Hello all. I recently received a Benchmade 556 Mini-Griptilian as a present from a family friend. I'll post up a few first impressions as well as a comparison to one of its hot competitors (which I also own): the Spyderco Delica-4.
The model I have is the olive drab/black coat/combo edge 556. The blade is just under 3 inches; there's a lanyard hole and a clip set for tip-up, either hand. The handle material is listed as Valox, which I believe is a sort of fiberglass. The blade is 154CM, about 2.5mm thick and flat saber ground. There's a swedge grind at the tip, probably to improve penetration on stabs. The lock is Benchmade's famous Axis lock, supported by nested skeletonised liners.
Now, on to the subjective bits. First, the blade. This knife is very comfortable to open with thumbstuds; while some makers place their thumb studs too close to the handle, the 556 leaves a generous amount of space for a thumb to slide in and push out. The knife can also be opened by pulling back the lock bar and flicking, but I've heard that this is not to be recommended. In any case, it opens quickly and easily. The action is nice too-smooth, and with a little closing bias.
The blade stock is thin, which I like, though I would have preferred a higher grind. It cuts well despite the edge, which came very obtuse and uneven from the factory. The serrations cut well-dig in and saw. I haven't tried sharpening it yet so no comments there. The tip is quite acute, but not weak.
On to the lock. The AXIS lock is comfortable to use and ambidextrous. There is no blade play in this knife at all. Nothing much to say here, simply that AXIS lives up to its reputation.
The handles are textured very aggressively (hence the name) with liberal spine and forefinger jimping. It gets uncomfortable if squeezed hard. The clip also rests on the textured area, so it will probably begin to give my pants grief after a while. The Mini-Grip's handle feels small even for my smallish hands (I have to stretch to reach the thumb ramp on a Military), as if my hand is being squeezed off the handle. The clip is fairly standard, as is the lanyard hole. It rides quite low in the pocket.
The ergonomics of this knife are nothing spectacular. While there are no glaring flaws, it does nothing for me personally; I don't care for the over-aggressive jimping or texturing. The biggest bug with the ergos is that my finger is too far from the edge, which I don't like. Of course, this is all subjective, so your mileage may differ. The blade, however, somehow feels "placed to cut"; not sure really how to describe it.
Now for the comparison with the Delica4:
Opening method is a draw for me. In general I prefer holes, but the Grip's stud is the best I've tried.
The lock: Most will go AXIS, but the feel of the backlock has me backing it
The closing bias and spine lock release are what made up my mind. The AXIS has the closing bias too, but I personally prefer the back lock's release position. Perhaps it's the two years of carry...
Ergonomics of use: For me, it's almost always ergos which decide "carry or not" for me. A great-looking, supersteel-packing blade has no appeal for me if it isn't comfortable. For these two, neither knife has a forefinger choil, which is a bit problematic for some sorts of work. The Delica has a generously sized handle, which is contoured to fit the hand and really comfortable for me. The Grip, as I mentioned above, feels too small. The Delica's texture is about the same; less aggressive, but covers more of the knife. One thing to note is that the Delica's clip rests on an area of the handle where the texture gives way to the relatively smooth Spyderco logo, minimising clip wear. The Delica's spine ramp is a lot higher, which may be worse for some forms of MBC (that I have heard). It is markedly less comfortable in edge-up grips. The Griptilian, on the other hand, is proof that one can't just take a whole package from another knife (the fullsize Grip) and "downsize" it.
Ergonomics of carry:The Delica is flatter but broader than the Grip, by merit of the Spyderhole. Otherwise, they feel about the same. The Delica has four
Blade: The steels used are about neck and neck, as are the thickness and grind. My main beef here is with Benchmade's factory grind, which is obtuse and uneven. Since I have an Aligner kit it doesn't affect me too much, but for people who go at it with just a stock Sharpmaker, it'll probably be quite upsetting. From what I have read on these forums, it's not an uncommon problem either. As I recall the Spyderco Delica came sharp enough to easily pop hairs and push cut newspaper, with even, decently acute bevels.
To sum up?
The two knives are close enough that personal preference will tip the scales between them. I strongly recommend trying to handle them before buying. The Grip is a solid little knife, and most probably stronger than the Delica (as well as being available in lots of fun colours).
The model I have is the olive drab/black coat/combo edge 556. The blade is just under 3 inches; there's a lanyard hole and a clip set for tip-up, either hand. The handle material is listed as Valox, which I believe is a sort of fiberglass. The blade is 154CM, about 2.5mm thick and flat saber ground. There's a swedge grind at the tip, probably to improve penetration on stabs. The lock is Benchmade's famous Axis lock, supported by nested skeletonised liners.
Now, on to the subjective bits. First, the blade. This knife is very comfortable to open with thumbstuds; while some makers place their thumb studs too close to the handle, the 556 leaves a generous amount of space for a thumb to slide in and push out. The knife can also be opened by pulling back the lock bar and flicking, but I've heard that this is not to be recommended. In any case, it opens quickly and easily. The action is nice too-smooth, and with a little closing bias.
The blade stock is thin, which I like, though I would have preferred a higher grind. It cuts well despite the edge, which came very obtuse and uneven from the factory. The serrations cut well-dig in and saw. I haven't tried sharpening it yet so no comments there. The tip is quite acute, but not weak.
On to the lock. The AXIS lock is comfortable to use and ambidextrous. There is no blade play in this knife at all. Nothing much to say here, simply that AXIS lives up to its reputation.
The handles are textured very aggressively (hence the name) with liberal spine and forefinger jimping. It gets uncomfortable if squeezed hard. The clip also rests on the textured area, so it will probably begin to give my pants grief after a while. The Mini-Grip's handle feels small even for my smallish hands (I have to stretch to reach the thumb ramp on a Military), as if my hand is being squeezed off the handle. The clip is fairly standard, as is the lanyard hole. It rides quite low in the pocket.
The ergonomics of this knife are nothing spectacular. While there are no glaring flaws, it does nothing for me personally; I don't care for the over-aggressive jimping or texturing. The biggest bug with the ergos is that my finger is too far from the edge, which I don't like. Of course, this is all subjective, so your mileage may differ. The blade, however, somehow feels "placed to cut"; not sure really how to describe it.
Now for the comparison with the Delica4:
Opening method is a draw for me. In general I prefer holes, but the Grip's stud is the best I've tried.
The lock: Most will go AXIS, but the feel of the backlock has me backing it
The closing bias and spine lock release are what made up my mind. The AXIS has the closing bias too, but I personally prefer the back lock's release position. Perhaps it's the two years of carry...Ergonomics of use: For me, it's almost always ergos which decide "carry or not" for me. A great-looking, supersteel-packing blade has no appeal for me if it isn't comfortable. For these two, neither knife has a forefinger choil, which is a bit problematic for some sorts of work. The Delica has a generously sized handle, which is contoured to fit the hand and really comfortable for me. The Grip, as I mentioned above, feels too small. The Delica's texture is about the same; less aggressive, but covers more of the knife. One thing to note is that the Delica's clip rests on an area of the handle where the texture gives way to the relatively smooth Spyderco logo, minimising clip wear. The Delica's spine ramp is a lot higher, which may be worse for some forms of MBC (that I have heard). It is markedly less comfortable in edge-up grips. The Griptilian, on the other hand, is proof that one can't just take a whole package from another knife (the fullsize Grip) and "downsize" it.
Ergonomics of carry:The Delica is flatter but broader than the Grip, by merit of the Spyderhole. Otherwise, they feel about the same. The Delica has four
Blade: The steels used are about neck and neck, as are the thickness and grind. My main beef here is with Benchmade's factory grind, which is obtuse and uneven. Since I have an Aligner kit it doesn't affect me too much, but for people who go at it with just a stock Sharpmaker, it'll probably be quite upsetting. From what I have read on these forums, it's not an uncommon problem either. As I recall the Spyderco Delica came sharp enough to easily pop hairs and push cut newspaper, with even, decently acute bevels.
To sum up?
The two knives are close enough that personal preference will tip the scales between them. I strongly recommend trying to handle them before buying. The Grip is a solid little knife, and most probably stronger than the Delica (as well as being available in lots of fun colours).
