Misplaced my Griptilian... what to do now?

[Fascion]

Wow how did I not see the custom option before? What are the actual differences between the blade materials and are they noticeable?

Currently you can get the "custom" Griptilians in 154CM, D2, N680 and S30V.

I don't claim to be an expert when it comes to steels, but...
154CM - The Griptilian standard. It should be easier for to resharpen than D2 and S30V, but offers lower wear resistance, so you'll have to sharpen more often.
D2 - The least corrosion resistant of the group, but it'll make up for it by being one tough son of a gun and somewhat comparable to the S30V in other areas.
N680 - Of the four, I believe it is the most corrosion resistant. Beyond that, I really know nothing about the performance of this steel, but I would assume it probably offers the least wear resistance.
S30V - This steel should hold a better edge than the D2, but maybe not enough to appreciate. Like the D2, it will also take a bit more time to resharpen.

I've never really been much for combo edges myself, but if that is your preference, I would assume you would want high wear resistance to reduce the frequency of needing to resharpen. For that reason, I would suggest D2 or S30V. Another property that might be worth considering for the serrations is toughness to reduce the likelihood of chipping, but of course that depends fully on what you are using it for. So unless you are often using your knives in and around corrosive stuff or would rather not be wiping the blade off on your pants leg from time to time, I would say D2 might be the best route. Otherwise, S30V seems more practical to me.

But again, that's my non-expert opinion. I've never EDC'd D2 (though I too have been pining over a custom mini-grip in the stuff after handling a couple of Benchmade balisongs) but do primarily EDC 154CM, S30V and similar steels. I also have no real experience with Benchmade's serrations. By appearance alone, they certainly look like they would hold up better than most others that I have seen.

 

[13aphomet]

+1 on the Ritter Grip. I don't have one ... yet. If you EDC'd a grip for 3 years and fell in love, the Ritter would fit the bill perfectly. You'd get something you'd know you'll love, AND get to upgrade.. win win.

 

[sisk61]

I had the 940. I LOVED that knife, but i just traded it for a Spyderco Paramilitary 2. Mainly just because i have always wanted a Para2. I highly recommend the 940. I also have a Mini Grip, but i liked the 940 way more.

 

[timberweasel]

If the 940 has piqued your interest, I'd say that this is a good opportunity to try one; it's an excellent knife for EDC...

Or try something new in case your Mini-Grip finds its way back home!

 

[P2P]

If I had to go with that size of knife and stick benchmade. I would get a 527 again, I kinda regret trading it. The hollow grind was sick.

 

[upperguy]

Cuscadi makes some beautiful scales for the Griptilian. http://www.cuscadi.de/2011/11/08/benchmade-griptilian-landscape/ in many different materials, including wood.
I would order a custom grip from the benchmade site. Choose your blade style and material. Some custom text on the blade maybe? then order a set of stock scales in whatever colour you want as a backup. But if you're willing to spend the cash, these cuscadi's are AMAZING

Wow those are expensive scales! beautiful but more than the knife itself Do you know about the custom program through BM? Does the image go in addition to the BM logo/blade material? I feel like it may get a little busy. Plus I can't believe they have purple but not red scales!

So I guess... If I have to get the red scales separately, is it worth it going custom? I don't really show the knife off so the only benefit would be the blade material. Is that worth the wait and extra cost?

Last question would be, does anyone besides Ritter make a 'custom' griptilian?

 

[upperguy]

I had the 940. I LOVED that knife, but i just traded it for a Spyderco Paramilitary 2. Mainly just because i have always wanted a Para2. I highly recommend the 940. I also have a Mini Grip, but i liked the 940 way more.

If the 940 has piqued your interest, I'd say that this is a good opportunity to try one; it's an excellent knife for EDC...

Or try something new in case your Mini-Grip finds its way back home!

As much as I'd love to find my original I've let it go, I'll drive myself crazy if I don't. Between the two of you, how well did the finish hold up on the 940's scales? Did it have that cold metal feel in your hand or...? Someone described it as almost a fuzzy rubbery coating and others as aluminum.

If I had to go with that size of knife and stick benchmade. I would get a 527 again, I kinda regret trading it. The hollow grind was sick.

I really liked the look of that one actually but the extra logo put me off it. Plus I'm a big fan of red over blue.

Currently you can get the "custom" Griptilians in 154CM, D2, N680 and S30V.

I don't claim to be an expert when it comes to steels, but...
154CM - The Griptilian standard. It should be easier for to resharpen than D2 and S30V, but offers lower wear resistance, so you'll have to sharpen more often.
D2 - The least corrosion resistant of the group, but it'll make up for it by being one tough son of a gun and somewhat comparable to the S30V in other areas.
N680 - Of the four, I believe it is the most corrosion resistant. Beyond that, I really know nothing about the performance of this steel, but I would assume it probably offers the least wear resistance.
S30V - This steel should hold a better edge than the D2, but maybe not enough to appreciate. Like the D2, it will also take a bit more time to resharpen.

I've never really been much for combo edges myself, but if that is your preference, I would assume you would want high wear resistance to reduce the frequency of needing to resharpen. For that reason, I would suggest D2 or S30V. Another property that might be worth considering for the serrations is toughness to reduce the likelihood of chipping, but of course that depends fully on what you are using it for. So unless you are often using your knives in and around corrosive stuff or would rather not be wiping the blade off on your pants leg from time to time, I would say D2 might be the best route. Otherwise, S30V seems more practical to me.

But again, that's my non-expert opinion. I've never EDC'd D2 (though I too have been pining over a custom mini-grip in the stuff after handling a couple of Benchmade balisongs) but do primarily EDC 154CM, S30V and similar steels. I also have no real experience with Benchmade's serrations. By appearance alone, they certainly look like they would hold up better than most others that I have seen.

I made my last post and it sat in the window for a while, thanks for the writeup! Do you think it's a real noticeable difference worth paying extra and waiting 3-4 weeks for?

+1 on the Ritter Grip. I don't have one ... yet. If you EDC'd a grip for 3 years and fell in love, the Ritter would fit the bill perfectly. You'd get something you'd know you'll love, AND get to upgrade.. win win.

So the difference is the blade right? otherwise they are the same?

 

[Fascion]

Do you think it's a real noticeable difference [between the steels] worth paying extra and waiting 3-4 weeks for?

Without a doubt, waiting would be the hard part.
Then again, this is BladeForums! I wouldn't feel right without at least mentioning the option that you could have a standard Griptilian over-night'd to you while wait for the "custom" to be made.

As for the difference... between 154CM and either S30V or D2, I would think that, yes, you should be able to discern a difference.
Between D2 and S30V, maybe... maybe not. From what I've read, aside from the potential for rust if the D2 was well and truly neglected, it sounds as if the average user like you or I wouldn't noticed much of a difference, whereas those out intentionally seeking these differences might suggest that D2 will hold it's edge a little better, but not take as keen of an edge to begin with.

I really don't feel like you could go wrong with either choice; S30V or D2. Even 154CM is still perfectly fine for a whole host of cutting tasks. If patience is not a virtue you posses or money is a little tight right now, I'd just buy a new Mini-Grip. Heck, if you are thinking about going with the full-size Grip, it might honestly be better to try one of the standard versions first, just to make sure you do indeed enjoy it every bit as much as you did the Mini.

As much as I'd love to find my original I've let it go, I'll drive myself crazy if I don't. Between the two of you, how well did the finish hold up on the 940's scales? Did it have that cold metal feel in your hand or...? Someone described it as almost a fuzzy rubbery coating and others as aluminum.

I actually just receive my first 940 in a trade here about a week ago. The previous owner had beaten the pocket clip up fairly well, but the coating managed to remain nearly 100%. That said, during disassembly for cleaning and to take care of the gnarly recurve it had developed, I did find out just how easily the finish will mar up. Fortunately it was on the inside of the scale.

Compared to the Mini-Grip, it does indeed have a cold feel in the hand initially. This may not hold true after it has been riding in your pocket all day, but I've yet to throw it in mine to know quite yet. "fuzzy-rubbery" does describe the feeling pretty well, though. It doesn't feel anything like other anodized items I have laying around here.

 

[upperguy]

I've been looking through the exchange and haven't seen anything that really stood out to me unfortunately. If you see a 940 or a black combo bladed full grip(any scale or blade shape) let me know!

Thanks for all the input, I really do appreciate it.

 

[sisk61]

Fuzzy rubbery coating is about right. I never got the cold metal feeling, it felt strong and reliable to me.

About the wear, this is the only wear on the scales that i can see. I keep my car keys in the same pocket as my knife, so the keys may be the culprit here

 

[frenchmade]

Wow how did I not see the custom option before? What are the actual differences between the blade materials and are they noticeable?

I'm not really a knife connoisseur and before the grip I hadn't even EDC'd a knife, with that said it met nearly every expectation I had of it. In the past 6 months I'd started sharpening knives and could get most extremely sharp but the grip I couldn't get past what is still very sharp. I'm sure it was just my technique so I wouldn't even begin to blame the steel or blade, but that was the only thing that wasn't extremely positive.

The reason I was leaning towards the grip vs the mini was because I'm a tall(6'7) guy so I don't think the bit of extra knife would be unwieldy or uncomfortable. While I'm not against getting something custom or really nice within a reasonable price, if I really fell in love with something I could peak at ~200.

I really loved my previous knife, but I'd like to be aware of what's out there because I usually take great care of things and don't lose them. Misplacing it drove me crazy because I'm 90% sure it's somewhere in the car and I've done everything but remove the carpet looking.

I found a guy selling the actual red scales(I think from the training knife) for $25, so that would be on top of what I would get. I love black and red together which is why I'm leaning towards that, but I wouldn't mind a classy looking exotic wood style. It just had to have something similar to the Axis lock, I never want to touch another liner lock if I can avoid it.

Cuscadi makes some beautiful scales for the Griptilian. http://www.cuscadi.de/2011/11/08/benchmade-griptilian-landscape/ in many different materials, including wood.
I would order a custom grip from the benchmade site. Choose your blade style and material. Some custom text on the blade maybe? then order a set of stock scales in whatever colour you want as a backup. But if you're willing to spend the cash, these cuscadi's are AMAZING

 

[Bill1170]

RE post #27: Correct, the only difference in the Ritter Grip is the blade. The handles are standard Valox.

 

[upperguy]

Does anyone happen to know of someone willing to part with the stock red scales from a full sized Griptilian trainer or from the 960-red? If so I would be willing to buy them outright or trade for other color original grips or the anodized green scales from a 940.

I know it's kind of an out-there request but I'd really like to customize my next knife Without spending $130 on aftermarket scales!

TL;DR:
Wants: Red Benchmade Griptilian or red 960 scales
Has: Money and original Grip or green 940 scales

 

[aquaman67]

We have similar taste in knives.

I've been carrying the Warn Version of the Benchmade Mini Barrage for a few months now.

It has G10 scales and D2 tanto Blade. I carry the black combo blade version. It's spring assisted.

You can get it for under $100 online.