New toys

L

LUW

Joined
Nov 24, 2009
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675
After a looooong month (one day I'll learn NOT to order stuff at the end of the year
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), my MiniGrip finally arrived :cool:.

MiniGrip1.jpg


I was looking for an EDC folder, since I was a bit tired of carrying a Korth custom that I have been carrying for the last 3 years (every single day, as long as I'm wearing pants). If you guys recall, last month I showed some pics of the newest folder that I was EDCing, a Paramilitary. Absolutely fantabulous pocketknife, but it was a bit too tactical for stealth use. Besides that, it was stolen :(, so back to the Korth I went and therefor I needed something new.

MiniGrip2.jpg


I searched high and low to find what I wanted: a one-hander that was discreet, dependable, with a pocket clip and with a sturdy blade lock system. I didn't have anything with an axis lock, so I narrowed my options down to a folder with axis lock, and after a lot of ogling and reading, I made up my mind for the Benchmade 556 "Mini Griptilian", or MiniGrip for shorts.

MiniGrip3.jpg

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At 172 mm overall (73 mm for the blade and 98 mm for the handle) it has a good size for what I would call a "casual folder". If it was just 10 mm longer it would have been a PERFECT fit for my hand, but for a blade that I wanted to be as low key as possible, this size is good enough, and still is totally functional.

MiniGrip4.jpg


The blade is 154CM, and out of the box it came shaving sharp. It was not what I would call "laser sharp" (my Paramilitary was laser sharp), but it was easily popping hairs from my arm. It only weighs 77 g, so it's discreet and light, which sure is a plus.

The axis lock is absolutely outstanding, and more then likely I will buy other folders with this system. The MiniGrip is very easy to open and locks open solidly, in a way that I feel confident that it won't close. And to close it's a breeze, even a bit faster then I'm normally able to do with my liner locks.

MiniGrip5.jpg


I've been carrying it for just three days, and so far I can say that it's working very well for what I wanted. This is the first tip-up folder that I carried, and though it did feel awkward in the beginning, right now I'm almost convinced that it's better to carry then the tips-down that I was used to carrying so far. And as you can see from the pics, the clip can be fixed on both sides.

So, did I like it?
You betcha! :p
Could be a bit longer, but other then that it works perfectly for a discreet pocket knife.

Up on the title I said new toys, and the other new toy, though not sharp and pointy, is my new Cybershot DSC-TX1, that I used to make these pics. I always thumbed my nose at these "amateur cameras", and was more used to DSLR models with all the resources that they have. I have a Nikon D70 (to me Nikon is THE brand to have when it comes to photography) and will be upgrading to a D90 in the next months. But I needed a camera that was small, easy to carry and specially, easy to use. A full-blown DSLR is da bomb, but they ain't exactly easy to carry around. Besides, I also needed something that my wife could easily use, and since she's way less geeky then I am, I wanted something simple. I snooped around and was impressed with the features of the TX1 and WX1 (basically the same thing as the TX1 but has normal buttons on the back instead of the touch screen of the TX1), found one on our local evilBay and clicked on the BIN button.

I was VERY impressed with the shots the TX1 made, though like most simple digital cameras, it does suck when it comes to low light conditions. But for something that fit's in your shirt pocket (145 g with card and battery, 93 mm x 56 mm x 16 mm) it has a terrific bang for the buck. For outdoors shots or when the objects are well lit, I can get pics at least 90% as good as my beloved D70. And of course, now I can also shoot movies in high def :p.
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Nice!!!!!!!!!

I'm just getting started with this addiction and the MiniGrip is on my short list.:thumbup:

Excellent pics by the way.

Ray
 
the griptilian series are damn nice knives... i have a full sized one. but when it came time for me to get a smaller folder, the mini grip's handle was just too small for my hands, i really feel uncomfortable without a full grip on a knife. so i went with the spyderco delica, for the extra handle length (the usable portion of the handle is actually about the same size as the handle on the full size grip)
 
well if you wanted a longer handle you could get a wilkinsgrip. it is a custom handle that slightly increases the length and grip on the griptilian. the downside is that it is like $150 and for that much you could get other knives. great knife. and thanks for sharing.
 
gundude73 said:
well if you wanted a longer handle you could get a wilkinsgrip. it is a custom handle that slightly increases the length and grip on the griptilian. the downside is that it is like $150 and for that much you could get other knives. great knife. and thanks for sharing.
Click to expand...

Screw the Wilkins grip! I'd rather buy another knife with those $150.00 :D
 
Thanks guys, I'm glad you liked the write-up :cool:.
The only thing that could have been better is the handle length, and as I wrote, just 1 cm more I think would be enough. Other then that, this thing rocks :o.
 
And yes, 150 bucks for a new handle would be too much for just a new handle. I definitively would rather spend that money on another knife :p.
 
I also got a Mini-Griptilian fairly recently (with a tanto/serrated blade) and it only cemented my appreciation for the quality of Benchmade knives. Only complaints on this knife are really subjective, and you do get a lot of knife for the size.

Good point-and-shoots (particularly these days) can, under the right circumstances, basically mimic the quality of dSLRs. The main draw of the latter of course is in the flexibility of interchangeable lenses and manual shooting.
 
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