist Benchmade was the Mini Grip. I carried it around for 2 years, used it for anything and everything. I liked it so much i went out and bought another Mini Grip this time with the coated blade. I was never a fan of the 'plastic handles' on any knife, however the Noryl GTX handle scales are very dependable. This knife is probably the best knife i use for EDC, besides my BM Osborne.
 
Of those choices I'd go for a grip or mini grip. I personally prefer the mini for the reasons listed above. If you end up loving it you can always do what many of us have done and spice it up a bit down the road with a nice set of custom scales.

If you wanted to drop a few more bucks you would be getting yourself into Ritter grip and bone collector territory. And with a few more bucks you could be looking at the knife that is the epitome of what benchmade is all about, the 710.
 
xperiaarcs said:
Is 77 a good price for it? and is there a difference between opening hole and thumb stud, or just preference.
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$77 is a good price IMO.

And thumb hole or stud is just personal preference. I like both.

IMO it really doesn't matter what you start with because you'll end up with one of each.
 
I started with a full size Griptilian.
Handles feel cheap, but they aren't. (done by a fellow forumite)
It takes alot to snap them.
[video=youtube;bkRr7452KmI]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bkRr7452KmI[/video]
 
Another option would be a BM HD Mini Hardtail with the plastic handles. You can find those for like $65 if you look around. That's the same kind of Axis Lock and uses D2 tool steel.
 
Of those, the full-size Griptilian would probably be the best for all around use. I really like mine.

However, I do have to admit that the Presidio (mine's a Presidio Ultra) feels much better in my hand. I just like the handle shape better. The blade is hollow ground, so not as thick as the Grip, but I can't imagine it causing any problems for you unless you intend to use the knife in a way it's not designed (prying, etc). See if you can find a place that has both, and try them out. They're both amazing knives, though.
 
My first real EDC was a mini-grip I bought years ago. I've bought some great benchmade knives since including a few additional mini-grips and its the knife I keep coming back to for every day use. I have both the stud and the thumb hole option and don't use either, because the axis lock feature allows you to open the knife quite easily without using either if preferred. Otherwise it is just a preference.
 
If you like the Bone Collector you can get one for about $92 and the small is even less. Not much more than the grip. If interested check out the knife store that works for you (hint :) )
 
You won't be sorry, I got the benchmade bug late last year, now I have four and love them all. If you are willing to bring your price up to get a 710, you'll definitely be hooked. I've seen em brand new for as low as $112 on certain sites.
 
Ya, for a first-time benchmade purchase, its hard to go wrong with the griptilian. It really is the staple of benchmade's value knives. I can't recommend the mini-grip, because I hate miniaturized knives. But obviously people love them.

It's true, you may very well be disappointed with the GTX handles, but as others have said, they're quite strong, and the good thing about the grip is that there are several manufacturers who do custom scales for the knife. check out cuscadi and the wilkins grip.
If you want another step up for the griptilian, get a ritter-grip. much better blade IMO.

But all in all, benchmade is a good company to get into. Its my favorite anyway...
 
I like the handle shape and feel of both in both sizes. I have smaller hands and the mini's fit perfectly.
I especially like that you can fairly easily customize the Grip and mini G with custom scales...the offerings from Cuscadi are awesome...I have a set of Golden Amboyna scales coming for my 585 mini barrage.
If I were buying I'd go with the mini G.
 
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