Benchmade Griptilian Review

I recently picked up a Benchmade Griptiilian at my local outdoors shop and so far I absolutely love it. I have a pretty nice fixed blade collection with some of the usual suspects like Becker BK series, ESEE knives, Moras etc. but I am just starting to get into the world of quality folding knives.

The Benchmade Griptilian is a relatively inexpensive option when it comes to Benchmade knives, however in my opinion there is little compromise on the structure, integrity and materials. The reason that the Griptilian is cheaper than some of the other Benchmade folders is because it has a polymer handle instead of G-10 scales. The other reason is that it is not an assisted opening knife. Neither are big deals in my book and here is why..

Handles

The polymer handle, although you can definitely tell the difference from the G-10 scales, has some great features for the basic materials. The handle is textured and fits really well in the hand. The jimping on both the spine and the interior part of the handle make it very easy to grip. It does not slide or move in the hand once you have a firm grip. The jimping is in all of the right places and the handle is rounded just enough to make it very comfortable to hold. It took me a while to get over the plastic like feeling of the handles but despite the feeling, they seem to be very durable. The belt clip has the option for right and left carry but comes out of box for us right handers.

Blade Lock

Since this is my first Benchmade knife, this is my first introduction to the blade locking mechanism. I like it. The blade always locks up tight, there is no movement to the blade and from the reviews that I have seen you can beat on this thing with no failure to the lock. The nice part about the lock is that it can be used as a method to open the knife as well. All you do is press down on the lock and flick the blade open. Very efficient. 

The Blade

The blade of the Benchmade Griptilian is made of 154cm which is now my new favorite stainless steel. The knife comes out of the box impeccably shaving sharp. 154cm is an American made stainless steel that was originally designed for tough industrial applications. It is corrosion resistant, holds and edge and is easy to sharpen. The best quality I like about this knife is how sharp it can get. I put this thing on the wet stone after some heavy use and was able easily sharpen it beyond its starting point. It cuts everything like butter it is pretty amazing. 

The sheep's foot blade style is another great feature of this knife. The reverse tanto style point that is indicative of the sheep's foot gives the knife a very durable point, much more so than a clip point. The blade design also provides a continuous cutting surface and one that is easy to sharpen. Additionally he jimping on the handle that seamlessly transfers to the blade makes a great resting spot for your thumb. 

Cost

This knife ranges in price between about 78- 100 bucks the below price is one of the best that I have seen so far. I picked mine up for about $85 You can click on the below picture for more review information from Amazon.

For information on fixed blade knifes check out Best Survival Knife review guide

Overall 

Overall I am very happy with this knife it is a great entry level Benchmade folder with great steel and overall great feel. This is a knife that you wont be disappointed with if you are trying to upgrade your current folder.
All in all for the price this is an awesome everyday knife. Benchmade Griptilian

Becker BK9 Review - A Cut Above The Rest

The Becker BK9 has long been a knife that is is very well reviewed and well received in the survivalist and outdoor community. Ethan Becker has long been known as an innovator in the outdoor space, designing and  producing some of the best gear, and of course, arguably some of the best knife designs that are in the market today.

The Ka-Bar Becker BK9 is designed as a backwoods work horse. As soon as I unboxed this knife and picked it up I knew that I was dealing with a tool that is made to be used hard, and abused on a daily basis.
The ergonomics are extremely nice and the handle fits my hand perfectly with room to spare for those of you will giant paws.  The overall knife is very well constructed and detailed for the price. The grinds are even, the exposed tang is even with the handles, the handles are smooth and the finish is very nice as well.

A Becker BK9 Review would not be complete without some stats so here we go:

• Made : Knife USA - Sheath China
• Steel: 1095 Cro-Van
• Weight: 1.05 lbs
• Overall Length: 14.75 in
• Blade Length: 9 in
• Blade Thickness : 3/16
• Handle Length : 5.75 in
• Edge Angle : 20 Degrees
• Price: $80-$100

Becker BK9 Review -The Blade

The blade shape is a traditional American style Bowie with a flat grind at a 20 degree angle. The blade is long, measuring in at 9 inches and 3/16 of an inch thick however it is extremely well balanced. Most of my survival knives are some form of drop point but the clip point is a nice feature for drilling. I did some testing with it and it is definitely a more efficient driller then my BK2. That could be because it is thinner at the tip then the BK2 or because of the shape I have not totally determined which one is the factor. 

The blade is powder coated as you can see in the above picture. The powder coating is slightly textured unlike the coating on the Becker BK2 which is smooth as you can see below.

The weight of the overall knife is slightly "weight forward" the pivot point is about an inch above the handle. This makes the Becker BK9 and ridiculously comfortable and effective chopper. In the chop tests that I put this knife through it out-preformed my Becker BK2 and out-preformed a small Gerber hatchet that I have. I would much rather take this knife in the woods with me then a small hatchet. For me, the BK9 and a Mora is a complete kit.

Another nice feature of the blade is the jimping on the spine of the knife blade. the jimping is raised and angled which makes it very comfortable to use when you need more stability on the blade such as using the BK9 as a draw knife for making feather sticks.

Becker BK9 Review - The Handles 

The handles on the BK9 are slab  handles that are bolted to the tang with recessed Allen bolts. The recessed  areas containing the bolts are very smooth and do not cause hot spots or issues when you are chopping. In fact I really never notice that they are there. The handles themselves are made of Grivory which is a smooth polymer material. They are VERY comfortable. Some people prefer Micarta scales (which are available after market) however I am totally fine with the Grivory scales that come with the knife. The butt of the BK9 has a flattened pummel for hammering that is part of the tang, and protrudes from the handles.

All-in-all, the grip is extremely ergonomic and fits in my hands better then most survival knives that I own. In my opinion this is one of the Best Survival Knife choices you could make for a large knife.

Becker BK9 Review - The Sheath

The Becker BK9 sheath is made of a heavy- duty Polyester nylon with polymer blade sleeves. The sheath is designed to either be attached to your belt via a Velcro / snap belt loop or attached to a pack with the provided MOLLE attachment on the back of the scabbard  as can be seen below. The belt carry option opens up with Velcro and a snap so that you can put it on your belt without having to take your belt off. The MOLLE can be seen on the rest of the sheath back.

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The front of the sheath features a handle snap for to secure the knife in the scabbard and a additional sheath to hold a BK13. The BK13 previously came with the kit as a promotion however they moved the manufacturing of the BK13 from china to the US and stopped providing it as a set. None-the-less the BK9 sheath still has a scabbard for the BK13.  In front of the sheath for the BK13 there is also an additional pouch that you can use for fire steel , mini survival kits or any other small items that you want to carry. The sheath on this knife is better then I expected but still nothing to write home about.

Overall this is an awesome knife, I would recommend it to my friends and anyone that is looking for a very high quality durable large blade for under 90 bucks. The value that you get with the Becker BK series is phenomenal.

If you are interested in my other Best Survival Knife choices check out my review site. It has 15 other knives that are all top survivalist choices and that won't break the bank. http://www.squidoo.com/best-survival-knife-for-the-money

If you are looking at purchasing a BK 9, Amazon has some great deals right now and fast shipping. See below.

Becker BK 9 Chop Test, Battoning Test and Cutting Test

Zero Tolerance 0350 Review

This Zero Tolerance 0350 Review is based on a new knife that I picked up after hearing tons of good stuff about this blade online.  Zero Tolerance have been releasing very impressive top quality knives for a number of years and I figured it was time that I finally picked one up.

For a long time I have been a big fan of fixed blade survival knives such as the Becker BK series, ESEE knives,Ontario knives and Cold Steel to name a few of my favorite brands, however the EDC of a survival knife is just not practical. Before the Zero Tolerance 0350 I carried a Kershaw folder that I was actually very happy with.. That is, until I realized what I was missing out on when I unpacked  the 0350.

The first thing that I noticed when I opened the Zero Tolerance 0350 was the heft of the knife. You can immediately tell that you are handling a quality tool and not a imitation piece of junk. The medium traction  G-10 scales are very solid, comfortable and grippy. The handle itself is robust, much more then my Kershaw. It is wide at about 1.3 inches and thick for a folder at about .5 inches. The length of the handle is 4.5 inches long so there is plenty of space to get a good grip on the blade.

The blade flicks open with ease due to the assisted speed opening feature that many come to expect on blades these days. The knife also has a thumb stud that can be used to open the blade as well. The S-30V steel is wicked sharp out of the box and the research I have done suggests that it will keep an edge and sharpen fairly easily. I have found that the blade locks up tight an the frame lock seems to be extremely sturdy.

The pocket clip on the ZT 0350 is rather small but seems to do the trick. There are four predefined configurations that you can move the pocket clip to so that is great for lefties and folks that want to have the choice of carrying the knife tip up or tip down.

The ZT 0350 is a smaller version of its big brother the 0300. I have seen estimates that it is about 10% smaller than the original but from my research it includes most of the key elements that the 0300 has. I honestly think that judging by the ZT 0350 the 0300 would be pretty heavy to use as an EDC.

All-in-all I personally really like this knife. Some say that it is to heavy for them but I don't mind the weight.

I would definitely recommend this folder to anyone that wants a step up from their current EDC folding knife.
Amazon has some good prices right now and some great reviews Check them out Here

If you are interested in fixed blade knives check out my site: Best Survival Knife for the money.