Ritter griptilian in M390

[hooligan82]

I have a Ritter griptilian in s30v and I really like the knife. Compared to my bone collector in d2, I felt it didn't hold an edge as well. I've been impatiently waiting for the bento box PM2 in M390 to be released again, as I really wanted a knife in M390.

A buddy was looking for a fixed blade and I showed him the Ritter offerings. For some reason I checked on the griptilian while I was there. To my surprise they're now M390 blade steel. For $139.95 with free shipping, I had to have it. When I got home today this was waiting in my mailbox. The orange is brighter than the pictures (which I was hoping for. ) The stone washed finish looks amazing as well.

I can't wait to see how well this steel holds an edge and how easy it is to sharpen. From everything I've read about M390, it should exceed my expectations.

 

[NatBoh]

Nice score! Where did you find a Ritter Grip? I've been looking and can't seem to find them anywhere.

 

[hooligan82]

Thanks. Knifeworks is the exclusive dealer for Ritter knives. Here is some more info on it. There is also a link to the knifeworks page here. http://www.dougritter.com/dr_rsk_mk1.htm

 

[NatBoh]

I didn't realize they are sold through an exclusive dealer. Thanks for the links, I'll check those out.

It would be great to read your thoughts on it as you use it and get to know the blade and the M390 steel.

 

[hooligan82]

Initial impressions for this knife are the same as the cpm s30v model. The noryl gtx scales provide plenty of traction and make the knife really light. Personally I'd prefer if they were g10 scales. There are plenty of aftermarket g10 scales available, so I'll probably upgrade at some point.

The blade is perfectly centered in the scales. The stone washed finish on the blade looks really good. The blade mounting bolt had the perfect amount of tension. You can easily flip the blade open and closed with one hand by depressing the axis lock and flipping your wrist. There is no side to side play of the blade when it's locked open. It was sharp out of the box from heel to tip. The thumb stud and axis lock are both truly ambidextrous.

The pocket clip is reversible for tip up carry in either pocket. It holds the knife securely in your pocket. I do think it would look better if it were stone washed to match the blade. The flat black coating on it doesn't look bad though.


I'll report back as it gets more use on how it holds an edge and how difficult it is to sharpen.

 

[Scottysan]

looks great, look forward to hearing your review on it

 

[NatBoh]

I was saving for a ZT0560BW, but I might have to get this one. I've heard great things about the Ritter blade, especially in M390. And of course it's a Benchmade. Love the blackwash.

 

[hooligan82]

After a week and a half of daily use cutting plastic strapping and cardboard I noticed two minor deformations on the edge in the middle of the blade(I needed a flashlight to see them). The s30v knife had significantly more notable wear in half the time.

I decided to put it in the wicked edge to re profile it to 17°, then give it a 15° stropping. Sharpening was a bit easier with the m390 for the initial re profiling to a 17° angle compared to s30v. The progression all the way to ceramics seemed to take less time on this blade compared to the s30v as well. I finished with a 1 micron diamond paste on the strops that gave the blade a mirror finish, this really doesn't show well in the picture. This blade is now razor sharp, it's way more sharp than it came out of the box, and seems more sharp than I can get my d2 blade.

I'll take both the m390 Ritter and my d2 bone collector(after touching it up on the wicked edge) to work this week and test them on plastic strapping and cardboard. I will report my findings after some use.