Benchmade Griptilian AXIS Lock Knife Gray/Blue G-10 (3.45" Satin) 551-1

I can't stop buying awesome knives...and I love it. I've got a nice little collection going, plenty of Spydercos, a few Kershaws, and SOGs, but this was my 1st Benchmade.I'm no expert, but this blade is superb. Great steel, super sharp out of the box (as expected), Strong lockup (Axis), G-10 grips are not only super ergonomic and grippy, but man are they sexy! Especially with the blue/gray accent going on.Deep carry pocket clip. What's not to love? I'm concerned I may be purchasing more Benchmade's....and very excited!

I have watched quite a number knife reviews and have purchased mainly budget category knives. This is my first Benchmade and I wanted to purchase it for two reasons. First this is a beautiful looking knife. Second I wanted to try the axis lock which is an innovation unto itself. I can say while this is the most expensive knife I have purchased that I am not disappointed. It is truly more beautiful in the hand. And the axis lock works wonderfully. The knife was well made in all senses and came razor sharp. While some reviewers like Nick Shabazz, who I like, beats up on Benchmade as being overpriced I cannot agree in this case. This was a wonderful purchase and I highly recommend this model. Unlike others who have purchased this model and relegated it to the safe (and who can blame them) I plan to carry and use this beauty as an EDC. Well played Benchmade......well played.

Didn't buy from Blade HQ but made a custom grip from the Benchmade website with M4 steel, G10 scales, and custom engravings. It's a great knife! You can never go wrong with a Benchmade! Smooth and efficient. One of my top EDC along with the Benchmade Proper!

This knife will come razor sharp, I mean it. It's beautiful. I was unsure if I would like the color scheme but the blue pops against the grey and the blade is blindingly shiny.

20CV is one of the most wonderful stainless steels on the market, it will do anything you need it to for a long time, just don't use it as a pry-bar!!!

Finally the axis lock and the G-10 feel great. It has wonderful one handed operation, super smooth and the knife just fits your hand.

I bought this knife and I will admit that it is a decent knife with good materials and the axis lock is fun to play with. The main problem is that the quality control at Benchmade is terrible and their axis lock knives tend to be way off center. On this knife the blade is as close to touching the scales as possible without touching. That wouldn't be a problem for a cheaper knife but for $180 there is so much better out there. I decided to write a review now after I tried to disassemble the knife and see if I could fix the centering. The pivot was pressed through the axis lock so that it can't be removed and this poor design makes the centering completely random. This is bad as far as maintaining the knife as well as being terribly cheap and poor design while charging a premium price. I purchased about 8 Benchmade knives before expanding my horizons a bit and realizing that there is so much better out there for the money. It can be worth owning 1 Benchmade axis lock knife just for the fun of playing with the mechanism as long as you are ok with overpaying.

While I was hoping for a little bit lighter of a knife I have to say this is a really nice knife. I like the gray and blue combination and also the CPM-20CV steel. The Axis lock allows it to open and close very easily. I was really impressed overall.

This knife has been great. My favorite of many Benchmades in my collection. Centering was perfect and it was sharp out of the box. Had to loosen up the action just a touch, and now it drops closed and opens with ease. I’d say it’s definitely worth spending the extra bucks to buy this upgraded version instead of the standard griptilian; The G10 handle especially. The other selling point for me is the open spine. The standard griptilian just collects so much dust, pocket lint, etc. being a closed spine. Also, you can’t beat Benchmade’s LifeSharp program, especially with a blade material as hard as this one.

This knife comes razor sharp out of the box. It comes with that amazing Benchmade warranty and the Benchmade axis lock that we all know and love. The 20cv steel is definitely amazing steel that you can abuse and will still maintain a great edge. Love this knife and will always carry it.

Wow just wow! This is a fantastic knife deff one of my favorites i own now! Dint take long to get it delivered either!

I’ve owned this knife for almost a year now and love it. It’s perfect for hard use. If you’re not into bulky knives in the pocket I don’t recommend this but moreso the 940. The 20cv holds an edge like crazy but can be easy to roll if you’re not considerate that is a knife not a pry bar. 10/10 for me. Plus a great warrenty

You really can't go wrong with anything that has a benchmade butterfly logo on it. I bought this 3 months ago and it is my go-to edc. My only complaint is it's slightly too big for the projects I need it for. Maybe I'll have to get a Mini Griptilian in the near future (;

This knife has solid lock up just as all my other Benchmades with axis locks, the g10 with blue spacers is really nice looking. This is one of my go to edcs.

This was my first “expensive knife” purchase. I had several under the $100 range but after owning this you see where the money went. The other griptilian models have cheap handles. With this you get a really popular knife that’s been upgraded. The opening and closing on this knife is incredibly smooth. I like the axis lock because you can use it to open and close it easily with either hand. I purchased a Spyderco PM2 after this but I keep going back to this one. If you were like me and on the fence about spending this much money on a knife, just do it.

This knife is a great knife for everyday carry. The G-10 is definitely one of the most comfortable handle materials out there and is one of the things that makes this knife amazing. The 551-1 has a lot of great upgrades from the 551 such as the better steel (20CV), better handle material (G-10) as I stated before. Now I can go on and on about how great this knife is and how many times it helped me out greatly but I don't want to get too carried away so I'll just end it by saying that I would definitely recommend this knife.

Regardless of what blade design (I got this one in the First Production run), every self respecting knife collector/user owes it to themselves to get a G10 CPM-20CV Griptilian. Griptilians have long been in the debate as the best EDC and this variant adds a deep carry clip, one of the top 5 super steels (IMO), perfectly textured G10 and an open back for easier cleaning. It comes factory delivered super smooth axis lock (no break in necessary) with great alignment. You've got the Benchmade free sharpening for life. This is the penultimate Griptilian.

What can I say about this beauty. Well, it's my first Griptilian and my first knife with CPM-20CV. Great, super sharp steel that cuts effortlessly and hold a great edge. The G10 with blue accents and barrel spacers gives it almost a custom shop look while remaining light and also strong. It feels right at home in the hand, even my big bear paws. My only MINOR complaint is the deep carry clip. I'm not a big fan of it. Other than that, I couldn't be happier. Thank you, Benchmade, for knocking it out of the park with this one!