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Старый 01.09.2011, 05:05 Автор темы   1
Новичок
 
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По умолчанию *UPDATE* Delica 4 vs. Mini-Griptilian 556: a Comparison Review (pics + E4 vs. BM551)

Preamble: I am not nearly as experienced with knives as many on this board but I do appreciate a good knife. (So try and forgive me for any terminology misuse.) I find that the Benchmade Mini-Griptilian 556 and Spyderco Delica 4 seem to be two knives worthy of comparison... and having just received the Delica (one of my first Spydie folders!) in the mail less than a month ago, I want to write about it. This was first posted at EDCF when CPF was down but I've decided to share it here as well.



Both the Delica and Mini-Grip share a few similarities. The knives are in the same price range, manufactured by well-respected companies, they are roughly the same size and both use FRN handles with steel liners. But that's pretty much where the similarities end, as both knives represent the different companies' approach to knives and knife design.

Locking mechanism and one-handed opening:

The Mini-Griptilian features Benchmade's wonderful AXIS-lock system which allows for easy and quick one-handed opening. It takes a simple flick of the wrist to open and locks with soft click, and after disengaging the lock, another quick flick to close. When closing the knife, the user's fingers never have to be in the path of the blade. The lockup is as tight as the day I got it and despite the occasionally cited disadvantage of thumbstuds falling off, the ambidexterous thumbstuds on my Mini-Grip are as tight as they came from the factory. The Mini-Grip can also be found with an oval thumb hole instead of thumbstuds. When the knife is gripped in various fashions, it is apparent that the AXIS lock was carefully placed as not to be accidentally disengaged.

On the other hand, the Delica 4 features Spyderco's trademark "Spyderhole," a large circular hole in the blade allowing for quick one-handed opening. I find the Spyderhole a bit more finicky than the Mini-Griptilian's thumbstuds to operate (thumbstuds don't much care how you place your thumb), but I find using the Spyderhole strangely satisfying. Locking the blade results in a much more satisfying click as Spyderco's carefully engineered lockback/front lock snaps into place. The David Boye cutout in the locking mechanism prevents a tight grip on the handle from disengaging the lock. In order to close the knife, however, the user's fingers must be (for however short a moment) in the path of the closing blade, which means the operator must pay a little more attention in closing the Delica than with an AXIS-based folder. Opening and closing the Delica requires a little more force than with the Mini-Grip but both have extremely smooth action.



Grip, clip and ergonomics:
The Mini-Griptilian, true to its name fits the hand very well, especially for a small knife. There are ridges for the thumb on the spine of the blade and on the exposed parts of the liner on the top and bottom of the handle. The reversible clip (to accommodate lefties), while large and beefy, does not make holding the Mini-Griptilian uncomfortable and aids in gripping the knife while closing the blade. The checkered grip pattern on the Mini-Grip do not provide as much grip as the bi-directional texturing on the Delica, but the slightly beefier handle makes up for it. On the other hand, the checkered pattern, when paired with the clip puts a lot of wear on pockets. When using the knife for long durations I have never noticed discomfort in my hands from holding the knife. The Mini-Grip feels like a very well-balanced knife.

The Delica, with its flat handles, does not fit in the hand as well as the Mini-Griptilian but it is still comfortable to use. I feel that due to the slightly slimmer (not by much!) handles on the Delica, I cannot grip the knife as tightly and may develop hand cramps from using the knife for long periods at a time. But the handle's bi-directional checkering allows for good grip with wet and dirty hands. Like the Mini-Grip, the Delica features thumb ridges on the spine of the blade behind the Spyderhole and on the top of the handles, but no texturing on the bottom, which may make it more comfortable but less grippy. The clip is positionable on the knife in four different positions, to allow for tip up or tip down carry. The clip is also springier and lighter than the one on the Mini-Griptilian, but I do not feel that pocket retention would be a problem with either knife. (But if you really want secure, the Mini-Grip has the edge. No pun intended.) No pocket wear is expected from using the Delica, as the point where the clip contacts the FRN handles is smooth. The Delica has the edge in how it rides in a pocket, not just due to the less abrasive clip design, but also because it is slightly thinner. The Delica, while lighter than the Mini-Grip, also feels well-balanced.

As a sidenote, both knives have lanyard holes, but the one on the Mini-Grip is slightly bigger.



Blade geometry and design:
Quite frankly, I have very little idea about blade geometry and how it affects cutting ability. I would be delighted if someone chose to enlighten me on the topic.

I will comment however, that the edge of the blade extends almost completely to the handle on the Mini-Griptilian but on the Delica has a little under a centimeter of unsharpened area, which Spyderco calls the kick. This means that the Delica has less cutting surface... but its stock edge cuts very well. The tip of my Mini-Griptilian 556 drop point broke off sometime during usage, but I was able to create a new point by grinding down the spine to form a new point. Spyderco claims that the Delica 4 was designed to minimalize the possibility of tip breakage, which I'm not willing to test. It does appear that the Mini-Griptilian has a slightly (not by much) thicker spine than the Delica, but I wouldn't expect it to hamper much with performance.

The Mini-Griptilian now comes in 154CM steel and the Delica 4 in VG-10, so the Delica has a better, stronger steel, for a lower price. (The more expensive Doug Ritter edition of the Mini-Grip has S30V steel.)

No comment on the cutting ability, as the Mini-Griptilian has seen over six months of use and is no longer on the factory edge. (It's also been pretty abused.)

Overview:
Both are great knives and I would not hesitate to recommend either of them to somebody looking for a quality knife at a fair price. I have not had to experience any warranty repair or replacement but I hear that both companies are top notch in customer service, so I wouldn't expect any problems on that end either.

So which do I EDC? I either rotate, or carry both.





Note: Knives featured in the following pictures are all plain edge, uncoated blades. The dark looking blades are an interesting result of the illumination, or lack thereof. New pictures may later be added.



Both the Griptilian and Endura 4 are about the same size -- in the <4" folder category, at about the same price, with the Griptilian being a bit more expensive. I chose to write this comparison review because the Grip and E4 are similar knives from two competing companies, and each show the different design philosophies of their makers. As each are very similar to the smaller sized versions that I did a more in-depth comparison on, I'll be a little more concise this time around.

Locking mechanism and one-handed opening:
Both the Griptilian and the Endura 4 are able to be flicked open easily without using the thumbstuds or SpyderHole, respectively. The Griptilian is easier to flick open with a motion of the wrist, but I suspect with practice the Endura 4 could be as easy to open in the same fashion as well. The Endura also comes in a waved version for a price much more in line with the street price of the Griptilian, which allows for extremely quick opening, faster and more easily than that of the Grip, but I do not have such a model to review at this time.

Both knives share the same locking mechanisms as their smaller counterparts, however, I have made an interesting observation as to the sounds of the locking mechanisms. While the Mini-Grip makes a very soft, un-knifelike click when it locks, the full-size Grip makes a very threatening, loud click that tells you the AXIS-lock is secured and in place. I actually like the sound as a reassurance that the mechanism is working. Likewise, the AXIS spring on the full-size Grip is stiffer than the Mini-Grip, but is not all that much harder to release. Opening the Grip slowly, however, makes it fairly quiet.

The Endura 4, on the other hand, sounds only slightly louder than the D4 when opening, but is fairly quiet and doesn't sound as "heavy" as on the Grip. It's doubtful that the sounds affect performance, but it's interesting to note.

The Grip, like it's littler sibling seems to want to open as soon as you overcome the detent, whereas the E4 and D4 seem to resist opening more, but in a smooth fashion. However, the resistance has no effect on quickly deploying the blade.

Both knives, again like their smaller counterparts, open smoothly, with the Griptilian opening a little more easily.

Closing the E4 one-handed is easier than on the D4 due to the heavier blade. With the AXIS-lock, there is little difference in closing the blade.



Grip, clip and ergonomics:
Again, I find the Griptilian a little more comfortable to grip tightly, but unlike the D4, the Endura 4 seems to conform to my hand very well. The texturing on the Griptilian is rough and reminds me a bit of flashlight knurling, though not too grippy, whereas the bi-directional texturing of the Endura 4 is grippier. Like the smaller D4, the E4's clip and medallion design allow for the knife to be less abrasive on pants than the Grip, but again, the Grip has better pocket retention. Interestingly, the clips have not been scaled up for the full-size versions of the knives. The E4 has a 4-way clip like on the D4, and the Grip has a 2-way clip. Both come stock for tip-up carry.

The jimping (ribbing) on the spines and front of the handles again afford better grip on the knife to prevent slipping, and on the Grip (just like the mini), there is more jimping for the index and pinky fingers allowing for a sure grip. If there was anything I'd do to improve upon the Endura 4, whose ergonomics I love, it would be to put some light jimping on the underside of the handle in a similar fashion to the Grip.

The Griptilian feels a bit blade-heavy, unlike the Mini-Grip which feels pretty balanced. If you like the feel of a blade-heavy knife, the Griptilian is a better choice between the two. Also, the handles on the Grip feel a bit too light for their size; I attribute this to the metal liners not covering the full length of the handle. This knife seems well-adapted to cutting chores on top of surfaces, rather than an all-around user, but it could fit the need for a general purpose knife.

On the other hand, the Endura 4 feels very well-balanced and seems to have the perfect weight. Unlike the D4, I feel like hand fatigue is much more unlikely with handling the knife, and it doesn't seem particularly unfit for any normal knife chores.

Where I considered the Mini-Grip to have a slight edge over the D4, I feel like the E4 has a bit more of an edge over the Grip due to ergonomics and balance. Both full-size knives are very comfortable to use and hold, however.



Blade geometry and design:
Again, I feel unqualified to comment on the shape of the blade and the cutting abilities of the knives, but the E4 just slightly longer than the Grip in terms of cutting surface, but at 3.75" overall blade length it is cutting it close to NY state law, which has a cutoff at 4" folders. The Grip, by comparision, has a 3.5" blade.

The Grip has a sturdier-looking blade, but I have no doubt that the E4 is a tough knife as well.

Overview:
Again, I find both of these folders to be of high quality and certainly worth the money. If I could keep only one it'd be the Endura 4 by a slight margin, mostly due to the (too) light handle of the Griptilian. But on the other hand, I love the ease of use of the AXIS lock and the Griptilian is a very "grippable" knife, so both knives are worth checking out if you have the money. You really can't go wrong with either.
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Willik (01.09.2011)
Старый 01.09.2011, 10:10   2
Willik
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По умолчанию Re: *UPDATE* Delica 4 vs. Mini-Griptilian 556: a Comparison Review (pics + E4 vs. BM551)

Good review, thanks!
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Старый 10.09.2011, 21:54   3
Hanif
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По умолчанию Re: *UPDATE* Delica 4 vs. Mini-Griptilian 556: a Comparison Review (pics + E4 vs. BM551)

ничего не понял...
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