New G10 Griptilian in 20CV

ejames13

ejames13

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Mar 30, 2015
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Haven't seen a thread exclusively dedicated to this new line of Grips, so I thought I'd start one. Just picked one up a few days ago and here are my thoughts. I'll go negative to positive.

Clip: Meh. It's deep carry which is nice, but why couldn't it be parkerized instead of painted? The retention isn't great either. Thankfully Benchmade sends out free clips on request. My parkerized standard clip is en route.

G10 scales: Decent. I prefer the G10 texture Spyderco uses. These don't seem very grippy. Rather smooth in fact. However, they do feel more comfortable than the regular plastic ones. I haven't had any aftermarket g10 scales, so can't really compare in that regard.

20CV blade steel: Amazing stuff. Holds a great edge and not difficult to sharpen at all. I find it much easier than ZDP-189. Perhaps almost as easy as S30v but with better edge retention. I got it to whittle hair off the Spyderco diamond rods and a strop.

Fit and Finish: Better than any of the other grips I've owned. Zero play. Solid lockup. Perfectly centered blade. They spent some extra time on this model.

Overall: I like it very much. Would definitely buy again. The 20CV is a huge upgrade to 154CM and I think really the biggest selling point. G10 is a welcome addition, but I'd prefer a rougher texture. Parkerize that deep carry clip, tighten it up a bit, and it would be lights out!

For those of you who've owned/used one of these...what are your thoughts?

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I agree the QC is better than any other BM I own. CPM20CV on this knife is the sharpest out of the box of any knife Ive owned. I would have prefered a satin clip. I beleive they may have used the painted clip either to save a few cents or the black painted is a richer and darker black (aesthetics).

I thought of making a custom knife of this one, but it was so well put together and nice, I decided to build up a Ritter M390 in grey, white and blue.

Should make quite the pair. I cant wait to compare them side-by-side.
 
I have one on the way. I was going to go the custom route and get a 556 in s30v (which I've wanted to do for a while) but this cmp20cv was actually cheaper and it comes with g10. Not a huge fan of the scale colors so I might tuck the blade into an old mini grip scale set or order up a custom set, all depends on how much I like the steel compared to s30v.
 
I got the 555 and am impressed with it so far. Originally was going to put the blade on a set of Wilkins titanium grips but just can't pull this one apart, I like it that much.
 
I got this blade to check out as I've been on a Wilkins Grip buying spree as of late. i bought it to drop the blade in my Ti Wilkins handles. I haven't taken it apart and have carried it almost everyday as is. I also would like to add this one had zero quality control issues. Perfect centering, even bevels and it was hair popping sharp. Refreshing to see as my last few Benchmades have left much to be desired. Huge improvement to the standard grip. The only thing I don't like is the blue standoffs aren't the same color as the blue liners. It just looks "off" to me.
 
I am really pondering this one and whether it would be an improvement over my go-to Grip which is a Ritter large in M390. I prefer the standard blade of the Grip due to the pointier point. But this Ritter is such a sweet piece and so incredibly light. I personally feel the M390 is totally on the money as far as an all-round steel goes as well. Apparently the 20CV is very similar... so its super tempting.

The only thing I dont like is the clip. My favourite BM clip is a polished arrow, that's currently on my Ritter but it wouldn't be an issue to swap it around.

So I am on the fence a bit, mostly due to the price, but would love to try one out...
 
I ordered a set of custom scales last night. Only problem is that I don't have a Mini Grip to put them on yet! I've had a Ritter Mini before and liked it. I know these are basically the same steel but I just can't make my mind up about blade shape. If I buy this one I'd give the scales to my son and let him put them on his regular mini I just got him. I'm totally on the fence about which one to buy. One day I'm leaning Ritter, then the next day I'm leaning to the new 555-1 with the hole for the flipper. Dammit I might just end up spending more than I want to and get both! Just not sure which one to get first...
 
Ravenbrook said:
I ordered a set of custom scales last night. Only problem is that I don't have a Mini Grip to put them on yet! I've had a Ritter Mini before and liked it. I know these are basically the same steel but I just can't make my mind up about blade shape. If I buy this one I'd give the scales to my son and let him put them on his regular mini I just got him. I'm totally on the fence about which one to buy. One day I'm leaning Ritter, then the next day I'm leaning to the new 555-1 with the hole for the flipper. Dammit I might just end up spending more than I want to and get both! Just not sure which one to get first...
Click to expand...

That's a tough one indeed. I like all 3 blade shapes but each for different reasons. The Ritter is nice because it's almost a full flat grind. The drop point is nice because it's the pointiest and pierces well. The sheepsfoot is nice because you have so much control over the blade. It's a toss up!
 
I saw these in the local shop Saturday and kicking myself that I forgot to hold one. Curious to see how slick or grippy the G10 is. Might be a good excuse to finally try a sheepsfoot mini Grip.
 
OP, congrats on the new blade. Appreciate some comparison photos with the normal grips. Cheers.
 
I managed to get a 551-1 for a crazy good price at a semi-local firearms dealer on Saturday. I have not been a fan of the original grip and mini-grip, BUT I am thoroughly impressed with this guy. The best thing about the G10 upgrade is the flow-through design instead of the terrible zytel enclosed handle. Yeah, the g10 is a bit smooth, but I like it better than cheese-grater texture for sure. Mine came with a toothy primary grind and secondary grind, but it is crazy sharp regardless. Hair whittler without any touch up. I did end up stropping it to remove the toothiness a little.

Pivot was over tightened slightly out of the box. Would not free-drop (even with a little shake). But one-eighth of a turn on the pivot fixed that without inducing blade play. And it's centered perfectly. So no biggy there.

I will end up stripping the paint off the clip when it starts to get scratches like I always do. The satin clip will look better with the satin blade anyway.

All in all, very happy. I've had zero interest in modern folders lately, but this is a solid purchase that is going to see a lot of pocket time for many years.
 
I picked this 555-1 up at a knife show just over a week ago. The price was too good to pass up, and now I'm kicking myself for not buying one of the 551-1's at the same time.




At first I balked a bit at the price increase, but now it makes sense to me. The steel is definitely an upgrade and I hadn't realized that the G10 scales were 3D shaped. That, combined with the machining on the inside of the scales to have nested liners has to cost more than molded plastic handles. I really like the open back construction and the contrast of the bright blue against the dull gray. I think it would have looked better with a satin finished clip and hardware to match, but that is a very minor complaint.

The fit & finish is top notch on mine as well. The blade is centered, it locks up solid, the grinds are even, and it was plenty sharp. The pivot needed just the tiniest adjustment to let the blade swing freely with the lock disengaged. Overall I would say it's excellent.

I get what you're saying about the G10 being smooth, especially compared to Spyderco. The texturing is somewhere in between a Spyderco and a Vantage Pro, which I like. It's easier to get in and out of the pocket and there is plenty of grip for me during use due to the jimping.
 
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I m interested in the new 551-1 but I m very happy with my Ritter grip with m390 steel. I m trying to decide if the new 551-1 is worth the price increase over the Ritter, especially if the g10 scales are not grippy. I do like the flow through standoffs.
 
I don't know if it's just something in photographs, but that gray G-10 still has a plastic-like look to me. Is it different in person?
 
Just bought this knife. Actually this mini grip but the one with spydie hole and sheepsfoot blade. Wicked sharp out of the box. The G10 isn't super grippy but that makes it sound bad. It isn't. The checkering is raised rather than cut into the scale. Don't know if that makes sense. It is very very nice. The grey and blue may not be everyone's cup of tea. I think it is easily one of the more striking combos that I have seen in regular production.

I am going back to get a spare. I only reserve that for my Benchmades that I really like.
 
Knave said:
I don't know if it's just something in photographs, but that gray G-10 still has a plastic-like look to me. Is it different in person?
Click to expand...

I tried to get a couple more detailed pics of the G10. Sorry for the harsh lighting in the second one, but it's not easy to get the 'grain' to show up otherwise.


 
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Thanks for the heads up! I've got them fixed now. I had been trying to stop using Photobucket due to my frustrations with it. I guess the photos had been showing up for me because I was logged in to the other photo account on my devices and I didn't realize other people couldn't see them. I thought it was strange that no one had made any comments about any of the pictures I've posted the last couple weeks.
 
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