Having a hard time deciding

[loonybin]

I'm in the market for an inexpensive sub-3" knife to carry. Being left-handed with a right-handed wife who sometimes uses my knives, I need an ambidextrous one. I've pretty much narrowed it down to the Benchmade mini-Griptillian or the SOG Twitch II. The Benchmade is about $20 more, but either one is fine, price wise. I love the Axis lock on my BM710. No experience with the lock on the SOG. Both have reversible clips, so that's good. Assisted opening is neither here nor there. I enjoyed the S.A.T. on the Flash I that I lost, but I also enjoy my round thumbhole on my mini-AFCK (lefty).

A few thought mulling about in my noggin:
1) From what I understand, the BM555 now comes with hollow ground 154CM steel instead of the 440C it used to. With the Twitch II having AUS-8 steel, how much of a difference will I see in edge retention and resharpening ability? When I finally have to resharpen my BM812 mini-AFCK with ATS-34 steel on my Sharpmaker, it takes forever. However, I don't want to be resharpening every few uses, either.

2) the modified sheepsfoot blade on the Benchmade. How useful is the blade design compared to the "conventional" design of the Twitch II blade?

3) are the handles on the Twitch II very slick when wet? It's my understanding that the Benchmade is designed to grip very well when wet.

4) purely aesthetic. Anyone carry the mini-Griptillian when dressed up? The Twitch II definitely looks more like a gentleman's knife, but does the mini-Grip stand out like a sore thumb when dressed for Sunday church?

 

[Fonly]

154CM is going to be a bit harder to sharpen, but will hold it longer. I picked up a Nimravus and Im in love with Benchmade stuff, and I hope to pick up a Grip some time. I will take 154 over aus-8 every chance I can, but if you like the twitch more, it wont be big deal.

 

[knarfeng]

A few thought mulling about in my noggin:
1) From what I understand, the BM555 now comes with hollow ground 154CM steel instead of the 440C it used to. With the Twitch II having AUS-8 steel, how much of a difference will I see in edge retention and resharpening ability? When I finally have to resharpen my BM812 mini-AFCK with ATS-34 steel on my Sharpmaker, it takes forever. However, I don't want to be resharpening every few uses, either.

2) the modified sheepsfoot blade on the Benchmade. How useful is the blade design compared to the "conventional" design of the Twitch II blade?

3) are the handles on the Twitch II very slick when wet? It's my understanding that the Benchmade is designed to grip very well when wet.

4) purely aesthetic. Anyone carry the mini-Griptillian when dressed up? The Twitch II definitely looks more like a gentleman's knife, but does the mini-Grip stand out like a sore thumb when dressed for Sunday church?

1) 154 CM is the same alloy as ATS34. But once the edge angle on the knife matches the edge angle on the Sharpmaker, it should sharpen up easily. Check the angle with a sharpie. In my experience, 154CM holds an edge longer than AUS8.

2) There are several blade styles available on the mini-grip. I just looked at a sheepsfoot and a drop point. Both were in stock at New Graham and www.1sks.com

3) Beats me.

4) That may depend on the church more than the knife. I often carry a Native III to church and nobody seems to mind. YMMV.

 

[dalefuller]

Knarfeng is right... once you get the angle of the bevels matching the angle of the Sharpmaker, touchups are pretty easy. Just don't let the blade get really dull. A weekly touchup is much easier than a monthly sharpening.

154CM takes a very wicked edge. The H&K 14210 that I EDC is 154CM and it will pass all the standard tests for sharpness like shaving, push-cutting, hair popping, etc. It even does real cutting very well.

I don't know anything about the SOG, but the Grip & mini-Grip FRN is pretty easy for me to hold when my hands are wet.

I don't dress up for church, I just wear what I wear anyplace else... a T-shirt and a pair of slacks. I carry whatever knife I'm EDCing at the time. Sometimes it's a mini-Grip or a Delica, sometimes it's a Para, usually it's the H&K 14210. If a dress knife is a concern for you, you might want to try the BM 707 or Spyderco's Caly 3. They are both very nice looking knives with exceptional F&F, and they're still pretty rugged knives.

 

[rfbadger]

My EDC is a Spyderco Delica 4.

I has steel comparable to 154CM namely VG-10. It's easy to sharpen on my sharpmaker and hold an edge. It's thinner than the Griptillian and the Clip-it makes a very easy carry that is unobtousive. The "volcano" texture makes it very useful even when wet. I have a Griptillian and it is a very good knife but not my EDC.

 

[loonybin]

But once the edge angle on the knife matches the edge angle on the Sharpmaker, it should sharpen up easily. Check the angle with a sharpie.

I'm doing that. I had it "professionally" sharpened, and the guy used a buffing wheel to put a saber grind on it. I specifically asked him not to, as I would be touching it up with a Sharpmaker. Needless to say, he gets no more business from me.

Now I have to reprofile the blade, and even with the diamond-coated sticks, it's taking forever on my Sharpmaker.

2) There are several blade styles available on the mini-grip. I just looked at a sheepsfoot and a drop point. Both were in stock at New Graham and www.1sks.com

No thumb hole on the drop point. If the thumb studs are similar to my 710, then I'm not sure I'll like them.

4) That may depend on the church more than the knife. I often carry a Native III to church and nobody seems to mind. YMMV.

[/quote]
Actually, I used that more as an indication of the type of dress rather than location. At church or other nice functions, I'm in dress slacks and a nice shirt (coat and tie if it's cool enough). Does the mini-Grip look classy enough when dressed up to not look out of place with the clothes? Right now I carry my mini-AFCK to church, so I'm not worried about what people think. It's just an aesthetic thing and not the most important.

 

[STR]

I've had both and its a no brainer to me. Spend the extra and get the BenchMade.

STR

 

[loonybin]

I've had both and its a no brainer to me. Spend the extra and get the BenchMade.

STR

That's what I ended up doing. I am now the proud owner of my 3rd Benchmade. It's just a simple 555HG, but I am surprised at how much this knife has grown on me in just a couple days. It almost feels as good in my hand as my mini-AFCK, and it has the slick Axis feel that I had almost forgotten about since I don't edc my 710sbt.

It's probably going to cost me a lot more than just the price of this knife, though. I showed it to my wife and now she wants me to try to find a discontinued purple one! She wasn't too keen on the pink one. You'd think with a house full of boys (5 boys with the 6th boy on the way), she'd want to assert her femininity and get a pink one, but no. Purple or yellow.

As for mine, I just might take some of my ACU Deep Gray Green Duracoat and refinish the handle with it. Or, I just might tape the cutting edge and spray the blade with it...