Benchmade Grizzly Ridge Review

For knife enthusiasts there are a lot of factors that go into choosing an everyday carry knife. The Benchmade Grizzly Ridge is in a different class compared to most EDC knives.

Part of Benchmade HUNT series, the Grizzly Ridge is technically considered to be a hunting knife, but has many characteristics of an EDC blade. For its overall design, function, and utility, we give the Benchmade Grizzly Ridge 5 out of 5 stars.

Features of the Benchmade Grizzly Ridge

Blade – Solid CPM S30V stainless steel blade. Steel is designed to be wear and corrosion resistant. The blade itself is exceptionally long and is useful for a wide variety of cutting tasks including hunting tasks such as dressing game. The durability of the blade facilitates repeated use with only minor cleaning necessary between uses.

Handle – Made of dual polymer materials, the handle is intended for superior durability while working at home or in the field. Slip resistant grip materials and additional finger grooves make the knife easy to handle in even wet or muddy conditions. Features ambidextrous thumb studs and a lanyard hole at the base of the knife.

Locking Mechanism – This knife features Benchmade’s proprietary AXIS locking system. The system securely locks open or closed using a combination of a tension bar and supporting springs. The system is noted for its easy one handed opening and closing.

Additional Features – This knife includes several added features: jimping on the back edge of the blade, dual ambidextrous thumb studs, lanyard loop, and ambidextrous tip up pocket clip.

Blade Composition and Usage

The blade is made of CPM S30V Steel. The steel itself is considered a mid grade steel, but thanks to its unique composition offers durability, wear resistance, and corrosion resistance on par with higher grade steels. The corrosion resistance in this particular is superb, especially when hunting or doing wet and dirty tasks, your blade is much less likely to rust.

The blade is fairly long at 3.5” and has a thickness of .124”. It features a drop point design with a satin finish. The knife is great for cutting through animal tissue while hunting and dressing game and the wide shallow point to the blade prevents puncturing too deep into the animal.

It stays sharp through most tasks and is also a good tool for around the house tasks such as breaking down boxes and general utility cutting. The one major downside to the blade design that users point out is that the drop point is not suitable for deep puncturing and stabbing.

The slight jimping on the backside of the blade spine allows for enhanced grip when cutting with the blade and the jimping near the tip of the blade allows the user to choke up on the blade for finer detail cuts.

Handle Design and Ergonomics

The handle of the grizzly is a mixed blend of two different polymers. Grivory is a synthetic resin, similar to fiberglass reinforced nylon. Grivory in particular is good for knives as it is a durable replacement for heavier metals.

This material is also acid resistant and doesn’t absorb moisture. This is helpful for wet or messy jobs and the handle is also corrosion resistant like the blade, which prevents it from breaking down under heavy use or harsh conditions.

The length of the handle is 4.34” and the entire knife comes in at just under 8” in length and 4 ounces in weight. This makes it longer than similar knives in its category but still lightweight enough to be carried every day in a pocket or bag.

The inlay of the knife is made of versaflex, a mix of thermoplastic and elastomer. This combination adds slip resistance to the knife during wet conditions and makes the handle itself surprisingly strong and comfortable.

The flexibility provided by the polymer blend allows the handle to be gripped tightly without breaking and still provide control while cutting without fear of breaking the handle mid use.

The handle is fairly straight from base to end but features a small finger notch underneath the blade and lanyard loop at the back end. The reversible skeleton pocket clip on the inlay lets you carry the knife tip up on either side.

Deployment and Lockup

The Grizzly Ridge features Benchmade’s patented AXIS lock system for deployment and lockup. The knife has thumb studs on either side of the blade for opening the knife with one hand.

The knife is held open by a lock bar that raises and fits across the width of the knife and locks into place thanks to two omega class springs. When closed the springs lower the locking bar down and press it against the knife blade to keep the knife securely closed.

One pertinent issue with deployment for this blade is that the thumb studs are placed within the opening arc of the blade which can result in injury if not careful.

The actual mechanism allows for extremely fast manual deployment with either hand and makes the knife easy to open in situations where only one hand is available.

Benchmade Grizzly Ridge Review – Conclusion

It is difficult to nail down the Grizzly Ridge to just one category. It is suitable as an everyday carry knife for household chores, working in the garage or going camping. However, the unique features of this knife make it function well as a hunting or utility knife also.

The extra length and thickness of the blade combined with the quality steel make it a great choice for skinning fresh game and the corrosion and slip resistance ensure that the knife will last through heavy use.

The combination of materials in the handle help to ensure a solid grip for difficult cutting tasks and the durability helps to prevent breakdown in the field. The pocket clip and lanyard loop make it easy to carry and the locking mechanism makes it quick and easy to deploy or close. This makes the Grizzly Ridge a good choice to add to any knife enthusiasts collection.