I’ve had different opinions on aftermarket knife parts and modifying for some time. It had long been my general standpoint that a knife’s design is best as it was intended to be. The designers and manufacturers spend a lot of research and money making sure that they bring their product successfully to market. That’s not to mention their combined years of experience. As the amount of collaborations grow with renown custom knife makers, people seem evermore interested in adding a more custom feel to their designer production knives.
On one hand it could be perceived as arrogant or disrespectful to take a design and change it. It’s also often the case that with personalization comes a degradation in the mechanical soundness of a knife. That’s mainly due to the fact that most modifiers are amateur machinists using cheaper, less accurate hand tools than the manufacturer’s largely CNC’d process. Additionally, the exclusion or changing of components and materials can have effects on the engineering, even if the tolerances are well met. Also a good machinist doesn’t necessarily make for a good designer and vice versa. There are plenty of examples out there that have been gilded with the finesse of a butcher.
On the other hand many manufacturers need to be realistic about what they produce. It would be unfeasible to use exotic materials or spend a lot of time pristinely finishing knives for the masses. It could also be argued that there are a lot of designs out there that could move from good to great with a little extra care and some upgrades. An example might be people who love knives like the Spyderco Endura or Delica but strongly dislike plasticy FRN handle scales. I know that I’ve avoided some purchases for this very reason. Cost is also a factor. A modded production knife still, or should still come in way under the cost of a full custom. Especially true if you are talking about something like a Böker Kwaiken vs the Burnley custom or a Spyderco Pingo vs a Vox or Anso.
So when I first got wind of Cuscadi (Custom Scale Division) custom scales I was curious. It appeared that the proprietor, Lucas Poloczek was putting out some clean, well designed after market scales. Not only were they made from attractive materials, they looked to be well manufactured. Made to a standard that could have been stock although with obvious material upgrades.
First impressions on arrival were positive. The scales were well packaged and included a variety of print materials. Made from “Aero” carbon fiber with a moon-glow (glow-in-the-dark) back-spacer, the components are well made and finished with a good attention to detail. This model is called the “All In” and can be purchased with a custom clip as well. They replace the Griptilian’s, Noryl GTX scales. Noryl GTX is a proprietary injection mold-able plastic with great chemical, fire and impact resistance. It is also lighter in weight than fiber reinforced or glass filled nylons.
The knife that I bought for the review was the 550 HG. I picked one with pink scales since it was on sale, had the blade profile and opening method I prefer from the line. It also came with a Benchmade maintenance tool and most importantly featured S30V over the standard 154CM. Since S30V is made using a powder metallurgy process it has some performance advantages over 154CM. If you were planning on adding these to your knife, I would suggest purchasing a Griptilian with one of the better steels available. Since you’ll be investing in the scales it’s a good idea not to cheap out on the blade. Cuscadi recommends the RSK MK 1 “Ritter Grip”. Featuring M390, the steel is another improvement over both 154CM and S30V however, the blade style isn’t to my personal taste.
The original Griptilian is extremely well designed so taking it apart is effortless. The handle is fastened with T6 and T10 Torx bolts on the Benchmade end, with the addition of a T8 for the Cuscadi scales. You’ll need those three driver bits to make the swap.
Once apart you are dealing with few components: the blade, two phosphor bronze washers, the handle’s steel frame and fasteners. While it isn’t a lot to keep track of, working on top of a textured bench mat or towel would be advisable. The scales don’t come with any additional hardware and require two bolts from the Benchmade for assembly. Loosing one could derail your project. It’s also good to have some blue, non permanent thread lock on hand to make sure everything holds together. I prefer this gel thread lock for its ease of application.
Reassembly was just as easy as taking the knife down. Everything fit exactly as it should. All of the moving parts aren’t impacted by the retrofit retaining the smoothness of the mechanism, centering, lanyard hole, thumb and finger jimping. The only design feature that isn’t carried over is the reversible pocket clip. This changes the knife’s fully ambidextrous design to a right hand carry. The tight tolerances are due to the use of a CNC mill. While it’s possible to make something extremely close to the original by hand, leveraging computer aided design ensures a much more accurate result while keeping the price and expectations in check. Like the original, brass inserts are used for stronger threading than the base materials allow.
Outside of the materials, the All In scales have some other differences. The inner edges of the handle are flat and smooth as opposed to the hull-like, ribbed inner surface of the OEM grips. As a result they won’t be as prone to collecting dirt. Also the outer checkered texture has been replaced with a corrugated one that covers the entire surface. I personally find the traction between the two comparable although the Cuscadi scales are less aggressive to the touch and therefor feel nicer in hand. The back spacer has the same tactile quality and again feels better than jimping on the Noryl handles which is toothy, especially where the seams meet. Once on, the scales do a great job of dressing up this otherwise, utilitarian design. Taste-wise I think the moon-glow is a bit young for me. For those who prefer, Cuscadi also offers G10 back-spacers with the carbon fiber scales. That aside, the Aero-CF looks great, is much more durable and will wear better than the Noryl GTX. Weight wise there is a slight addition of 0.4 oz but I think that’s negligible since it’s replaced with a stronger material.
Overall I think that the All-Ins deliver the promise of adding a higher-end option to the Griptilian line up, effectively pulling it up in class. While Benchmade has offered better steel’s for this model, the handles, with the exception of their prohibitively expensive Gold Class, have remained the same. Gold Class excluded, the cheaper handles have largely been a big part of the success of this model. The knife has focused on form, function and affordability while still offering multiple colors and blade shapes. From a design perspective some might argue that adding some 100 Euro’s (approx. 125 USD) to the cost by swapping out the scales takes away from the formula. After all, accessibility is an important part of design.
Regardless, the popularity of the Griptilian and fact that Benchmade hasn’t offered many handle variations (outside of color), has created a market opportunity. One that Custom Scale Division has filled well. Whatever design ideologies you prescribe to, the quality of the All Ins can’t be argued. They are well made from great materials. Additionally they fit the knife perfectly and retain all of the Griptilian’s ergonomic qualities. Personally, I think that if you are in the market for some scales you should give Cuscadi a good hard look. The variety of models, fit and finish make them a solid, easy to recommend choice.
For more information on Cuscadi, visit http://www.cuscadi.de Use the code “e/o x cuscadi” at checkout for free shipping on all Griptilian scales.
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