Griptilian Maintenance

An in-depth video on how to "field strip" a Benchmade Griptilian, along with some general practices and tips for taking apart any knife for regular maintenance, cleaning or repair.

[@johnbradley5236]

Struggled for 45 min until I found your vid. Axis lock was the issue thx!

[@jayn8392]

Wd 40 will lock that action up something fierce. It is not lube but rather more of a solvent and is primarily used as a rust remover. WD stands for water displacement (or water displacer not sure which). I know a guy who used it to lube a revolver and it COMPLETELY froze the action up to the point where you couldn't turn the cylinder or pull the trigger. Took me an hour to get the whole thing apart for cleaning.

[@TheSixthLegendGames]

thank you for these videos, i don't know a Griptilian but it helps me with the basics of maintenance of my knife, you're one of the most informal knife KZbinrs.

[@ForPetesSake]

I'm glad to hear my videos are helping someone. I always try to have my videos as if I were in the room talking to a friend, so I'm glad to see it's working.

[@tayloryoung4955]

The needing to pull back on the axis lock to put it back together... Man... You the MVP. I stopped the video about half way after I got it apart (like any manly man would) and didn't finish until I say there for 10 minutes trying to put it back together and calling little pieces of metal very cruel things.... Thanks... Just thanks. 😂

[@boogly_woogly]

Spent an hour trying to put the female side of the pivot screw in before he said to pull on the lock. Thanks man!

[@hadiktiri]

Thanks for the video! My griptillian was 4+ yrs old and I used your vid to do a break down and clean. It would have taken waay longer to figure out the axis lock thing. Thanks!!

[@jamesbarisitz4794]

Don't be afraid to strip it completely for a cleaning. You'll sleep better! 👍 😃

[@NicolasShaffer]

Wd 40 is not a lubricant,but it is better than nothing

[@ParadiseConcrete]

if the pivot screw is a little tight, can it loosen up over time?

[@eralasch]

What about this: «Do not disassemble your knife. Disassembly by anyone other than Benchmade Knife Company warranty department will void the warranty.»? In my case I'll have to send it to Germany first, which costs 15 Euros one-way.

[@brandonmckittrick2822]

The griptilian was the most tedious pocket knife ive ever disassembled. always make sure the screws go in the right place.

[@dalecarpenter8828]

I use paddy potatoe peelers idea , teflon tape ( plumbers tape ) instead of locktite ! I hate locktite !

[@420thugsta]

Oh hell ya I'm gonna try this

[@johnnau7275]

I have seen heart surgeries that were less dramatic.

[@DavidV4444]

4 of my last 5 Griptilians have arrived off center, you loosen the pivot to center and get blade play - Benchmade is literally in a quality crisis.

[@ogenmatic]

DavidV I've ordered three new Benchmades recently and requested of the online seller to 'inspect for centering & evenness of grind lines' before shipping. They were cooperative & I was satisfied with all three. [Hint: they ship knives for free] I think that Benchmade has been reacting to their quality control issues & this will soon be a thing of the past.

[@Harleywindtherapy]

I got a 530 with pounded thru a Humvee door damage....countless other things you use a blade for in the sandbox and woods....bladeplay is a silly thing. Mine has the exact same amount of 'blade play' as it had new...about a decade ago. I don't care if it has a small amount of play - the Axis lock is bombproof and proven! It'a a function of the Axis lock...don't like it...get a fixed blade (also great) or get another knife. I have high end Emerson, Spyderco, and have used and abused CRKT, Kershaw, and Buck along with some private makers. My 3 Benchmades - my 530, my Full size 551 and my mini-grip 556 (too small for me, but I keep it) are my most "used and abused" in my collection (among folders). I say this as someone who has been given some very expensive knives to test and evaluate by top customer makers...but you know...that is just as "internet commando" as saying something silly as "blade play" instead of understanding it's a function of the Axis lock - which is HIGHLY regarded as one of the best there is.

[@WobblePizza]

Doing this stupid reassembly right now. Mine is an older model and doesn't have the L-shaped cutout for the axis lock. Getting the pin through 2 plastic pieces, two washers, two metal pieces and the blade is HORRIBLE. This is a bad design, full stop.

[@jayn8392]

Really? Took me 5 minutes..

[@ihn]

What a poor craftsmanship. Content is okay.

[@johnm.runyon3682]

I’ve found that putting a tooth pick in axis lock to hold it back works great.