Doug Ritter RSK Mk1 AKA Ritter Griptilian 552 and 558


The pursuit for the perfect EDC is always evolving. Needs of a user changes and technology allows the production of better knives. The Ritter Griptilian is a recent evolution of the fully ambidextrous Griptilian series by Benchmade as a collaboration between Doug Ritter and Mel Pardue. The Ritter Griptilian is available in a full size (552) and mini configuration (558), with blade and handle lengths the same size as the normal Griptilian; blade design, thumb jimping, and blade materials are where the Ritter Griptilian differs. The production blade uses a modified drop point/leaflet utility point and CPM-S30V steel, which is an ultra premium cutlery steel. Limited runs were with M2 High Speed Steel and were the final run of M2 Benchmade knives.

The Ritter Griptilian and Mini Ritter Griptilian are AXIS lock knives, with the handle made of Noryl GTX, which is essentially space age plastic. The plastic gives three major advantages over metal. The first is strength as plastic does not weaken or rust from the elements and is very strong. The second is weight as the full sized knife weighs less than four ounces. The final advantage is costs as the Ritter Griptilian sells for about $100, less than many other of Benchmade’s knives. Both sized Ritter knives also have steel liners for added strength. The Ritter Grips use thumb studs as the opening mechanism (some other Griptilians use round and oval holes). The Ritter Griptilian has slightly more refined thumb jimping for added control with the blade. The tip on the leaflet utility blade is considerably thicker and stronger then other knives, making the knife ideal for heavy outdoor usage. The blade and handle are joined between bronze washers, which aid in smooth operation of the knife and aids in longevity of the knife’s operation.

The full sized 552 is right at home, indoors and out. Its 3.4 inch blade, in plain edge or partially serrated, is capable of larger, outdoor chores, and S30V holds an excellent edge. It also has excellent corrosion resistance and is tough. Between the AXIS lock, the premium steel, and the reinforced handle, you can hack and dig with the knife without damaging it. In both S30V and M2HS steels, the knife’s edge geometry aids its fantastic edge retention. The knife also has considerable kitchen abilities as well. The textured handle grips well when wet, the blade slices and dices well, and the size and width of the blade is perfect for spreading condiments on bread or rolls.

The Mini Ritter Grip 558 boasts a 2.9 inch blade in a plain edged configuration only. It has the same blade shape, same jimping and same handle of the larger 552. While it is a little on the small side, it still fits the hand nicely, but is a bit shy of the side you would want for heavy outdoor usage. If you are an office professional, the 558 is a non knife person friendly knife that is still capable of tackling tough chores.

Overall, the Ritter Griptilian Mk1 line is in my opinion, one of the best hard work knives on the market. It is currently available in six different configurations. For the die hard steel junkies, there are limited editions in M2 High Speed Steel of the 552 and 558 available in plain edged and black coated only. The price of the Ritter Grips is very reasonable for an ultra premium steel knife and is a great way to get into a premium blade without the premium price. Unless blade length is a major concern, the full sized 552 is the way to go. The regular Griptilian is a great knife, but the Ritter Griptilian is a refinement that makes a great knife even greater for the people who appreciate quality knives. My Ritter Grips have found their way into my pockets as my number one EDC. Pictures of my 552 and 558 are below.

For those interested in the Ritter Griptilian, they can find information from the Aeromedix website.
http://www.aeromedix.com/category-exec/parent_id/14/cat...ug_Ritter_RSK_Knives



Overall view of the 552 (top) and 558 (bottom)





Rear view 552 (left) 558 (right)




See the jimping




The 552 in the hand




The 558 in the hand




552




558




Disengaging the AXIS on the 552 is easy!




Disengaging on the 558 is still pretty easy despite its smaller frame



A special thanks to the Benchmade Forum and Blade Forum members who helped me get these knives!



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Follow Up…A Year and a Half Later…
July 26th, 2009
By Zac

With all of the recent releases of many different make and model knives with super-steels and hyper-steels, I wanted to take a moment to do a year and a half follow up on this review.

Many different knives have found their way into my pockets over the past year and a half, but only a few wound up staying their more than a week or so. In the midst of a severe chronic health condition, not having a job and needing to pay off medical bills, I sold over fifty pocket knives…nearly my entire collection. The only knives I kept were my Benchmade 558 full size and 552 Mini RSK Mk1 Ritter Griptilian in M2 High Speed Steel, a Spyderco Military, and a 15 year old Leatherman. Many of the knives I sold were customs or extremely limited runs and I knew I would probably never find them again. I chose to sell them over my two Ritter Grips because the fancy knives would stay in a case and the Ritter Grips would stay in my pocket. If you come about a situation requiring a good knife, knowing that you have one in your safe will do you little good.

Over the past few months, I have acquired many of the new knives from about five different manufacturers. Many of these knives utilize newer steels which have certain properties that are better than both S30V and M2. With that said, this does not change the fact that both S30V and M2 are excellent knife steels with all around good properties. (NOTE: As far as M2 steel goes, I say it has good all around properties because the coating used from Benchmade is extremely tough and even if you wear the black part of the coating off, there is still coating material which is baked on the blade which gives it extreme corrosion resistance. Because of this, the low corrosion resistance of M2 steel is in this case, not a concern.) It also does not change the fact that the Ritter Grip still has the features that I look for in a hard work knife. Most of the newer knives that I have recently acquired wind up being traded or sold after a week or so because the Ritter Grip has more of the features which I want in a knife that I will carry on a daily basis. The RSK Mk1 is also more durable, easier for me to operate, has a blade design which I find is more useful than virtually any other blade design on the market, and the RSK MK1 is even much less expensive than most high end folders!

When it comes to cosmetics, let’s face it, the all black Ritter Grip is not a knife designed to attract customers who are looking for a ‘pretty’ knife, nor a so called ‘tactical’ knife. The Ritter grip has very low profile appearance and while it is designed for heavy use; both versions (especially the Miniature version) are also fit for city and office carry. Unlike many other folding knives of similar sizes, it by no means screams “WEAPON”, which for urban and suburban users is a blessing and may be the deciding factor as to what knife they can carry and use on a regular basis. The Ritter Grip is a knife that is designed specifically for the users who are looking for a precision cutting and survival tool which is designed to perform when you need it most. The users which fall into this latter group appreciate the design features on a knife and see that the Ritter Griptilian has beauty and brute which few other knives can match. The RSK Mk1 is a knife that goes in your pocket, sheath or carry pack; not your display case or safe.

While I said previously that the Ritter Grip does not look like a ‘tactical’ knife or a ‘weapon’, this does not mean that it is not a good knife for personal protection. I have no doubt in this knife’s capabilities when it comes to self defense as it has many features one would want in a knife they would carry for personal protection. These features include easy and fast deployment, a handle which grips well dry or wet, top and bottom jimping plus a bottom finger guard so you don’t slice off a finger or so when push stabbing, a strong lock which cannot be accidentally engaged or broken, a blade which slices well, has a strong tip, and also back-cuts easily, and a blade with very high impact resistance. While most users carry knives for utility rather than defense, in the self defense scenario with an edged tool which I hope none of you will ever have to face, the RSK Mk1 Ritter Griptilian will perform well.

Since I owned virtually no other knives than the two RSK Mk1 Ritters, this means I carried them on a daily basis. No matter where I went and no matter what I did, there was not a single task that the Ritter Grip was unable to complete. Many knife experts who are much more knowledgeable than I am have told me that if you take care of your knife that it will take care of you. I couldn’t agree more. The overwhelming majority of the people reading this review are experienced knife users who realize the design function and design limitations of any knife, such as how a knife is not a crowbar, a chisel, a throwing tool, a concrete buster, etc. Experienced hobbyists also understand basic care and maintenance of a knife as well. As a user familiar with how to care for a knife, I have used these knives for some very tough tasks and after the tasks are complete, and I would clean, sharpen, tune and lube the knife, it would return to a state of looking nearly new, time after time. The coating used by Benchmade on the RSK Mk1 is extremely tough as I have used the larger 552 to baton smaller pieces of wood without having any of the coating wear off. The pictures below reflect daily usage. What I used to clean, sharpen and lubricate the knife was through basic products which are inexpensive and available to everyone. My method of cleaning was a mild abrasive cleaner called Nevr-Dull, my method of sharpening was the medium, fine and ultra fine rods on the Spyderco Sharpmaker, and the lubrication used to protect the edge from corroding as well as lubricate the moving parts of the knife was Sentry Solutions Tuff-Glide. You will be pleasantly surprised to see that the pictures show my knives in almost identical condition to the initial review pictures a year and a half ago. The following pictures are the EXACT two knives pictured above (with about their third round of replaced clips due to my graceful ability to fall down and to walk into things on a sem-regular basis). The knife pictured with the two Ritter Griptilians is the Chris Reeve Umnumzaan. The reason for this is that, in my humble opinion, the Umnumzaan is one of the few knives worthy of sitting next to the Ritter Grip in my showcase or my pocket.








In conclusion, the Ritter Griptilian, designed by Mr. Doug Ritter, Mr. Mel Pardue and the Benchmade team, is still one of the best performing folding knives in existence for both hard outdoor survival usage and basic suburban carry. It is also one of the least expensive high end folding knives and will outperform many knives which cost twice as much or more. The CPM-S30V RSK Mk1 Ritter Griptilian still carries a MSRP of about $100 to $135 depending on the size, color, and blade coating. It was designed, and still is, as a high end survival tool that your average person can afford. Since the initial review, Mr. Doug Ritter and Benchmade have added a few different colors to the line, including a Pink Ribbon Ritter Griptilian in which a generous donation of the purchase price is given to the Bobbi Olson Cancer Fund. More information on the Benchmade Ritter Grips as well as other survival gear from Mr. Ritter can be found here:
http://www.equipped.com/rsk_mk1.htm

With the recent releases of many knives in the new CPM-M4 High Speed Steel, one can only hope to see a sprint run for the steel enthusiasts. Overall, the 552 and 558 RSK Mk1 Ritter Griptilian has been, is, and will continue to be one of the best hard work knives with a price tag that everyone can afford. If you haven’t handled one yet, I strongly advise checking it out!

This message has been edited. Last edited by: ZacN,

great post and I am sure others here will agree with you

Yea, I agree.

The review is good and the knives are good.

I prefer my mini for pocket duty, but keep a full size in my carry pack for bigger tasks.

I bought the Ritter Grip 552 (plain edge S30V uncoated blade) for a girlfriend while I was in the Army a couple years. Now that she is an ex I kick myself for giving her such a great knife and not keeping it for myself.

I really like the look of that knife. Only reason I got the 550 HG was because I didn't have 100 some dollars to spend on one.

Thanks for the great review. Those are some nice knives. I recently repurchased a MiniGrip after a couple of years without one. I forgot how great this little knife is. I now carry my knife clipless at the bottom of my jeans front pocket. Great knife for that.

I think I am going to try a Mini Rittergrip now. Cutting Cardboard (I am a machinist): What blade do you guys think will work best: Black or Satin or will not matter? Thanks.

Welcome Kodiak.

The black coated blade will really show the wear if used regular for cardboard which is rough stuff.

I'd vote for the stone washed satin finish, it'll keep its looks longer.

Joe is right, you will wear the Black coating off the blade in no time.. Go for the satin finish and then you can always touch it up!!

Thanks for the replies guys! Satin it is! This is a great forum, I'm glad I found it.

Welcome you are off to a good start + a good review.....