Another fantastic custom from NY

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David Schott

Neil Ostroff here from True North Knives.

I happened into this thread on Bladeforums where a tactical custom knife collector posted a picture of a Mick Strider custom knife that I had received and sold.

He posted that pic in several forums- I posted that info on the USN where I have my own forum.

The Bladeforums thread got nasty, as many out there, clearly including you, have nothing else to do but sit back and take cheap shots at others.

I am a firm believer in free speech and the right to express an opinion anywhere including on the forums- that is what they are there for. But for you, a competing knife maker, to lower yourself to that level and to openly criticize another knifemakers work, (one that is not there to defend himself as well) is grossly unacceptable in my world.

As many of you know, I stand up for my friends.

In this case, you have joined the ranks of Chuck Gedraitis, who always has a nasty sarcastic comment to make about his competitors, but when at a knife show, he runs for cover when they are around- it is easy to sit back and pound away at the keyboard but face to face, the tune changes.

I see now that your excuse for being an unprofessional drama queen for this is his past - nice deke. Nice drama attempt.

Do you exhibit at the Blade Show? If so, let me arrange a meeting between you and Mick Strider—you can tell him to his face how you feel about his knives and of course his past. Maybe you will accept this invitation?

I hope so, because you will be the first knifemaker to tell him to his face what you feel cool about saying behind his back.

Have a nice day.

Neil Ostroff / TNK
TrueNorthKnives.com EST 1999










David Schott said:
I think you will find that most people have less problems with the knives than the person who made them. There is a long history of his dealings with BF that anyone who does a search can find without re-hashing it. I blindly support all knifemakers as a general rule, but something burns way down deep when it appears that someone has built a product/name based on selective misrepresentation of military service. Their being a fellow knifemaker does not change my opinion of these types of actions, and in fact, bothers me even more.

I took a stab at a fellow knifemaker and thats my scarlet letter to wear, but being silent would bother me even more. Perhaps I should have listened to my mother when she said to keep my mouth shut unless I had nice things to say...sorry mom.
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You know I am the person to blame for all of this and I apologize. I figured that people were Mature enough to discuss preferences without bringing in personal issues into this discussion. I guess I was wrong. As I have stated before the great thing about the custom knife industry is that there is something for everyone. The OP in this thread is thrilled with the look of this knife...for that I am very happy. For me ..I am unimpressed..not that the knife is a bad knife. I am sure it is a very well made knife as all of M.S. work is...Its just not my Genre

Why cannot we discuss in a civil manner the likes and dislikes of a Particular Design or Genre of custom Knife with out it getting personal.

Niel I apologize to you, my initial comments which started this turd sammich were not intended as a smear against a maker or your fine dealership or relationship with said maker.

I for one am embarrassed and ashamed...

Sorry:mad::(
 
Damn, RL, you really know how to bring 'em out.

I think that Mick is thinking outside the box on his designs. Whether they're for me or not, I like the creativity. At the Plaza Show I got to see a lot of his work and it was even better in person. I like it that Mick has taken the time to learn to forge, tells me he's dedicated to his craft.

Price has nothing to do with any of this. You don't like a design of a Ferrari, don't buy it. Others will. The brisk sales of the Strider group at shows tells me there are more than just a few fans. Dealers seem to do quite well with their product, too.

If you're in the knife business and you insist on criticizing others it will come back to bite you.

Win
 
So are we supposed to just say nice things out of common courtesy? Even if the piece is not to our taste, style, or favorite handle material?

Maybe the thread title is what started this all "Another fantastic custom from NY". It is the opinion of the poster.

If we stuck to the old saying" if you can't say anything nice then don't say anything at all" then this thread should have been dead after the first post.

Bladeforums- The place to be for general knife related discussion.
 
Win Heger said:
Damn, RL, you really know how to bring 'em out.
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well it is quite sad really..all the "I usually hate strider but i like this one" apologetic threads (yes all my chi chi frou frou forged bowie friends, i am still one of you..forgive me for liking this).

as for other knifemakers taking cheap shots..it used to bother me but now i see it as pure jealousy..Mick sold everything he brought to NY at his asking price...can those criticizing make the same claim? how many $2100 knives have they sold in the last week? month? year? ever?????

to paraphrase margaret thatcher, "if Mick Strider walked on water, Bladeforums would say it's because he was too lazy to learn how to swim".

honestly, i am disappointed that for all the efforts to be more open to other genres, there are still some who keep trying to pi$$ around their territory.

as for me, i will continue to post whatever pleases me.

Now off to enjoy the rest of my birthday.

RL
 
The time that it took, and the talent that one must have to produce a knife like this is worthy of a big thumbs up. This is neither the style of knife I like in particular, or the style I make, but I do like this one a lot.
 
Neil Ostroff said:
David Schott

Neil Ostroff here from True North Knives.

I happened into this thread on Bladeforums where a tactical custom knife collector posted a picture of a Mick Strider custom knife that I had received and sold.

He posted that pic in several forums- I posted that info on the USN where I have my own forum.

The Bladeforums thread got nasty, as many out there, clearly including you, have nothing else to do but sit back and take cheap shots at others.

I am a firm believer in free speech and the right to express an opinion anywhere including on the forums- that is what they are there for. But for you, a competing knife maker, to lower yourself to that level and to openly criticize another knifemakers work, (one that is not there to defend himself as well) is grossly unacceptable in my world.

As many of you know, I stand up for my friends.

In this case, you have joined the ranks of Chuck Gedraitis, who always has a nasty sarcastic comment to make about his competitors, but when at a knife show, he runs for cover when they are around- it is easy to sit back and pound away at the keyboard but face to face, the tune changes.

I see now that your excuse for being an unprofessional drama queen for this is his past - nice deke. Nice drama attempt.

Do you exhibit at the Blade Show? If so, let me arrange a meeting between you and Mick Strider—you can tell him to his face how you feel about his knives and of course his past. Maybe you will accept this invitation?

I hope so, because you will be the first knifemaker to tell him to his face what you feel cool about saying behind his back.

Have a nice day.

Neil Ostroff / TNK
TrueNorthKnives.com EST 1999
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Neil,
As I said in my email, my post did a disservice to you, the dealer, which was totally unintended.

I have removed my comments as best possible, as they truely did not belong here. My opinions/vices as a person overwhelmed my responsibility to keep my mouth shut as a maker.

I am not jealous or even a competitior of Micks. No vector diagram could show an overlap in our customers, scope, or design. My comments were made out of ongoing personal issues I have with some aspects of his past which have little do with with this particular knife and more to do with branding and representation.
 
Something to think about:

I say - lets do a great book on modern custom tacticals and show
the world how amazing and original these designs are!

How knifemakers can think "outside the box" and come up with
breathtaking knife designs......

I know, I know, there will be a few out there who will hate the book
but I am sure, like the knives themselves, it will go like hot cakes...
and will be a great documentation of one of the major knifemaking
disciplines of our days.... Page after page of... WOW!

What do you custom tactical knifemakers think of this?
Neil, what do you think?

All the best,
David Darom (ddd)
 
Strider was justifiably banned from this forum.

Mr. Orstruff, you're slinging mud just like Schott. By imbedding Schott's comments into your post, you've just kept it alive. Your calling out someone to fight at Blade, just like an adolescent boy, certainly lost me as a customer. What you purvey is not unique. Maybe you should keep your trap shut too. But then you make some alwfully big bucks off Mr. Strider and buzz like this keeps the image alive.
 
brownshoe said:
Strider was justifiably banned from this forum.

Mr. Orstruff, you're slinging mud just like Schott. By imbedding Schott's comments into your post, you've just kept it alive. Your calling out someone to fight at Blade, just like an adolescent boy, certainly lost me as a customer. What you purvey is not unique. Maybe you should keep your trap shut too. But then you make some alwfully big bucks off Mr. Strider and buzz like this keeps the image alive.
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I dont mind being quoted. I said it, after all. I have apologized not for the content of my quotes, but for this being the wrong place to air them as they certainly were in bad taste and riddled with contempt.

Whether that contempt is justified depends on how strongly you feel about the past actions that have been exposed and documented regarding the maker.

That being said, people choose their friends and their business partners very carefully. Those choices tell volumes about their character, and need no further comments from me to speak for themselves.

Thats the last derailment from me in this thread.

To get things started back on track I will offer this:

I think this knife is probably one of my favorite designs I have seen from Strider knives. I really like the damascus fluted clip, as well as the way the materials were pulled together. It does not look thrown together at all like some complex knives. I'd have moved the finger hole a bit higher, but otherwise, its a nice art-knife representation of his tactical line of folders.
 
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David Schott said:
IWhether that contempt is justified depends on how strongly you feel about the past actions that have been exposed and documented regarding the maker.

That being said, people choose their friends and their business partners very carefully. Those choices tell volumes about their character, and need no further comments from me to speak for themselves.
Click to expand...

I've known Neil for a very long time....we had a long conversation at the Plaza Show about a variety of things....my regard, respect and affection for Neil remains as strong today as it did when I first contacted him for his advice on something many years ago.

Quite simply, he is good people....have had an opportunity to be privy to some in-depth situations concerning some of my close friends in the industry and Neil, and they might not like the situations, but it has never been revealed that he is wrong, mean or greedy...and that speaks volumes as well.

Neil and I are on many opposite sides of the fence about makers and customers, but he has always been decent and fair in his arguments, even when he was livid...and this is face-to-face. He goes to shows, uses his real name, speaks honestly and forthrightly, and makes himself available for every confrontation that may come his way...how many of you can say the same?

I saw Mick Strider twice this year, once at Blade, and once at Plaza...he remains a humble, affable and charming individual.

This particular knife is not my cup of tea, but Mick did have some custom work at Plaza that was quite impressive.....that also says a lot.

Best Regards,

STeven Garsson
 
Kohai999 said:
I've known Neil for a very long time....we had a long conversation at the Plaza Show about a variety of things....my regard, respect and affection for Neil remains as strong today as it did when I first contacted him for his advice on something many years ago.

Quite simply, he is good people....have had an opportunity to be privy to some in-depth situations concerning some of my close friends in the industry and Neil, and they might not like the situations, but it has never been revealed that he is wrong, mean or greedy...and that speaks volumes as well.

Neil and I are on many opposite sides of the fence about makers and customers, but he has always been decent and fair in his arguments, even when he was livid...and this is face-to-face. He goes to shows, uses his real name, speaks honestly and forthrightly, and makes himself available for every confrontation that may come his way...how many of you can say the same?

I saw Mick Strider twice this year, once at Blade, and once at Plaza...he remains a humble, affable and charming individual.

This particular knife is not my cup of tea, but Mick did have some custom work at Plaza that was quite impressive.....that also says a lot.

Best Regards,

STeven Garsson
Click to expand...

Regardless of Neil's newfound hatred of me for making a single one-line supporting comment to a previous poster's observation on the placement of a finger-hole cut, I am sure he is a great guy. Most knife folks are.

I stick up for my friends and my business interests, too. I can't fault him for that.
 
David Schott said:
Regardless of Neil's newfound hatred of me for making a single one-line supporting comment to a previous poster's observation on the placement of a finger-hole cut, I am sure he is a great guy.
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I can pretty much assure you that Neil doesn't hate you....he does however have an avid aversion to makers making negative comments about other makers in public forums.

Best Regards,

STeven Garsson
 
David- I for one think that a book on folding tactical knives is not only warranted, but necessary:thumbup:
Like the rest of your books:)
 
Danbo said:
As should we all.
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This comment bothers me a bit.

Does this mean "we" (the collectors, purveyors, etc. non-knifemaking members of the knife community) are expected to police the knifemakers to ensure nobody in it says anything bad about anybody else's work, lifestyle choice, political views, or mode of transportation? :rolleyes:

Re my original point--which apparently started this whole debacle, despite the fact that it is (in my point of view) a legitimate comment on the execution of the design: I have seen photos of another "Harpoon" and it has the same issues with thumbhole placement as the one featured in this thread. I.e., intersecting the primary grind at different angles on each side of the blade.
 
bluejaunte said:
I have seen photos of another "Harpoon" and it has the same issues with thumbhole placement as the one featured in this thread. I.e., intersecting the primary grind at different angles on each side of the blade.
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So Mick grinds asymmetrical blades, what be the problemo?

cant we all just get along.:D
 
Can you imagine if this was a Hartsfield Thread? :O
Come together---right now... :)
 
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