The Benchmade Griptillian is one of the greatest folders I have had the honor of possessing. Its mechanics, smoothness, and over all comfort make this knife one of the best edcs out there. If you haven't heard of this amazing knife already, here you go.
Benchmade knives are, in my opinion some of the best productions u can buy. Their dedication to quality and customer support has garnered many a hardcore fan over the years. The Griptillian model was designed by Mel Pardue a few years back, and has been a returning model year after year because of its exemplary performance. Modern blade steel is 154CM which holds a solid edge with normal usage, but is also sharpenable when it dulls (as all knives eventually will, regardless of steel/heat treatments).
The main feature for a lot of people on this knife is its Axis Lock, which makes for fast opening as well as safe and quick closing after your chore is complete. The lock fits into a cutout in the blade when opened, which means as time wears on and the bar hits repeatedly against the same cutout, the lock actually GETS STRONGER as opposed to weakening, as most linerlocks and lockbacks do. This lock is also safer, as you need not put your fingers in the way of the closing blade, as in the case of a liner lock. Great work Benchmade!
The handle is what many consider the knifes greatest drawback, being made from some kind of plastic. From my personal experience however, the handle is comfortable as well as "grippy,". It is a knife with some width, which fits very confidently in the hand. It has nested steel liners in the handle for added torsional strength, a lanyard hole, and tip up left and right clip carry options. Partial flow-through construction means you can get debris and lint out of the knife by simply blowing it out which makes overall maintenance easier.
The blade on the Benchmade Griptillian is a drop point design with a high hollow grind that terminates in a small cutting edge as a very steep angle, making this knife very, very sharp. But because of the strength of the 154CM steel, this edge doesn't go away anytime soon, even at such a steep angle. The fullsize griptillians have thumbstuds to deploy the blade, while the Mini Griptillians have a hole. Benchmade really got their physics right on this knife. The blade is perfectly balanced, making opening fast and reliable. They matched the blade steel with the correct heat treatment with proper edge geometry, making a blade that will shave hair for many, many years.
Overall, the Benchmade griptillian and Mini Griptillian are amazing knifes, and at this pricepoint, definitely worth every penny.
-Inquisitiveone
