This is my first experience with Benchmade. I am a huge fan of Spyderco but recently decided to branch out and try different brands. I originally heavily considered the full size griptilian but decided to go with the mini because of the 3" knife laws. In terms of the Axis lock and the blade steel, I like it. The lock is really fun to play with, and being able to swing the knife open and close with one hand is a joy. The 154cm steel also holds a sharp edge and shouldn't be too hard to sharpen. My mini grip didn't come super hair shaving sharp out of the box like all my Spyderco knives but it was still better than my kershaw / cold steel knives brand new.

Honestly my only main gripe is how the knife feels in hand. It's not bad, but not comfortable for me. Keep in my mind this is just my opinion. I have a Spyderco Dragonfly 2 and although the knife is smaller overall, it has a finger choil which is very comfy to hold and that lengthens the handle to nearly the same size as the mini grip. The jimping on the liners of the mini grip where you place your index finger are rough and my finger started to get sore after using the knife for a long time. I think the texture of the handle is decent and you should be able to get a good hold on it (I also don't think the material feels cheap like many say) but it just doesn't feel super comfortable in my hand.

Overall I think it's still a good knife. I might buy a full size griptilian and see if that feels any better in hand.
This is my first experience with Benchmade. I am a huge fan of Spyderco but recently decided to branch out and try different brands. I originally heavily considered the full size griptilian but decided to go with the mini because of the 3" knife laws. In terms of the Axis lock and the blade steel, I like it. The lock is really fun to play with, and being able to swing the knife open and close with one hand is a joy. The 154cm steel also holds a sharp edge and shouldn't be too hard to sharpen. My mini grip didn't come super hair shaving sharp out of the box like all my Spyderco knives but it was still better than my kershaw / cold steel knives brand new. Honestly my only main gripe is how the knife feels in hand. It's not bad, but not comfortable for me. Keep in my mind this is just my opinion. I have a Spyderco Dragonfly 2 and although the knife is smaller overall, it has a finger choil which is very comfy to hold and that lengthens the handle to nearly the same size as the mini grip. The jimping on the liners of the mini grip where you place your index finger are rough and my finger started to get sore after using the knife for a long time. I think the texture of the handle is decent and you should be able to get a good hold on it (I also don't think the material feels cheap like many say) but it just doesn't feel super comfortable in my hand. Overall I think it's still a good knife. I might buy a full size griptilian and see if that feels any better in hand.