Mini Grip Comparison

[gpo1956]

I received the Brown Delica 4, the Delica 4 189 and the Sage 1 today. Very excited. A little surpised at the sizes. The Delicas are a little bigger than I expected and the Sage was a little smaller. Pleasently surprised in both cases! I'm hooked, I'm afraid.

[Leon]

I received the Brown Delica 4, the Delica 4 189 and the Sage 1 today. Very excited. A little surpised at the sizes. The Delicas are a little bigger than I expected and the Sage was a little smaller. Pleasently surprised in both cases! I'm hooked, I'm afraid.

Nice! Yea I had the same reaction when I got my delica
I'm still waiting for my sage1!

[FLIP4real]

That is a nice first round of purchases! I have a MiniGrip with the sheepsfoot blade and spyderhole because i love both of those things. It really is a nice knife and I am glad I own it. However, it gets passed up every day for Delicas and Natives. I will say that I like how the handle better fills your palm as another member stated. But something about the weight, the plastic (as pointed out) and the axis lock that turn me off. I think you will be so supremely happy with the ZDP blade. I cant get enough of those. I still wish to own a Sage soon. If you really dig the Delicas you might look into the Wave version -- awesome from a functional standpoint. Enjoy!

[gunmanb]

First off I own a plenty knives from both spyderco and benchmade. Including most of the ones listed in this thread. In general I like a lot more knives by spyderco. In fact I only have one benchmade in my edc rotation. And it of course is, the mini grip in 154cm with sheepsfoot and spyderhole. Honestly, I do not feel like spyderco has produced a knife to date 6-3-2016 that does everything as well as the mini grip. My sage 1 would probably be the closest thing. Size, weight, blade profile, blade to handle ratio, cutting edge length, slim profile, etc, etc..... Seriously, the haters !!! The few knives that benchmade does really well are nothing less than excellent in every way. That would be the mini grip and the 940 and all of their variants. I am a knife nut and prefer everything about spyderco, its owner Sal and its family of followers, but there is a reason that the mini grip is ranked at the top of the heap by most all non biased knife edc boards. Im just sayin. But there is hope, the spyderco minuteman . I cant wait. Im checking the internet like every day looking for a release date. Oh yea, the others in my edc rotation are the orange delica 4 ffg, sage 1 cf, yellow h1 salt for the beach. And fitten to buy the native 5 Lw s110v. Retired my delica 3, loved that knife. Wore it slam out.

[PayneTrain]

Hey there gunman, welcome...back?

I've been pondering the Grip/Mini Grip comparison a lot lately. I've had a Ritter Mini Grip for a while now, and it really is a fantastic little knife. I've recently gotten myself my first full sized Griptilian, the 551-1 G10 and 20CV version, and boy is it not only handsome, but it is quite comfortable and a pleasure to use. Benchmade has really hit a home run with this series, and the proof is in the pudding. The whole Griptilian line has a tremendous and loyal following, and it's well earned.

But so do its rivals in the Spyderco catalog. The classics that you mention, and of course what I see as the Grip's arch nemesis, the PM2, are much beloved. There are people who would say the same things about them that you do about the Mini Grip. They're all different knives made by different companies with overall different styles. The Mini Grip is a perfectly reasonable choice for your ideal knife, and I love it as well, but I personally wouldn't call it my favorite. It's totally a personal preference thing, but I think the Mini Grip can definitely be outmatched at certain things. But again, that's just me! Different knives for different lives!

The Mini Grip (and big Grip, for that matter) definitely deserves all the respect its enjoyed over the years. Some days it's just what I'm looking for, but more often than not I go for something else depending on what I plan to be doing that day. It can't do it all, but it sure can do a lot!

[twinboysdad]

I think the grind on the MG is lacking about as bad as the Saber D4.The Ritter being FFG is a better performer just as the FFG D4 and E4 are. I don't know that Grip v PM2 is as close a comparison? Grip v E4 seems closer in materials and costs. The only Grip that would interest me would be the Sheepsfoot/thumb hole version and it being not FFG rules that out. Mini Grip is awful small in the handle and my hands are not large.

[PayneTrain]

I don't know that Grip v PM2 is as close a comparison?

That's what intrigues me so much. They have little in common other than general size, but they are fan favorites and are often compared. Google search "PM2 vs" and see what you get the most of. I don't know why this seems so interesting to me, but it does, and one day when I have the time I intend on fully exploring this phenomenon of popularity.

[Z2KCT]

I have the full size grip and mini grip, both the thumbhole version of course, while they are both great knives I usually carry one of my spydercos over them. The grips are actually the only benchmades I like, that's due to the thumbhole.

I now won't buy a knife unless it has a thumbhole. Just my preference as I'm sure it is of some here.

[Doc Dan]

I do like the full sized Grip, but I switched from a Mini to a Delica because the Delica fits my hand better and is a better slicer. The Delica is also thinner, though it is longer. It fits my pocket a bit better than the Mini Grip. I still like the Mini Grip but I just like the Delica a bit better.
Plus, there are some locals (like NYC) where a Mini Grip is currently viewed as a Gravity Knife, though it is no way is such.

[ManekUEMF]

80% of the time I carry either the Delica or Mini-grip.

[skers95]

Just picked up a used mini grip and I'm liking it. I like the blade length for the size of the knife/close knife. I had a full size for awhile and just didn't warm up to it (balance, handle, slicing capability). Spydercos are my favorite blades and if I had to choose, I'd probably pick the Delica over it, but enjoying checking out the mini grip in contrast. The FFG of my Delica and Endura (and Manix 2 LW) are so nice, though, and also re-enjoying these knives to a certain degree as you appreciate all their solid qualities after using other knives.

[abbazaba]

Only BM I carry anymore:

Cuscadi scales really slimmed it up. Its a great knife, but usually displaced by the Chaparral (in pocket today).

[ZMW]

you should also consider the frn native.

Delica is the obvious choice, but for a closer dollar per dollar comparison Native FRN is a great call. Same handle material, much better steel, similar price as a mini grip.

I love my Delica, but a Native sounds awesome as well

[Cujobob]

Saying people are biased because they don't choose the Mini grip is a bit silly. This is a Spyderco board so one can assume they will prefer Spyderco moreso overall, but everyone's uses, budgets, needs, and preferences will vary. IMO, the grips are overpriced for what you get, the lock will break at some point, the grind is a bit too narrow and thick, the handle feels cheap (the Manix Lightweight isn't my favorite either, to be clear), and the one version I would probably consider carrying costs more than my Spyderco Caly 3 in Super Blue. I much prefer it. Don't mean to hate on the Mini, it's not a terrible knife, but it's easy to see why some may not prefer it. Benchmade's QC has gone to crap from what I understand, which is why I haven't purchased the models I do have a slight interest in.

[Blerv]

The Delica used to be the go-to competitor in my mind (I didn't like the Native C41). The new Native5 FRN is fantastic and certainly should be considered. It's flatter than the Grip and as mentioned by noddy "fits" better than it "fills" most hands.

[Evil D]

The irony in this topic for me is that the mini grip was the knife that brought me into the Spyderco world. Years back when I first started learning about steel types, I had read an article someone wrote about the Doug Ritter version, and something that really stuck out to me was the thumb hole opener it used. When I finally found some in a store to handle, I had the chance to compare the mini grip with the Native LW, and I left that day with a SE Native, and for 11 years I've hardly bought anything from another brand. Then I later learned about that while thumb hole pattent fiasco with BM and that really put me off.

[Fanch_Man]

I know the OP is already several blades in (nice picks, btw!), but in my cursory read over the previous pages, I thought of one omission: the Positron. I know the Delica/Chap/Sages/etc. are the obvious picks, but I think the Positron bears more similarity to the Mini Grip in form than any of those. It's got similarly thick handles (which may or may not be preferable) as well as being super lightweight. And also like the MG, it carries much slimmer height-wise in the pocket than any of the other aforementioned options. Plus it retains the wonderfully slicey full flat grind that we all know and love! Yes, it costs more than the OP's stated ~$20 Mini Grip price bracket, but a used specimen probably wouldn't be *too* much more, and you're getting a heck of a knife in return. Lots of pride of ownership there. Just my $0.02.