Benchmade Mini Grip - Disappointing

M

Morkte

Joined
Oct 16, 2011
Messages
243
Hey guys,
Last month I got a Benchmade mini Griptillian. I had chance to handle it before I ordered it and I really liked it. Now I have EDC'ed it, I'm just disappointed. I don't know why but it just doesn't do anything for me. Any of you been disappointed by this knife.
 
It sounds like you are not into the aesthetics of the knife, since you mentioned no functional flaws. There have been plenty of knives that I have purchased only to resell because I did not like the overall aesthetics. Even if a knife functions perfectly in a physical sense, it can still leave you wanting more. Knives have that uniqueness to them -in that they are both a personal tool and a personal piece of carried art. The search for the perfect knife is different for us all, and this is proof of that.

Some people's favorite knife is the mini-grip.:D (irony)

I owned one once, and I liked it a lot. I may re-buy one in the future, however I would probably have the handles done-up in a more interesting material. Great knife though.
 
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I had the same experience. I had played with the knife plenty and even had EDC'd the full size for a while before selling it, but after getting the mini, I knew within 5 minutes that I didn't like it. For me, it is just a tad too small. The axis lock is fine and all, but after a certain size, it becomes burdensome, and almost dangerous. I found that with my medium hands, closing the knife one handed was tricky. My palm would just almost get caught by the blade if I wasn't careful. Also, for some unknown reason, the studs got caught on my pants if I were to take the knife out while sitting. I thought it was a fluke when it first happened, but I tried it again several times and had the same results. I bought this knife to try and replace my Delica 4 (not sure why I felt the need) but found that it wasn't anywhere close in terms of comfort and EDCability.
 
Heavens no! I love the Mini Grip, and I own several. My list of top five EDC's would absolutely include this knife. It fits perfectly in my hand, the thumb ramp is great, superb lockup, and it looks fantastic, I think. It might be a little bulkier than some blades, but that's the only drawback I see.

The above poster notes that you mentioned no functional flaws. I do find that interesting. What was wrong with it?
 
LOTS of people like the mini-grip. I bought one about 3 or 4 years ago for EDC, partly because it was one of the cheaper Benchmades at the time and I was looking for something for EDC to replace my more expensive Benchmades. The handles look a bit cheap because they are molded plastic instead of milled G10 or aluminum, but everything else about how my knife feels and functions is top rate. It has a good blade design and good steel, and the lock works very well. I had no experience with or knowledge of the axis lock before this, everything I carried was a liner lock. Not knowing about it I also had no preconceived prejudices or opinions. I found that it works smoothly and is quicker and easier for me to operate one-handed than a linerlock. I carried my mini every day and it has worked well and still works well, but I am considering replacing it with a more expensive knife now. I have heard that the full size grip has a different feel to the scales because they are larger, maybe they feel a bit hollow, but I don't detect this with the mini because of the size difference. The only thing I don't like about the mini is that it is tip-up carry only. I have done a lot of experimenting with tip-up and tip-down and find that tip-down is generally quicker to deploy. Tip-up requires a repositioning of the knife in your hand at some point in the draw in order to reach the thumb stud, but tip-down doesn't require this. My theory is that the people that say otherwise aren't doing it right but when they post videos on youtube it is hard to point out the difference because of the slow framerates. But I have long fingers and I also discovered that with a knife the size of the mini I can work it almost as fast tip-up as I can with a similar knife tip-down, with the full size grip it would be a different story. If you could buy replacement scales for the mini from G10 I think it would make that knife very nice. I find it baffling that someone hasn't seized on this business opportunity and made replacement scales. I see $25 knives with G10 scales so it must be easy enough to make them cheaply if you have the equipment. Rather than sell a $25 knife with 2 G10 scales on it, I think owners of the griptilians would buy just the scales for $25 or maybe even $50.
 
I wasn't all that fond of my mini grip at first, but it was mostly because of the fact that the edge was very uneven and dull on mine. After reprofiling and sharpening it, it has become one of my favourite EDC knives.
 
Thanks Guys,
I'm really not sure what it is that I dont like. It looks, feels, and works great but I guess its just not for me.
 
I love the mini-grip! Sorry you don't like it. It's a great knife for the price, and I would equate it to a Glock, almost. It's a dependable, no-frills, useable tool.
 
Love the Mini-Grip but just hate the look and feel of the factory scales.
 
Morkte said:
Thanks Guys,
I'm really not sure what it is that I dont like. It looks, feels, and works great but I guess its just not for me.
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Yep, some knives I just can't warm up to, which is fine since there are a ton of knives that I enjoy.

arrowhd said:
Love the Mini-Grip but just hate the look and feel of the factory scales.
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I think this is the most often complaint about the griptilians.
 
If you can get over the plastic feel they're great. If you can't get over it, buy some replacement scale or make your own. I prefer the Ritter version with an LE steel like M2 or M4. But, the standard Mini-Ritter is s30v, which is no slouch either.
Here's one of mine (the M4):
DSCN1434.jpg
 
love the mini-grip! It replaced my para2 even. I hated the Spyderco Delica though. To each his own.
 
Had me some Griptilians but after a while gave them all away or sold them. To much blade play and not touch enough for me. The blade is to thin for me. Buy Strider!
 
monkeyman666 said:
Had me some Griptilians but after a while gave them all away or sold them. To much blade play and not touch enough for me. The blade is to thin for me. Buy Strider!
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What's up with you and strider??? Almost every post of yours i have read has something to do with strider and i gotta say it's getting annoying.
 
I have had mini grips for a few years and really like them. I still carry one every day.
 
If it's between a Delica and Mini grip, I'm going with the grip. It's on my list to get one day. I'm just not into small folders. The Native already fills that niche.
 
I took the scales off my mini grip and filled the hollowed out inside with epoxy. Added enough weight to make it feel better for me. Love it now.
 
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