Bone Collector and 551 questions, Butterflies in my stomach :D

Swoop03

Swoop03

Joined
Dec 1, 2012
Messages
839
The "Benchmade Bone Collector 15030 Mini AXIS Folding Knife" is it just a g10/d2 mini grip. It looks like it is to me or at least very similar to it. Anyone got one and have a few things to say about it? I was considering getting one.

Oh and the Benchmade 551? Full size grip. Could anyone show me a pic of theirs with a Paramilitary 2? The specs are quite close if I'm not mistaken, and I was curious about it. I want to switch to one of those for my large folder possibly and I just want more benchmade. Also it comes in orange so I don't have to track down and pay a premium for a sprint run either :D This new sub forum and my recent trade for a ritter mini grip has got me all giddy. I got butterflies inside me ;)

OH! One more question. How is benchmades coating? What exactly is it? Is it powder coat, dlc what? How does it hold up to wear and how sexy does the wear look on a BKC coated blade?

Ok instead of making a million threads I'll just add more on lol. I was also wanting to to a custom grip. How is BM's D2 compared to the S30V?
Which would be better for everyday cutting such as cardboard string rope paracord etc, wood carving and anything else I'd cut. So I'd say over all medium duty edc nothing super heavy but still put some use on the blade.
 
Last edited:
If you google "griptilian paramilitary 2" and click on images there are plenty of pics.
 
The Bone Collectors compare more favorably to the 520/525 than the Grips. As far as steels for your use, it depends more on the blade profile and thickness than the steel choice between the 2 steels you mentioned. S30V and D2 are both pretty tough and have good edge retention. BM does a good job with both steels. How well they cut the materials you want to cut will depend at least as much on the thickness of the blade and edge.
 
Grips-para2_zpse54793f8.jpg

Grip-para2_zpsd546b520.jpg
 
The mini Bone Collector is quite a bit different from a mini grip. it's a bit larger, which I personally prefer since it fits my hand a lot better.

Benchmade uses a few different coatings, but I believe they are currently using Cerakote on the Grips (I know they are on the recent limited editions, but I'm not certain about the regular production models), which seems to hold up a bit better than their older BK1 or BT2 coatings, but it's not as good as DLC in my experience.

I prefer S30V over D2, but I'm sure a lot of others disagree, it mostly comes down to personal preference. D2 probably holds an edge slightly better, but it's more difficult to sharpen and more prone to rust.
 
The Bone collector series has full liners, even in the large one, while the 551 does not (the 556 does). D2 steel and a better grind on the blade. The modified drop point of the 551/556 is great, but the Bone Collector grind is even better. The G10 scales are nicer in the hand than the Valox on the full size Grip due to the stiffness of the G10 and full liners.

Compared to a PM2, I would pick either the 551 or the large BC Axis, largely because I don't need thin slicing blades, but thicker outdoors/hunting/camping type blades, plus I'm a lefty (I've had lefties tell me the compression lock on the PM2 isn't all that lefty-friendly).
 
loonybin said:
The Bone collector series has full liners, even in the large one, while the 551 does not (the 556 does). D2 steel and a better grind on the blade. The modified drop point of the 551/556 is great, but the Bone Collector grind is even better. The G10 scales are nicer in the hand than the Valox on the full size Grip due to the stiffness of the G10 and full liners.

Compared to a PM2, I would pick either the 551 or the large BC Axis, largely because I don't need thin slicing blades, but thicker outdoors/hunting/camping type blades, plus I'm a lefty (I've had lefties tell me the compression lock on the PM2 isn't all that lefty-friendly).
Click to expand...

Thank you all for your info. I will pick up def bone collector in the near future. I actually just ordered a custom 550 black sheepsfoot s30v and I have a mini ritter in s30v on the way from a trade. I figured I'd just go for the S30V since I'm already familiar with that steel and because the Bone Collector will have D2.
Thanks for the pictures Kro-Bar, much better than the ones I was seeing on google images. Very excited to get my first benchmades in the coming weeks.

If you can get a hold of a PM2 before buying one, loonybin, I would. I am ambidextrous so I can use both hands pretty much equally for most tasks. The PM2 is a little tricky lefty but its do able. Instead of using my right pointer to undue the lock I slide my thumb up and use it. Also if I had the clip set up for lefty I would use it for more grip while unlocking it.
Overall it isn't the best lefty knife out there, but its still ambidextrous none the less and can be done. Also I feel the PM2 is a pretty robust knife minus the tip of course though. I don't think it will beat a grip though, I've heard many good things on how strong they are and I've seen the axis lock test numerous times. The blade will snap before the lock fails. Benchmade actually has videos on youtube to prove that.
 
Swoop03 said:
If you can get a hold of a PM2 before buying one, loonybin, I would. I am ambidextrous so I can use both hands pretty much equally for most tasks. The PM2 is a little tricky lefty but its do able. Instead of using my right pointer to undue the lock I slide my thumb up and use it. Also if I had the clip set up for lefty I would use it for more grip while unlocking it.
Overall it isn't the best lefty knife out there, but its still ambidextrous none the less and can be done. Also I feel the PM2 is a pretty robust knife minus the tip of course though. I don't think it will beat a grip though, I've heard many good things on how strong they are and I've seen the axis lock test numerous times. The blade will snap before the lock fails. Benchmade actually has videos on youtube to prove that.
Click to expand...
If they put the ball bearing lock on the PM2, I'd be all over it like a deer on acorns. I don't have anywhere within an hour's drive that has a PM2 to handle.
 
loonybin said:
If they put the ball bearing lock on the PM2, I'd be all over it like a deer on acorns. I don't have anywhere within an hour's drive that has a PM2 to handle.
Click to expand...

Thats my problem, I don't have any place near me that sells anything worth buying. So I have to order online sight unseen.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top