allenC said:
Nick,
I think you're a little off on you numbers.
I just visited Benchmades website and here are a few prices:
550 Griptilian $95.00
552-400 RitterGrip $105.00
720 Pardue $155.00
732BK Ares $165.00
And those are Benchmade's suggested retail prices--you can find them for much less on the internet and in knife shops.
So I doubt if adding contoured G-10 scales would raise the price above the 732's price.
Allen.
Allen, you can get the 550, the 720, and the 732 for far below those prices - but you can't get the Ritter Grip far below those prices, because it's only available through Aeromedix.
So the mini Ritter Grip MSRPs at $105, and you can own one for $105. The regular mini grip MSRPs at $95, and you can own one for $55. The two existing Ritter special Benchmades are NOT available through the distributor chain to internet dealers, and therefore they are not available at the kind of discounts other Benchmades are. (Same kind of thing with, say, the Random Leek - the price looks good, given the features, compared to the MSRP of the regular Leek. But you can ONLY get the Random Leek through Chesapeake, at their price, which doesn't look like such a small bump when you compare it to the street price of a Leek.)
So my point is, given that current Ritter BMs are *only* available at a price which is higher *than the MSRP* - not the street price - of the 'donor' model they are based on, it seems highly likely that a G10 Ritter Benchmade would cost (actually cost, to own) more than the MSRP of the base model G10 handled Benchmades.
And what's the MSRP of non-mini, non plastic handled, Axis lock Benchmades?
710 $170
806 $175
732 $165
520 $180
420 $180
So given that the Ritter Grips - available only from Ritter, through Aeromedix - cost more than Griptilian MSRP, it looks to me like a G10 Ritter BM would have a cost - real street price - quite probably over $180.
Say, $200+.
And if we see a G10 Ritter Benchmade, it'll be based on a full-built G10 Benchmade model. The cost of setting up a special tooling run to create a G10 Griptillian would push the per item cost at least that high, which is why to everyone who says "I'd pay a few more bucks for an Aluminum / G10 / carbon fibre Griptilian" Benchmade has said no, you'd pay QUITE a few more bucks.
Now these days Doug is selling his grips a few bucks cheaper than he used to. But it's still over MSRP of the regular Grips, ie, no where near their street price. And I haven't heard anything to make me think that wouldn't be the case for a G10 model.
The only way I see Doug Ritter blade design Benchmades available at anything like other Benchmade prices is if Benchmade decides to license them and produce them as a regular model (ie pay Doug royalties rather than have him sell the knives.)
Seriously - am I missing something? I'd love an affordable, G10 handled, Axis lock, high alloy folder with a Doug Ritter designed blade. I just don't see it being very likely, especially the "affordable" part, at least as compared to what Benchmades actually cost to own.
OK, last time I think I wasn't clear enough because my post was short enough to misunderstand, but I think I can safely stop now and be sure that wherther or not you agree with me, you see my chain of thought.
Unless I put you to sleep reading.
