Benchmade Mini Griptilian 555-S30V Axis Lock Knife Black Handle (USA)

Great knife love it....

As for the knife itself 5/5 stars functions great, out of the box sharp, and sturdy construction. Personally I am not a fan of the 154cm steel especially at this price point, I’d much rather see a cpm- to live up to the bencmade brand name but this is their lower line of high quality knives so what can you expect. As I said before 5/5 for the knife but I give it 4/5 because it is quite expensive for a knife this size using the steel it uses. I use it as an edc knife, it pairs very well with a spyderco delica4 or endura 4.

The perfect EDC knife, period. I have owned 3 of these (they tend to grow legs and find new owners..) and I have given 4 as gifts. This knife is truly perfect for the majority of your daily edged tool needs. Everything from double corrugated boxes to deer hide cuts like butter if the blade is kept sharp, and it holds an edge very well! Not too hard or brittle and not nearly soft enough that the cutting edge dulls quickly. It sharpens easily and gets RAZOR sharp. When you take it out the box it is sharp enough to shave with. Benchmade's locking system is top of the line, the perpendicular lock bar combined with the reinforced pivot joint gives you comfort that it will never buckle on your fingers. The two material choices for handles are both great, I have owned both. My next mini-grip will likely be a sheepsfoot with the hole in the blade instead of thumb studs; just to have some variety in the family ;-)
I highly recommend the mini-grip for anyone who wants to carry a high quality blade.

Short Form: There is a very Zen aesthetic to doing something very ordinary and doing it spectacularly well. There is an equally Zen experience of appreciating such mastery only through time and exposure. I think the Mini-Grip really hits on both of those things. While it leans slightly more towards the "hard use" end of the pool, the Mini-Grip comes close to being a perfectly balanced EDC knife. If you're going to exceed the $50.00 range with one knife, I would recommend that it be this knife.

Size: Smallish end of medium, with a total length of 6.78" and a closed length of a very impressive 3.87". The blade hits just shy of 3" with almost the entire exposed edge being sharpened and usable.

Usage Rating: Medium going on heavy. The only reason I don't say "heavy" without reservation is because it is, on the whole, rather smallish. Other than that, this is a knife with dual steel liners, an insanely strong lock, and a moderately thick blade-stock which is ground in such a way that it can take abuse. More to the point, the texturing and gripping created by the handle make this a blade that wouldn't slip out of our hands, even if you used it to cape a deer or clean a really slimy fish, like a catfish.