My first Benchmade.
 

What model Benchmade do you think I should pickup first?

This will be my first Benchmade knife, I've always carried a knife of some kind since childhood my when father gave me my first knife, a beautiful Case stag handled trapper which I still have to this day.

Thank you for thoughts.
-Cam

Mini griptilian or griptilian.

Mini griptilian.

This is actually what I was thinking also but, after thinking it over I think the Griptilian would be more useful than the mini.
At least for my tasks.

Now, for the blade. I'm really leaning toward the sheepsfoot with no serrations. Maybe sand for the handle color?

I'm a big fan of the Grips especially with custom scales from Cuscadi.de or Wilkins. Gets pricey but gives it the feel of a premium blade. My favorite blade style is the S30V Ritter exclusive to Knife works. Excellent steel. Second favorite is the coated D2 if you like black. Here is a review I did for GearScout http://militarytimes.com/blogs/gears...-custom-grips/

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Attachment 230304
Wilkins G10 up top, Cuscadi.de Vintage Micarta below.

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That Ritter really looks like a working blade, I'm also interested on how the finish on the D2 holds up.

I can definitely see those aftermarket grips in my future though.

I have a mini griptilian with the blue handle. For me, I don't care what the knife looks like. I want it to be durable and hold an edge. I also want to be able to find it quickly if I set it down while walking around the house or garage or anywhere else you can think of. That is why I went with the blue. Very durable knife which I use at work, back packing, mechanical work. It hasn't let me down yet.

+1 for the Griptillian.

btw: Benchmade service is amazing-
http://www.glocktalk.com/forums/show....php?t=1331189

Very good point sir. I have no problem with blue, and from a practical standpoint a brighter color would be more helpful if you ever were to drop it.

I've actually been a fan of yellow for awhile, just thought to myself that it didn't really belong on a knife for some reason.

I'll be the odd man out and say that while I love Benchmades, the Griptillian line does absolutely nothing for me. I'd much prefer something like the Rift or 940 Osborne.

Not sure what you're referring to by "finish", but D2 is a very good steel that can hold up to rough use. Capable of holding a pretty good edge, too.

Agreed, the Griptilian would be a great choice for the money.

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I'll say step up and buy an 810 Contego. In my opinion it's the ultimate Benchmade. CPM M4 steel, Axis lock, steel backspacer, good G10 scales, and can be had for ~$120.

http://i298.photobucket.com/albums/m...m/2ea9e3ac.jpg

The 710 is another outstanding choice. 4" D2 blade, Axis Lock, And good G10. ~$100
http://i298.photobucket.com/albums/m...vclem/710d.jpg

The Bedlam rounds out my top 3 Benchmades. 4" 154cm blade, Axis Lock, Steel pommel, and really cool sculpted G10. This knife is a beast, it's big, heavy, and penetrates like nothing else. It is one of my go to knives for a defensive blade. ~$170 (does not come with a "wave" from Benchmade.)
Caveat: The pocket clip on this knife sucks!
http://i298.photobucket.com/albums/m...m/b42b4c56.jpg


I have a couple Griptilians, they are good knives but definitely not my favorite.

I do agree on the 810 being pretty much the ultimate Benchmade, it's in an entirely different class from the Grips in both size, materials, and strength.

Though I'd dearly love a 63HRC CPM-M4 blade for my Rukus....

Best thing you can do to a Contego (besides getting it drilled for tip down carry):

http://i61.photobucket.com/albums/h4...96FF288F56.jpg

Yup, with a wave and a flipper. Would be freakin' awesome.

No wave for me, and flippers don't do terribly well with the Axis. Too much drag on the blade tang, and no detent.

Another vote for the 710. I love mine and have for the last 14 years.

Those are definitely superior all the way around my friend, but where do you buy yours from?

GPknives or locally usually.


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I'll throw another recommendation behind the 810. I have the black with half-blade serrations, and thanks to the reverse tanto blade there's still enough smooth blade cutting area that you don't even notice the serrations unless they're needed.

For someone with larger hands, I like that the grip is "grippy" and is big enough to hold.

I respect Benchmade as a knife maker and I like a lot of their products, but for some reason, I don't own any yet. I like flippers. The 300SN flipper is a tad small for my tastes, but I hope that sells well enough that BM comes out with other flipper models.

I don't see Emerson coming out with flipper models any time soon, the the best that could be done would be a ghetto wave on an Axis/Flipper.

I have actually though about trying to get a new blade custom made for my Rukus (love it that much) to get my wishes there. I do MUCH prefer the Axis lock to Emersons liner lock, but for my EDC purposes the wave usually trumps all. My flipper desire is largely fueled by your comments a while back about its benefits.

I bought this mini rukus auto a few years ago and had the blade replaced a few months ago. Benchmade went through the knife and cleaned and repaired everything. Awesome customer service.
http://i996.photobucket.com/albums/a...-50-51_679.jpg
And after
http://i996.photobucket.com/albums/a...-06-35_775.jpg

I love my Griptillian. Going on 10 years. Mine is 440c from before they switched to 154cm as the standard. But it still takes and holds a great edge, and as you can see, I haven't spend those years babying it.

http://i1087.photobucket.com/albums/...0120-00083.jpg

This is my favorite blade shape too. Sturdy with a slight curve to the edge but still flat enough to sharpen super easily on a stone or sharpmaker.