Just got my first Gold Class Benchmade

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JTR357

JTR357

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This just came in the mail a few minutes ago.I've had Griptilians before,but was turned off by the plastic handles,& wound up selling them.

This came with a very nice presentation.Big gold box(wrapped in bubble wrap),inside a hard flip open case,with certificate of authenticity,other paperwork,& a drawstring pouch.

First impressions-

1.It came extremely sharp out of the box.(surprisingly :D:p)

2.The pivot was a little tight,but after just a hair of a turn,I'm flipping it open & closed with the axis no problem.Smooth as butter.

3.It has a nice "hand filling" grip,& superb ergonomics.

4.The carbon fiber is beautifully done.Attractive & grippy,but not too grippy.

5.The blade is dead center,& it has just enough jimping for my tastes.

6.The fit & finish are on par with some customs I own.

I like the back spacer too.It seems to add to the solidness,overall ergos,& it looks good too.

I got this off the bay for around $270. shipped.It's worth every cent of that & then some IMO.
I have to say this is the first Benchmade I got in awhile that really "Wowed Me" out of the box.If I could change anything on it,it would be a satin,non-coated blade.However they did do a good job on the coating,like they always do.

Kudos to you Benchmade-For making an affordable Gold Class & for this fine example of it!:thumbup::cool:

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Congrats on a very nice knife. Many thanks to Benchmade for producing such an elegant, less flashy knife than most of the Gold series seem to be. Use the thing in good health!
 
Nice, good looking knife man! Now go lovingly beat it until it looks like a knife's supposed to! :D
 
Congratulations! The Gold Griptilian is one solid knife. M4 steel blade, CF handle, and attention to detail nicely executed by Benchmade.
 
I've always liked the blade, and grip shape of the Griptilian, but could never get behind the plastic scales--even knowing they're used for weight savings. I'd pay $270 for a Grip like that and I'd bet it would jump to the front of the line for EDC and probably stay there.

Could you expand on certain aspects of fit and finish--however small or large--that separate this Gold Class version from the Standard Blue Class and put it on par with some of your customs?

Best,

heekma
 
heekma said:
I've always liked the blade, and grip shape of the Griptilian, but could never get behind the plastic scales--even knowing they're used for weight savings. I'd pay $270 for a Grip like that and I'd bet it would jump to the front of the line for EDC and probably stay there.



Could you expand on certain aspects of fit and finish--however small or large--that separate this Gold Class version from the Standard Blue Class and put it on par with some of your customs?

Best,

heekma
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Hi heekma,
Well maybe that was a little exaggerated:o,not quite custom,but not far off either.The F&F is more like high-end production(think CRK),to mid-tech.There are no seams,rough edges.The action is buttery smooth.Smoother than any blue class I've had.Perfect/even grind.There is zero blade play in any direction.It's built very solid.
It almost feels/looks like it was hand finished.It very well may be.I don't know that much about Benchmade.I've only had about a dozen of their knives through the years,& never bothered reading too much into them.
 
Hey John,

No apologies needed for any exaggerations real or imagined.:) Hope my question didn't come across as challenging your observations--certainly wasn't meant that way. I tend to be someone who notices all the little things others don't and enjoy hearing about the minutiae others notice as well. This version of the Grip seems like a great introduction into Gold Class Benchmades.

Best,

heekma
 
I just about pulled the trigger on one of these today at a local knife store. I really like this one.
 
I love these things, I keep wanting to get one but haven't pulled the trigger yet. I first had to grab a sebenza (which I finally did this week!). Maybe now it will finally be time!
 
Those are definitely sweet knives, I've also yet to pull that trigger. Right now it seems I am into overbuilt folders. So I'll ride that wave until I have a few rock solid tanks and then move on.
 
Very nice, John:thumbup: Enjoy that one......you'll be using it out in the garage and the garden, right?:D
 
jonnymac44 said:
Very nice, John:thumbup: Enjoy that one......you'll be using it out in the garage and the garden, right?:D
Click to expand...


I don't have a garage,but I do have a small garden.Plus I own the apt building I live in,so that kinda makes me the super too(something's broke?call the supah :grumpy::D).It's actually not that bad.There's only six units.I get to use my knives for all kinds of interesting things.


Thanks for the congrats everyone!:thumbup:
 
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