Benchmade Ritter Grips!

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Nikkogi

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In my opinion, the Benchmade Ritter Grips are some of the best knives on the planet. They are relatively affordable, the axis lock is rock solid, and the blade shape/grind is absolutely perfect.

What do you think of the Ritter Grips?
 
i had one in m4. i liked it alot. i only had 2 gripes.
1)i wish they took their m4 to a higher hardness
2) i wasnt a fan of the handles, and i wish wilkins grips were cheaper.
 
sweet_hitch-hiker said:
i had one in m4. i liked it alot. i only had 2 gripes.
1)i wish they took their m4 to a higher hardness
2) i wasnt a fan of the handles, and i wish wilkins grips were cheaper.
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If you don't mind, what hardness would you prefer they be, and why would you prefer the blade be hardened more? The steel is incredibly tough as it is, and has great edge retention, as well as being rated at around 59 hRC already.
 
I have 6 Grips, three of them are Ritters. Two mini and one full sized. I like mine a lot.
 
...a ripoff compared to Spyderco's S30V offerings. $60 for a 154cm WAS a good deal... A lil more is okey dokey... LOVE my 154cm mini grip, BTW I, in good conscience, paid $97 at a local B&M. Again... I think the Ritters are ok, but nothing special compared to Spydies offerings with G10.
 
archieblue said:
...a ripoff compared to Spyderco's S30V offerings. $60 for a 154cm WAS a good deal... A lil more is okey dokey... LOVE my 154cm mini grip, BTW I, in good conscience, paid $97 at a local B&M. Again... I think the Ritters are ok, but nothing special compared to Spydies offerings with G10.
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Why is it a ripoff? $112 for a stonewashed S30V knife isn't that bad, and Valox isn't a low-quality material.

Benchmade probably locks Doug Ritter in at a price since they're a special production, so the cost is what it is, but the blade profile is pretty spectacular, and the overall quality is pretty great.
 
The knives would be even better with a much needed handle material makeover. Would some G10 really be that bad?
 
I must be the only one that thinks that the handles are fine. I really like the feel of them and I drop it all the time without any damage. I don't know how G10 fares, but they're fine for me.

If its not broke, don't fix it.
 
In the EDC line-up for over 4 years. Handles are just fine with me and
the s-30v stonewashed blade does everything I ask of it. Took off
the clip and threw it away--fits great in the Benchmade soft sheath.
 
somber said:
I must be the only one that thinks that the handles are fine. I really like the feel of them and I drop it all the time without any damage. I don't know how G10 fares, but they're fine for me.

If its not broke, don't fix it.
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+1 on the handles !!!! Very durable and comfortable , benchmade has several other offerings with more premium handle materials but I like the griptilian jut the way it is !!
 
I think that they are one of best EDC designs of all time.

I have owned a few Griptilians over the last few years, but the 552 Ritter Grip is the only one that I have kept. It makes an already great knife that much better.

The finish is also proving to be my favorite, I wish my 615 was finished this way. Pictures do not do it justice, the way that the finish reflects light is really nice.
6157ee7e.jpg



On a side note, I noticed a post where Doug referenced the upgraded parkerized pocket clip on the Grips as opposed to the normal painted one. My 552 has the conventional painted clip. It appears new(LifeSharp), but I bought mine second hand. Maybe the older knives use the old painted clip?

Either way, I contacted Benchmade CS and they agreed to send me the upgraded parkerized clip at no cost. This is not the first good experience I have had with their CS, they are amazing. If all businesses were run like this, the world would be a better place.
 
Talking about the blade shape, I think the original griptilian is waaaaaaaaaaaay better looking. and for EDC use, I can't think of any big advantage of S30V over 154CM, and the regular grip is cheaper.
 
archieblue said:
...a ripoff compared to Spyderco's S30V offerings. $60 for a 154cm WAS a good deal... A lil more is okey dokey... LOVE my 154cm mini grip, BTW I, in good conscience, paid $97 at a local B&M. Again... I think the Ritters are ok, but nothing special compared to Spydies offerings with G10.
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Really? A Manix 2 with 154CM is about $80. A Griptilian with 154CM can be had for about $70. The mini Ritter is around $104 I think and a Sage 1 is around $100 at most places. They could be had cheaper a while back but have gone back up in price. Plus the Grip is made in the US and the Sage is Taiwan made with a less complex liner lock. Hardly a rip off.
 
The mini Ritter is one of my favorite blades, but it is no bargain compared with the 527 mini Presidio Ultra with an excellent 440C steel, textured, molded handles and Axis lock, with a street price in the $60s.

At a manufacturer cost-controlled price of $112 plus shipping, BM should fit the mini Ritter with more upscale handles. And the painted clip -- which came with my brand new 558 -- is downright disgraceful.

All that said, I love the aesthetics of this blade enough to fit both my mini Ritters with Wilkins grips. Of course, that makes them even less of a bargain.
 
This knife needs G-10 scales like a polar bear needs a cold winter. It doesnt make sense to lavish such attention on the blade and neglect the handle material.

While I give them full kudos for the stonewashed blade finish (the best finish to be had in a production knife) I still wish they would go the whole hog and stick some G-10 scales on the thing.

IMO even if they charged a bit more if it had G-10 scales they would sell them by the truckload.
 
My large Ritter is in my pocket at all times and it does get used. I've battoned, chopped sliced and stabbed with this thing and it hasn't failed me yet. A little DMT red and strop when it needs it and she is all set. I do agree that some G-10 would be nice but it really makes no difference to me at this point.
 
Buffalohump said:
This knife needs G-10 scales like a polar bear needs a cold winter. It doesnt make sense to lavish such attention on the blade and neglect the handle material.

While I give them full kudos for the stonewashed blade finish (the best finish to be had in a production knife) I still wish they would go the whole hog and stick some G-10 scales on the thing.

IMO even if they charged a bit more if it had G-10 scales they would sell them by the truckload.
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I agree, I almost traded for a Mini Ritter in M4, but the price of new CSD scales was too much. I'm just not a fan of any of the stock Grip handles. And I'd prefer the M4 to be around 64 HC instead of 59. 59 seems like a waste of M4 in a way. It does seem like a nice knife, but not quite what I'm looking for. However, that high flat ground blade is def one of my favorite shapes produced by Benchmade.
 
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