- Joined
- Feb 4, 2006
- Messages
- 562
Received a new Buck/Strider 881 spear point in a trade today and you really have to see it to believe it. I knew it was a very thick and beefy knife, but when I took it out of the box I was surprised by the proportions of this thing. It is 7" overall, 3" blade, 4" handle, but it clocks in at .597" thick on my calipers! In comparison my Cuda EDC is .330" thick, steel Leek is .313", and coming in second my El Lobo at .518" thick.
The blade is .175" (~4.5mm) thick and the titanium liners are .063" (~1.6mm) thick. There is no cutout or thinning of the lockbar which leaves the lockbar pretty stiff and gives a very secure feeling. The lockbar is quite a bit stiffer than the lock on my titanium Leek, though that could be due to other reasons. All in all a very solid folder. No noticeable side to side play, but if you push hard and fast (must be a quick movement) you can feel the blade move a TINY bit vertically. Not really what I expect from such an overbuilt folder, but nothing that really causes me any worry (I have read on these forums that this is rather common).
The backspacer barrels and stop pin are all 1/4" diameter. I don't know the size of the screws that hold everything in place though, because I am unable to unscrew them without a second torx driver. Even the phosphor bronze washers are large, which I guess would help eliminate side to side play. The washer on the non lock side extends towards the back of the knife (imagine a pear shaped washer with the top of the pear pointing to the rear). I'm not sure what purpose this serves (since a significant portion of the washer doesn't even touch the blade when it's open), but it only reinforces the overbuilt nature of the knife. The knife also feels surprisingly light, though I don't know the actual weight. It doesn't feel much heavier than my Cuda EDC though.
The cutting ability is not the knife's strong suit, as you might imagine from the thickness and grind. Cutting a small length of thin cardboard required much more pressure and slicing movement than any of my other 3" folders. The blade is 1" wide and the deep hollow grind is a little less than half an inch wide. The blade tapers to the tip from full thickness in 3/4" which makes for a very robust tip. Eyeballing the edge, I would guess the angle is 40-45 degrees included which gradually becomes more obtuse as you approach the tip. Definitely seems like a strong penetrator.
The handle isn't the most comfortable but it is grippy and relatively secure. I think there should be a little bit more of a finger guard since the blade geometry really lends itself to hard stabbing. The G10 is very similar in feel and appearance to the G10 that Spyderco uses. The jimping on the blade and liners is aggressive, which I like.
The pocket clip is extremely stiff and would probably rip my pants apart, so I removed it. I think they went a little overboard with making the knife strong here. It's so stiff I didn't bother trying it out, though I'm sure clipping something this thick to your pocket or waistband is sure to be a little uncomfortable or noticeable.
The fit and finish is good, though not on par with my experiences with Spyderco, Benchmade or Al Mar. The grinds are a little off, there is some space between one of the scales and the liner, the edge bevels are uneven, and the G10 isn't flush with the liners. All pretty minor details. The blade centering and the mating of the lock and tang are perfect though. All liner locks should look like this one when new (see pictures).
Overall very impressive knife, though I doubt I'll ever use it as an EDC. Simply doesn't cut well enough and seems a bit too thick for comfortable carry. If I ever need a compact yet tough folder, this is what I'll grab. Now for some pictures! I couldn't find many good pictures of these Buck/Striders anywhere and I really do think you have to see it to really get a feel for how overbuilt this little knife is.
The blade is .175" (~4.5mm) thick and the titanium liners are .063" (~1.6mm) thick. There is no cutout or thinning of the lockbar which leaves the lockbar pretty stiff and gives a very secure feeling. The lockbar is quite a bit stiffer than the lock on my titanium Leek, though that could be due to other reasons. All in all a very solid folder. No noticeable side to side play, but if you push hard and fast (must be a quick movement) you can feel the blade move a TINY bit vertically. Not really what I expect from such an overbuilt folder, but nothing that really causes me any worry (I have read on these forums that this is rather common).
The backspacer barrels and stop pin are all 1/4" diameter. I don't know the size of the screws that hold everything in place though, because I am unable to unscrew them without a second torx driver. Even the phosphor bronze washers are large, which I guess would help eliminate side to side play. The washer on the non lock side extends towards the back of the knife (imagine a pear shaped washer with the top of the pear pointing to the rear). I'm not sure what purpose this serves (since a significant portion of the washer doesn't even touch the blade when it's open), but it only reinforces the overbuilt nature of the knife. The knife also feels surprisingly light, though I don't know the actual weight. It doesn't feel much heavier than my Cuda EDC though.
The cutting ability is not the knife's strong suit, as you might imagine from the thickness and grind. Cutting a small length of thin cardboard required much more pressure and slicing movement than any of my other 3" folders. The blade is 1" wide and the deep hollow grind is a little less than half an inch wide. The blade tapers to the tip from full thickness in 3/4" which makes for a very robust tip. Eyeballing the edge, I would guess the angle is 40-45 degrees included which gradually becomes more obtuse as you approach the tip. Definitely seems like a strong penetrator.
The handle isn't the most comfortable but it is grippy and relatively secure. I think there should be a little bit more of a finger guard since the blade geometry really lends itself to hard stabbing. The G10 is very similar in feel and appearance to the G10 that Spyderco uses. The jimping on the blade and liners is aggressive, which I like.
The pocket clip is extremely stiff and would probably rip my pants apart, so I removed it. I think they went a little overboard with making the knife strong here. It's so stiff I didn't bother trying it out, though I'm sure clipping something this thick to your pocket or waistband is sure to be a little uncomfortable or noticeable.
The fit and finish is good, though not on par with my experiences with Spyderco, Benchmade or Al Mar. The grinds are a little off, there is some space between one of the scales and the liner, the edge bevels are uneven, and the G10 isn't flush with the liners. All pretty minor details. The blade centering and the mating of the lock and tang are perfect though. All liner locks should look like this one when new (see pictures).
Overall very impressive knife, though I doubt I'll ever use it as an EDC. Simply doesn't cut well enough and seems a bit too thick for comfortable carry. If I ever need a compact yet tough folder, this is what I'll grab. Now for some pictures! I couldn't find many good pictures of these Buck/Striders anywhere and I really do think you have to see it to really get a feel for how overbuilt this little knife is.
