I'm fairly sure everyone can agree that the Benchmade Griptilian is probably one of the most popular pocket knives in the world. It is basically a household name for anyone who's largely into collecting or owning pocket knives. There is a good reason for that, however. It is one of the most dependable, sturdy, and well performing knives that you can buy for the price. There are so many variations of it available as well that you have quite a few choices to choose from depending on what you prefer with your pocket knives. I received this one in a knife gift exchange and was pleasantly surprised and shocked that a stranger would give me such a wonderful gift. I quickly started using this knife quite frequently and grew to like it quite a bit. I ended up changing out the scales for something much, much better though which I'll get into later.
The knife was purchased from BladeHQ from what I was told, and it ran right around $102. (This is of course not including the cost of the scales I purchased later on.) There are two sizes to this knife design. This one is the full size model, while there is also a mini griptilian model. This model is 8.07" overall in length, weighs 3.82 ounces, and comes with a 3.45" blade made of 154CM steel that is 0.12" thick. 154CM steel is a very popular stainless steel that is highly regarded by enthusiast and collectors which is manufactured by Crucible in the United States. These type of steel is fairly easy to sharpen, holds an edge quite well, and is also easy to maintain. The blade deploys quite fast and smoothly, and thanks to the AXIS lock system and weight in the blade it is super fun and easy to flick open and closed with one hand. Thanks to these things, it makes for an excellent steel to use in everyday carry knives.
The handles that came with the knife were not to my taste though. What you receive with the knife from the factory are made from a polymer/resin called Valox which just felt very cheap to me. They do range in a variety of colors though which is something positive I'll say about it. Benchmade did release a version with G10 however, which I'm sure would feel much better than the plastic. At the time I received this knife that option wasn't available though, so I had to turn elsewhere and get some custom scales for it. I went with a shop called Cuscadi since a lot of people had their books closed. This company is based out of Germany, and has a variety of scales and knives available.
I purchased these "Species" handles for $90 from their shop. They shipped them out to me and I received them in 4 weeks. After I installed these, the ergonomics of this knife vent up tremendously. It felts so comfortable in my hand, and it just felt solid and sturdy to hold unlike with the resin/plastic handles. The jimping on the back of the blade also helped with feeling comfortable to hold in the hand, and there was no longer any lack of traction for me. This set of scales is toxic green G10, with a cell pattern and it comes with a glow in the dark backspacer. The difference was immense in the quality of the handles, and these also just looked far, far more attractive. The only other thing I'd change with the design is getting a custom pocket clip. The clip is not terrible by any means, and it will get the job done. The finish wears easily though, and it's just a bit too thin for my taste.
Overall, with these scales installed, I absolutely would recommend this knife. Hell, even without them, I definitely still would. Regardless of the cheap feeling scales from the factory, this is an amazing quality knife for the price and will eat up everything you throw at it. The steel is high quality and has the bonus of being easy to take care of. The locking system is solid and I don't see it letting anyone down. The scales I've added make it a much more attractive knife in my opinion, and it makes it comfortable as hell to play with and flick open and closed. The geared backspacer is beyond cool when it glows, and matches the theme of the knife quite well.
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Benchmade has always made great knives. My favorites are their selection of butterfly folders. I would love to get my hands on an old Kriss blade butterfly, but they are way too much $$ from most sources.
I've got some other Kriss blades though, I'll make a post soon if you care to follow.
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