Benchmade Question

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Knight939

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Feb 14, 2003
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My brother recently became a police officer and for his graduation present I offered to buy him the EDC of his choice. He chose a full size Benchmade Griptilian that I had the chance to handle before I gave it to him. To make a long story short, I LOVED IT! The blade was razor sharp out of the box and the action was smooooth! I also liked the grips and was impressed with the axis lock.

My question, what's up with the 440C blade? Most of the benchmade line uses 154CM, M2, or D2 steel, why use 440C for such a great design? I just checked the BM website and it looks like they'll have some offerings with s30v blades soon. Does anyone know if the Griptilian will be upgraded to one of these better steels soon? Don't get me wrong, I'm not a total steel snob and the heat treat that BM does on their 440C produces a respectable blade. But again, why 440C when they're using better steels in pretty much all of their other knives? Also does anyone know what knives will come out with the s30v blades? I know that's more than one question but any info would be great.
 
440C is a fine blade steel. It takes and holds a good edge. It's highly rust-resistant. It's also a very easy steel to heat-treat meaning more consistent results. And, unlike some of newer steels, it's easy to sharpen yourself.

You said, yourself, "The blade was razor sharp out of the box.... the heat treat that BM does on their 440C produces a respectable blade."

440C isn't the "next phase, new wave, dance craze steel," but for practical knives, it still rocks and rolls pretty darn well.
 
i think benchmade sticks with 440C on the griptillian to keep costs down so that we can buy and axis folder for about $50 which is great!
 
Take into consideration what BM's Griptillian series is trying to compete with. One example is the American made Spyderco Native. It features exotic blade steel, great QC, good warranty, screaming sharp factory edge, smooth operation, choice of 85/15 serrated or planedge, great ergonomics, etc. All at a street price of around sixty bucks. That is a tall order for any company to compete with.

Don't read this the wrong way. Nothing wrong with 440C and nothing wrong with the BM's GT series. Just pointing out what they're up against.
 
Good point guys, don't get me wrong the BM Griptilian is a great knife for the money but I use my knives regularly for work so edge retention is pretty important to me. I love the feel and design of the knife and I'd be willing to pay an extra $20 or $30 to get the same knife with a blade that will hold an edge longer. I used to have a BM AFCK as one of my EDC knives and as I recall it held it's edge better than other knives that I own with blades made of 440C. I'll probably end up buying the Griptilian any way, haven't owned a BM yet that I didn't like.
 
I think it's part of Benchmade making the Griptillian an affordable high-quality tool. If you can't abide by the 440C, get the Spyderco Native in S30V or the Benchmade 710HS in M2. You can't beat an axis-locked Benchmade in M2 and the 710HS is the best in-production version of an axis-locked folder with M2 steel. OTOH, the Native is such a sweet knife and its S30V is top-notch stuff. It holds a great edge and could be carried in your hand all day. Also, if the lock ever disengages on the Native, you'll pinch your index finger before risking a cut. Also, the Native costs a little less than the Griptillian. 440C is a good edge-holder, too. It's not M2, BG-42, or some other super-steel, but it's still a darned good choice.

Why spend extra bucks to get a steel you like on a knife you probably won't like?

If you find that the handle on the Griptillian is too thick, go with the Native. It has the exotic steel and its thumb-ramp/handle set up put it in the same "hold all day without noticeable fatigue" category as the Griptillian with a comparable price.
 
Actually, the case isn't as clear cut as all that.

Steel:
440C is good steel. It was the stainless of choice for custom knife makers for a long time. With good heat treatment, it comes close to ATS-34/154CM in terms of edge wear, and it is a little tougher and more stain resistant. I am evaluating the 440C in the Ralph/Wilson Tactical against Darrel's custom heat treated D-2 right now, and in short term high-stress cutting, it is performing equally. So there is a good chance that you would never notice the difference in performance between a Griptilian and a 440V Native. The chances of actually not liking it are almost nill. It is hard enough to notice the difference between 440C and higher carbon steels when comparing them side by side.

The bottom line is, if you are willing to spend a little more for better steel, by all means get a 72X instead. Damn strong little knife.

Design:
The big difference between the two is design and construction. The Griptile is flat ground, and the native hollow ground. The Griptilian is larger, and the handle is more ergonomic, in my opinion. But that's what it comes down to, opinion. You just have to handle them and see which one you like best. The Griptilian does have the Axis lock, which is an important feature for me, but less than critical in a knife of this type.
 
Thanks for the input, I currently own an older Sypderco Native with the GIN-1 blade and I like the grip ergonomics so I'm definately planning on picking up the new s30v version once I find a place that sells it. I'm also planning on picking up the BM Griptilian, after handling it once I've been thinking about getting one ever since. As far as I'm concerned it's always nice to add another couple of knives into my EDC rotation and I've always been impressed with Spyderco and Benchmade (seems like a lot of others here on this site feel the same way).
 
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