Benchmade VS Spyderco

People ask, “What should I buy?  Spyderco Delica or Benchmade Mini-Griptilian?”

Good question, and as of now I don’t know which I would recommend, the Delica or the Mini-Griptilian.

First let’s ignore price.  It isn’t that I don’t want to get embroiled with deutschmarks, yen or dollars, but really,  the difference in money isn’t that much.

Also let’s ignore the stud option on the Griptilian.  That’s one less factor to compare.

	Delica	Mini-Griptilian
Handle	Flat, easy to nestle in pocket	Round, more natural feel
Lock	Spine, requires changing grip	Axis, just needs a free thumb
Clip	Movable to all 4 positions	Movable, left or right only
Steel	VG-10	154 CM, option of 440C
Weight	2.5 oz	2.56 oz
Blade Length	2.87 in	2.9 in
Handle length	4.25 in	3.87in

Well, that certainly makes it easier, right?  

Benchmade Mini-Griptillian with the cool reptile shaped blade

Truthfully, no.  I like the natural feel of the Mini-Griptilian.  The handle swell fits my hand and my wife’s hand equally well.  I like the flat thin Delica as it fits my pockets better.  Both knives open well but the Mini-Griptilian has a slightly smoother opening and a much better closing.

I prefer tip-up carry and I match the knife to either right or left pocket.  Either knife works for me.

Blade length?  If I can’t get most of the jobs done with either blade length, then the job calls for a specialized knife.

Weight?  If you can tell the difference between the knives based on weight, you are one sensitive dude.

I’m not a steel junkie.  Yes, there are some very special steels that give you incrementally better performance, but could you tell in the double blind cutting test?  I’d wager you could with sophisticated testing equipment.  By hand?  Nope!

Spyderco Delica

So where does this leave me?  I gotta go Spyderco.  Mostly for emotional reasons, these knives are tied to me.  The Delica was my first tactical knife.  My first published article was about a Spyderco.  My favorite tactical teacher carried Spyderco.  The first knife I gave my wife was a Spyderco.  And most important, they are completely dependable.

Benchmade, it’s a great knife.  My wife carries them and loves them.  So it remains your choice.  If you can’t decide, well, that’s nature’s way of saying buy them both.

Mini-reptile, not Griptilian.   Hard to fit in pocket or open

A Number Game

All blogs no matter the topic, knife, airgun or apron wearing, all blogs attempt to attract readers. We write blog, therefore we seek an audience. And bigger is, in this case, better.


Let’s cut through the mumbo jumbo and stats we get from blogger or wherever you get your numbers.  We all feel this way sometimes.



Take it away Stephan Pastis’ Pearls Before Swine

A Carry Knife To Remember

One of the more innovative knife designs, in my opinion, is the TDI knife made by KA-BAR.  This small fixed blade knife is the brain child of John Benner, the president and chief instructor of Tactical Defense Institute located in West Union, Ohio.

The original TDI Knife with reversible clip sheath

The previous mythos was while struggling to retain your firearm against one or more thugs assassins (let’s be real – they get your gun, you’re dead) you would take your free hand, reach down into your pocket, slide the knife clipped there out, open it and strike your opponent with the business end of the knife.  I’ve trained it and it doesn’t work very well.

John’s idea was a small fixed blade that would be practically invisible behind an officer’s reloads and could be taken out by grasping the handle and cutting your way to safety.  He wanted something that a person could strike hard and fast with and not have to hold back in fear of injuring himself.  

The short bladed, curved handle knife with clip sheath has become a favorite of LEOs and armed civilians.  I have carried mine for days at work and nobody paid any attention to it.

Recently I have been hearing about a folding TDI knife.  Part of the problem was designing a lock that would hold the knife securely open, not accidentally close while fighting, and still have that curved handle to prevent you from sliding up onto the blade.

It’s been introduced.  Called the TDI Sidelock, KA-BAR has introduced a folding knife modeled on the TDI fixed blade.  The handles are G10 and the knife is set up for tip-up carry.  You can switch the pocket clip to left or right carry.

The TDI Sidelock -- Bigger bladed, stout design but … better than the original?

Yes, it’s made in China, but it has KA-BAR's quality and knowing John, he would never let his reputation ride on crappy workmanship or materials.  The blade locks open with a stout liner lock.  The lock has a low profile to prevent accidental closing.

It’s a fighting knife.  Oh, sure you can use it as a letter opener, cut string and maybe make shavings to start a fire, but it’s clear what it’s designed for.  Take his knife class and you’ll see it in action and learn how to put it in action.  http://www.tdiohio.com/cqpc.htm#knife

I like it.  I think highly of John and everyone thinks highly of his school, but I’ve got to say the knife misses its purpose:  To draw an edged weapon efficiently, quickly and immediately deploy it to save your life.  The only justification I can see is not being able to carry a fixed blade.  Once the blade is deployed; you have a powerful tool for self-defense.  I already own one.