So about the Griptilian 551 h2o ?

S

Seanski

Joined
Nov 20, 2007
Messages
548
So it's relatively new and I like the looks of it and am thinking I'd like to
pick up another knife for summer carry. I'm in fresh water lakes swimming
occasionally and picnicking cutting up watermelon and such.
I was wondering if anyone was able to tell me about the other steel parts
of this particular Griptilian and if they are reasonably corrosion resistant?
I'm not going near Salt water just the local lakes. Thanks.
And... it's a little heavier than the other grip's by a hair huh?
 
You shouldn't have any problem with the liners, pins or screws, especially in fresh water. The only unknown is whether or not the Omega springs will show a tendency to rust. I have yet to hear any information about the springs. My gut hunch is that you won't have any problems in fresh water.
 
A.P.F,

Thanks for that. I'm wondering also if then the other Griptilian's are of the same
internal hardware?
 
I recently serviced a work colleague's 551 Griptilian (in 154cm steel) for him.

He isn't a "knife nut" and uses his 551 as his sea fishing bait knife. After scrubbing the squid out of the handle I stripped the knife down. There was rust on the blade and on the tang under the washers. The screws that hold the handle together were also showing a fair amount of corrosion.
However, the omega springs were showing no sign of corrosion.

I don't know if the H2O model uses different material for the handle screws but I should think that it does. If that is the case it should make a good knife for marine use.
It would definitely be ok for fresh water swimming etc.
 
Steven,
thank you for the info! I was thinking I should be safe as well taking it into
the lake.
BTW, how was the knife to take apart? Fairly easy?
 
Last edited:
mr dylan said:
i amy have this wrong but i heard somewere that the liners were 420j
Click to expand...

I think your right I remember reading that somewhere as well.
That is a pretty corrosion resistant steel I think isn't it?
Anyhow all I'm really concerned with is being able to flush it out well with
tap water after food preparation and the odd summer swim. :)
 
I've fished in salt water with it and used salt water to flush garbage off of the blade while in salt water. It's been submerged and opened/closed while submerged. I've done that a few times and I've yet to have any rust issues. The action is still smooth and it functions perfect.
It's a great water knife for someone who doesn't want a Spyderco.
 
good to hear. i picked one up today and it's a great looking blade. the steel has a
really nice tint to it and i'm looking forward to carrying it around for the summer. thanks
all for your input on this thread.
 
So just to clarify this I sent an email off to Benchmade regarding the inner components
of the 551 h2o and did receive a response back.

here is my email...

Hello,
Can you tell me if the Griptilian 551 h2o hardware inside the knife
is any different from the hardware in the regular Griptilian 551?
Thank you.



Sean -

I checked with our product services team on this knife, and the only difference is the blade.
The blade on the 551H2O is rated for salt water.
I hope this helped, but should you have any additional questions, please feel free to contact me.

Take Care-

Kimberly Milledge
Customer Service Representative

Benchmade Knife Company
300 Beavercreek Rd
Oregon City, OR 97045
 
that's a little disappointing. it would be nice if the hardware was made of something a little more corrosion resistant.
 
In that case, if the 551 H2O is used for "proper" marine applications it is only a matter of time before the scale screws corrode to the point that they fail.
 
The blade is the only difference but I asked about it on the BM forums and multiple people have used theirs in salt water with zero issues.
All the hardware is polished on it which greatly helps with corrosion resistance.
 
Steven Andrews said:
Ah yes, the screws are all polished, which makes them different to the standard 551 in 154CM.
Click to expand...

Yes, polishing them improves corrosion resistance. I own the knife and use it weekly in water and multiple times a month in salt water and I've yet to have any corrosion on any parts, yes, it's waterproof.
When I'm fishing in salt water (with high alkalinity, Pyramid Lake in NV), I use it in the salt water and put it right back into my pocket, it air dries with the salt water in the knife from being submerged in it, I take very little care to keep it free from corrosion and I haven't had any issues after a couple months of use.
A fresh water flush to clean fish blood off of the blade every once in awhile is the extent of my maintainance.
 
A_Blade_Afficionado said:
Yes, polishing them improves corrosion resistance. I own the knife and use it weekly in water and multiple times a month in salt water and I've yet to have any corrosion on any parts, yes, it's waterproof.
When I'm fishing in salt water (with high alkalinity, Pyramid Lake in NV), I use it in the salt water and put it right back into my pocket, it air dries with the salt water in the knife from being submerged in it, I take very little care to keep it free from corrosion and I haven't had any issues after a couple months of use.
A fresh water flush to clean fish blood off of the blade every once in awhile is the extent of my maintainance.
Click to expand...

how's the edge retention on the X15 TN?
 
din said:
how's the edge retention on the X15 TN?
Click to expand...

Honestly, pretty damn impressive. I use it to cut cardboard a lot at work and it can't quite keep up with Sg2 or CPM154 but it's as good if not better than my Sandvik steels (13C27 and 14C28N) and is ample for my EDC. It isn't ZDP or anything like that but I'd rate it a step below CPM154 and a step above 440C.
All in my subjective testing though, no science involved.
In a week or so I might do a cardboard cutting test between S60V, CPM154, X15TN, Sg2, 14C28N, and CPMD2 and if I do I'll be sure to post it here. All blades have different edge geometries but linear footage cut before noticeable snagging or dulling should give an approximation of edge retention.
 
good to know. I have one of BM's 100H2Os, but it stays with the dive gear so I haven't had much of a chance to use it yet. thinking about picking one of these up.
 
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