Over the years, I’ve field dressed more big game animals than memory serves. The one aspect of that activity I do recall, however, is when a knife handle was difficult to hold onto. And when covered with the fluid byproducts of visceral removal, there have been several that were extremely difficult to control. When that occurred, safety concerns loomed largely on my own personal horizon. No matter how attractive a particular handle material may be, if you can’t hang on to it during actual use, then it’s an accident waiting to happen.

I am sure that the folks at Benchmade took this into consideration when they created their Griptilian knife series. Without a doubt, the deeply checkered Valox handle scales offer one of the very best gripping surfaces ever conceived. This material is a reinforced resin that features both strength and dimensional stability. And this insures that the molded checkering on the handle scales will continue to provide an outstanding hand-to-knife contact surface indefinitely. And the inherent stiffness and structural integrity of the material allow its use as a one-piece frameless handle.