Have the mini-grip and rat 2 (D2) been toped in their respective price-range ?

19-3ben said:
Consensus seems to have been formed that the mini-grip is not price competitive, and for what it’s worh, I agree whole heartedly.

Now to jazz things up a bit, let me ask a variation on the question. Was the mini-grip EVER really a great value in its price range?
My vote is that the Delica was always the stronger competitor offering better slicing performance with similar steel at a lower price range.
What do you guys think?
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Kreyzhorse said:
I think you nailed it. The Delica is always the best choice between the two based on design, cutting ability and price.
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Agree with the above two posters. Delica to me is a better choice. With $20 less than mini grip, Delica gets basically the same steel (vg-10 vs cpm-154) but as a better slicer which is what matters the most with small knives like these. Adding $14 more than mini grip I can get Delica with zdp-189 steel which cuts circle cpm-154.

Chapp said:
The Delica is a fantastic office knife, but there's a case to make about its fabrication location (Japan I think ?), compared to the griptilian made in USA. You can't really compete - price-wise - with asian countries, even Japan.

I agree with you about the price of the mini-grip, you pay a lot for what it is. It's a popular knife with benchmade "tax" outside of it and you have those cheap scales, so yeah, it's too much pricey for what it is, but it's a made in USA knife, you can't really compare it's price fairly with the Delica or the Steel will jack for exemple. When you buy a mini-grip (or any made in USA knife), you're sure the employees are treated well. You can't really say that about a Steel Will Jack, a Kershaw Atmos, a Delica or a Dragonfly for exemple. The wage and work culture in Japan are borderline inhumans, it's worse in Taiwan or China. I understand it doesn't matter for some, but it's still an argument to take into consideration.
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Doesn't matter the country of manufacture in this case. Both Spyderco and Benchmade are American companies.
 
Chapp said:
The Delica is a fantastic office knife, but there's a case to make about its fabrication location (Japan I think ?), compared to the griptilian made in USA. You can't really compete - price-wise - with asian countries, even Japan.

I agree with you about the price of the mini-grip, you pay a lot for what it is. It's a popular knife with benchmade "tax" outside of it and you have those cheap scales, so yeah, it's too much pricey for what it is, but it's a made in USA knife, you can't really compare it's price fairly with the Delica or the Steel will jack for exemple. When you buy a mini-grip (or any made in USA knife), you're sure the employees are treated well. You can't really say that about a Steel Will Jack, a Kershaw Atmos, a Delica or a Dragonfly for exemple. The wage and work culture in Japan are borderline inhumans, it's worse in Taiwan or China. I understand it doesn't matter for some, but it's still an argument to take into consideration.
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That's a very different argument and keep in mind that Japanese labor costs and wages are actually significantly higher than their US equivalents.

But even if you want to compare apples to apples as far as country of origin, I would argue the Buck 830 Marksman, Kershaw Knockout and upcoming Bareknuckle and the Spyderco Native 5 Lightweight or Manix 2 Lightweight all offer significantly better value than the mini-grip, just to name a few.
 
Chapp said:
The Delica is a fantastic office knife, but there's a case to make about its fabrication location (Japan I think ?), compared to the griptilian made in USA. You can't really compete - price-wise - with asian countries, even Japan.

I agree with you about the price of the mini-grip, you pay a lot for what it is. It's a popular knife with benchmade "tax" outside of it and you have those cheap scales, so yeah, it's too much pricey for what it is, but it's a made in USA knife, you can't really compare it's price fairly with the Delica or the Steel will jack for exemple. When you buy a mini-grip (or any made in USA knife), you're sure the employees are treated well. You can't really say that about a Steel Will Jack, a Kershaw Atmos, a Delica or a Dragonfly for exemple. The wage and work culture in Japan are borderline inhumans, it's worse in Taiwan or China. I understand it doesn't matter for some, but it's still an argument to take into consideration.
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Im not sure where you get your info, but it's factually just not correct.

A) It is not cheaper to manufacture in Japan than it is in USA. Based on the word from Sal Glesser, the owner of Spyderco, and a man in a position to know better than just about anyone, it's the same. USA or Japan ends up costing the same.

B) Japanese employees are not treated badly. Japan has a very high standard of living, and the cost of their labor reflects that.

C) Why are you lumping Japan in with Taiwan or China? For that matter, why are you lumping Taiwan with China. There are huge difference between Taiwan and China and huge differences between those two and Japan. Just being part of the same continent doesn't make them similar... Hell, just look at North Korea vs. South Korea! Even being on the same peninsula and sharing a border doesn't make the countries similar!
 
If we're talking 154cm preference, a lot of other companies put their foot in the door for a little under a base Grip price. FOX and Boker come to mind for me. I am a little confused on why the mini grip was placed here considering it's sitting pretty at $100. I just came into the knife community a year ago, so if there's any significance of it being 'budget', I would really like to know why.
 
sharp_edge said:
Agree with the above two posters. Delica to me is a better choice. With $20 less than mini grip, Delica gets basically the same steel (vg-10 vs cpm-154) but as a better slicer which is what matters the most with small knives like these. Adding $14 more than mini grip I can get Delica with zdp-189 steel which cuts circle cpm-154.



Doesn't matter the country of manufacture in this case. Both Spyderco and Benchmade are American companies.
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There is a difference though. When a Delica is manufactured, a Japanese employee takes home a paycheck. When a Manix is manufactured, an American employee takes home a paycheck. There might not be a difference in quality, but more dollars go into the economy when it’s manufactured here.
 
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