Benchmade 551BK-101 Gold Class Griptilian

nevermind35 said:
It is definately a gold class and looks like one.
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Yes, it certainly does look the part... :D


(click on each pic for the 1280x640+ original)








However I agree with the general consensus that it should have been a limited edition. When I bought mine, I thought it was, otherwise I probably would have had second thoughts... . "Bridge under the water", once you've got it in your hands it's hard not to be thrilled with this knife :cool:
 
Hi Travelller -

Awesome pictures!

I wish my Ritter CPM-M4 grip had those CF scales.

Thanks for the great pics.

best regards -

mqqn
 
Schuey2002 said:
I really wish they'd offer the Griptilian with G10 scales, even as a limited edition....
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I offer my own WilkinsGRIP replacement grips for both the standard and the mini Griptilians made from glass fiber plastic, alu and titanium. All my grips are a drop in replacment for the blade and locking mechanism (no modification needed) but external design of the the grips is different from Benchmade's original grips.

My grips aren't cheap :thumbup: but they make a nice addition to an excellent knife and I can't keep up with demand...

More pics and info on my website: www.wilkins-knives.com
 

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mqqn said:
Hi Travelller -

Awesome pictures!

I wish my Ritter CPM-M4 grip had those CF scales.

Thanks for the great pics.

best regards -

mqqn
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like this one ?
P10000891600x1200.jpg


credit oncleshu@neoczen.
 
@mqqn, thanks for the compliment :thumbup:


Kevin Wilkins said:
I offer my own WilkinsGRIP replacement grips for both the standard and the mini Griptilians made from glass fiber plastic, alu and titanium. ... make a nice addition to an excellent knife www.wilkins-knives.com
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Wow, awesome - thanks for the info, I will definitely have a look-see :D

You're obviously the answer to the 551's Achilles heel, those cheesy plastic grips (sorry, I meant VALOX®). Heck, even my Böker V&D Express' ZYTEL® grips are more appealing to the eye (and depending on your opinion, even the hand...).



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8^)
 
Very nice! I just picked up a ritter M4 and gold grip and am going to do the same thing. Figure I can sell the ritter/M4 blade combo to recoup some of the costs. M4 DLC blade is what the gold grip should have had in the first place...

pwet said:
like this one ?
P10000891600x1200.jpg


credit oncleshu@neoczen.
Click to expand...
 
Kevin Wilkins said:
I offer my own WilkinsGRIP replacement grips for both the standard and the mini Griptilians made from glass fiber plastic, alu and titanium. All my grips are a drop in replacment for the blade and locking mechanism (no modification needed) but external design of the the grips is different from Benchmade's original grips.

My grips aren't cheap :thumbup: but they make a nice addition to an excellent knife and I can't keep up with demand...

More pics and info on my website: www.wilkins-knives.com
Click to expand...

Ever think about collaborating with Benchmade on a production version that comes that way stock from the factory? I love the look of your grips a lot more than the standard ones, and with other company collaborations under your belt (like the ever-so-awesome Spyderco Leafstorm) they might be interested if you were. :thumbup:
 
Benchmade certainly knows about my work as I see them every year at the IWA trade show here in Germany. They have samples of my grips which I provided them for their archive and Benchmade has been very supportive of my WilkinsGRIP project and I have been very careful not to copy their designs or infringe on their patents or trademarks.

Benchmade has a very well thought out sales and marketing strategy for all of their products and the Griptilian series has a specific place in that plan. And obviously it's working for them! Adding expensive machined grips would catapult the Griptilian knives into another price point and I reckon Benchmade doen't want to do that right now. I'm sure if they decide differently, I'll be hearing from them!

The only critiscism I get for my grips is that they are expensive, which is true. But the grips are expensive at retail because they are expensive to design and produce. All WilkinsGRIPs involve double sided machining and a relatively high degree of precision.That's why they fit and function so well. If Benchmade were to make the grips they would still be expensive.

Fact is, the Griptilians are excellent knives just like they come from the factory and most buyers are happy with the price / quality point the stock knives offer. Mel Pardue did a great design job on the knives and the production is top notch. For buyers looking for something to add to their Griptilian, well that's where I come in!

I'm doing all I can to control costs and keep my prices as low as possible and still make a living. When I recently needed to have a batch of alu spacers made for the new WilkinsGRIPs – and just did not have machine time to do them myself – I didn't go to the Far East for them, I had the parts made in the USA from 6061 Alu, flown over to me and then Hardcoat anodized in the Black Forest region by a company who work for a well known German firearms manufacturer. In short, I try and go for the BEST not the cheapest for anything I can't do myself.

So to meander back to the original question ... I would love to do some work for Benchmade at some point in time, but I doubt it will happen for their Griptilian series.
 
Thanks for the insight Kevin! I got a set of g11 mini grip scales of yours a while back and couldn't love them more. They really change the whole feel of the knife (for the better IMO). The Wilkins grips give the mini grip just a tiny bit more handle room, just enough to get your full four fingers on and have a lot more control. I would also love to see more collaborations with production companies in the future!
 
I always wanted the Benchmade Griptilian but dislike its plastic handle. When the gold class Grip came along, it was my chance to own a well executed blade with an upgraded materials both blade steel and CF handle. Needless to mention that this were hand crafted. As a result it is way more precise and smooth to handle.
 
Kevin Wilkins said:
Benchmade certainly knows about my work ... The only criticism I get for my grips is that they are expensive ... In short, I try and go for the BEST not the cheapest for anything I can't do myself ... I would love to do some work for Benchmade at some point in time, but I doubt it will happen for their Griptilian series.
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Servus aus Wien :)

First off, you clearly provide high quality, custom-made products and thus the price is in line with said product. Secondly, our U.S. - based friends need to realize that this is in part based on the cost of labor in Germany (as well as the other more dominant EU Countries) is well above that of the U.S. on average (Wall street bonuses excluded... ;-) I am only mentioning this because any out-sourced work within the EU will be expensive and affect the end-product.

I agree with many that Benchmade should have released an intermediate Griptilian, moving the current 55x base-series to either the black or (now-defunct) red line, offering a G10 variant for their blue line and finally, for those that want to go the extra mile, the carbon + CPM gold line. The question is how much are we willing to pay for such a knife? I am fairly certain that the price would go from the current $105 list to say, ~ $160.

But even if Benchmade would have/go that route, it is still a cool feeling to own something custom-made/designed and although I already have both the 551 and 551-101, I will certainly be adding a Wilkins, if not a Ritter-Wilkins custom Griptilian to my collection :thumbup:

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Traveller - Geneve * Melbourne * Miami * Wien
 
The knife sure is nice. Wish it could've come out with a lower price point...Gold Class, IMO, pushes a top class "user" knife into collector class. I've grown to love M4 after getting a Spyderco Gayle Bradley. Give that Grip a Rift-thickness edge (or less) and the M4 will really (really) shine.
 
wongKI said:
The knife sure is nice. Wish it could've come out with a lower price point...Gold Class, IMO, pushes a top class "user" knife into collector class. I've grown to love M4 after getting a Spyderco Gayle Bradley. Give that Grip a Rift-thickness edge (or less) and the M4 will really (really) shine.
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Really the street price isn't that high. I'll have about $250 into my Ritter once I get the Cuscadi scales on it...
 
what kind of scales did you order ?

i have a pair of rounded aero carbon on the way for my ritter m4... and a gold class on transit too. ;)
 
Orange G10, I like the flat, smooth sides with some texture. Keep wondering if I want the dimples in them or not...

And no extra clip holes in the right (left?) slab!

Not ordered yet, gotta make up my mind on a few details real quick. Planning on ordering tonight.
 
displacedtexan said:
Orange G10, I like the flat, smooth sides with some texture. Keep wondering if I want the dimples in them or not...

And no extra clip holes in the right (left?) slab!

Not ordered yet, gotta make up my mind on a few details real quick. Planning on ordering tonight.
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they make some stylish pattern on flat scales. i just don't like that much flat scales in hand. and carbon fiber pattern is not very appealing when flat. i like their grinded design very much also but i wanted someting more classy on this one.
 
Yes they do offer some nice stuff. That's the problem!

I want something fairly simple and classy, but still utilitarian. I'm a pretty big bird hunter, and in America we are required to wear orange (safety) and I want the orange as a subtle nod to bird dogs and days spent following them all over the fields.

Now you're making me want to get them rounded a little!:D
 
pwet said:
... a gold class on transit too.
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Cool! Well then, while you're waiting, feel free to read my fresh-off-the-press review :D

displacedtexan said:
Really the street price isn't that high. I'll have about $250 into my Ritter once I get the Cuscadi scales on it...
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Yes, That was my take as well. Btw, thanks for the tip - I hadn't heard of Cuscadi before your post, but it looks like they are just as bad-ass as KW! The more the merrier, right!

Speaking of which, are there any other, "mad-Griptilian-modders" - aside from Ritter, Wilkins & Cuscadi you all know about? Looks like I'll be playing "catch-up" for a bit, here... :o

Thx :cool:
 
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