"Crimson" Mini Griptilian at REI

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thallium

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Jan 25, 2011
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Tonight I ran across a "Crimson" Mini Grip in S30V at REI.com. It is labeled as a 556S. I would get it right now but I don't want serrations so I opened up a chat with their customer service to see if they'd get a plain edge version. The person had no idea and suggested that I could find a plain edge version somewhere else. I told them that as far as I know there is no way to get a red scaled Griptilian in S30V anywhere else, not even on Benchmade's Griptilian customization site. I've never seen one before. I also sent off an email to Benchmade about this as nothing shows up on a search of their website and nothing shows up on a Google search.

Does anyone know anything about this? Strange thing is, REI also lists a black blade version and the description says it is 154CM??? Have they made various limited editions, sprint runs if you will, and kept no record of them on their website? I think I also ran across a picture of a bright green Griptilian either on this website or on youtube sometime and I've never seen them available.
 
Guess you are right. Missed the Mini in the title.

Point is though B-made does a lot of special runs and have been making Red handles for years.

Doesn't surprise me at all that there is a Red handled Mini Grip.

They just changed to stuff going into the mold.
 
Brian Sargent said:
Guess you are right. Missed the Mini in the title.

Point is though B-made does a lot of special runs and have been making Red handles for years.

Doesn't surprise me at all that there is a Red handled Mini Grip.

They just changed to stuff going into the mold.
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But it's listed in s30v not the basic 154cm.
 
I would be interested in a plain edge model with the crimson grips.

Let me know what Benchmade says. Might have better luck calling them though. Maybe benchmade will throw on a plain edge blade if you send it to them.
 
Benchmade Would Switch Out The Blades For Pretty Cheap.

Okay, I Am On The Site Looking At The Benchmade 556SBK Mini-Griptilian - Crimson.

It Says It's 154cm Blade Steel.

But The 556S Does Say s30v. I Think That Was A Typo. Because The 556SBK Is The Same Exact Knife Only With Black Coating. I Don't Think They Would Make The Satin One With A Different Blade Steel When They Are The Same Limited Edition Knife.

So, No, It's Definitely 154cm. You're Paying The Extra For Red Handles.
 
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I went to the benchmade website and the 556 and 556s says 154cm unless I'm looking at a different knife
 
Looks like this is may be a REI Exclusive Mini-Grip configuration. If that is the case S30V blade is highly possible. Their last exclusive was a blue handle S30V blade 530 model, and just like the Grip, production version comes with a 154CM blade (the 530 didn't sell as well as they hoped and at least half of the initial order was then bought by KnifeWorks, who sold them at a very nice discount).
 
djjonny said:
I went to the benchmade website and the 556 and 556s says 154cm unless I'm looking at a different knife
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REI.com is the site listing a crimson 556s in s30v, not Benchmade.com, that was my point. I've never seen a retail griptilian in s30v anywhere except a custom build direct from Benchmade. So either REI has an exclusive griptilian build or they made a mistake on their description. Red handles would still be exclusive I guess because they don't seem to be available on anything but the trainer.

I mentioned this in my first post, did they ever make a bright green griptilian?
 
thallium said:
I mentioned this in my first post, did they ever make a bright green griptilian?
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Yes, it was one of their normal production colors like yellow or blue, but was discontinued, at least that's what I remember reading in another thread on the subject, which is two bad, I like the green more than any of the other colors still in production.
 
thallium said:
REI.com is the site listing a crimson 556s in s30v, not Benchmade.com, that was my point. I've never seen a retail griptilian in s30v anywhere except a custom build direct from Benchmade. So either REI has an exclusive griptilian build or they made a mistake on their description. Red handles would still be exclusive I guess because they don't seem to be available on anything but the trainer.

I mentioned this in my first post, did they ever make a bright green griptilian?
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Sorry, My bad
I see what you mean
 
bdmicarta said:
If you can handle one or find detailed photos, the blade should have a marking of what steel it is.
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Good idea. I still haven't received a response from REI or Benchmade so maybe I'll stop by my local REI after work and check it out.
 
Alright, I called Benchmade, and the customer service rep said that the only steel they sent REI was S30V for the crimson mini grip.

I also asked if I bought one would they put a plain edge blade on it for me, and they said no because it was an REI exclusive.

Guess I wont buy one then, probably good since it is overpriced. A ritter mini grip is $112 and my M390 mini grip was $90, definitely not paying $120 for a partially serrated S30V blade that is less than 3 inches.
I do like the crimson handles though.
 
Even though I prefer a plain edge, I would get the serrated one with S30V with the non-coated blade. I do not like the 154CM on the grips. REI does some cool exclusives with Benchmade. They had a blue handled 530 a couple years back that was unique. It's quite a spendy knife though. Not sure its' worth $120.
 
HKBM45 said:
Alright, I called Benchmade, and the customer service rep said that the only steel they sent REI was S30V for the crimson mini grip.

I also asked if I bought one would they put a plain edge blade on it for me, and they said no because it was an REI exclusive.

Guess I wont buy one then, probably good since it is overpriced. A ritter mini grip is $112 and my M390 mini grip was $90, definitely not paying $120 for a partially serrated S30V blade that is less than 3 inches.
I do like the crimson handles though.
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Good job. Very disappointing though. I told REI that I'd buy one right now if it was available with a plain edge. I also asked REI why virtually all the knives they stock are only available with serrations. I'll wait to see what they say. Maybe we can convince them to order some with plain edges.
 
Planetcat said:
Even though I prefer a plain edge, I would get the serrated one with S30V with the non-coated blade. I do not like the 154CM on the grips. REI does some cool exclusives with Benchmade. They had a blue handled 530 a couple years back that was unique. It's quite a spendy knife though. Not sure its' worth $120.
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I bought that 530 from REI last year when they had it on clearance. The normal price was $130 I think and they had it marked down to $100. I had eyed it for a while but was not willing to spend $130 for it so I finally bit, plus as a member I get a small rebate on purchases so it was about $90. Not long after that I saw that Knifeworks had them for $80 or so. Doh!
 
thallium said:
Good job. Very disappointing though. I told REI that I'd buy one right now if it was available with a plain edge. I also asked REI why virtually all the knives they stock are only available with serrations. I'll wait to see what they say. Maybe we can convince them to order some with plain edges.
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Yeah, REI really should think through their ordering. Not offering a plain edge? Id probably buy a BK coated plain edge, I actually think that would look cool with the crimson. But ideally satin plain edge S30V, and then I could justify the ridiculous price.
 
Agree on the PS and pricing complaints...but I will probably buy one anyway... ;)
 
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