Doug Ritter Mini-Grip

[kodiak]

Disclaimer: I don't own a Chris Reeve Small Sebenza (though I would like to).

I have been looking into purchasing a "small but formidable knife". I narrowed it down to two knives. A Small Sebenza or a Ritter Mini-Grip.
How it came down to these two was a lot of research. Also some hands on. I have a Chris Reeve Umfaan (My favorite knife) and a Benchmade Griptilian. I wanted a S30V blade. I had for a while Buck Mayo TNT and I loved the way it split hairs. I've also read a lot of good things about the steel.
Remember I only had a Griptilian and an Umfaan for this test.
Feels good in the hand: I imagined a smaller Griptilian and a bigger Umfaan. For me the Griptilian seems like a smaller version would still feel better than a bigger Umfaan.
If you know me you know I am a sucker for a good thumb ramp. (I love my Mini TSEK for this reason) One of the most important features on a knife!IMO
I've seen pictures of the sebenza; I "think" the Grip wins here.
I like to flick my knife open. Yes I know and I don't care.
The Axis lock lends itself to this like no other I've owned.
I had to change the thumb stud on my Umfaan just so I would everyday carry it. It was to sharp for ME. It never flicked open to my likening.
I know at he bigger blade of the Small Sebenza "may" flick better I don't know.
Price was not taken into consideration in the beginning of my research.
I wanted a THINNER, SMALLER, LIGHTER WIEGHT HANDLE with the biggest blade. I did consider at this point:

Small Sebenza NEW- $305.00
Ritter Mini-Grip- $100.00

Viewing pictures and descriptions, I Picked the Doug Ritter Mini-Grip.

I am very pleased with my pick. I love the deep drop point of this blade. It came hair splitting sharp. Even after cutting cardboard, rope and thin plastic tubing.
The axis lock is smooth as silk with no grittiness you may have heard of. It's very lightweight and feels great in the hand.

This is not an anti Sebenza thread.

Thanks.

 

[John N]

I don't have a Grip, but I do EDC a small Sebbie.

I think you are right about the Grip having a better thumb stud. While I love my Sebbie, I did find the thumb stud too small and too sharp at first. I did get used to it where I don't notice now, but I don't really see why Chris doesn't update this. Check out how Scott Cook improved the thumb stud on his Lochsa:

As for opening, the Sebbie is highly tunable. Mine is very smooth, and I don't tune it like a lot of people I've read about. Just disassemble every once and a while, clean and add a drop of oil. As smooth as mine is, it doesn't really lend itself to "flicking". I suspect if you really wanted to, you could tune it up a bit to make this better, but in general, I don't think the design lends iteself to this. I think the reason is that the spring puts pressure on the blade while it is in movement. So, for "flicking", Grip probably wins.

In terms of strength, I suspect the Sebbie wins. I can't imagine a stronger design/implementation. Chris' titanium framelock is incredible.

In terms of small, lightweight, I suspect the Sebbie wins. Since the handle and locking mechanism is all one, the Sebbie is VERY flat. The titanium makes a nice lightweight package. This flat profile, along with the GREAT clip, makes it work extremely well clipped to the inside of a front pant pocket. I would give the nod to the Sebbie.

In terms of grip, I suspect the Grip wins. :-) The Sebbie doesn't have any texture to make it easier to hold onto. Normally, this isn't an issue, but if you hands were wet or otherwise slippery, some sort of texture would be helpful.

Precision. I suspect the Sebbie wins, but I guess you would considering it is 3x the cost. After carrying mine for years, I still marvel at how precise it is. It is a precise, elegant, minimalistic tool. Sort of like a SF E2E.

All in all, it sounds like you made the best selection for what you wanted.

What I'd love to see is Chris make a version of the Sebbie with a thumb stud and one piece handle like Scott's Lochsa, and scales for grip, like the RJ Martin Avenger

-john

 

[powernoodle]

For those who care, there is a new Ritter Mini Grip passaround starting at www.bladeforums.com.

best regards

 

[alanhuth]

I've got both a small Sebenza and a Ritter Mini-Grip, and I agree with your decision. I use the Mini-Grip a lot more than the Sebenza. Lighter, easier flicking, better blade shape (IMHO), and one-hand closing. Enjoy.

 

[Steve Andrews]

I have a Small Sebenza and a Ritter MiniGrip. I prefer the RitterGrip. It feels better in the hand and I think it looks better.
The Axis lock is plenty strong enough for me.

 

[Joel]

I have both the Small Sebenza and the new Ritter MiniGrip. I prefer the Grip and it's replaced my Sebenza as my EDC. You'll probably see my Sebenza on eBay soon :-)

 

[alanhuth]

Just to pile on the Ritter MiniGrip love-in, I actually like the full-size Ritter even better. Even though it's larger than what most would like for an edc (and certainly larger than a small Sebenza though it weighs almost the same), it's light weight and rounded edges make it sit in the back pocket quite comfortably. The blade shape is great, and it looks and feels quite hefty and solid. I love the clunk sound it makes when you flick it open (very smooth and easy flicking, btw). It feels like you could use it as a small machete. In fact, I did use it that way one time clearing out a path of thorn bushes that were threatening my kids. You really feel like you've got a solid knife in your hands, despite the light weight.

I just sent it to EdgePro for their free-sharpening offer, and man, is that thing ever sharp now! Much sharper than I was able to coax from the Spyderco V sharpener. The owner of EdgePro, Ben Dale, said he was pleasantly surprised that this was a Benchmade because the blade was narrower than usual. The blade actually is quite thick at the top, but the very long bevel results in a thin blade, which allows it to be sharpened to a remarkable degree. The thin taper also makes it better for cutting stuff. The S30V steel choice helps offset concerns about lack of toughness due to the thinner blade. I don't use it as a screwdriver or pry bar, but so far I have not found any reason to think this is anything but a very tough knife.

fyi, Ben's rule of thumb is that the final bevel surface should be no wider than the thickness of a nickel. He was able to put a 17-degree final blade angle on the knife without violating that rule.

 

[03lab]

Ok, now I finally have to buy one. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/broke.gif /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/banghead.gif /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif

 

[Flying Turtle]

Could someone please post a pic of the Ritter MiniGrip. I can't seem to find one or where they can be purchased. Thanks.

Geoff

 

[4x4Dragon]

[ QUOTE ]
Flying Turtle said:
Could someone please post a pic of the Ritter MiniGrip. I can't seem to find one or where they can be purchased. Thanks.

Geoff

[/ QUOTE ]

http://equipped.org/pp/pic1353.htm

that'll cost you oh...... $99 /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif (enough to fund one for me) hey i think that's fair since you made me go look at the pic again, which in turned teased me.....AGAIN! /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/blush.gif

 

[B@rt]

Doug Ritter

 

[sunspot]

Thanks for the pics Bart. You the man. Now, whos's selling them for $99? I'm a fan of the Axis Lock and my 942 needs a companion.