My Wilkins grips arrived! On my Ritter Griptilian...

fetzer85

fetzer85

Joined
Oct 17, 2012
Messages
2,163
Good Morning BF'ers,

I ordered a pair of black G10 grips from Kevin Wilkins about 2wks ago and they arrived this morning. I was incredibly anxious to get them on and after about 15min my anxiety turned to pure joy. I'm loving them! Yeah yeah, there's been debate on whether or not it makes sense to spend $178USD (varies slightly w/ the exchange rate) on a set of grips for a knife that costs considerably less - but regardless of what's been said, they're amazing and feel great in hand. If you're a Griptilian lover and can afford it I think you'll be very happy with them. Ok, here's the pics...

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Very nice! You have a solid line-up there in the last picture. All very nice knives.
 
Great looking scales. A few questions:

1. How much extra weight do they add on the knife?

2. Can you compare the G10 grip on them to something? [IE - Para 2 G10, BM 810, BM Rift, etc]

3. Are they round and fat like the stock grip handle, or is the knife a little slimmer with them?

Thanks!
 
I met Kevin at the Gembloux show in 2008. He said that the locking mechanism on the Grip was one of the best he had seen and that means a lot coming form a guy who makes custom folders. The corner cutting to bring the knife down to a price point was apparently ALL done with the handle design. Unfortunately, we do have to pay for the exchange rate and the high costs, taxes, etc. that Kevin has to bear living and working in Berlin. The fact that you have a Grip made from a more expensive steel probably makes the purchase a bit easy to stomach. You have about $300 or so into the knife now. How does it compare to other production and mid-tech desins in that price range?
 
Thanks guys.

Oakengroves said:
Great looking scales. A few questions:

1. How much extra weight do they add on the knife?

2. Can you compare the G10 grip on them to something? [IE - Para 2 G10, BM 810, BM Rift, etc]

3. Are they round and fat like the stock grip handle, or is the knife a little slimmer with them?

Thanks!
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1. They add a little. I don't have a digital scale or else I would have done a before & after weight comparison. I'd say the weight gain is negligible when you consider how much they improve the overall feel & look of the knife.

2. The G10 texture is about as smooth as it can be while still providing adequate grip. In comparison, it's much more like a PM2 than an 810 Contego. The 810 is about as aggressive a grip as I've ever held.

3. They aren't rounded the way the stock grips are. They're pretty flat except for the rounded edges. I think what this means is that the Wilkins grip are about as wide overall as the stock grips are at their midpoint...if that makes sense?
 
Joe Mandt raises some awfully good points. I've considered these Wilkins grips several times previously, but have never ordered. The "feel" of the knife is obviously important...and a personal taste thing.
I've never jumped at this, although the end result seems to be pleasing to a lot of folks.
 
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Like these, every set of Wilkins grips I've seen has looked fantastic and I've considered buying a grip and some scales for it on several occasions.

But like jdm said, it becomes a $300 knife and there are just way too many heavy hitters at and around that pricepoint.

If a grip is your perfect EDC I can see spending the coin, however.
 
jdm61 said:
How does it compare to other production and mid-tech designs in that price range?
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Unfortunately I'm not qualified to answer that question. :o

Prior to this investment, the most expensive knives I've owned are as follows; Spyderco Gayle Bradley & PM2, Benchmade Adamas & M4 Griptilian, and a ZT 0350. < didn't like that one

Although the GB does have CPM-M4 I still prefer the Wilkins Grip over it. For me personally, the benefit of CPM-M4 over S30v is marginal at best. The Adamas is just a beast and I don't think is really comparable for EDC sake. The PM2 is probably the most comparable that I've actually owned. It's a bit thinner than a Wilkins Grip, which can be good or bad depending on how you like a knife to feel in hand.
 
Congrats on your grips brother.. looks great. A red backspacer (or other color - pick your favorite football team) would look wicked in there.

Here is something I wonder about.. if BM made the G10 grips for the BLADE 2013 show knife, why can't they put out a standard grip with G10. I bet they couldn't keep them on the shelf. I love the thinness of the mini-grip, but the full size Grip is just too bulky with that palm swell. Just my .02.
 
I put Wilkens grips on two of my Ritter Griptilians and have been very pleased. It may not be for everyone but I like them a lot.
 
I like those. I have a set of aluminum Wilkins grips on my M4 mini-grip and it's an awesome little knife. I don't know of any other knife I'd rather have at this price point. I'm a huge fan of both the AXIS lock and M4 steel so it's a win/win for me.
 
Hawk45 said:
Here is something I wonder about.. if BM made the G10 grips for the BLADE 2013 show knife, why can't they put out a standard grip with G10. I bet they couldn't keep them on the shelf.
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Couldn't agree more! Would save me money, too. :thumbup:
 
Hawk45 said:
Congrats on your grips brother.. looks great. A red backspacer (or other color - pick your favorite football team) would look wicked in there.

Here is something I wonder about.. if BM made the G10 grips for the BLADE 2013 show knife, why can't they put out a standard grip with G10. I bet they couldn't keep them on the shelf. I love the thinness of the mini-grip, but the full size Grip is just too bulky with that palm swell. Just my .02.
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my guess would be cost. Not everyone is willing to pay for G10 grip if the price is higher. Few other possible reason I can think of is the handle material is strong enough for most use & for better material there are other models BM does offer that suits those catergory
 
Beautiful grip :thumbup: I'm gonna have to save up someday and get a Ritter and some Wilkins scales, they are an awesome combo
 
Every time I see pics of Wilkins scales on a grip I always have to pull up his page and check them all out, one day... Yours looks great, I don't have a sheepsfoot grip but I think the thumb stud/drop point PE blade is the best looking combo of all the possible grips so that's quite a knife ya got there.

Nice photos, what's the bottom knife in the bottom pic?
 
Cereal_killer said:
Every time I see pics of Wilkins scales on a grip I always have to pull up his page and check them all out, one day... Yours looks great, I don't have a sheepsfoot grip but I think the thumb stud/drop point PE blade is the best looking combo of all the possible grips so that's quite a knife ya got there.

Nice photos, what's the bottom knife in the bottom pic?
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Thanks. That's the old RAT 1! Just took it apart and cleaned it yesterday as well as sharpened it. Opens much better now and shaves hairs. Gotta love the knife.
 
Kevin's grips are not cheap, but they do really transform the feel of these folders.

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If you like the G10 grips, the titanium WilkinsGrips are very nice as well.
 
fetzer85 said:
Thanks. That's the old RAT 1! Just took it apart and cleaned it yesterday as well as sharpened it. Opens much better now and shaves hairs. Gotta love the knife.
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That's what I figured it was but seeing as it didnt have any markings and I wasn't sure of maybe it was some other knife I've never seen before that looks like a rat, I didnt want to ask "is that a rat" and have it be a much more expensive knife ya know? I always appreciate seeing people with several higher end knives include the old rat in their family photos.
 
Thanks to everyone for their support!

I realize my grips are not cheap. One thing hurting right now is the exchange rate of the $US to the &#8364;Euro. The $ is low, which helps US exports but makes my stuff &#8211; and all other imported products from EU countries &#8211; more expensive for US buyers. If there was an app that would allow me to control world monetary policy, I would download it today!

Giant companies like BMW and Daimler are able to eat the difference &#8211; as far as I can tell, many cool German cars are cheaper in the USA than here in Germany. Small fry like me are unable to do that. I have the same price for everybody. European Union buyers have to also pay the 19% German Sales Tax the law requires me to collect and hand over every quarter to the tax authorities.

When I Rule the World things will be different, however until then I have to keep my Eyes on the Road and my Hands on the Wheel just like all the other little guys. Most of you know what I mean. We're in the same boat.

I spend a ton of money on materials and have many tools specally made in order to make WilkinsGRIP products the best I can produce. I try and take care of the details and I personally ship most orders withing 24 hours of payment. If I make a mistake, I stand behind everything 100%. I try and treat customers the way I like to be treated: fairly and honestly.

The most common email I get from first time buyers usually goes something like this: "I hesitated to order because the price seemed kind of high, but the grips arrived, they fit perfectly and transform the knife! They are worth every cent. I would like to order two more pair ... etc." I do have a LOT of repeat customers and for me this says it all.

There's cheap and then there's Quality. I can't do cheap. I try and do Value for the Money and provide so much Quality for the price that you quickly forget the money and just enjoy the knife!

Making this stuff isn't a hobby for me, it's what I do for a living and it has to work. I'm too damn old to get a straight job now. I have over $100,000 invested in the machines and software that allow me to make the Idea a Reality and put the goods out there. Again, thanks to everyone for your support.
 
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