Review: Benchmade Mini-Grip vs. Spyderco Native

[Zdenek]

Link: http://benchmadeforum.com/eve/forums...3/m/7391031242

[clovisc]

hissssssssss! booooooooooooo!

(although, interesting... thanks for sharing!)

[s11ews]

here's a link for all the benchmade lovers out there.

http://www.britishblades.com/forums/...ad.php?t=29883

just remember spydies are the best

[dedguy]

Benchmade fans always remind me of fervent Microsoft Windows defenders/ Mac haters.

[Zdenek]

I gave this link for your info only, not to irritate anybody.

Zdenek

[bh49]

This review was on BF yesterday.
http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/sh...d.php?t=442016
A lot of things are personal preferences, but I find hard to believe that grip was sharper than Native; everything is possible, but hard to believe.

[Jordan]

interesting review to be sure...

It occurs to me though, he was comparing a super center native (i.e. a knife that has been handled a number of times most likely), with a mail order BM. Doesn't seem that one could make any definitive judgment regarding factory sharpness based on that.

Also, a wal-mart native costs 40$, and a BM Mini Grip costs 60$ (at New Graham anyway, MSRP is closer to 100$). I think the native stood up very well in every aspect. The decision in the eyes of that particular evaluator seemed very close. If one considers that price discrepancy, I'd say spyderco came out on top even if the poster didn't realize it. The message I took from that review was as follows, "You can pay 20$ bucks extra for a knife that will have "better" aesthetics (beauty being in the eye of the beholder and all), and a sharper edge out of the box (even though the spyder he handled can't realistically be judged by the same standards as a knife that hadn't probably been touched since it left the BM factory), or you can save the cash and have superior ergonomics and a pocket clip that won't rip your pants up."

Basically, that kid needs to order himself an Endura (same price as a mini grip on New Graham, plus or minus a dollar), and reconsider that critique.

[shu]

Benchmade fans always remind me of fervent Microsoft Windows defenders/ Mac haters.

Seems to me the same can be said about any fans that hold blindly to a particular brand.


The Mini-grip is a beautiful little knife. It has excellent fit & finish, feels very solid in the hand (much more so than I expected it to), and takes readily to cutting chores. On the other hand, the knife in my pocket is a D4 Wave. Go figure.

I forget, doesn't someone around here say something to the effect that "all good, just different"?

[Thalestin]

personally im a fan of spyderco and benchmade, both have knives i love and knives i like

[Padawan]

Originally Posted by shu

Seems to me the same can be said about any fans that hold blindly to a particular brand.

I was going to post something very similar. To be honest, both of the Natives I handled at Wal-mart (I believe they only had two left) were sub-par in numerous ways, and my Mini Griptilian is essentially flawless. Are they all this way? Of course not, but it helps me to understand why he may have been displeased with the fit-and-finish of the Native. I'll be the first to admit that many reviews are biased in some regard, and there are "fanboys" who'll blindly defend or positively regard specific brands (witness the recent Strider "discussion" on BF). However, I don't think the linked review posted here is inaccurate, unfair, or particularly biased. I love Spyderco knives, but I agree with nearly all of the points made in the review. My poor experience with those Natives (one of which I bought and returned the very same day) nearly led me to discount Spyderco knives, but I tried again with my Salt 1 and have been enjoying Spyderco ever since.

[Zac]

I like the Mini Grip but its major downfall is that it is 154CM and its price...Benchmade makes 154 a bit too brittle for my liking and I've broken a few of their blades in it. S30V is simply a far better steel on paper and in the field. Yet Spyderco prices a Native far less.

[Jordan]

Originally Posted by dedguy

Benchmade fans always remind me of fervent Microsoft Windows defenders/ Mac haters.

You know what it reminds me of, is windows defenders and linux users. See, you've got shiny, expensive, idiot-proof windows (which you might consistently have non-critical but irritating problems with for the whole time you own the OS), and you have affordable (compared to windows), unconventional linux. To expound further upon my metaphor, Linux (Spyderco) always frightens non-computer people at first due to the fact that its not what they expected from an OS... but, as soon as they get used to it they never go back

I'd make some crack about security errors with windows or something... but nothing is coming to me, help me out people...

P.S... if I seem bitter its just cause the latch spring in my 150$ BM bali broke a few days ago. It's not as if its a new knife or anything, but come on, you pay over a hundred bucks for a knife you expect that they are gonna spring for a good spring (hehe)

[dedguy]

Originally Posted by Jordan

You know what it reminds me of, is windows defenders and linux users. See, you've got shiny, expensive, idiot-proof windows (which you might consistently have non-critical but irritating problems with for the whole time you own the OS), and you have affordable (compared to windows), unconventional linux. To expound further upon my metaphor, Linux (Spyderco) always frightens non-computer people at first due to the fact that its not what they expected from an OS... but, as soon as they get used to it they never go back

I'd make some crack about security errors with windows or something... but nothing is coming to me, help me out people...

P.S... if I seem bitter its just cause the latch spring in my 150$ BM bali broke a few days ago. It's not as if its a new knife or anything, but come on, you pay over a hundred bucks for a knife you expect that they are gonna spring for a good spring (hehe)

I posted the above comments before reading the review and the writer isn't one of "those" BM fans. It just seems that so many people that love Benchmade hate Spyderco. I guess it could possibly said to go the other way and I just don't have much experience with that because the people on this board seem to be so reasonable and level headed.

[elt1]

I've read the thread on BF and find it fair. Not that I agree with it, mind you.
I do like BM knives- particularly the ritter grip & anything with an axis lock.
But one of the things that I dont like about the ritts is their cheap, zytel handle: waaay too slick and the pattern does nothing for grip retention.
Spyderco FRN is much better with a far superior handle pattern...
Also I find the ritt handle too thick to fit comfortably in my pocket for EDC.
Guess thats why I carry a waved D4 like shu.

[cheez]

Originally Posted by dedguy

I posted the above comments before reading the review and the writer isn't one of "those" BM fans. It just seems that so many people that love Benchmade hate Spyderco. I guess it could possibly said to go the other way and I just don't have much experience with that because the people on this board seem to be so reasonable and level headed.

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?

I am sick of these "Either you're with us, or against aus" statements. I like my Spydercos, I like m Benchmades, and guess what - there are even more brands, customs makers et cetera...

Props to you dedguy though, for admitting you didnt read the review,

Keno

[clovisc]

"brand loyalty" -- a time-tested american tradition!

heh, heh!

[Jordan]

Nothing wrong with brand loyalty, I'd say. I would venture to guess that most of the active members on this forum own Spyderco, Benchmade, Cold Steel, Buck, Emerson, TOPS, Gerber, Ka-Bar (if there was any knife I have grown more attached to than Spyderco, it's my Ka-Bar), Ontario, Busse, and who knows what I've forgotten. A little good natured ribbing never hurt anybody though. I would also postulate that the average BM loyalist has a few s tucked away.

Dedguy, all you wrote is that one brand rivalry resembled another... a comment not at all related to the comparison in question. Therefore, whether or not you read the review is somewhat immaterial. What you said is true anyway, just read the post immediately after the review on Bladeforums. If you want to see the vitriol from our end, check out all the posts on the Vex that came up a while back.

Edit: You read my mind clovisc... You posted while I was typing all this.

[dedguy]

Originally Posted by 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?

I am sick of these "Either you're with us, or against aus" statements. I like my Spydercos, I like m Benchmades, and guess what - there are even more brands, customs makers et cetera...

Props to you dedguy though, for admitting you didnt read the review,

Keno

I blame lack of sleep! Usually I never admit I'm wrong

To a certain extent I do totally agree with you. I am always looking at Benchmade to see if anything catches my eye as I know for a fact they make quality knives. I'm also always looking at other knife makers. This I don't think changes the fact that there are "us or them" people out there and I think more than anything I was just expressing my gut reaction to my previous experiences with that sort of person.

[carrot]

I like both Benchmade and Spyderco... but I own quite a few more Spydercos simply because they seem to offer better value and Spyderco makes what I believe is a larger variety of knives, whereas Benchmades start to look the same after flipping through the catalog for awhile. (I wrote a review on the Delica 4 vs. the BM Mini-Grip; I'll leave a link out so I don't accidentally hijack the thread.)

That said, the Caly3 kicked the Mini-Grip out of my pocket almost completely. I still carry the Mini-Grip around once in awhile but the Caly3 is my new love.

[catamount]

If BM made a knife that really appealed to me, and offered something I couldn't get from Spyderco, I would probably buy it. That hasn't happened yet.

From my limited experience in the world of folding knives, Spyderco is quite unique. The Spyderhole and mid/front lock are key features for me. I look at what other respected companies have to offer, and nothing appeals to me enough to overcome the lack of them.

I also greatly appreciate the # of s that are lefty friendly.