Benchmade Mini Griptilian: A year of EDC

richstag said:
BTW, are you going to be sharpening this to any controlled angle and finish for the testing or just beating on the factory edge still? If you are resharpening how do you finish and do you know the angle? How do you gauge sharpness and how do you assure there is no burr?

Thanks,

Kevin
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I hate to disappoint but all I own right now is the sharpmaker with ultra fine stones and a leather strop. I get a very nice edge but I do not have the ability to reprofile the edge. I am looking to get a wicked edge soon but I have a few knives I would like to pick up first before hand.
 
Thats okay, I look forward to seeing how your testing turns out with what you have. Thanks.


imbryan715 said:
I hate to disappoint but all I own right now is the sharpmaker with ultra fine stones and a leather strop. I get a very nice edge but I do not have the ability to reprofile the edge. I am looking to get a wicked edge soon but I have a few knives I would like to pick up first before hand.
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I am going to try and get some more detailed pictures tomorrow. I took these while shooting my Bow in the back yard today.





 
I apologize for being so late uploading some update pictures but here is the mini grip after 2 weeks of carry.











 
Not planned but I'm pretty much doing this test along with you, I have a 555 but I am also carrying it daily and will be for the long-term. I'll be interested to watch your knives progression. I really like the black drop point blade BTW, looks great!
 
hey guys sorry it has been so long since i have posted an update. today marked the first full month of me carrying the Mini Griptilian. Im going to do my best to write a 1 month impressions and post some update pictures tomorrow. i have just been very busy with work, school and getting ready for Hunting season. the knife has been getting a lot of work. thanks for being patient.
 
cncpro11 said:
how is the lock holding up?
how many times have you flicked it open?
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The lock is holding up just fine from what I have seen. I have not put it through much hard use but it is still working well. The only problems I've had so far are the pocket clip loosening and the pivot screw loosened up the other day. I just threw loctite on it and called it a day
 
Very cool idea, I like to switch things up too much. However a year with a mini grip is no problem as and griptilian is nice and gets the job done. Good choice.
 
imbryan715 said:
The lock is holding up just fine from what I have seen. I have not put it through much hard use but it is still working well. The only problems I've had so far are the pocket clip loosening and the pivot screw loosened up the other day. I just threw loctite on it and called it a day
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What sort of "hard use" do you plan on putting a mini grip thru?
What made you decide on the cheapest, smallest knife Benchmade makes versus a black class knife which would be more appropriate to your line of work?
 
The knife more appropriate for my line of work is the benchmade 5000 that is in my turnout gear. I keep a small 3 inch folder in my uniform because quite frankly the 85 year old lady on a medical call is not going to find a massive auto knife as cool as the members of this forum. When I say hard use I don't mean doing auto extrication with the knife. I mean cutting abrasive materials, rutting rubber, cardboard, rope etc..... Still using it as a cutting tool but using it hard. When I talk about abuse that's what the 5000 is for. That knife is used for cutting fire hose, prying plastic out of cars, cutting seatbelts, used as a small prybar, cutting drywall, cutting cables.....
 
I have been carrying the Mini Grip for just over a month now. So far i really like the knife. I find it to be a great size for comfort of carry and utility. The 154cm blade has seen a lot of cutting over the last month and still has a reasonable edge. I purchased a few new tree stands for this deer season and that involved breaking down multiple large cardboard boxes, cutting plastic straps, prying up staples, cutting webbing etc..... Its also been with me at work where it gets its normal daily duties such as opening boxes of supplies, fixing equipment, working on trucks, cutting hose, many medical call's and so forth. The Benchmade 5000sbk still gets the lion share of the work on emergency scenes but the Mini Grip is never far away. I really like the handle Design, Material and Feel. The knife is very comfortable in hand and works well for cutting for prolonged duration's. The handle material is very sturdy. I have dropped the knife once or twice on concrete and there is no visible damage. The only issue's i have had with the knife are the pocket clip has a little side to side play even when all 3 screws are tight and the pivot screw has backed out once or twice and has since been loctited. i also added a lanyard to the knife today because i found the knife a little difficult to grab out of the pocket with gloves. it is no big deal with daily carry but i just decided to throw it on there for the times when i am wearing gloves for hunting, working, medical, extrication or fire. Overall i have really enjoyed the Mini Grip so far!













 
Thanks for the update. Looking forward for next write up.
BTW, your lanyard knots look a bit loose to me. :D
 
After going through paces for the last month including using while wearing gloves, have you reconsidered getting a model with a thumbstud rather than the one with a hole in the blade?
 
shuutr said:
After going through paces for the last month including using while wearing gloves, have you reconsidered getting a model with a thumbstud rather than the one with a hole in the blade?
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Now obviously this isn't my thread therefore this question isn't directed at me, but I have both a 555 (mini hole opener) and a 551 (full size w/studs) and I do have an opinion on the subject...

I would much prefer the hole opener for ease of opening, especially wearing gloves, IF it were any other lock type, but with the axis lock working how it does I can just pull the lock back and let the blade fall open. I open my full size that way nearly 98% of the time(every once in awhile I'll flick it with the thumb stud) even tho on my 555 I probabily split it right down the middle, using the hole and the lock method evenly.
 
shuutr said:
After going through paces for the last month including using while wearing gloves, have you reconsidered getting a model with a thumbstud rather than the one with a hole in the blade?
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I do not have a problem using the knife with the thumb stud. Yes, the hole would probably help. If I take my time I can open it with fire gloves on. I mostly prefer keeping either a spyderco or an auto knife in my turnout gear for that reason. It is just easier to use with gloves with next to no dexterity. My main turn off to the 550 & 555 models are I think they blades are ugly and don't match the handle. I'm sure they are functional knives but their appearance just puts me off.
 
kodachi said:
Thanks for the update. Looking forward for next write up.
BTW, your lanyard knots look a bit loose to me. :D
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Yea something about that brand of paracord did not like to bite very hard. I had troubles with that and only that brand. The other colors I use seem to hold up very well but that would always loosen up after a few day. I took it off the other day because of that. I might tie an ACU snake knot on it in a few days if I really miss the lanyard.
 
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