Benchmade

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Malice

Joined
Nov 25, 2004
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I can get either the BM530 Mel Pardue or the 550 Griptilian for ~$60.

I hear all sorts of stuff about the Grip but almost nothing about the 530.

What attracts me to the 530 is the spear-point blade. Either knife I would be getting in a non-serrated edge, and if I got the Grip it would be the drop-point blade, not the Sheepfoot. They both use the much-admired Axis lock, correct?

How does the 530 compare to the 550? Which would you pick up? Then again, why not pick up that Monochrome for half the price?

This would be used for EDC with an emphasis on defense. I tend to use one of my Gerbers when I need somthing cut.
 
Ok, so I haven't handled the grip but I have handled the 530. It is a slick knife. Its very flat and low profile. The spear point blade is very pointy but fairly wide for the knifes size. I really like the design (I think it started as an auto, which is super sweet). I think this would make a great small sd knife, easy to carry with a very useful blade that appears to be quite strong. It is a liner lock as opposed to the grip which has the ambidexterous axis lock but if you are ok with liner locks then I would probably lean towards the 530 for sd and the grip for general utility.

Good Luck they are both great knives, my first griptilians are on there way to me but I got them as general utility not for sd though I am sure they could fulfill that role if needed.
 
I like the feel of my 550 but not so much the 440C blade. I would consider a getting one with the D2 blade from Cabelas.
 
The 530 does have an axis lock, the 350 which it replaced was a liner lock. If it were me, I'd get the griptillian.
 
Knifeclerk said:
Don't get the monochrome, dude. That's a sh!tty knife.
Click to expand...

Uhm...why? It's an inexpensive "bare bones" utility folder with a steel comparable to VG-10. The opening action is smooth and the framelock is very secure. Its design is simple, but timeless. What's wrong with that?
 
Quiet Storm said:
Uhm...why? It's an inexpensive "bare bones" utility folder with a steel comparable to VG-10. The opening action is smooth and the framelock is very secure. Its design is simple, but timeless. What's wrong with that?
Click to expand...
:confused:

I'm also very curious.

There are very few knives for this money that could mess with it.
 
Knifeclerk said:
Don't get the monochrome, dude. That's a sh!tty knife.
Click to expand...

I guess the Monochrome isn't for everybody but it's far from from sh!tty. It's the best knife for the money that I own. I'm very happy with that purchase.
 
From what mono's that have come throgh my store, i have been anything but impressed. The most common flaws are in the locking mechanism that makes it very stiff and extremely difficult to open/close. I don't mean it just needs some loving. I had worked these in for days with no favorable results. And if a model can just very that much, then I wouldn't buy one with out handling my purchase first.
 
Ok well, as for the cheaper Benchmades...

I have made up my mind.

I am getting the drop point Plain-edge Griptilian with an OD handle. Somthing about the way people rave about these things makes me feel uncomfortable making anyhting else my first benchmade purchase.

But, since Xmas is coming up and all, what is the deal with Benchmades cheaper knives? Such as the

Pika and Mini Pika
Fecas Gamer bowie
Ambush & Mini
Monochrome

Benchmade just has such a stellar reputation among you (us? :eek: ) knife knuts, but is a $20, $30, $40 Benchmade a better buy than a Gerber, CRKT, or Gerber in the same price range?
 
Anthony
I never claimed that it's VG-10. Actually it's called N690 and if I'm not mistaken it's kind of like the Austrian version of VG-10.

Knifeclerk,
my Monochrome took a few days to break in, but now the action smooth as hell.

Malice,
the Mini-Pika and Pika are two of the best knives in their price range.

My Mini-Pika has a little blade play, but the lock-up is solid, the steel (440C) is a very good all-round blade material, and general fit & finish is on par with many knives that cost twice as much. Nice blade finish. Excellent clip - the knife is almost invisible when clipped into a pocket.
Many people dislike Zytel, but these folders' texture makes their handles feel a if they're made of something "better".


As you can tell, I really like BM's new line of inexpensive knives.
 
Malice. Good decision re getting the Griptilian. I now own three: the regular mini grip and both sizes from Cabelas in D2. I'm axis crazy. You will not regret buying this knife. I bought a Mini Pika a few weeks ago and like it. For the bucks you get a lot of knife.

Since it's Xmas, you might ask for another Grip instead of one of these knives and pick them up yourself during the year. If a Grip is too much to ask for, a gift certificate from Cabelas some place can be used to defray the cost of what you really want.

Anyway,
Get a Grip!
U
 
i reviewed the full-size pika here

i love the knife myself, soon as i get some more money rolling my way i'll be picking up a few more.

the red class may not be the best, but from what i have had in my hands they are still good knives.
 
...Good choice on the Griptilian. The 440C steel that Benchmade uses is actually a pretty darn good steel, and the Axis-lock is rock-solid and smooth. It also comes with a clip that can be moved to the other side, if needed.
 
Quiet Storm said:
Anthony
I never claimed that it's VG-10. Actually it's called N690 and if I'm not mistaken it's kind of like the Austrian version of VG-10.
Click to expand...
Yes, it seems rather like a "version of VG-10" than like a "version of 440C" ;)

There are steel compositions of both:

440C: (Spyderco steel chart) 0,95-1,20 C, 16,00-18,00 Cr, 1 Mn, 0,75 Mo, 0,04 P, 1 Si, 0,03 S;

N690: (Böhler data) 1,07 C, 17 Cr, 1,5 Co, 1,1 Mo, 0,1 V.

N690 seems to be better cleaned from elements like Phosphorus and Sulphur, should have Cobalt and Vanadium.

VG-10: 0,95-1,05 C, 14,5-15,5 Cr, 1,3-1,5 Co, 0,5 Mn, 0,9-1,2 Mo, 0,03 P, 0,6 Si, 0,1-0,3 V

Quiet Storm said:
Knifeclerk, my Monochrome took a few days to break in, but now the action smooth as hell.
Click to expand...
Mine also. And there were really "few days", I can't remember exactly, 3-4.

But now I can open it like an auto without problems by only touching a thumbstud, there is no problem with closing it also - it has great blade shape, cuts veery well and the edge retention is very good.

I like it very much.

##########

But well - a Griptilian was a very good choice, I have 550 and 551 in D2.
It has very high "bang-for-bucks-coefficient" ;)
 
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