BM Griptilian 551 in 154CM or S30V

S

southernfryedyankee

Joined
Dec 12, 2009
Messages
168
Any personal testimonies as to which is better? I had a Griptilian and a Rift in 154CM and neither could hold an edge for longer than a day just doing basic tasks (cardboard, feathersticks and sharpening pencils). I watched the Griptilian vid on BM's website and I was amazed at what I saw but neither 1 of my blades ever performed like that so I am wondering if MAYBE I just got a less than perfect heat treat on that 154CM. S30V seems appealing but I dont know if it is a brittle steel and if it is prone to chipping or maybe the 154 is the way to go but get a professional to reprofile the edge on say an edge pro apex to a shallower angle.

I would also love to get some G10 scales as the plastic scales are MEHHHHHHHH
 
If you're going to customize a griptilian get S30V. I do like 154CM and have several knives in it but S30V is my go-to for EDC. I ordered two custom grips from BM and got them both in S30V. I haven't really done any extensive comparison tests but I EDC more S30V knives than anything else and they've always been great.
 
Master sharpening the knives you have. Then worry about steel. Since your not dealing with garbage steels here what you have will work. Consider I can get an opinel with soft carbon steel to cut cardboard all day long.

It sounds to me like your sharpening may be lacking. Once you figure that out, then you will be hugely rewarded when you upgrade to a better steel.

Don't take this the wrong way. Mastering sharpening IS the route to knife happiness. IMO.
 
I agree with the post above, #3. Being able to sharpen a knife is the key to getting the best use out of any steel.
 
S30V is an improvement over 154CM. If you do a lot of cardboard cutting, neither are really the ideal steels as cardboard is REALLY harsh on knife blades. S30V doesn't really have chipping issues when the heat treatment is done right. It's a very tough steel, and it is tougher than 154CM or D2, with reasonably good edge-holding. It is more difficult to sharpen than 154CM, which is a very easy steel to sharpen. I think the S30V Ritter Griptilian performs a good bit better than the 551 in S30V due an improved blade design with a very useful kind of flat grind.

What angle are you sharpening your Rift at? What tools are you using? And are you finishing it with something like stropping, steeling, or polishing? 154CM is an excellent steel, but it can dull from cardboard pretty fast. Sharpening is what will determine how fast, though.

If you are sharpening your 154CM Benchmades to an optimal edge and they are losing that edge in a day of your usage, S30V will probably not be a gigantic improvement here. Between disliking the handle of the Grip and possibly needing a different steel, I think you would be better off buying a different knife with handles that you like from the start, and in a steel with higher wear resistance if you cut a lot of dulling materials like cardboard. Both 154CM and S30V are not optimal choices for that as cardboard kills their razor finish pretty quickly. If your goal is to have a knife which still has that razor sharp super scary edge after cutting some cardboard, then S90V, S110V, and M390 are really the steels of choice IMO.

Buying a Grip and then getting aftermarket scales can often be more expensive than many other knives which may better suit your usage (for example, many of the Wilkins scales plus the Grip often get more expensive than the Benchmade 940-1 which is carbon fiber and S90V steel). Benchmade's 940-1 in S90V, 484, 710, 585, 810 in M390, and 810 in CPM-M4; ZT's/Kershaw's Blur, ZT0566, ZT0560, ZT0770 in ELMAX; and Spyderco Gayle Bradley in CPM-M4 or Manix LW in CPM-S110V are a few that come to mind.
 
southernfryedyankee said:
Any personal testimonies as to which is better? I had a Griptilian and a Rift in 154CM and neither could hold an edge for longer than a day just doing basic tasks (cardboard, feathersticks and sharpening pencils). I watched the Griptilian vid on BM's website and I was amazed at what I saw but neither 1 of my blades ever performed like that so I am wondering if MAYBE I just got a less than perfect heat treat on that 154CM. S30V seems appealing but I dont know if it is a brittle steel and if it is prone to chipping or maybe the 154 is the way to go but get a professional to reprofile the edge on say an edge pro apex to a shallower angle.

I would also love to get some G10 scales as the plastic scales are MEHHHHHHHH
Click to expand...

Just to echo what everyone else is saying: It's the sharpening. If you're keeping the factory bevels, then your edge is too obtuse. I keep my Rift at 17º per side and then strop on the cardboard back of a notepad, and it slices very well and holds its edge for quite a while. That being said, cardboard will tax any blade steel that isn't a high wear resistant steel. 154CM and S30V are not those steels.
 
I have never been able to keep an edge on CM154. My Ritter Grip on the other hand holds an edge a very long time and is easy to touch up the edge.
 
Also get some after market scales. They really do take the Grip to a whole new level.

 
Thank you everyone for the replies. While I am not a novice sharpener I am no means an expert either. All my sharpening I do on my 1x30 and can bring all my other blades to shaving performance with only minor stropping to just touch the edge up. I no longer have the Rift or the Grip, the grip was ALWAYS more comfortable I just didnt like the cheap scales and the fact that my 154 wouldnt stay sharp for long didnt help me out either. I had lost the Grip at work and the rift I sold because it was so much more knife than what I needed and the G10 scales were very sharp and hard on my hands. I am looking at a spyderco that struck my interest just debating on pulling the plug.
 
REI has a Grip that is a limited edition in S30V with two-tone G10 scales. (You can often find 20% off coupons.)

http://www.rei.com/product/868371/benchmade-551-griptilian-g10-special-edition-knife-straight-edge


S30V is an improvement in edge-holding over 154CM (as well as an improvement in toughness and corrosion resistance). However, if the 154CM Benchmade you had was sharpened correctly, you probably will not find S30V (or D2 for that matter) to give you a dramatic improvement in edge-holding because of how fast your usage dulls the blade. Hence why you may want to consider looking for something in a steel with higher wear resistance. Benchmade has made the Grip in CPM-M4, which is a big improvement in edge-holding over the above-mentioned.

If you are going to cut a lot of cardboard, you will find a steel of high wear resistance greatly reduces upkeep and saves a lot of time. For example, I have a Benchmade 707 in M390, 154CM, S30V, and D2. The M390 blade can give me over 5 times the period between touchups compared to the others, and I have it reprofiled to a much thinner angle than the others at that.

The edge geometry of the Ritter Griptilian is also something to possibly consider. My Ritter holds a better edge than my other Grips, and I think it's blade design is one of the best on any production folding knife, personally (it's widely acclaimed on this forum and elsewhere).
 
this is off the blade steel part of my post but I hopefully just snagged a newly listed BM Griptilian in M4 that was listed. I will not be keeping the aftermarket scales that it will come with. Are there any recommendations for a US based scale maker? I have heard of Cuscadi scales and know they are not US based but if anyone has any info on their pricing and turnaround times that would be great
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top