I went Grip crazy

[photoman12001]

Three weeks ago I had never owned a Griptilian. They just didn't really appeal to me much. I had been interested in trying a Ritter so when I heard they were discontinued I decided to grab one. I've found that I really like titanium scales and I've always like the Axis lock so I also decided to equip the little Ritter with Wilkins scales. I bought the knife and scales new and liked it immediately after getting it together. It's destined to become one of my favorites.

Since I like it so much I grabbed a large one already set up like that off the Exchange and also snagged a large Grip with AWT scales for a good deal so I could compare them to the Wilkins. I couldn't believe how much thicker and heavier the large Wilkins scales were compared to the small. I knew they would have to be but the extra thickness seems disproportional. Luckily I'm a big Zero Tolerance fan so I like beefy folders, but this one gives any ZT I've got a run for its money. I think only my Adamas feels more brick-like.

The AWT scales are nice too. They are much lighter and thinner than the large titanium Wilkins. I'm not sure that I'll hang on to it though. I'm just a titanium junkie. I think I'll have the blade swapped for a satin, plain edge and see how I feel about it.

The clear winner for me in this trio is the small Ritter with titanium Wilkins scales. That is a great knife.

 

[Goose 7279]

Haha i did the same thing as you except i did it about a month ago. I also got the wilkins for my large ritter and ordereed another large and small to try it out. My back up large has the awt hive pattern scales. It is tough for me to decide which i prefer. But for me the small was too small so im gifting it to my wife but i want some blue factory scales or the grey and blue g10 or some blue scales of some kind put on it before i do. So i have neen keeping an eye out and posted in the wtb section. But im glad to see im not the only one who went grip crazy

 

[photoman12001]

I've got medium hands and the small feels great to me, but I can see if someone had hands any larger than mine that it might be too small. Actually, a medium size would probably be nice but people say the same thing about the Sebenza.

 

[Goose 7279]

Yea i have big hands somewhere around (11) xl and (12) xxl in leather gloves i also love the large sebenza. But these ritters are awesome. If you havent try the hk axis it is another amazing knife.

 

[castillokid]

Great post! I will look into getting a small. Glad you like it.

 

[fishface5]

great pics and the comparison shots are very informative thanks!

 

[photoman12001]

Here area few more snapshots of the Ritter/Wilkins Grips. I'm really liking these.
I swapped the AWT scales to a non-serrated 550HG that I got from the Exchange because I'm not fond of serrations.
I'm planning to do a video comparing all these in the near future.

 

[photoman12001]

Ahhh...no serrations.
Serrations are bad, m'kay.

 

[legaleagle]

What make/model is the flashlight?

 

[ChazzyP]

I'll return the favor and post over here in your Grip thread, photoman. I too love the Ritters and WilkinsGrips. Kevin's scales are not simply upgrades over the plastic BM handles--they totally transform the ergos of the knives and make them fit my hand so much better. I really like those Ti scales of yours, but i went with the coarse black G10 and blood-red back-spacers.

 

[photoman12001]

What make/model is the flashlight?

That is a Lumintop AAA Tool in titanium. The Tools are great edc lights. I have several of them:

• That titanium version with a Nichia 219B emitter
• A pair of Massdrop exclusive brass versions, one with the Nichia and one with the Cree emitter (my wife's)
• A copper version with the Cree emitter and mechanical switch

I recommend going with the Nichia emitter and electronic switch. It loses some output compared to the Cree but the color temperature is much nicer. That titanium one is always in a sheath on my belt with a small knife (Sebenza, Inkosi, custom SAK).

You can see the Cree has a much cooler (blue) tint than the Nichia.

 

[photoman12001]

I'll return the favor and post over here in your Grip thread, photoman. I too love the Ritters and WilkinsGrips. Kevin's scales are not simply upgrades over the plastic BM handles--they totally transform the ergos of the knives and make them fit my hand so much better. I really like those Ti scales of yours, but i went with the coarse black G10 and blood-red back-spacers.

Those look great. You are correct; both the AWT and Wilkins grips transform the knives into something wholely different (and much better). I like beefy, heavy folders so I don't mind the large Wilkins Ti grips but I think most people would be better served by G10 or aluminum. For me, the small with Ti grips seems perfect though. When deciding on EDC knives each day, it competes with a small Inkosi and small Sebenza. A first-world problem if ever there was one.

 

[jbmonkey]

very nice. weirdly i like the factory nylon grips. one of the main reasons i like the full size grip. just like the feel and weight of the plastic.

 

[photoman12001]

I was out on my motorcycle this weekend and went a little photo crazy with knives when I stopped at a park.

I also picked up a nice custom titanium clip for the large Wilkins Ritter that matches the finish of the titanium scales really well.

 

[ChazzyP]

I'm not much for serrated blades either, but I have a few and they do have their uses. I often have one on me for my work-beater second carry. I've got that black-bladed Grip with the green canvas Micarta Igordeds plus a Tenacious and a RAT I use that way. I've also got a satin-bladed full-size Stryker combo that comes in handy for yard tasks, etc.

Like I mentioned in the Discontinued Benchmades thread, though, those AWTs of yours do look way better with that non-serrated HG blade. That blade stye in black is a particular favorite. These are Igorded G10 scales in his "Random" pattern--kinda like Anso's, but more, well, random. (Can something be both patterned and random?)