I’m a relatively new knife enthusiast and recently purchased the Benchmade Mini Grip 555HG and Spyderco Native SC41PBK. The Mini Grip I purchased from an online knife retailer for $57 (before shipping). The Native I found at the local Walmart for $40 (before taxes), although I’ve been told that it will be offered online only from their website in the near future.
What follows is my attempt to write a comparison review for both knives to outline their strengths and weaknesses.
BLADE
The Benchmade Mini Grip uses a 154CM blade while Spyderco Native features S30V, which from what I understand is a bit more of an exotic metal. I’m really not knowledgeable enough to know which is better technically, they both seem very sharp from the factory. Because I just purchased these recently, I really can’t tell how long each blade will hold their sharpness.
Both blades feature a round thumb hole in the blade for easy one handed opening. Apparently this is a trademark Spyderco feature and I was glad to see it on the Benchmade Mini-Grip for 2007, as I feel this makes the knife very easy to open and was one of the main reasons I bought it.
As you can see from pics, the Native blade is wider with a spear point pattern, however, this makes the tip of the blade thinner and possibly more fragile when used for such tasks as prying. It seems this was purposely done by Spyderco as a design feature and to reduce weight. The Mini Grip uses a more simple design that also appeals to me.
I’m going to call this even, because I don’t have enough knowledge to perform objective tests and haven’t had each knife long enough to determine durability and sharpness retention.
Edge: Even
HANDLE/ERGONOMICS
Here the Spyderco wins hands down for what is a subjective reason on my part, the Native fit my hand like a glove because of the two finger coils. Obviously this will vary among users depending on the size of your hand.
Notice in the pic below that the first finger coil forces you to hold the handle farther forward and allows the entire handle to fall in your palm. The Mini Grip handle when held properly doesn’t seem to extend far, and my pinkie finger can’t rest on the handle. The Native handle extends well into the palm and slightly past the pinkie, resulting in a very secure and natural feel. It's obvious a lot of R&D went into this design at Spyderco.
Both have anti slip textures on the handle, although the Native extends its web like texture over the entire handle, resulting in less slip overall. The blade serrations for the thumbs are equally functional, and the Mini Grip extends this into the handle, making it a bit more versatile. Overall though, the Native is clearly the winner in this category, it really does feel like a natural extension of my hand.
Edge: Native
ACTION/LOCK
I could tell right away that the action of Mini Grip is one of its strong suites. It opens with a lot less effort and feels extremely smooth. The Axis lock engages well and with very little resistance. The steel liners and what appears to be two washers on each side of the blade at the hinge contribute to the smoothness of the action, features that the Native does not have.
The Spyderco uses a David Boye Dent and once engaged makes a much louder and reassuring “click” sound than the Benchmade. However, there is a bit more resistance when opening the blade versus the Mini Grip, and more force is needed to press down the release mechanism.
Edge: Mini Grip
CONSTRUCTION/QUALITY
Again, construction seems to be a strong suite of the Mini Grip, and probably explains why it costs more than the Native. All the screws are user customizable while the Native screws are not (except the clip screw which is covered in the next section).
The Benchmade has steel liners and the aforementioned two washers between the blade and liners on each side to ensure absolutely no side to side blade movement and butter smooth action. One test I did to the Spyderco was to press down the blade release and noticed that there is definitely some side to side blade movement. The Mini Grip on the other hand exhibits no play whatsoever when the AXIS lever is engaged.
The technical specs indicate that the Native uses FRN nylon polymer while the Mini Grip uses what Benchmade calls "Color Valox" which seems to be a bit heavier. I have no idea if one is stronger than the other, although the handle of the Mini Grip feels a bit more substantial and slightly tougher.
Edge: Mini Grip
CLIP/STORAGE
Both knives store in your pocket tip up, which is what I prefer. The Mini Grip clip is very stiff to the point that the force against the handle texture will cause damage to pants over time. The Spyderco clip is much better designed with less force and is actually a bit longer.
The Mini Grip uses three small screws to secure the clip while the Spyderco uses one large screw that can be easily loosened with a coin. One thing I didn’t like is that the Native clip screw is easily prone to lose its paint layer, which detracts a bit from its appearance, especially since I’ve only owned it less than a week. Functionality is more critical though and therefore the Spyderco takes this category.
Edge: Native
CONCLUSION
If you add up the preferences of the sub categories above, you can see that the matchup is even, and both knives have their own unique positive attributes. My subjective conclusion however gives the slight overall edge to the Mini Grip, because I personally value the action and construction of a knife more than the other characteristics. Both are great knives and I’m glad I purchased them, but in the end if I had to choose one I would go with the Benchmade Mini-Grip.
Thanks for taking time to read my review, I hope you enjoyed it.
TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS
Benchmade Mini Grip 555HG
6.78" - Overall Length
3.87" - Closed Length
2.91" - Blade Length
0.100" - Blade Thickness
154CM - Blade Material
58-61 - HRC Blade Hardness
2.56oz - Weight
Spyderco Native SC41PBK
7.00" - Overall Length
3.94" - Closed Length
3.13" - Blade Length
0.125" - Blade Thickness
S30V - Blade Material
58-60 - HRC Blade Hardness
2.65oz - Weight
What follows is my attempt to write a comparison review for both knives to outline their strengths and weaknesses.
BLADE
The Benchmade Mini Grip uses a 154CM blade while Spyderco Native features S30V, which from what I understand is a bit more of an exotic metal. I’m really not knowledgeable enough to know which is better technically, they both seem very sharp from the factory. Because I just purchased these recently, I really can’t tell how long each blade will hold their sharpness.
Both blades feature a round thumb hole in the blade for easy one handed opening. Apparently this is a trademark Spyderco feature and I was glad to see it on the Benchmade Mini-Grip for 2007, as I feel this makes the knife very easy to open and was one of the main reasons I bought it.
As you can see from pics, the Native blade is wider with a spear point pattern, however, this makes the tip of the blade thinner and possibly more fragile when used for such tasks as prying. It seems this was purposely done by Spyderco as a design feature and to reduce weight. The Mini Grip uses a more simple design that also appeals to me.
I’m going to call this even, because I don’t have enough knowledge to perform objective tests and haven’t had each knife long enough to determine durability and sharpness retention.
Edge: Even
HANDLE/ERGONOMICS
Here the Spyderco wins hands down for what is a subjective reason on my part, the Native fit my hand like a glove because of the two finger coils. Obviously this will vary among users depending on the size of your hand.
Notice in the pic below that the first finger coil forces you to hold the handle farther forward and allows the entire handle to fall in your palm. The Mini Grip handle when held properly doesn’t seem to extend far, and my pinkie finger can’t rest on the handle. The Native handle extends well into the palm and slightly past the pinkie, resulting in a very secure and natural feel. It's obvious a lot of R&D went into this design at Spyderco.
Both have anti slip textures on the handle, although the Native extends its web like texture over the entire handle, resulting in less slip overall. The blade serrations for the thumbs are equally functional, and the Mini Grip extends this into the handle, making it a bit more versatile. Overall though, the Native is clearly the winner in this category, it really does feel like a natural extension of my hand.
Edge: Native
ACTION/LOCK
I could tell right away that the action of Mini Grip is one of its strong suites. It opens with a lot less effort and feels extremely smooth. The Axis lock engages well and with very little resistance. The steel liners and what appears to be two washers on each side of the blade at the hinge contribute to the smoothness of the action, features that the Native does not have.
The Spyderco uses a David Boye Dent and once engaged makes a much louder and reassuring “click” sound than the Benchmade. However, there is a bit more resistance when opening the blade versus the Mini Grip, and more force is needed to press down the release mechanism.
Edge: Mini Grip
CONSTRUCTION/QUALITY
Again, construction seems to be a strong suite of the Mini Grip, and probably explains why it costs more than the Native. All the screws are user customizable while the Native screws are not (except the clip screw which is covered in the next section).
The Benchmade has steel liners and the aforementioned two washers between the blade and liners on each side to ensure absolutely no side to side blade movement and butter smooth action. One test I did to the Spyderco was to press down the blade release and noticed that there is definitely some side to side blade movement. The Mini Grip on the other hand exhibits no play whatsoever when the AXIS lever is engaged.
The technical specs indicate that the Native uses FRN nylon polymer while the Mini Grip uses what Benchmade calls "Color Valox" which seems to be a bit heavier. I have no idea if one is stronger than the other, although the handle of the Mini Grip feels a bit more substantial and slightly tougher.
Edge: Mini Grip
CLIP/STORAGE
Both knives store in your pocket tip up, which is what I prefer. The Mini Grip clip is very stiff to the point that the force against the handle texture will cause damage to pants over time. The Spyderco clip is much better designed with less force and is actually a bit longer.
The Mini Grip uses three small screws to secure the clip while the Spyderco uses one large screw that can be easily loosened with a coin. One thing I didn’t like is that the Native clip screw is easily prone to lose its paint layer, which detracts a bit from its appearance, especially since I’ve only owned it less than a week. Functionality is more critical though and therefore the Spyderco takes this category.
Edge: Native
CONCLUSION
If you add up the preferences of the sub categories above, you can see that the matchup is even, and both knives have their own unique positive attributes. My subjective conclusion however gives the slight overall edge to the Mini Grip, because I personally value the action and construction of a knife more than the other characteristics. Both are great knives and I’m glad I purchased them, but in the end if I had to choose one I would go with the Benchmade Mini-Grip.
Thanks for taking time to read my review, I hope you enjoyed it.
TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS
Benchmade Mini Grip 555HG
6.78" - Overall Length
3.87" - Closed Length
2.91" - Blade Length
0.100" - Blade Thickness
154CM - Blade Material
58-61 - HRC Blade Hardness
2.56oz - Weight
Spyderco Native SC41PBK
7.00" - Overall Length
3.94" - Closed Length
3.13" - Blade Length
0.125" - Blade Thickness
S30V - Blade Material
58-60 - HRC Blade Hardness
2.65oz - Weight
I really like the ergonomics. With the finger choil on the blade, I find the Native to be really comfortable. 
