I'm guessing that people don't actually hate the Griptilian?

bluemetalchurch said:
A bit rich as in too much, right?
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Yes compared to a regular Griptilian although it does give you G-10 and S30V. For a bit more I can get Barrage or 484 with M390.

If the Benchmade Griptilian Customizer allowed G-10 and M390 that would be something.
 
RamZar said:
Yes compared to a regular Griptilian although it does give you G-10 and S30V. For a bit more I can get Barrage or 484 with M390.

If the Benchmade Griptilian Customizer allowed G-10 and M390 that would be something.
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Yea, I agree with you. I've been contemplating ordering one of the G10 versions for an EDC knife to replace my rift.
 
This is a sore spot for me personally. When I sold knives, this was something I often heard...but in terms of being a cutting tool capable of fulfilling performance needs, the Griptilian is one of the most capable knives ever made. The handles are tough as can be.

I think the Griptilian is a victim of when people confuse aesthetics versus performance in fulfilling a functional role. Someone "not liking" the 'look' or the 'idea' of the "plastic knife" is both subjective and unrelated to how well a knife serves its functional purpose (beauty is not one of those functional criteria.) We often hear the same thing about Glock firearms, where people say they do not want a "plastic pistol..because it's cheap." Whether they realize it or not, they are saying they do not want it on a basis having nothing to do with performance; thousands of independent tests show the poly pistol outperforms many other firearms that aren't "plastic pistols."

Is there anything wrong with not liking something for subjective reasons? Absolutely not. However, it's when people use highly subjective criteria to speak on behalf of a functional purpose that I find frustrating. Most people saying "the Griptilian is junk" have zero empirical evidence to support their statement beyond them personally not liking the Grip.

I think the Grip is quite possibly Benchmade's finest knife ever made, and one of the finest folders ever produced. It is certainly one of the toughest knives Benchmade has ever made, and it's very, very affordable. I think the Ritter is the best blade Benchmade has ever made and one of the best (or even the best) EDC blades ever. I've used a Ritter on tasks that many knives costing 3x as much wouldn't handle nearly as well. So I've personally never seen a functional lack with the Grip.
 
I like the mini-grip quite a lot. I've read about the 'cheap-feeling plastic' scales, and it's true they're nothing fancy, but how are they different from Spyderco's FRN that folks rave about?
 
The more popular something is, the more hate it will attract, as well.

I love it and have zero complaints so far.
 
Dislike for the plastic (Noryl GTX) scales of the Griptilian is not just subjectively for aesthetics but individually and objectively a functional issue for some.

The Glock analogy regarding the grip is apt. That's why many use overgrips, various types of texturing, grip reductions, stippling, various types of tapes, etc.
 
I've been edcing my minigrip for a while now and it hasn't disappointed. It does everything I ask and more. Typical cutting chores like boxes, tape, sharpening pencils to heavy duty use at home on the ranch. Hay rope, drywall, whittling, and so on. Even use it to pry a little now and then. Pretty soon I'm gonna send it in for a spa treatment. Who knows I may drop $25 in there for a new blade in 154 to replace the 440.



 
r8shell said:
I like the mini-grip quite a lot. I've read about the 'cheap-feeling plastic' scales, and it's true they're nothing fancy, but how are they different from Spyderco's FRN that folks rave about?
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I love my mini-grip as well. I'm guessing those complaints are related to the 'hollowness' of the scales, which is probably amplified in the full-size grip with a larger cavity and partial liners. Does Spyderco do any 'hollow' scales?

This one feels extraordinarily ergonomic:
griptilianupload.jpg
 
r8shell said:
I've read about the 'cheap-feeling plastic' scales, and it's true they're nothing fancy, but how are they different from Spyderco's FRN that folks rave about?
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I'll stop short of saying I hate them, but I don't like them. And I don't like Spyderco FRN either. It isn't so much that the handles feel cheap, but they make it more difficult to make the knife smooth. I have a mini-grip and I have a Delica, neither one of them operates smoothly. I have a Kershaw Zing and a Spyderco Tenacious, both of which are very much smoother than my mini-grip and my Delica, and both of them cost less.

I would have liked to have gotten one of the Shotshow grips or one of the NRA grips, but they made those in such limited numbers that they were hard to find at a reasonable price. I think the handle shape is pretty dull but they looked ok in the G10 versions, and I really like the blade shape. But I'm not going to buy one that isn't G10 and the G10 versions are too expensive.

I am surprised that the grips were so popular in those polls. I can imagine that the general public would buy a lot of them because they buy based on price, but I'm surprised that enthusiasts like them so much. I have a lot of Benchmades in my EDC rotation, one is Ti and all of the rest are G10. I wouldn't trade any of them for a standard grip.
 
I got a 555hg. It's alright, probably wouldn't get another grip. Prefer BM's other offerings.
 
I have a lot of Benchmades going back to August 2005 and not a single Griptilian! Not a fan of Spyderco's FRN either. Their linerless FRN handles have centering issues.
 
bluemetalchurch said:
It's peppered throughout threads in this forum as well as others.
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I wouldn't call it hatred, rather a firm dislike. Not everyone likes plastic covers on their knives. Lots of folks enjoy and use the mini grip, it's a very well done knife. My personal favorites are the 556 & the Ritter blade shape. I think the largest criticism comes from the hollow feeling and blade heavy "full size" Grip.
 
RamZar said:
Dislike for the plastic (Noryl GTX) scales of the Griptilian is not just subjectively for aesthetics but individually and objectively a functional issue for some.

The Glock analogy regarding the grip is apt. That's why many use overgrips, various types of texturing, grip reductions, stippling, various types of tapes, etc.
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You are speaking of a different issue, which is why I said "most" instead of referring to everyone who does not like the Griptilian.

Having a functional issue with the design is completely different than disliking on a subjective premise without direct understanding (and sometimes even first-hand experience) of the knife. I've heard many more arguments based off of the "I dont like the idea of plastics because plastic is cheap so the knife is cheap" over "I dislike the plastic because it is more difficult to adjust to offset blade play" or "I do not like how the lighter plastic results in balance that I find difficult to use" or "I owned the knife and did not like it because (insert whatever reason here as it's first-hand experience.") Such reasons are completely different from what I am speaking of.

And my issue isn't with people liking or not liking plastic...everyone has their preferences and their right to prefer whatever they want. My issue arises when people assert that subjective aspects they do not like make the Grip a poor knife in general. Those such arguments tend to be more common on forums in which knives are not the core topic/purpose of the form, but I've heard it many times in person as well from people who have held a Griptilian for all of 5 to 6 seconds.
 
I carry my 940 most of the time but started with griptilians and still do. My current "flip while watching tv" knife is my REI grip which is smooth as glass and great looking, also don't forget how impressive the AXIS lock is and not many other knives can compare to lock strength. How about a REI Grip or Shot Show Grip in M4 (I got that one too) vs a Sebenza in 5-6 side by side tests ending in max lock strength just for curiosity sake, those special edition models offer a lot of knife for the money and I like the standard models too but the basic scales are the weak link. (looking for a LNIB Camp Perry).
Chris
 
I carry my Grip as an EDC work knife and it has been a joy to use. I have three of them in three blade styles and have found I like the Tanto the least. It is a very impressive grind for slashing, but for a knife meant to do the menial tasks of everyday work I like the curved blades best. All three in 154 and all three hold an edge very well. Thought the plastic feel of the scales was OK at first but now that I have used the knife under many different circumstances I have grown to appreciate the design. Would sell the Tanto if given the chance as it just sits in the safe, but one of the other two are with me every work day. Just as a side note my 710 or Rift are my other main carry knives.
Be safe, Frank.
 
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