Benchmade Griptilian

I love the action on grips. I perfer the hole opening. The minigrip feels stout with its solid scales, but the fullsize felt cheap and too light. Thats why i ordered a set of g10 scales with standoffs, and a new titanium clip from Igor here on BF. Love the knife now.
 
Had a Large Grip with 440c clip blade for years. over 10years, was sent for spring replacement a few times, its been retired. Its a workhorse, don't let the plastic handle fool you, been through oil, grease, dropped, acetone, water ect. Its takes a beating still working. BM has an excellent warranty. Any grip is great or any BM. Gary
 
billym said:
Are those BM production knives or after market scales? It looks like the middle one is the REI 551. Please tell us more. I have been toying with the idea of getting the REI version.
I just got a set of Putnam scales for a full sized Ritter. Love it and ordered another set. Will post pics tomorrow.
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They are all BM production. Top is the 551BK-1301 was BM's Shot Show knife in 2013; the middle is a 551-1401, the REI grip; and the bottom is the 551BK-LE. Steels are CPM M4, CPM S30V, and X15-TN. Anodized standoffs, red, green, and blue. Interestingly, the 551BK-LE is the only black box grip I've seen, presumably because it's a "law enforcement" limited edition.
 
I have an X15-TN Grip I got somewhere for the price of a regular Grip because they had it marked wrong, as well as an H2O Grip that was the same story.

Edit: Wait, I have that wrong, it's an H2O in X15-TN that I got at regular Grip pricing.
 
XxdrpxX said:
I love the action on grips. I perfer the hole opening. The minigrip feels stout with its solid scales, but the fullsize felt cheap and too light. Thats why i ordered a set of g10 scales with standoffs, and a new titanium clip from Igor here on BF. Love the knife now.
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I prefer the hole too. I might get some after market scales. They look really cool!
 
And here was the original pair of scales he made me. (same knife)




Looks the same, but those were micarta and the new ones are carbon fiber.


New:

 
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Possibilities are endless
 

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Also, I've bent clips so that they put more pressure against the knife and thus stay better in pants thinner than jeans. Just bend carefully so that you don't break the clip. Benchmade just started limited customers to 10 pocket clips a year, which shouldn't be a problem most people.
 
coloradospyderco said:
Today I went to Cabela's and while looking at knives, decided to handle the Griptilian. I was very VERY impressed. I've never felt a knife that's better in the hand and I LOVE the axis lock. Unlike most knives with FRN type handle scales, it didn't have a cheap feel. Also, the blade flew out like an assisted knife. The Griptilian is definitely my next knife purchase. Anyone who is on the fence about this knife, don't be!

If there are any bad things about the Griptilian, let me know.
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If the griptilian line is new to you, make sure to handle the mini griptilian and the g10 griptilian. You may save yourself an upgrade step.
 
I've had a Cabela's mini-Grip for the past couple of years. D2 takes a bit more work to sharpen than say AUS8, but I absolutely love my Grip. I'd own more but Benchmade's pricing policy has seriously POed me at present.
 
I've been going through my collection a good bit lately to streamline things to "users only", and in the end, my grips won out for the folders, (personal preference of course). My keepers are:

Doug Ritter full-size. Black blade w/ custom micarta grips. Best fit in my hand out of all of I've tried. s30v is a good compromise for me for moderate-hard outdoor use edge retention w/ easy-ish sharpening. The stock grips were fine, but the micarta grips are a game changer. They make the overall knife cost a bit higher, but in my opinion, if you're
only going to have 1 knife - make it your own.

Doug Ritter mini-grip: great size for edc office/ field carry for my use. Nice and small, and pairs well w/ khakis, (on the days I wear a suit, a small Vic alox gets the nod). Otherwise, same reasoning as the above.

It's really all a matter of personal preference, but the grips are a great choice. Enjoy.
 
I love the Griptilian, I've got 6.
Here is my mini and my full size favorites....


 
While I initially thought the Grip was expensive for what it is, at least after the price hike, the hollow ground in 154CM is just an awesome slicer, and I can break down obscene amounts of cardboard and still take the skin off of a tomato. Good stuff.
 
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They are good knives. The Grip was my first quality knife. I have since discovered much better knives that are much more carry friendly. I paid $72 for my Grip, I wouldn't pay the $90-$100 they are going for these days, I would buy a Sage 1 or something else.
 
adamg01 said:
They are good knives. The Grip was my first quality knife. I have since discovered much better knives that are much more carry friendly. I paid $72 for my Grip, I wouldn't pay the $90-$100 they are going for these days, I would buy a Sage 1 or something else.
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The Sage 1 is on my list of knives to get, too. Yes, the price is high these days but a grip is a must have for knife guys.
 
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