Mini Griptilian vs full size

C

Colton B

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Jul 19, 2011
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first things first, I could not find my answer in the search function so do not want to make anyone mad about this being a question already done

So for my thread I am just looking for your personal opinions on which one you prefer, please give an explanation for why you pick the certain one,

Thank you!
 
Well, as for me I chose the Mini-Grip because it felt better in my hand. I also like how the knife takes up a bit less room and is a little lighter in the pocket. I have the 555SBKHG and it is my favorite EDC right now. I also have a Delica 4 and a Leek w/composite blade and somehow the Mini-Grip seems to be in my pocket more often than the others.
 
how about mini-NOTHING

I can't stand the miniaturization of a good knife. I require a minimum of 3.5" blade and a large handle.

personal opinion. Don't get mad. I get that lots of people like little knives for your little cutting needs...
 
For me, it's the Mini without a doubt... I edc'd a Mini for almost 4 years. I'm a fairly big guy, 6'2", 220 pounds and have big hands, but I have always leaned towards smaller knives.

The Mini is very easy to pocket. I wear it in the watch pocket of my blue jeans, and have never had an issue with it coming out. But even though it is smaller, I have never felt like it was incapable of doing anything I needed it to do.

Some years back, I decided as much as I like the Mini, I would check out the full size Grip. It wasn't the same. I just didn't care for it much.

I like the Mini so well, I just got one from the BenchMade custom order with S30V steel, and O.D Green scales.
There are plenty of people that do like the full size though, so you really should check out both for yourself
 
Yeah my friend has the full size and I just cant decide which I will prefer and on Knife center they are almost the same price, I have always prefered the bigger blades but I thought I might like a smaller blade, I just cant decide!!!
 
I have the mini, and while it is a good knife, it really is smaller than I anticipated. I'd go full size if I could do it again.
 
I have never held a Mini-grip even though my local store has about 13 of them, I just don't like small knives. The full size isn't too large though, it's a nice perfect medium knife. The pocket clip really gets in the way of the ergonomics, but you get used to it.

The only problem I've had with my 551 is that it had a lot of bladeplay out of the box, but I tightened it. So now it doesn't really flick open, you have to apply force along the entire opening span.
 
I have the mini-grip and it's in my pocket right now. I totally love it. I investigated getting the full-size, and the ergonomics didn't scale up as well, at least not for me. I don't know for sure whether there's a difference in construction between the two, or whether the difference is strictly a function of how the proportions work in different sizes. For me the full-sized griptilian seemed too "blade-heavy" and the handle felt flimsy. In addition, the torque and the position of the studs were such that it just didn't flick open as well as the mini-griptilian, which is quick and smooth. I should add the disclaimer that I do not have large hands, and this could account for some of it.
 
Renegade90 said:
Well, as for me I chose the Mini-Grip because it felt better in my hand. I also like how the knife takes up a bit less room and is a little lighter in the pocket. I have the 555SBKHG and it is my favorite EDC right now. I also have a Delica 4 and a Leek w/composite blade and somehow the Mini-Grip seems to be in my pocket more often than the others.
Click to expand...

My 555GH somehow always wins out on pocket time with me also. Also in my rotation are a Kershaw Leek, Spyderco Manix2 and Dragonfly 2, and BM Mini-Barrage. I love all of them and somehow the 555HG gets the most pocket time (I think it's how fun it is to flick open and close, you can flip and flick it around like a balisong practically by gripping the thumb hole!)
 
frenchmade said:
how about mini-NOTHING

I can't stand the miniaturization of a good knife. I require a minimum of 3.5" blade and a large handle.

personal opinion. Don't get mad. I get that lots of people like little knives for your little cutting needs...
Click to expand...

Bencher said:
This.
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There is a big difference between " requiring " a bigger blade, and " prefering " a bigger blade. I don't know what your exact needs are, but some people under estimate smaller blades. The large blade length is 3.45 inches, and the Mini is 2.91 inches, so we are only talking a difference of a little over 1/2 inch in blade length, does it really make a critical difference ?

If it is a preference, that is different.
 
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To me, the line between "preference" and "requirement" is blurry. For several reasons:
I have large hands, (I'm 6'6") and perhaps a large blade is not always required. But a large handle definitely is. When dealing with something like a leek, I simply cannot comfortably use the knife. I always worry with that thing. So it never gets any pocket time.
If you need a large handle, then you're going to get a large blade. (and by the way, I don't consider a 3.5" blade to be "large") It's really more of a medium size folder to me.
Lastly, (for me) a knife should be able to defend your life, should you need it to. Now, I don't carry a knife specifically because I think that I will be fighting off muggers every day, but I HAVE been assaulted in the past (maced) and know first hand that the situation might arise. (hopefully never). But it is a possibility that one must be prepared for. We don't live in a Utopia yet.
If that's the case, I would like something that is tactical/defensive first and utilitarian second. And most tactical knives are in the 3.5"-4" range.
 
OliverH said:
*snip*For me the full-sized griptilian seemed too "blade-heavy"*snip*
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Yes, the large Grip is blade heavy, and without tinkering/grinding down the blade or getting replacement scales, it will remain like that.

That's the one weakness of the Grip, it's blade heavy.

I prefer the mini grip, but that's because I have other knives that are the same size as the regular Grip.
 
I went with the full size ritter grip. I just want to carry as much knife as I can if I need it, and the full size meets the legal carry limit here.
 
I own both, and I have to say that I really like the mini better than the full Grip. As skimo stated, the large is a little off balance, the mini is a comfortable knife, it just gros on you over time. If given the chance, I would rather carry and use a mini Ritter, with Wilkins Grips.
 
I have large mitts and I too prefer the Mini. It's not awkwardly small by any means. And the balance is a bit better while still retaining the strength of the full size version due to it's more thorough liners unlike the large grip which has kind of a half steel liner set-up. Not half I guess, maybe a 2/3 set-up for the full size version. I also have a few other knives the size of the regular grip that I like a little better which detracts from the will to carry a large plastic handled knife. The full size Griptilian is by all means an excellent choice, but I just can't say it's any better than the Mini in any category really other than it offers a bit more blade. Plus, the Mini just disappears when it's clipped on my pocket until I need it.

Bottom Line: The Mini offers all the strength of the full size while allowing me to EDC a knife that is a bit smaller. There are a ton of knives the same size as the full size that are better. There are only a few better than the Mini. IMHO.
 
I was in the same dilemma, I like them both, i wanted the full size because I'm used to my para 2. I always carry a smaller knife floating in my pocket as well but the mini is a little larger than I'd like for that. I always leaned towards the mini though for some reason and thanks to you wonderful people, yinz have convinced me to go for the mini first and if I really like it I'll get the full size later on possibly. Now all I gotta do is decide if I want the sheeps foot for the thumb hole or the drop point which I think looks a tad bit better. :/ Probably end up with both anyways so I guess it doesn't really matter huh?
 
Held and played with both. For me the choice was obvious right away. The mini griptilian just feels "right". I find the mini more ergonomically fitting for me. I liked the tighter knurled pattern in the mini than the full size.
 
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