A few weeks ago I ordered a plain satin blade Griptilian 551. I had read about the "textured glass filled Noryl GTX handles" and figured I would/could get some after market scales to improve on the factory scales.
When I got the knife the scales were indeed quite disappointing for a knife at this price point. I would compare them to the scales on the Kershaw Oso Sweet which I consider a decent knife for its price point. But I felt like I sort of knew what I was getting into with the 551 and knew I was going to change out the scales. I was still a little surprised at how cheap it really felt. I guess at this point I would say that I now know how important hand feel is (to me anyway) in the equation for knife design.
So - be that as it may, and having bought a set of Kevin Wilkins scales I embarked on the adventure. First off, I viewed Brad Lawson's very helpful video a few times.
The only thing I would mention of any consequence that he kind of glosses over is when you insert the blade into the lock assembly. It's a little bit of pain to keep the copper/bronze washers in place. On the pin side make sure the pin is holding the washer in place. On the other side, I found it simpler to just remove the washer, slide the blade in, then insert and align the washer. Besides that the process went smoothly and took about 20 minutes, including the aftermarket clip.
When I got the knife the scales were indeed quite disappointing for a knife at this price point. I would compare them to the scales on the Kershaw Oso Sweet which I consider a decent knife for its price point. But I felt like I sort of knew what I was getting into with the 551 and knew I was going to change out the scales. I was still a little surprised at how cheap it really felt. I guess at this point I would say that I now know how important hand feel is (to me anyway) in the equation for knife design.
So - be that as it may, and having bought a set of Kevin Wilkins scales I embarked on the adventure. First off, I viewed Brad Lawson's very helpful video a few times.
The only thing I would mention of any consequence that he kind of glosses over is when you insert the blade into the lock assembly. It's a little bit of pain to keep the copper/bronze washers in place. On the pin side make sure the pin is holding the washer in place. On the other side, I found it simpler to just remove the washer, slide the blade in, then insert and align the washer. Besides that the process went smoothly and took about 20 minutes, including the aftermarket clip.
but in all seriousness, sweet grip.
did originally. Personally I am partial the hand feel of ZT's so even these scales feel a little light. But it's a decent knife so I am going to try and give it some pocket time.
The grip/mini grip are what I would consider "entry level" Benchmades. If you like ZTs you might want to try the Benchmade Adamas. It's a big, beefy monster.