Mini MDP Griptillian.......

Jazzman

Jazzman

Joined
Jan 11, 2001
Messages
2,750
I just acquired a new MDP Mini Griptillian, number 556. Here are my thoughts on it. I really enjoy the blade shape, there seems to be enough belly to do some serious utility work. The stout blade (1/8 in. width, 2 3/4in. length) is made of 440 C and is razor sharp. The handles are small (even moreso than a 705 if my memory serves me correctly) but are amazingly comfy. I have medium hands and I have no problems getting a good grip. Overall the knife is thin (3/8in) and is a pleasure to carry. The only gripe I had is that the Axis lock is not as smooth as my 705 was. The Griptilian is harder to disengage and closes slower, even with a change in the pivot tension. However, this could just pertain to my knife.
Thanks, hope this is of some help,
Matt
 
I handled a 555 the other day and it was very comfortable and smooth-operating. I did not buy it yet because due to current and upcoming expenses, I am taking a break from buying knives until well into next year, at least...I just acquired my last purchase, a 551, to accampany my beloved 550.

Benchmade's 440C steel is awesome. And surprisingly, I find my Griptilians are the smoothest-operating of all my Axis lock knives and very easy maintenance.
Jim
 
I haven't had alot of experience with Benchmades 440C, how is the edge retention. How hard is it to sharpen?
Thanks,
Matt
 
Matt,
It's very well balanced steel displaying very good ratio between edge hold and ease of sharpening. In fact the steel which would be easy to sharpen and hard to blunt doesn't exist. Because the sharpening and the blunting is basically the same process of edge wear out, just controlled in one case and completely uncontrolled in another.

440C holds the edge somewhat worse than extreme steels like ATS-34, 154CM, CPM 440V or BG-42. At the same time it is far less brittle and prone to chipping, noticeably better resist stain and is easier to sharpen. The difference at this last point could be hard to notice if you are working at home with high quality sharpening tools, for ex. DMT Diamond Whetstones or SPYDERCO ceramics cut each steel equally easily. But you will notice the difference by all means if you will have to sharpen your knife on the smooth stone what you will find in the stream in wilderness.

Reassuming. I like ATS-34 for great edge hold. But for my ideal outdoors, wilderness, survival (don't like this last definition because pretty frequently it associates with slightly sharpened prybar ;)) knife I would choose 440C over ATS-34 (or each other extreme steel) every day!

Wish you and all Forumites Merry Christmas and happy New Year :)

Ooopppsss! Just edited to add - all said concerns properly heat treated 440C steel as well as each other one. Good heat treatment is really more important than steel composition.
 
Well, actually, the modified Sheepsfoot has an oval hole. The modified Drop Point like I have is a stud opener.
Thanks,
Matt
 
Just got the BM 556. It is the best small axis lock yet. The handles are thinner than the 705 but the blade is bigger, at least it feels that way. In use the handles are comfortable. The ergonimics are excellent for me. Just intuitive. Even the though the knife handles FRN, the knife still exudes a feeling of quality. This ones a keeper.
 
This is a great little knife. Only little in the sense of the handle being a bit smaller. Otherwise a very people friendly knife. Takes and holds a nice edge and is easy to sharpen. I have a first prod. model and I like it. Seems to find its way into my pocket more often than not. Keep'em sharp.
 
man I just handled one of these at a local shop and was REALLY impressed with the ergos! feels great in the hand, very functional design, good blade-to-handle ratio, smooth-opening, and doesn't feel at all cheap despite the plastic grips. Also very sheeple-friendly, much less alarming to co-workers than my Spydie mini-Goddard. A triumph of design, & a must-have, especially when restricting blade size is an issue.
 
Just to clarify:

Griptillian (Large series):
550 = Oval opening hole
551 = Thumb Stud

Mini Griptillian (Small series):
555 = Oval opening hole
556 = Thumb Stud

Thanks: Rick
 
I have not played with the thumb-stud models, but I have bought both a 550s and a 555s in the past two weeks and LOVE them! These are the first new Benchmade designs that I have bought in several years, and the first knifes that have been able to dislodge the Spyderco C48PS Tim Wegner as my main EDC.

On both knives the blade travel is smooth and wiggle free, the handles are very grip-able, the clip tension is snug but not too tight, and the axis locks work smooth and securely. Even on the smaller 555s, the flare to the front of the grip and the multiple grooved/ridged surfaces make the grip very secure for heavy cutting/thrusting/slashing. Edges on both blades were hair-popping sharp out of the box, and touched up good as new after all my playing with them with a a few strokes on my Razor Edge folding steel.

The opening oval hole on the 550s took a little getting used to because my thumb kept wanting to bind into it, but i got past that after the first day of playing with it. Seems the wide part of the oval was big enough to let a big part of the tip of my thumb down into it, and then as the oval 'rotated' as the blade was opened it would bind slightly on the sides of the tip of my thumb. This did not make it hard to open, but slowed things down when I would try to flick it open.

The 555s is so light and small that I forget it is clipped to my pocket, but it cuts like crazy and is very comfortable for either strong or weak hand usage. I have very little usage of the first knuckle on my left index finger (old BAD cut), and this is one of the few small knives that I have played with that I feel completely comfortable opening and closing one handed weak handed.

I prefer the opening oval and the wide, blunt blade of the sheepsfoot design, but if you prefer the MDP or a thumbstud, or both, then I think you will be very pleased with the 551/556.

Sorry to be longwinded, but I am VERY impressed with these knives! :D I will probably buy a spare 555s and a 555 and send one off to Mike Sastre to have a 'kneck' sheath made for it.


P.S.

Don't be worried about the zytel handles, these little guys have full steel liners/inserts in them.
 
Johnniet,
Basically it is not too hard to take this knife apart but it can be close to impossible if you do not have suitable tools. Quite another thing is your warranty - it will be voided definitely. I would strongly advise you to send the knife to BENCHMADE if some problems should be solved.

If you are determined to give up with warranty - here is the sequence:
  1. Remove the clip using torx #6 driver (it's not necessary for knife stripping but you will have more comfort for further work);
  2. Remove all screws from the scales (1 in the left scale and 4 in the right one);
  3. Remove the pivot screw using torx #10 driver;
  4. Remove omega springs;
  5. Now take two 1 mm thick pins and put them into the holes in Axis Lock locking bar's headers and try to unscrew them. This moment is critical. There is almost no space to catch these headers firmly because you can put the pins only about 1 mm deep. But the firm hold is necessary because the headers are put using pretty strong Locktite. To do it properly you should first prepare the suitable tool, something like pliers with oppositely directed short and pretty hard pins what would match the holes in the headers.
I'm still not sure I'm doing well. Believe me or not - there are nothing to improve in this knife, with the same success you could try to improve Glock pistol internal construction...

If you are interested what is inside - drop me a note, I'll e-mail you a picture of stripped Griptilian.
 
Sergiusz,

I was thinking of making new scales from wood. Is the zytel two separate pieces? I can't tell for sure and if it is one piece then I am not up for it.
 
The zytel is two seperate pieces but they interlock. I don't know how you would be able to put wood scales on the minis. The steel lines set into the zytel and are not seperate like the 710 and 705. I would think that it would be very difficult to make them fit into a wood handle.
Worth a shot though,
Matt
 
They seem cheap but trust me they are plenty tough. The 556's blade is the best shape/steel combo out there IMO. BM's 440c is my favorite steel in my collection.
 
I picked up a 555 recently. To my surprise it had the new bronze washers! It is by far the smoothest Axis lock knife I have ever owned or handled (out of 10). It is my most favorite benchmade knife yet.

Regarding the "cheap" handles, just think about how cheap they will seem after you accidentally drop the knife on concrete! I have accidentally dropped my aluminium handled BM Autospike and Osborne 940 on several occasions. They both have permanent scars in their finish. Those cheap scales on the Griptilians typically survive unscathed.
VW Beetle fenders are made of the same material (Noryl GTX).
 
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