Smaug
Gold Member
- Joined
- Jun 30, 2003
- Messages
- 1,797
BACKGROUND: This story actually starts several years ago, when I first handled a Griptilian in a local Bass Pro. "WOW does this feel good in the hand!" I said to the knife counter guy. I believe it was a basic 551, black FRN handle, 154CM drop point blade and thumb stud. "Can I try it in my pocket?" "Sure."
I scraped it on there, then scraped it back out. "Your pants aren't going to last long, if you get this knife." The grip traction was way too aggressive for my use. I gave it back to him and bought a nice little Buck in S30V for 1/2 the money.
Years and many Spydercos later, I happened into a Mini Grip at a good price from a fellow BF member. The Mini Grip's traction isn't as aggressive and the blade is just the right size. I fell for the knife right away. However, I still had that impression on my mind how nicely the Griptilian filled the hand, when I tried it several years ago.
Surfing around BF, I caught wind of the 550-1, with its 20CV blade steel, G10 handles and the nice blue pops. Had to have it. Couldn't really afford it, so I bought it anyway and listed 5 knives for sale. Only one sold. You know how that goes.
It arrived today, so consider this a first impressions post. I will update the thread as time goes on and as folks remind me to. ;-)
Without further ado...
ERGONOMICS: 9/10. The loop of the deep carry pocket is kind of a bothersome hot spot on the bottom of the palm of the hand. Benchmade probably responded to customer request for it, but the "shallow carry" original style clips are more comfortable in the hand on a knife this size. (deep carry clip is fine on the Mini Grip) Everything else is perfect. It fills the hand, and balances perfectly above the index finger. It has some jimping, but not aggressive enough that it shreds pants pockets while pushing it into the pocket. I replaced the deep carry with a shallow one and now it's a 10. (swapped clips with my Mini Grip) Lastly, it's worth noting that this particular model, with its round opening hole, is easier to open with gloves on than most other Benchmades, with their little studs. That makes this a better outdoor knife and a better working knife.
FACTORY EDGE GRIND: 8/10. It's about 30°, even on both sides, not very sharp and extremely coarsely ground. I would prefer 25° for the back bevel, but that's a matter of preference, so no points off for that. -1 point for being so coarsely ground and -1 for not being very sharp. There's no excuse for that in a $180 knife. Benchmade fans will call it "toothy" with some fondness, but those teeth break off and it dulls quicker. Benchmade should pay attention to Spyderco here: Narrow, even grind, medium coarseness and quite sharp. This took me 30-40 minutes to clean up on the Sharpmaker.
ACTION: 10/10. The open/close action is just outstanding. This is what justifies The Butterfly Tax. Out of the box, it was a bit tight, but I left it like that and with the action dry while I flicked it probably 200 times as I worked, to let the metals rub together and wear each other in. Later, I loosened the blade pivot screw just a bit, maybe 1/8 turn max., and the blade dropped free, but still with no play. I added a drop of Blue Lube to each bronze bushing and it is extremely smooth, just like my 940 "Osborne".
FIT & FINISH: 10/10. Flawless, except for the aforementioned edge grind. (and I won't dock it twice for that) I couldn't find any machining marks, sharp edges, nothing. With all the talk of Benchmade's (relatively) poor QC, I was a bit surprised to find this one is perfect. I especially like the finish on the blade: The spine is brushed up/down, while the flat saber grind is lightly polished. Ditto for the jimping on the thumb ramp. It is polished enough that it isn't aggressive, but still aggressive enough that if I grab it tightly, it digs in. Well done.
BLADE: 9/10. The choice of blade steel was a good one. 20CV is a step above S30V, and at a hardness of about Rc 61, it will retain an edge well. Yet it has very good corrosion resistance, toughness and isn't even too hard to sharpen. (unless you want to re-profile, in which case: roll up your sleeves) Go up in hardness more, and there would be concerns about chipping, resistance to sharpening, staining, and even MORE cost. Go down a tier and the price can't be justified. People refer to the blade shape as 'sheepsfoot', but it's not. It has too much of a point and quite a lot of belly. I would call it more of a "bellied wharncliffe". The overall grind is saber, so it retains full thickness along the spine until about 3/4" from the tip. It tapers down from the saber spine with a flat grind. -1 for this, as it should be hollow ground. Original ones were, the new ones aren't.
HANDLE SCALES: 10/10. They have the checkered grip pattern on the side, but it isn't overly aggressive, as it was the original FRN Griptilian. No worries about pocket shredding. It's G10, perfectly finished; it feels higher end (and heavier) than FRN. This was the biggest selling point for me.
POCKET CLIP: 9/10. I already marked it down for ergonomics for the hot spot, so here, I'll just deal with the execution. The pocket clip is a proper spring steel, and has a black coating that is more durable than paint. It's not rough enough to be parkerizing, but it's something like that. To me, it grips a bit too hard, but not as hard as a Cold Steel clip. Harder than a Spyderco wire clip. -1 point for not also including the "shallow carry" clip. If Cold Steel can do this on a knife costing half as much (Code 4, for example, and just as nice of a clip) then Benchmade can do it too and satisfy everyone for the extra 5 cents.
VALUE: 7/10. The knife is pure quality, but one can get a knife 90% as nice as this for 1/2 the money. (Cold Steel Code 4, for example) It's US-made though, and the knives competing for 1/2 the price are either not US-made, or simply not the same caliber.
FIDGET FACTOR: 9/10. There are several flippy ways to open it, and a nice way to flip it closed as well. The action is buttery smooth; pretty much friction-free, once that blade pivot screw is loosened a smidge. Why only 9? Because balisongs.
NICHE: Elegant Tactical. It's heavy and kinda big, but it fits all hands and has perfect balance. It makes some concessions to everyday life, with its less aggressive grip traction, but if stuff gets deep, a firmer grip will ensure it stays in the hand.
COMPARED TO:
- Benchmade 940 "Osborne" - The 550-1 is a bit longer closed, and notably wider and thicker than the Osborne, but with identical sharpened edge length. The Osborne thumb flicks without a thumbnail needing to go into the opening hold. The Axis Lock nubs stick out more proudly from the 940's aluminum handle scales, so they're easier to find. The 550 fills the hand better, but takes more room in the pocket. The 940 makes more efficient use of space; it hides in the pocket, but is still comfortable in the hand. It's a masterpiece too, just a different type than the 550. Price is within $10 of each other at the time of this review.
- Spyderco Kapara - The Kapara has the same type of rounded grip shape as the 550, but it's thinner. Fit & finish are comparable. Action isn't quite as nice on the Kapara. It has a forward finger choil, but without sacrificing sharpened edge length. The wire clip on the Kapara is more comfortable than the stock deep carry clip on the 550, but it doesn't grip the pocket as hard. It slips out sometimes.
- Spyderco Manix 2 - This knife can be had in different trim levels, from the basic FRN handle with BD1 steel to fancy grip materials and super steels. I thought it was an interesting comparison because it has Spyderco's version of the Axis Lock. The Spyderco ball bearing lock works, but with more effort and friction; it's only half as nice. The Manix has a more sculpted grip shape, and an option to choke up on the forward finger choil. (though sharpened blade length is greatly sacrificed as a result) The Manix 2 has slab-sided grip. The choils are only for the front and thumb. The Griptilian has a nice rounded cross section. Normally, I would say it comes down to whether you prefer the round opening hole or a stud, but the Griptilian is available either way!
OVERALL SCORE - 9/10. Nearly perfect. There seems to be a version for everyone.
*************
To be continued/updated as I get some miles on it.
I scraped it on there, then scraped it back out. "Your pants aren't going to last long, if you get this knife." The grip traction was way too aggressive for my use. I gave it back to him and bought a nice little Buck in S30V for 1/2 the money.
Years and many Spydercos later, I happened into a Mini Grip at a good price from a fellow BF member. The Mini Grip's traction isn't as aggressive and the blade is just the right size. I fell for the knife right away. However, I still had that impression on my mind how nicely the Griptilian filled the hand, when I tried it several years ago.
Surfing around BF, I caught wind of the 550-1, with its 20CV blade steel, G10 handles and the nice blue pops. Had to have it. Couldn't really afford it, so I bought it anyway and listed 5 knives for sale. Only one sold. You know how that goes.
It arrived today, so consider this a first impressions post. I will update the thread as time goes on and as folks remind me to. ;-)
Without further ado...
ERGONOMICS: 9/10. The loop of the deep carry pocket is kind of a bothersome hot spot on the bottom of the palm of the hand. Benchmade probably responded to customer request for it, but the "shallow carry" original style clips are more comfortable in the hand on a knife this size. (deep carry clip is fine on the Mini Grip) Everything else is perfect. It fills the hand, and balances perfectly above the index finger. It has some jimping, but not aggressive enough that it shreds pants pockets while pushing it into the pocket. I replaced the deep carry with a shallow one and now it's a 10. (swapped clips with my Mini Grip) Lastly, it's worth noting that this particular model, with its round opening hole, is easier to open with gloves on than most other Benchmades, with their little studs. That makes this a better outdoor knife and a better working knife.
FACTORY EDGE GRIND: 8/10. It's about 30°, even on both sides, not very sharp and extremely coarsely ground. I would prefer 25° for the back bevel, but that's a matter of preference, so no points off for that. -1 point for being so coarsely ground and -1 for not being very sharp. There's no excuse for that in a $180 knife. Benchmade fans will call it "toothy" with some fondness, but those teeth break off and it dulls quicker. Benchmade should pay attention to Spyderco here: Narrow, even grind, medium coarseness and quite sharp. This took me 30-40 minutes to clean up on the Sharpmaker.
ACTION: 10/10. The open/close action is just outstanding. This is what justifies The Butterfly Tax. Out of the box, it was a bit tight, but I left it like that and with the action dry while I flicked it probably 200 times as I worked, to let the metals rub together and wear each other in. Later, I loosened the blade pivot screw just a bit, maybe 1/8 turn max., and the blade dropped free, but still with no play. I added a drop of Blue Lube to each bronze bushing and it is extremely smooth, just like my 940 "Osborne".
FIT & FINISH: 10/10. Flawless, except for the aforementioned edge grind. (and I won't dock it twice for that) I couldn't find any machining marks, sharp edges, nothing. With all the talk of Benchmade's (relatively) poor QC, I was a bit surprised to find this one is perfect. I especially like the finish on the blade: The spine is brushed up/down, while the flat saber grind is lightly polished. Ditto for the jimping on the thumb ramp. It is polished enough that it isn't aggressive, but still aggressive enough that if I grab it tightly, it digs in. Well done.
BLADE: 9/10. The choice of blade steel was a good one. 20CV is a step above S30V, and at a hardness of about Rc 61, it will retain an edge well. Yet it has very good corrosion resistance, toughness and isn't even too hard to sharpen. (unless you want to re-profile, in which case: roll up your sleeves) Go up in hardness more, and there would be concerns about chipping, resistance to sharpening, staining, and even MORE cost. Go down a tier and the price can't be justified. People refer to the blade shape as 'sheepsfoot', but it's not. It has too much of a point and quite a lot of belly. I would call it more of a "bellied wharncliffe". The overall grind is saber, so it retains full thickness along the spine until about 3/4" from the tip. It tapers down from the saber spine with a flat grind. -1 for this, as it should be hollow ground. Original ones were, the new ones aren't.
HANDLE SCALES: 10/10. They have the checkered grip pattern on the side, but it isn't overly aggressive, as it was the original FRN Griptilian. No worries about pocket shredding. It's G10, perfectly finished; it feels higher end (and heavier) than FRN. This was the biggest selling point for me.
POCKET CLIP: 9/10. I already marked it down for ergonomics for the hot spot, so here, I'll just deal with the execution. The pocket clip is a proper spring steel, and has a black coating that is more durable than paint. It's not rough enough to be parkerizing, but it's something like that. To me, it grips a bit too hard, but not as hard as a Cold Steel clip. Harder than a Spyderco wire clip. -1 point for not also including the "shallow carry" clip. If Cold Steel can do this on a knife costing half as much (Code 4, for example, and just as nice of a clip) then Benchmade can do it too and satisfy everyone for the extra 5 cents.
VALUE: 7/10. The knife is pure quality, but one can get a knife 90% as nice as this for 1/2 the money. (Cold Steel Code 4, for example) It's US-made though, and the knives competing for 1/2 the price are either not US-made, or simply not the same caliber.
FIDGET FACTOR: 9/10. There are several flippy ways to open it, and a nice way to flip it closed as well. The action is buttery smooth; pretty much friction-free, once that blade pivot screw is loosened a smidge. Why only 9? Because balisongs.
NICHE: Elegant Tactical. It's heavy and kinda big, but it fits all hands and has perfect balance. It makes some concessions to everyday life, with its less aggressive grip traction, but if stuff gets deep, a firmer grip will ensure it stays in the hand.
COMPARED TO:
- Benchmade 940 "Osborne" - The 550-1 is a bit longer closed, and notably wider and thicker than the Osborne, but with identical sharpened edge length. The Osborne thumb flicks without a thumbnail needing to go into the opening hold. The Axis Lock nubs stick out more proudly from the 940's aluminum handle scales, so they're easier to find. The 550 fills the hand better, but takes more room in the pocket. The 940 makes more efficient use of space; it hides in the pocket, but is still comfortable in the hand. It's a masterpiece too, just a different type than the 550. Price is within $10 of each other at the time of this review.
- Spyderco Kapara - The Kapara has the same type of rounded grip shape as the 550, but it's thinner. Fit & finish are comparable. Action isn't quite as nice on the Kapara. It has a forward finger choil, but without sacrificing sharpened edge length. The wire clip on the Kapara is more comfortable than the stock deep carry clip on the 550, but it doesn't grip the pocket as hard. It slips out sometimes.
- Spyderco Manix 2 - This knife can be had in different trim levels, from the basic FRN handle with BD1 steel to fancy grip materials and super steels. I thought it was an interesting comparison because it has Spyderco's version of the Axis Lock. The Spyderco ball bearing lock works, but with more effort and friction; it's only half as nice. The Manix has a more sculpted grip shape, and an option to choke up on the forward finger choil. (though sharpened blade length is greatly sacrificed as a result) The Manix 2 has slab-sided grip. The choils are only for the front and thumb. The Griptilian has a nice rounded cross section. Normally, I would say it comes down to whether you prefer the round opening hole or a stud, but the Griptilian is available either way!
OVERALL SCORE - 9/10. Nearly perfect. There seems to be a version for everyone.
*************
To be continued/updated as I get some miles on it.
