PICS: Griptilian vs. mini-griptilian size comparison

The Griptilians are very popular Benchmade knives. I see people all the time debating whether to get one over the other. I took these shots earlier for a friend and fellow CPF'er, and I thought others might be interested. The pics compare a full size Griptilian vs a mini Griptilian.


A somewhat side-by-side comparison, and vs. a pen. I took these from directly above the knives, so the perspective distortion is minimum (I hope).




Next, in my hand (that's about 3.25" measured across my knuckles). Mini on the left, full size on the right:






...and a full size trying to be stealthy:

Might as well add this one, since I think it came out purrdy nice:

Great pics. I wish I had these when I bought my mini (though i don't think it would have changed my mind)

Thanks for those pics, I know what I want for Christmas

It's a really great knife :thumbsup:. Really like mine.

rayman

Mine vs. the ol lady's







g

Pretty much reinforces my decision to stick with Mini-Grips (I have two). I have hands that are a little smaller than average (right between most medium and large glove sizes) and the Minis fit just perfectly in my hand, and I tend towards smaller rather than bigger knives as a rule. I'll probably skip the full sized grip and eventually get a fixed blade Grip for something bigger and heavier duty.

greenLED said:

...and I thought others might be interested. The pics compare a full size Griptilian vs a mini Griptilian.

Click to expand...

greenLED,

Mahalo! That helps a great deal indeed. The Mini seems to be more urban-friendly while the regular Griptilian appears more rugged and Rambo'ish. A massive front is currently passing through the islands and last night I was indeed thinking about adding a carryable but solid folding knife to the emergency work kit. (BTW, all batteries charged up, the lattern is out on the kitchen counter, wife knows where the rest of the primaries are...just in case if there will be a blackout (not looking for one))

Thanks to Mr. Squatch as well because I am actually looking at the Mini with either one of those bright-colored handles. I noticed that the tips and shapes of the two blades are quite different in addition to the thumb hole on the spine portion of the blade. More readings needed to make an educated decision for me.

With Aloha,

Clarence

Yes sir, there are quite a few variations on the blades in both the grip and the mini. Pays to look around and find the exact one you want. thebladeshop.com is where I found the best selection with great pics to compare. I searched far and wide to find the perfect blade for me.

Btw, the grip isn't all that big. I carried a knife smaller than the mini for years, and I was afraid of the big grip, but I had to have the black one. I have very small hands, between small and med in glove sizes. I find the big grip to be a little larger than I'm used to in my pocket but it fits perfectly in my hand. The mini feels a little small to even me for every day use. My gf has same size hands as me, but her fingers are much skinnier. She likes the feel of minen better too but would never carry a knife so big, plus... It's not pink.

If you're unsure, and if you can, buy both and judge for yourself. BM knives have a great resale value on boards such as this, and on ebay. Odds are, you'll want to keep both haha



g

cl0123 said:

greenLED,

Mahalo! That helps a great deal indeed. The Mini seems to be more urban-friendly while the regular Griptilian appears more rugged and Rambo'ish.

Click to expand...

Aloha, Clarence. Glad my pics are useful. Just as reference, I wear medium size gloves and they're (sometimes) a little tight).

Indeed, the mini-grip is very urban friendly, especially if you get it with the colored handles.

Mr. Squatch & GreenLED,

Thanks again for the replies, especially the extra useful references to glove sizes. I did sneak out for a little while earlier this afternoon but none of the sports nor big-box stores carry Griptilian. Anyway, I know I definitely should try to find some time to drive out to the specialty shops to out the different handles/grips. More importantly, hopefully one of the shop owners that I know can guide me through selecting the blade shapes and thumb holes or studs. That's the part which is quite difficult to gauge just by reading.

With Aloha,

Clarence

thumb opening options are more a matter of taste imo. I like the big hole, my gf likes the studs. I have both on several knives and I don't really find one to be better or easier. I open grips with a pull on the lock and a flick rather than the opener, so it doesn't matter much. I do like the hole better, but I couldn't tell you why. I think I got it on this knife because it came on the blade I liked best. gf definitely prefers the stud. Dunno why, probably has to do with her pretty nails. lol. Yep, i recommend finding a store who sells em and fondling em both if its an option. down here we have a knife store in the mall who carries bm, and a few gun stores as well. I don't think basspro or gander mtn has em. good luck on your quest, no matter what you get, if it's bm you'll love it and probably keep it forever

g

mr.squatch said:

thumb opening options are more a matter of taste imo.

Click to expand...

I second that. For reasons I can't specify, I like studded blades.

As far as blade profiles, a lot also depends on personal preference, but also on what you want the knife for.

GreenLED,

I appreciate the pics! I got a mini for Christmas to supplement my full-size grip. They're both the same style. I agree that the mini is easier to carry, but the full does feel better in my hand.

Many thanks!

prof

greenLED said:

I second that. For reasons I can't specify, I like studded blades.

Click to expand...

One possible explanation: Spyder-hole requires your thumb to dig into the hole and exposing more of your thumb to the "cutting plane" of the blade. When you push on a thumb stud, your thumb actually "arches" away from the blade to give you less of a chance of slipping and injuring yourself.

:thinking:

Of course, it's only my guess and nothing scientific. I did remember slicing open a bit of the skin on my thumb once because I had to "press down" onto the hole. As it was half-open, my grip probably slipped and hence my lower-thumb came into contact with the edge. It did not cause any bleeding but taught me to pay more attention on how to arch my thumb and focus the force at a safer angle.

With Aloha,

Clarence

prof said:

I agree that the mini is easier to carry, but the full does feel better in my hand.

Click to expand...

Hey, Prof! Best New Year wishes to you and your family! :grouphug:

Aloha, Clarence. You might be onto something. It may also be the way I open using the stud; I sort of let the blade pivot on the stud, if that makes any sense. With a hole, I sort of have to push outwards. Hard to explain.

greenLED said:

...It may also be the way I open using the stud; I sort of let the blade pivot on the stud, if that makes any sense. With a hole, I sort of have to push outwards. Hard to explain.

Click to expand...

That's the main reason why one should really try them out (if possible) first before deciding. As a matter of fact, I am still trying to feel which one is more natural.

1. Contact area - pushing your thumb tip partially through the hole should theoretically offer a larger contact area between your thumb and the blade. This makes my thumb feels more secure since I have more skin pushing to rotate the blade open.
2. Leverage - or exertion angle. I am thinking since most thumb studs are at least 1/8" tall or more, the tip of your thumb does get that extra leverage when pushing or pivoting. This little bit of leverage may translate to that proper extra force that your thumb needs to counter the spring or initial friction on the pivot.

I cannot honestly say I am partial to either the hole or the stud at this point because I just never have enough experience to state an educated opinion. It would be nice (of course ) if Benchmade can send me another or a few more mini-grip with a stud instead of the Spyder-hole, to, uhm, promote fair testing and objective judgement.... Right now, I seem to have slowly adapted to thumb-hole-open my mini-Grip without thrusting the entire thumb tip into the hole. In other words, I just use that little bit of skin to friction-guide the hole to open the blade. That gives my thumb a slightly higher angle on the push and expose less of the thumb to the cutting plane.

The only thumb-studded knives that I have are a couple of used Gerber Vector and CRKT M16-12. The stud on the CRKT is too close to the handle for me to comfortably open it with one hand. The Vector was probably very well used and can be opened very smoothly by gently guiding the blade on the thumb stud.

Of course #2, , those new orange Grip and min-Grip, in both the spyder-hole and thumb-stud versions, will be greatly useful for this tester.

With Aloha,

Clarence

I've thinking about this one, and I realized that it's the blade profile too that has an effect on my choice. I don't like the way the holed blade looks like.

(Yeah, I'm weird like that.)

greenLED said:

I've thinking about this one, and I realized that it's the blade profile too that has an effect on my choice. I don't like the way the holed blade looks like.

(Yeah, I'm weird like that.)

Click to expand...

That's quite alright. At least your eyes agree with your fingers. In my case, I actually prefer the Spyder-hole look on the mini-Grip. Now that I have a bit of finger-play time with opening the knife, I am thinking perhaps the stud is a safer device offering slightly better control. :sigh:

With Aloha,

Clarence

My Griptilian adventure takes me from a nice mini-Grip (top-left image) to a regular-sized 550HG (top-right). The pink mini is really a very cool little blade that is featherweight and easy to carry. However, my hand finds it just a tad small. You can see the pinky extended on the lower-left image to show just a small tail of the knife handle for the pinky to grab on to.

The 550HG has a much more ergonomic handle to my hand. For heavier or more demanding cutting chores, I prefer to have a bit more handle so that my fingers can lock the knife onto my hand. The shorter handle on the mini-Grip makes it a bit more challenging.

Hope this helps someone who is looking to get a Griptilian.

With Aloha,

Clarence

Note: the Spycerco Caly3 image on the lower-right shows a knife that has a EDC-friendlier blade with a long-enough handle for my hands. Notice how its design allows the first finger to choke up closer to the cutting edge than the Griptilians.