The Benchmade Griptilian has been a mainstay in the Benchmade catalog for many years, and its reputation as an excellent EDC knife has always been touted. It’s an extremely utilitarian knife, both practical and neutral from top to bottom, making it as functional of an everyday carry knife as you’re really ever going to get. Available in a wide variety of options, from different sizes to different colours, as well as other slightly varied features, it seems to me that if you’re in the market for a Benchmade Griptilian, you’ll find at least one that suits you just right.
Benchmade Griptilian Folding Everyday Carry Knife – Amazon / Blade HQ
When I first held the Griptilian, the first thing I noticed is how light it really is. At 3.8 ounces (108 grams), it’s truly a remarkable weight, especially taking into account how meaty the blade is for an everyday carry knife.
The overall length of the Benchmade Griptilian is 20.3 cm (8 inches). The blade is a solid 8.8 cm (3.45 inches) of that. It’s a nice change to review a knife where more or less all of the blade has an edge. Very little to no space is wasted, and for its size, this knife packs a lot of cutting power.
The handles are the biggest, and really the only, draw back to the Griptilian. The scales are made of a material called Noryl GTX. To be honest I don’t care very much for branded names, to me the handles are just plastic, and unfortunately, unlike the Spyderco Endura & Delica, the Griptilian scales really feel like plastic, in that cheap, hollow sorta way.
A lot of this has to do to the way the scales are molded, with arches and nested liners that don’t travel across the entire length of the handle. It’s a shame, but realistically, this lightweight construction has to have some sort of downside. Luckily, the downside is worth the extremely lightweight end result.
The Griptilian comes in many different flavors. My Griptilian, the 551, features standard thumb studs. They are removable, are attached using torx screws, and function extremely well.
It’s worth bearing in mind that if you love the idea of the Griptilian, but not the deployment method, you do have the option of getting one with a hole. The Benchmade Griptilian 550 features a Spyderco-like hole, making deployment much easier if it’s what you’re used to. Options are always nice, and with the Griptilian you have many of them: from color, to steel, to size, to handle material, and finally, even the hole as well. Impressive variety; good job on that Benchmade.
The axis lock on the Benchmade Griptilian disengages unbelievably smoothly. If you’re even considering purchasing this knife, you should pick it up and give it a shot. It’s almost glass smooth and I found myself flicking the knife open and closed so many times that Elise got annoyed and confiscated it from me for the evening.
I also own the Benchmade Adamas, and by comparison, the action on the Griptilian is much much smoother. Actually, I don’t think I own another knife that comes close to being as smooth as this. Damn nice.
The clip on the Griptilian is extremely good looking in a very old school sorta way. Reminds me a lot of the Emerson style clips. Functionally, it doesn’t carry deep like a Spyderco Sage would, but it’s discreet enough for everyday use.
The Benchmade Griptilian’s 154CM 8.8 cm (3.45 inch) blade is very well ground, with a very lean saber hollow that’s barely noticeable and is actually almost a flat. The knife does have uniform grind marks under the stonewash, but in terms of pure function, I saw absolutely no defects or imperfections. Nice.
The tip is a good compromise between having a needle point and a good all round EDC blade. It’s tough enough for everyday tasks, but certainly don’t pry with it.
Balance on the Griptilian is, for all intents and purposes, perfect. Another reason why 99% of knives should use nested liners as the Griptilian does.
Centering was terrible, but functionally, honestly that doesn’t matter. The knife functions perfectly, and the blade does not drag against the handles. Adjustments with the pivot proved futile, so I left it as is.
As you may remember from the Spyderco Military review I did (yes, if you’re new around here, I do have a lot of Spydercos), I have nothing but love for nested liners. The Griptilian is the perfect example of this. It’s almost absurdly light at 3.76 ounces (106.6 grams), and that’s no small part due to its nested construction.
Interestingly, the jimping on the Noryl GTX (similar to Grivory) handles happen to be sharper and more aggressive than the jimping on the steel liners. Nicely manufactured, I like it.
Deployment of the Benchmade Griptilian is ridiculously fast. The glassy action on the axis lock makes the blade lash out like a demon out of hell. It’s a wonderfully smooth mechanism, and I gotta admit I am pretty addicted to it! Hands down, the deployment is one of my favourite things about this knife.
Absolutely no choil to speak of on the Griptilian. The heel of the blade is sharp, and should the lock fail, although it is extremely unlikely, say goodbye to your digits.
In saber grip, the Griptilian is very natural, with extremely strong retention due to the neutral ergonomics of the handle, as well as the generous amount of jimping scattered all over the knife. There’s just no way this knife will slip out of your grip. Mel Pardue really thought through the ergonomics when he was designing the Griptilian.
Choking up on the blade is average in comfort. The guard sweeps down relatively aggressively, so the point does tend to bite into your pointer finger. The Griptilian is obviously biased toward a saber grip, and taking into account how comfortable the saber grip was, I see nothing wrong with that.
Reverse grip is extremely neutral and much like the saber grip: very comfortable.
Pinching up on the blade would have been comfortable were it not for the thumb stud digging into my flesh. That being said, I am not sure you would want to use this knife for field dressing game anyway, as blood and other fluids may find themselves inside the axis lock mechanism. I haven’t used this knife for messy tasks so if anyone has used an axis lock around blood and entrails, please let me know how the clean-up was.
If you’re thinking of giving the axis lock a try (and I fully recommend that you do), the Benchmade Griptilian is an excellent reference. Its smoothness when disengaging is on another level, so if you’re a sucker for that kind of thing, you’ve gotta test this one out.
Benchmade has been a dominant knife manufacturer from the very beginnings of my interest in knives. The Griptilian is quite likely Benchmade’s single most purchased knife, and so, like many others, the very first Benchmade I owned was a Griptilian. It only takes a short amount of use to see why this one is has been a mainstay in the Benchmade line up. From its neutral ergonomics to its glassy smooth action, this knife is an excellent, extremely practical everyday carry folder, and whilst I do wish the price point was a touch lower, I have no regrets purchasing it.
Carried one in the oil field got full of mud and dirt sand etc. Axis lock kept on trucking. Can’t beat that system
I used to think the Axis lock system was finicky and easily gunked up…until I used it! Extremely reliable in my experience too.
I have both a full size Grip and a Mini. The Mini does not feel nearly as cheap in the handle and I absolutely love the knife. I like the full size but the handle certainly is not my favorite. It is just a weird feeling in your hand. I carry it, but I don’t carry it a lot.
Though I have put the full size through some tougher tasks than it is likely intended and I have had no issue with the handle at all. I have dressed a few deer with the full size with no real lock clog issues. I did see that once home it was not ideal for caping…..once the fat gets in there it took a lot of hot water to melt it out. But field dressing caused no issues at all.
There is a little more play in the clip then I would like on the Mini but I use it far more often. That Mini has dozens of trout under its belt and I have never had an issue with the lock being clogged.
Interestingly enough I recently changed the scales on my full size grip to custom G-10 ones and i am super happy. That cheap feeling is just not pleasant.
I have handled the minigrip and I definitely agree with your assessment. One of these days I will review it!
Appreciate your blog and always enjoy reading. Which scales did you put on your Griptilian? Photos of the new scales would be great. Thanks
I had a friend mill me some grey & tan G-10 scales. I’ll see if I can conjure up some pics! Thanks for dropping by Jory. I appreciate your comment.
Finally. Ive searched all over for good pictures of this knife. Nothing has shown how thick it is really. I think these pictures will finally help me to decide between the regular and mini grip. Most other pictures and reviews show it only on its side. Which doesnt tell me how it will fit in my pocket for edc. Im very much a minimalist. But if i like the knife enough im willing to use a little extra room. So great review, especially with the pictures.
Thanks for dropping by Patrick, I agree that sometimes reviewers forget to shoot all angles, I always look for in pocket shots (to see how discreet the pocketclip is) as thats an important factor for me!
Let me know how you find it!
Great job on the review!
Ive had a benchmade griptilian, exactly the same as yours, for a few months now and love the knife. Lately I’ve been looking into purchasing a spyderco paramilitary 2 though. I know these two knives are a lot different, but they really aren’t all that different in price point.
My question is, how does the benchmade compare to the spyderco? If you could only have one, which would you choose and why?
The Spyderco is definitely better in terms of fit and finish, cutting performance, materials and bang for buck. Only advantage the Griptilian has is that the axis lock is superior for lefties.
Its not even a competition in my opinion.
Check out: http://morethanjustsurviving.com/recommended-gear/ , the Para-military 2 is my most recommended folder for a reason! ;)
How does this version compare to the D2 version sold by Cabela’s? http://bit.ly/1ugN9tq
As always, great review. Thank you.
From what I can see, the only difference is the steel choice. D2 is a high carbide steel that is considered semi-stainless (not quite enough chromium to be fully stainless) and is known for taking a toothy edge. Personally I prefer 154CM.
i Have 3 of the Benchmade Griptiilians all are a little different and all are super Goods knives,easy to get that edge back to Razer sharpe with just a few sweeps down the ceramic Rods.If you need a good knives Buy one you won’t be unhappy.
Most definitely an excellent option for a dependable EDC knife, Thanks for dropping by!
My EDC. All day, everyday. Recommended for anyone! Awesome review man! Enjoyed it.
Thanks Chris, its a great EDC knife for sure!
I have been considering getting a Griptilian for a while now but the material used in the handle has been a deterrent–and, come to think of it, the name. I have a Dragonfly with a handle made of FRN which seems very similar and don’t mind it as it’s a small knife, but on a larger knife use of such a material seems questionable. Also, I am pretty sure this is a typo: “The Benchmade Griptilian’s 154 cm (60.6 inch) blade.”
The handles do feel pretty cheap, FRN has a softer feel than the plastic/grivory Benchmade uses. The flipside is how light the knife feels in hand. Always a compromise!
With that said you could always get custom G-10 scales made for the Griptilian, I believe Cuscadi offer them.
And yes 154cm was a typo! Thanks for catching that & Sharing your thoughts!
I am new to your site and, though not qualified to comment on your knowledge of the subject, I appreciate your clear, readable prose. I want to buy my son a good, working folder and am about as high on the Adamas as you are. I’ve noticed you seem to prefer plain-edged knives. In my very limited experience, a serrated edge makes a much better cutting tool for the most typical jobs a knife is drawn for. Can you take a moment to educate me?