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a bit of a strider upset... :(

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Midget

Midget

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kind of a bummer.

i got my strider SLCC in the mail yesterday. i feel like, with the popularity of strider knives, their quality is really going downhill.

i try not to be picky... but some things are bugging me about my new knife.


namely:

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heat discoloration from the grinder

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crummy stamping

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dents/tooling marks in the spine


am i being too picky? i mean, striders are meant to be users, and we aren't talking about sebenzas here... but this thing was 325.00. and it's a custom! should stuff like this be acceptable?




and i'm not necessarily trying to bash strider either-- for the most part i'm a loyal customer-- i've owned an SA, MFS, SLCC (nightmare), 2 SNG's (gen5 and gen6), EB-T, and now this SLCC. i've never experienced QC like this on any of my previous striders.

let's just say... they don't make them like they used to. :( i hope they don't keep this trend up.






ps
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no bos h.treat either :'(
 
Did you get that knife directly from Strider knives?
Just curious.

Most of that would be pretty annoying for a $325 knife, but the apparent absence of Bos heat treating would be the deal breaker for me.
 
The discolored tip might mean the heat treat is ruined at the tip.

The bad Strider stamp doesn't matter functionally, but come on, their own name isn't stamped right? It just looks wrong, especially for an expensive knife.

The dents on the spine are weird. I'm not sure why they are there, but it looks pretty bad. It's not just a scratch, it's like it was hammered or something

For $325, I think you have the right to get a knife free of what can only be called blunders.
 
mike_mck2 said:
(...) the apparent absence of Bos heat treating would be the deal breaker for me.
Click to expand...

Maybe after two failed attempts at stamping their own name on the knife, they just gave up on the whole stamping thing. :)
 
Assuming the heat treat is still OK, these issues are cosmetic. But let's face it, a lot of Striders are purchased as collectors items and cosmetic flaws reduce the value to collectors. I can accept that some rough edges are part of the Strider package, but that knife should have been sold as a second.
 
Carl64 said:
Maybe after two failed attempts at stamping their own name on the knife, they just gave up on the whole stamping thing. :)
Click to expand...

LOL...yeah, I can see how that might be.
 
Stamp do wear down, and well used ones will sometimes not stamp cleanly, still looks like crap though.

The dents in the spine look like somebody was using whatever they use to put the thumb grooves on and hit the wrong spot a few times.

I expect (and get) better workmanship from my Buck 110s and SAKs.
 
User or collector item, any decent knife mfg. with QC will at least reject misstamped knives as well as uneven grinds/grind marks. I am not even considering the paid price.
 
heat discoloration from the grinder
Click to expand...

As carl64 already said, the heat-treat is screwed up. That's a deal breaker flaw.
The other mistakes are bad enough on a knife this expensive.

But I'm sure this isn't a trend, Strider makes some of the best quality knives. It's just that this one somehow made it out of the shop.

Get in touch with them, I'm sure they'll make it right for.
 
They should send you a new one, and a return slip to cover the postage for sending that one back to them. That is what I would expect. I doubt this is typical of their quality control, and they will probably jump through hoops to make it right.
 
I'd forward this post to them and demand another knife. It would bother me for the money also especially when you count up on two hands how many Spydercos you could have bought that were flawless for that same amount of money. Actually it would bother me for a knife that cost a 1/3rd of that or less. It shouldn't have left the factory that way. IMO.
 
My stamping wasn't great, but I was told by others that that has no bearing on quality and usage.

BUT, this here in not acceptable to me and like I said, I even have listed that Striders are my fav. folder.

This might be the way a company starts losing business, by word of mouth like this. I really hope that they're not going downhill.

Strider needs to address these things if they want to keep selling knives. Reputation alone only goes so far.

Similar happend with Blackhawk gear. They were produced initially in the us and used by Spec ops guys, and now made in Asia, quality has gone down per soldiers/actual users in the field who say QC is poor and that other brands, Kifaru, Eagle, and the Camelback military line are much, much better. I own both Kifaru Pointman and Camelback Motherlode and they will last a lifetime. Immaculate QC.

This guy (Strider guys) must make a public stand to announce 1. awarness of deficiencies, and 2. correction and improvement of problems. This way we/I am more comfident in the company and will continue buying.

Cliff
 
Geez, I know I'm totally missing the attraction for the SLCC. How can I put it politely? It seems to be what you might call a very basic knife for a very exceptional amount of money. And to get one that looks like a blind junior apprentice in freshman metal shop made it is just adding insult to injury. They should send you a new one with a letter of apology and let you keep the old one for a fishing weight.
 
You should contact the Strider guys. I don't own any Striders, but mistakes happen. I've seen poor qc Benchmades, never seen one, but heard of the occasional problem with Spyderco. What makes a great company a great company is how they treat you after a mistake happens.

Jack
 
Definitely contact Strider. When Brian Goode sold me a custom fixed blade for far less it had not one flaw, functional or cosmetic. Even $20 Victorinox's have never had that many problems. Absolutely unacceptable without argument for that kind of money.
 
The standard strider fan response is "It's a USER! USE IT!". You realize you will now be banned on one or two other forums now.

I'd send it back and ask if they can't do better just send a refund.

Is no Bos heatreat a deal breaker?
 
holy crap, i know i'm opening a can of worms when 15 people reply in less than 3 hours...


i'm surprised nobody has replied "**** you midget, you nancy, non-infantry, mall ninja. striders aren't made for aesthetics." which is true. the aesthetics part, that is. also, i'm not infantry and kind of a nancy.

you know the response that i hate the most though? i'm waiting for someone to say, "the flaws give it character."



anyhow, thanks for the response everyone. i'm glad i'm not the only one perturbed about the little things. i'll consider sending it back to get it fixed. but i'm also considering just ignoring it and watching tv or something.
 
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