Benchmade Griptilian / Mini Grip: Still Essential?

When Benchmade went to MAP they also increased the retail price by about 20% without making any changes to the knives themselves. No steel upgrades or anything.

Combine that with the fact many people consider FRN type scales cheap, I can see why some people think the Griptilian is past its prime and dated.

Like I have said before I own four even though it is not my favorite folder.

There are many things I don’t care for about the Griptilian line but, I have never found any knife that works better in its size and weight.

The funny thing is I never really wanted a Griptilian but, I found one at a REI.com used gear sale for $19.93 + tax. Let’s just say twenty bucks for a full size Grip.
The tip of the blade was gone but, that’s easy to dress with a file.

Twenty dollars for my first Benchmade! Not bad if you ask me.
 
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The older Ritter mini Grip is my only Benchmade that I bought for myself. It is very nice and if I needed one today I’d get the Hogue/Ritter. Mostly Spyderco’s are what call to me, but I deeply respect the Griptilian line for being a quality folder at a fair price.
 
Perhaps no longer "essential", but still a solid choice. In fact, for most guys out there not afflicted with our sickness, I'd say the good ole Grip in 154 would serve them more than adequately as their one and only pocket knife for many years.

I still have one in the drawer, though it doesn't see much use these days. I did carry the Ritter (BM with aftermarket G10) quite a bit up until just recently and was pleased with it, only parting with it to purchase something new. Honestly, I personally don't see the Bugout as a Griptilian killer, as if one were so inclined he could easily convince himself of a "need" for both for different uses. To me the newer options that outshine the Griptilian are as mentioned the Ritter Hogue and even the Benchmade Freek, which BM alluded to as being the evolution of the Griptilian (not to mention with a blade shape eerily similar to the Ritter).

Come to think of it, I own my fair share of Spyderco knives and have yet to experience a Delica :eek:
 
Yes the grip is still essential and they should never have killed off the bone collector. I don’t buy folders with thumb studs, so really I'm out on most of Benchmade's recent greats and happy over here with these:

dQNmpBV.jpg
 
Yo Mama said:
Yes the grip is still essential and they should never have killed off the bone collector. I don’t buy folders with thumb studs, so really I'm out on most of Benchmade's recent greats and happy over here with these:

dQNmpBV.jpg
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I agree. The Bone Collector should still be in production.

Knives&Lint said:
...Honestly, I personally don't see the Bugout as a Griptilian killer, as if one were so inclined he could easily convince himself of a "need" for both for different uses...
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True. I have a 531 which is close to the Bugout. I can’t see it replacing a Grip at all. I consider the 531 a dress or semi-dress knife. Great with slacks and a dress shirt or even a suit.

The 531 and a full size Griptilian make a wonderful combo. One for light duty cutting, the other for normal day to day carry. Add in a fixed blade of some sort and you would be set unless you wanted a SAK or multi-tool.
 
I have a Mini-Grip in 20CV and G-10. It's the only locking knife I own anymore, and if I lost it I'd replace it with the same thing. I'm more inclined towards slipjoints these days, but sometimes a one-hand opener that locks is very useful, and there's nothing else out there that compares with this Mini-Grip, for me at least.

Great cutter, stays sharp a long time, good ergonomics (even better after I took the clip off), blade is perfectly centered, everything is smooth, lockup is easy and rock solid, and I think it looks better than any other locking knife. Other people have different taste and different priorities, but the Mini-Grip works for me.

-Tyson
 
soc_monki said:
Annealed will be softer. Less wear resistance, less resistance to deformation. I doubt it's a big issue on a knife liner, but it seems to me it would be easier to get a more consistent product if you can heat treat it to desired specs rather than just relying on cold working it. I'm sure they have specs they follow, but I don't know if 301 needs to be that strictly controlled for the things it is usually used for.
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You buy 301 already hardened to spec (1/4, 1/2, 3/4 or full hardness) from the steel supplier, so it's not a step the knifemaker would be doing anyway. Since neither 301 nor 410 gets particularly hard (both top out around 41 HRC), would using hardened steel bring enough advantages to offset increased production costs? I kind of doubt it would.
 
Tyson,
I totally agree. The mini-grip and sheepsfoot is one of two remaining modern folders. The other is my Kershaw Combo-blade Leek. All the rest are slipjoints, mostly GECs.
 
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