When Benchmade refused to warranty a cracked handle on my Griptilian, I decided to end my long-time loyalty to Benchmade. I sold my nine Benchmade knives and began searching to replace my EDC Griptilians. Luckily, I ran across the Doug Ritter/Hogue version of the Griptilian at knifeworks.com. The MK1-G2 is better built, better balanced, has better action and a better grip, and is simply a better knife. Fantastic service from knifeworks as well.

When Benchmade refused to warranty the cracked scale on my Griptilian, I began searching for a new knife company and replacements for my left and right-side EDC Griptilians. So glad I found the Doug Ritter/Hogue version of the Griptilian. Better balance, smoother action, better grip and bigger better T8 Torx head screws. Like moving up from a Ford to a Lincoln or Chevy to Cadillac. Fantastic service from Knife Works as well. Very impressed.

Love the knife. First nice knife I bought since getting back into scouts as an adult. My complaint is in the handle / grip - its very rough, and feels uncomfortable to hold. I realize this adds grip, but it just doesn't feel pleasant.

This knife is very sharp and comfortable in the hand. I use my knife daily for cutting plastics and rubber to stripping wire and even cutting cardboard and opening boxes. It has handled everything with ease. The locking mechanism is probably my favorite cross bar lock. Out of the box it was easy to use even with just a thumb or the index finger and the action is very smooth. Just a perfect all around EDC that you will enjoy. I like mine so much that I'm probably going to get the smaller too.

Pretty happy with this knife. Arrived with a very nice, very sharp edge. The action was perfect. Looks very nice. My only complaint is the clip, I had a problem with the clip bending slightly the first week of carrying it. It was just enough to make it unusable. Kudos to knifeworks, I called them and they sent a replacement out right away, free of charge.
This knife would have been 5 stars if it wasn’t for my problem with the clip.
I also wish it was available with the red g-mascus scales. I ended buying the mini in the red and it looks fantastic!

This is about perfect for EDC. You might want something bigger and heavier if you're dropped naked in the forest and have to build a Viking longhouse and then fight off Spetznaz but otherwise this knife is just right for the D in EDC. It handles envelopes, cardboard, synthetic slippery rope, sausages, and zip ties with no difficulty. It's nicely put together and the open and close actions work smoothly. It has everything that's needed, without being cluttered with chrome and tailfins..

There is an ineffable pleasure to carrying and using this knife that is equaled only by one or two other knives in my large collection. None of them is at this low a price point. I can’t keep it out of my pocket. What a delightful surprise. When quality, ergonomics, functionality, and value are combined in my assessment of this knife, it is unequalled.

I received the knife February 23rd so I wanted to use it exclusively for a minimal time of about a month prior to reviewing. I struggled between 4 and 5 star rating and wish I could opt for 4.5 .
Service: (5) Amber Malcomb is a gem and I hope the company appreciates the wonderful customer service she provides. Better than any other knife company I have purchased from. As the knife was shipping across the border to Canada she personally made sure of blade centering etc. as returns can be more challenging.
Blade (5): As a geoscientist that has spent a lot of time in the back-country wilderness, I have a very nice knife collection and greatly appreciate the high grind on this broad blade while maintaining strength at the tip.
The size is ideal and I think the mini version would have been too small for my use mainly on the back trails on Vancouver Island as well as EDC.

Cons:
There are two minor hot spots. When bearing down doing harder tasks, you certainly feel the pocket clip in the heal of your hand and also the edge of the G-10 in the 1st finger recession when gripping tightly. I do like the star-burst milling pattern on the G-10.
There is a roughness of the lock-bar against two parts the blade. The last third of the way before closing, there remains a rough gritty scraping where the lock-bar rubs on the circular rotating part of the blade just before it comes to rest closed in the recession. Perhaps the lock-bar is a softer metal.
When the knife is fully open and the ABLE lock is pulled back there is also a rough scraping along the flat of the blade tang as it disengages to start its closing movement.
Also just pulling back on the ABLE lock with the knife closed also has some initial resistance and then a scratching feel within the ABLE mechanism that I hope will eventually smooth out. It has been opened and closed thousands of times at this point and carefully lubricated. These roughness issues could likely benefit from better surface polishing in manufacture.
The knife still flicks open freely and drops shut like a guillotine but the scraping roughness on pulling the ABLE lock back and the roughness and scraping on both the flat and circular portions of the blade when manually closing is not ideal and prevents me from giving this otherwise wonderful knife 5 stars.

Super sharp right out of the box, perfectly centered, action is free dropping and a couple drops of lube and it's perfect. Shape and grip is ideal, it's got Doug's name on the blade, the able lock feel's better than benchmade's as it doesn't take as much pressure to draw back, maybe has to do with the higher quality springs. The clip is OK, while Ill usually deep carry it still looks good on the handle and it's a nice option. The pattern on the G10 reminds me of the Vergina Sun which is bad ass and was the banner for Alexander the Great, a fine Macedonian commander.