Review: Benchmade Mini-Grip vs. Spyderco Native

[Fred Sanford]

I read this same review as DGG posted it over at the Benchmade forum.

I think it was a good review and I think both are good knives. I personally prefer the Mini-Griptilian as I don't like how part of the hole is covered when the Native is closed. I feel the same way about the Scorpius. The hole should not be covered at all. :)

Merry Christmas! :)

[denn]

Link: http://benchmadeforum.com/eve/forums/a/ ... 7391031242

doesn't really surprise me actually. the Griptillian is a great knife, and the Native, well, never been much of a fan of that one......; sorry guys, i'm slightly agreeing with the 'review' :rolleyes: :o

denn

[denn]

I personally prefer the Mini-Griptilian as I don't like how part of the hole is covered when the Native is closed. I feel the same way about the Scorpius. The hole should not be covered at all. :)

Merry Christmas! :)

me too, the hole should never be partially obstructed/covered. one of the main reasons why the JD Smith left my collection back in the days...

denn

[tonyfromky]

I handled a Native recently and didn't care for it too much. I felt there was only one way to hold it. That being said, comparing a $40 knife to a $60 knife is bogus. $20 may not matter at the $200+ level, but it matters A LOT at the entry level.

[afultz075]

I own both an older 440C MiniGrip and Native. While the MiniGrip has a nice F&F and the axis lock is great, it's just nowhere near as comfortable to hold as any of my Spydies.

The MiniGrip is also my only BM knife as I personally find their designs a bit monotonous. I honestly have a hard time seeing much of a difference between the blade shapes from one model to another on many of their designs.

[sal]

The Native was a specific design for a specific market. Afi's are not that market.

I think a Delica / Mini Grip comparison would be more realistic.

The BM Grip is a very well made knife, as is the D4. Certainly different design philosophy's though.

sal

[denn]

The Native was a specific design for a specific market. Afi's are not that market.

I think a Delica / Mini Grip comparison would be more realistic.

The BM Grip is a very well made knife, as is the D4. Certainly different design philosophy's though.

sal

exactly!

grip > endura
min grip > delica

now we're talkin' comparing!

[markg]

I do think the newer "4" Delica/Endura have given the Grips more of a run for the money. Frankly you really can't go wrong with either knife.

I float around when it comes to knives... I have Benchmade moments, I have Spyderco moments... Right now I am in an Emerson moment (and going broke on that one!)

My wife and bank account really pray I don't get into a Strider mood!

[denn]

[quote="markg"]I float around when it comes to knives... I have Benchmade moments, I have Spyderco moments... Right now I am in an Emerson moment (and going broke on that one!) ]


stop floating! stick to the Spyderco-moments, and remember: "Those who KNOW carry Spyderco!!!!!"

steer away from all the other stuff áight?!

[EarthDog]

grip > endura
min grip > delica

Gosh, Denn, I'm surprized to you say such a thing. :confused:

You seem such a :spyder: :spyder: -head.





Just joshing! :)

[edkrueger]

I think the breaking knife says it all Benchmade is pitiful. A folder should have handled the task, with some edge damage but breaking (and flying and stabbing)? No. Also i was a bit perplexed about him saying that the a spyder co was not sharp out of the box. My spur came the sharpest of any thing ive ever seen even better that my coustoms (thought most of my costoms are 2 to 4 times a thick.

[Kaizen]

I think the breaking knife says it all Benchmade is pitiful. A folder should have handled the task, with some edge damage but breaking (and flying and stabbing)? No. Also i was a bit perplexed about him saying that the a spyder co was not sharp out of the box. My spur came the sharpest of any thing ive ever seen even better that my coustoms (thought most of my costoms are 2 to 4 times a thick.

I recieved my Manix and my Pacific Salt with very sharp edges. But I just recieved my NIB Waved Endura and the bottom 1/4 of the blade isn't really all that sharp. As a matter of fact, it was catching on paper. Interestingly enough, Pacific Salt was sharper than the "sharp" part of the Endura's blade. I think my sharpening skills are coming together nicely :) .

[Fred Sanford]

Gosh, Denn, I'm surprized to you say such a thing. :confused:

You seem such a :spyder: :spyder: -head.





Just joshing! :)

I believe that he is not using the > symbol as a greater than or less than symbol. He's using it to show what knife should be compared with what.

[denn]

[quote="David Lowry"]I believe that he is not using the > symbol as a greater than or less than symbol. He's using it to show what knife should be compared with what. ]

erm, yeah, thanks david :)

(had no idea there even was a misunderstanding..... :confused: )

[Fred Sanford]

No problem. :)

[markg]

stop floating! stick to the Spyderco-moments, and remember: "Those who KNOW carry Spyderco!!!!!"

steer away from all the other stuff áight?!

In the (almost 17 years) since my first Spyderco... I think I have had a enough "moments" to fill a small safe, and I am sure I will have more.

I am a "knife bachelor" just can't settle down with one "girl" yet... :)

[Zac]

I think in order to determine if a knife is better, you have to decide what qualities you want to judge. Does out of the box sharpness make a big difference? Considering knives are made to be sharpened, I could not say this weighs as much as other factors. Is fit and finish important for a work knife? Maybe not as much as weight or closed dimensions. Blade design is an important consideration, but much of it is personal preference. Obviously pocket clip design is important. Overall, I don't think knives can be rated until they have been used a good bit. My 2 cents.

[Firefighter880]

Just to add my two cents....

I own a BM mini-grip, and I never carry it anymore. It was one of my earlier knife purchases, before I became loyal to Spyderco. Honestly, I don't mind the knife. I think it's a good knife. But I just really don't care to carry it. I would much rather carry a Spyder. :D

:spyder:

[The Mastiff]

I've got a few old Benchmades. I also have a set of mini grips in all the benchmade/ritter/cabellas steels. That's 440C/154/D-2,S30V, and M2. I also have a Stryker in M2 and one in D2. Likewise a 710 in M2 and in D2. The older ones are Gin 1 , and ATS 34.

I've yet to get a Benchmade that was as sharp as the average Spyderco out of the box. Even the S30 ( Skirmish) isn't as sharp as my $40 Wal Mart Spyderco Native ( I've had 5 so far, plus a few old 440V models)

I don't dislike Benchmade at all. Some business practices had me wondering a time or two but their product is typically pretty good. I do dislike their policy of voiding warranties for opening a knife even for cleaning and lube. That's their decision and they publicise it enough to where it's not a surprise so, being as I knew about it, I can't complain that much, can I? Nobody made me buy the knife after all.

I like Spyderco's products better. To me there is more for the enthusiast with Spyderco. The very affordable ZDP is a prime example. While Spyderco is moving ahead with it's sprints for us AFI's, Benchmade is going backward. They even dropped their popular ( with AFI's) M2HSS and use their D2 as a replacement, without running at the higher RC's and with too obtuse an edge to make the D2 perform as a high end carbon tool steel should. They do offer S30V, but have had their trouble with that too ( as have more expensive makers also, to be fair)

All in all Benchmade is a good maker with a decent product line. Overall though I consider Spyderco several steps ahead. They suit me better anyway. Spyderco is obviously more after performance than looks. I agree with that philosophy. Beauty is in the performance, not the choice of different wood inserts for an extra $70. That $70 could buy me a ZDP delica which will outperform any benchmade on the market. Even the $300 plus "Gold" versions. Joe

[florijn]

[quote="cheez"]Reasonable and level headed, like, people who post comments about reviews without having read them. :)

It's all white and black isnt it? There is no grey...is there? ]

Thanks you Cheez, I was thinking just the same.
Here we go again, I remember reading a lot different language wen BM had released the Vex.

Every time I visit the Spyderco forum I'm impressed by the devotion of the Spydie fans (which is good).
On the other hand if an other brand is mentioned on this forum I'm always worried for the reactions.
Even more if there are links being made to the other forums to start a fuss about something insignificant.
I think the (read quite a few) Spydie fans always react very hostile towards other knife brands and specially towards BM fans.
I don't think this is the case the other way around on the BM forum,
(apart from that one or two).

I also read the review and think it's a good review,
only thing that's not in it, is a comparing of the cutting and cutting ergonomics.
So you could say the review is done by a collector .....?
And with this we come to my contribution to this thread,
my two cents so to say.......

I'm a knife collector for some years now.
I started out with BM because I am drawn by their quality.
Later I also became interested in Spyderco.
I first (at that time) stayed away from some models because I found the design too extreme.
Now I'm even more drawn to these models just because thay are more eccentric!
I like most of the collaboration models and do collect them.

Having quite a few of both brands, being impartial and also collecting a lot of other brands,
I guess I could say that I can pinpoint some traits of character........
Some of them are not in accordance to the review.
Some of them will not sound so good to some of you guys on this forum.
But they are based on the average of the knives I own of the paricular brand and on the experiances of some of my European fellow collectors.
So don't shoot me right away, (don't stab me would be more appropriate on a knife forum) :D

One could claim the following:

Benchmade's are dull but they have a great finish!
(better explained, The chance that one buys a Benchmade that is dull is about 5%, this is a rather high percentage for such an essential function, as the general pupose of a knife is cutting!).

Spyderco is sharp but their finish is bad!
(better explained, The chance that one buys a Spyderco that is dull is very remote, but the chance that it has a bad finish or isn't finished at all is about 20%, this is even higher but not as bad as functionallity).

You could ask yourself what is sharp?
I would say that the dull BM's I have still could cut,
but they could be sharpened much better.
Most Spyderco's come scary/shaving sharp
but do they have to come that sharp for heavy duty work?

The general BM customer is looking for:
A high quality knife with a slight conservative design and top notch finish.
Good in the field but also a little fancy and very well suitable as a dress knife.
Very much in demand with collectors due to the variety in series and
numbered and limited editions.
The company owner chooses not to communicate with his followers (buyers).
But the company does commincate over the forum via an employee.
However they do listen to their customers.
You could say the fans and company have a good bussines relation......

The Spyderco customer is looking for:
A high quality and tuff user with less detail for finish.
Very extreme design and variation in totall knife line-up (this means that every Spydie fan has a least one model that fits him perfect as hands differ in shape and size).
Also collected due to the variety in collaborations models and steel options.
The company owner does choose to communicate directly with his followers (buyers).
Also is active in discussing design and knife talk on the forum, (whitch is very good).
You could say the fans and company have a good family relation......

résumé:

There are no bad knives made by the well known US brands.
Each knife or brand has it's pro's and con's, they all have their own character.
It's all a mather of personal taste !!!!!!!
I happen to like both for their positve properties.

So people please respect each other, live and let live.
As cheez says there are even many more great brands and designs than just Spyderco or BM.
PEACE, wishing you all a Merry Christmas
and all the best for the up comming new year :cool:

PS looking forward to meeting the Spyderco "family" in Amsterdam again!