New here & question about Griptilian limited edition

TechDoc

TechDoc

Joined
Feb 26, 2014
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Hi all. I am new here but have been reading this forum for a couple of weeks. I've recently took an interest in knives and am starting to become a big fan of Benchmade. I have a couple of the smaller folders (470-1 Emissary and 586 Mini-Barage) and yesterday found this at my local REI and decided it looked like a great upgraded version of the standard Griptilian:

photo.jpg


My question concerns the LE Griptilian which was produced for the 2013 Shot Show with a CPM-M4 blade and G10 scales. These seem similar to the REI exclusive model I just bought and a store local to me actually has one in stock. It is the partially serrated model (551SBK-1301) which I understand was limited to a production of 250. They want $200 (plus sales tax) for it which seems lower than what a couple of these has sold for recently on eBay. I don't know how I feel about the combo blade vs a plain edge, so I wanted to ask opinions. If I bought this and wanted to find someone to trade it for a plain edge do you think this would be difficult to do and what would be the approximate value difference (the plain edge version seems to go for more on eBay)?

Thank you all in advance for any replies.

David
 
David,
The price is fair if your looking for a combo edge.
Most around here prefer plain edge so trading a serrated edge for a plain edge might be difficult.
The prices on eBay tend to be on the higher side of what knives will go for on the forum. I believe a combo edge would sell for less in either venue.
Local shops want to sell knives, they are a business trying to make money. Perhaps offer them a price you think is fair. I can tell you there is wiggle room at $200.
The 551 M4 shot show knife is a great knife. Everyone should have one or the other.
 
Nice score on the REI! As a big fan of Griptilians I have been eyeing one for some time now.... just haven't had the readies available to make it happen.

The SHOT Show one is very nice and is a great match with the REI exclusive. I personally prefer plain edge but $200 is OK for a new one I guess. The originally sold for between $140 and $160 I believe. Most sell for around $225 now.

Trading for a plain edge would be tricky as most prefer PE. I would keep looking for a PE, they do pop up now and again.
 
Thank you for your feedback. I prefer a plain edge but don't hate the combo so I think I'll pick this one up if they still have it. I can always trade or sell it later if I decide I don't like it. I learned that there was a another similar limited edition called the Camp Perry with M4 so I may keep an eye out for one of those as well.
 
TechDoc said:
Hi all. I am new here but have been reading this forum for a couple of weeks. I've recently took an interest in knives and am starting to become a big fan of Benchmade. I have a couple of the smaller folders (470-1 Emissary and 586 Mini-Barage) and yesterday found this at my local REI and decided it looked like a great upgraded version of the standard Griptilian:

photo.jpg


My question concerns the LE Griptilian which was produced for the 2013 Shot Show with a CPM-M4 blade and G10 scales. These seem similar to the REI exclusive model I just bought and a store local to me actually has one in stock. It is the partially serrated model (551SBK-1301) which I understand was limited to a production of 250. They want $200 (plus sales tax) for it which seems lower than what a couple of these has sold for recently on eBay. I don't know how I feel about the combo blade vs a plain edge, so I wanted to ask opinions. If I bought this and wanted to find someone to trade it for a plain edge do you think this would be difficult to do and what would be the approximate value difference (the plain edge version seems to go for more on eBay)?

Thank you all in advance for any replies.

David
Click to expand...

I've never seen a decent picture that shows the spacers too. I like that one
 
arty said:
Did you check the rei website? It looks like it is less online.
Click to expand...

The REI version which I showed in the picture is $175 both online and in their stores and I'll expect to get about 10% of that back at the end of the year through the co-op membership. The $200 price I mentioned is for a 2013 SHOT show version which a different local store has.
 
All three knives are similar. The cosmetic differences are the barrel spacers and the G10, but the big difference is the blades: CPM-M4, CPM-S30V and D2. There's nothing wrong with any of them, and these G10 Grips are outstanding knives. The G10 really takes the Grip to a new level.

As others have said, demands for the CE (PS) knives tends to be lower than the PE knives, which affects pricing.
 
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