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The BladeForums.com 2024 Traditional Knife is ready to order! See this thread for details: https://www.bladeforums.com/threads/bladeforums-2024-traditional-knife.2003187/
Price is$300$250 ea (shipped within CONUS). If you live outside the US, I will contact you after your order for extra shipping charges.
Order here: https://www.bladeforums.com/help/2024-traditional/ - Order as many as you like, we have plenty.
Buck/Striders
- Thread starter laCie
- Start date
They are very robust but may be a bit thick if you are using it for mundane jobs like opening food. I have noticed on the ones that I have in stock that the grinds can be off. I have sent a few back in the last few months and some of them come extremely grubby. You will probably want to reprofile it anyway to improve the cutting, but on the whole its a good folder and more comfortable than you would think considering the handle design.
- Joined
- Jun 8, 2005
- Messages
- 4,761
I've been really dieing to get my hands on a Strider to try one out. They've got some killer reviews here at Bladeforums, and I like my Buck 560C a lot. If you're looking for alternatives at or around that price point, take a glance at the Spyderco Native or a personal favorite of mine, the CRKT M16 lineup.
- Joined
- May 18, 2005
- Messages
- 230
Hi, I have a Buck/Strider 880SP (ATS34 blade) and I love the thing. Good solid, well made knife that does all I ask it to. Yes, the blade is thicker than on most folders, but it leaves you with no fear of it ever failing where sheer strength might be an issue.
As Temper suggests, you might want to reprofile the edge to a shallower grind angle than the factory edge if the knife is going to be an "ordinary" EDC tool. The factory edge is quite obtuse (I'd guess it's about a 40 degree overall angle) Combined with the fairly thick blade this can make it hard to get th knife deep into the cut on some materials. I reprofiled mine to an overall angle of between 25 and 30 degrees not long after buying it and now cannot fault it's cutting power. Remember, that heavy factory edge is there for a reason though. The knife is designed to be a "tactical" knife, and as such is meant to be capable of withstanding what most of use would call abuse rather than use. That thick edge is far less likely to chip or burr over than a thin one if you plan on cutting an Oldsmobile into little bits.
Having pretty big hands I really like the way the knife gives me a big enough handle to get a good hold on it.
For the money, I think you would be very hard pressed to buy a better knife.
As Temper suggests, you might want to reprofile the edge to a shallower grind angle than the factory edge if the knife is going to be an "ordinary" EDC tool. The factory edge is quite obtuse (I'd guess it's about a 40 degree overall angle) Combined with the fairly thick blade this can make it hard to get th knife deep into the cut on some materials. I reprofiled mine to an overall angle of between 25 and 30 degrees not long after buying it and now cannot fault it's cutting power. Remember, that heavy factory edge is there for a reason though. The knife is designed to be a "tactical" knife, and as such is meant to be capable of withstanding what most of use would call abuse rather than use. That thick edge is far less likely to chip or burr over than a thin one if you plan on cutting an Oldsmobile into little bits.
Having pretty big hands I really like the way the knife gives me a big enough handle to get a good hold on it.
For the money, I think you would be very hard pressed to buy a better knife.
- Joined
- Jul 6, 2005
- Messages
- 307
i have an SBT in ATS-34 and i was shocked at how massively thick the blade was, not to mention that the entire knife is quite a lot larger than i thought it would be based on catalogue photos. it fits the hand perfectly and just looks mean 
personally im not a big fan of the regular striders (look kindof plain and boxy to me), but the SBT i love. it might be worth the extra investment to get the ATS-34 version, not only is it a better steel but they are heat treated by paul bos, and good heat treating makes a world of difference.
personally im not a big fan of the regular striders (look kindof plain and boxy to me), but the SBT i love. it might be worth the extra investment to get the ATS-34 version, not only is it a better steel but they are heat treated by paul bos, and good heat treating makes a world of difference.
- Joined
- Jun 29, 1999
- Messages
- 9,837
What Longstrider said.
I got an 880 a couple months ago and was really disapointed by it. The blade itself was nice, but the handle on it is freaking huge. I have large hands, but even for me it was like holding a brick with a blade attached to it. Way too big and blocky. Not to mention the fact that if you try to carry it in your pocket, it looks like you have a TV remote control stuffed in there. That and you can get a better knife for less money. Overpriced, way too big, and too heavy.
I would recommend instead:
Benchmade 710 or 806
Spyderco Military or Manix
Lone Wolf Knives T2 Ranger
I would recommend instead:
Benchmade 710 or 806
Spyderco Military or Manix
Lone Wolf Knives T2 Ranger
- Joined
- Dec 31, 2004
- Messages
- 117
Hmm. I usually agree with what Lil Timmy has to say, so I'm disturbed to read his evaluation of the 880. A TV remote? Maybe that's not the worst thing. The Spydies' Military and Endura handles are so light and thin not to say they're spindly in the least, but ... having something more substantial to hold onto, ala the large Seb and BM 630, even the Emerson Commander, is a nice thing, too. Guess I'll have to handle an 880 before I buy.
the 880 is pretty thick, and i like big folders so that saying something from me, kinda blocky too, the ER fulcrum is exactly the same width as a buck 880 but the ER seems smaller and carries better, the 880 is just so blocky.
good knives though, more at home imho when hunting than for edc in the city though.
good knives though, more at home imho when hunting than for edc in the city though.
I have the 887SBT Police Advocate, which uses 420HC. Yup, she's a big'un I've had mine for a couple/three weeks now. I paid around $100 CDN for mine, so it was not too far out of whack for pricing. I have a medium small hand (cadet in golf terms ) and it fits my hand very well. The corners on the slabs were pretty sharp when I first got it, but now that it's worn a bit, it's fine. This is quite heavy for it's size, and I found that it best in my back pocket. Mine was OK sharp out of the box, not the "110 sharp" or "Spydie sharp", but a working sharp. Grinds were even - pivot on mine was really tight. Ended up loosening it and the lock tighting it when I it got looser. Mine is set tight enough that it can't be "flicked". I prefer them slightly tight. This is the first combo edge I've bought in a long time. I tried in on some cardboard and found that if I tilted at the point where the PE part started the cut and then combo took over, it cut like crazy!! If I started on the serrated edge, all it did was bind. Rope - different story. I didn't cut a lot of rope with it, but one serrated part, if I started there, it ripped thru very easily. I didn't try for an edge retention type test, just trying to figure out how to use it.
Because of the thickness of the blade itself and it's weight, for my EDC type things, it's too big and not "pointy" enough. BUT, it's one of those ones that begs for hard use. I've done a couple of things with it, that I probably wouldnt think of using any of my other folders for. I had to chisel out some wood in a door frame for a dead bolt I was installing. Usually, you should use a chisel (you are going to be chiselling and prying). I stuck in the tip, struck the pommel part with my hand to chisel out what I needed to do, and then pried out the pieces of excess wood. It didn't even blink at that. I also used it to dig out some weeds and dandelions out of my yard. I got that PE part pretty dull - but it came back very quickly on my DMT red hone. I've used it pry some staples out of some wood and it didn't blink at that. Trimmed some smaller dead branches from a tree in my back yard, using the serrations. That was OK as long as I didn't get past about 3/4 of an inch. Anything larger, and it started to bind a bit. I was on a ladder, so I was gripping the knife pretty hard, and torquing it a bit as a went. Liner stayed solid. Serrations stayed sharp.
I found a couple of annoying things about this knife. The detent was one of them. I found that it stuck a bit when you slipped the liner to close the blade and then just released the liner and continued to close the blade. If you held the liner over until past half way, fine. Now that it's worn in, it's better, just less annoying. The clip screws were the other thing. I wanted to move the clip to the other side, and couldn't get all the screws out. It was almost like the screws were halfway between T6 and T8. One of the nice things was, though, that there were two sets of screws - I guess to keep dirt and grit out. I could only get one of those out as well. For me, it's not enough to send this back to Buck or try to exchange it.
I've always wanted to monkey with one of these, and so when I actually found one, I bought it. For me, this is one knife that definitely is NOT for EDC type things. But then again, it's more of the combo edge - just doesn't do it for me, yet But, it's one of those knives that would want as your backup knife. Mine resides in my daypack. Would I get another one? Maybe....... 
I'm looking pretty hard at the new 889SBT which is a PE version of this one, sort of. Yes, I like the SBT a lot 
Depending on what you do, though, in this price range, there are a lot of alternatives. For me, my two primary EDC's are a BM Mini-Grip (556/PE/thumbhole, drop point) and a Spydie FRN Delica/PE. I carry several on any one given day, but these two are currently the most used. Both are lightweight, easy to carry. My M16-03K/PE/spearpoint was also in there. My larger, most carried blades are either the BM 550 Griptillian/PE/Sheepsfoot, Spydie Paramilitary or Camillus Heat. Pick it up it up first.
Sorry to rant - hope this opion helps - gord
I've had mine for a couple/three weeks now. I paid around $100 CDN for mine, so it was not too far out of whack for pricing. I have a medium small hand (cadet in golf terms ) and it fits my hand very well. The corners on the slabs were pretty sharp when I first got it, but now that it's worn a bit, it's fine. This is quite heavy for it's size, and I found that it best in my back pocket. Mine was OK sharp out of the box, not the "110 sharp" or "Spydie sharp", but a working sharp. Grinds were even - pivot on mine was really tight. Ended up loosening it and the lock tighting it when I it got looser. Mine is set tight enough that it can't be "flicked". I prefer them slightly tight. This is the first combo edge I've bought in a long time. I tried in on some cardboard and found that if I tilted at the point where the PE part started the cut and then combo took over, it cut like crazy!! If I started on the serrated edge, all it did was bind. Rope - different story. I didn't cut a lot of rope with it, but one serrated part, if I started there, it ripped thru very easily. I didn't try for an edge retention type test, just trying to figure out how to use it.Because of the thickness of the blade itself and it's weight, for my EDC type things, it's too big and not "pointy" enough. BUT, it's one of those ones that begs for hard use. I've done a couple of things with it, that I probably wouldnt think of using any of my other folders for. I had to chisel out some wood in a door frame for a dead bolt I was installing. Usually, you should use a chisel (you are going to be chiselling and prying). I stuck in the tip, struck the pommel part with my hand to chisel out what I needed to do, and then pried out the pieces of excess wood. It didn't even blink at that. I also used it to dig out some weeds and dandelions out of my yard. I got that PE part pretty dull - but it came back very quickly on my DMT red hone. I've used it pry some staples out of some wood and it didn't blink at that. Trimmed some smaller dead branches from a tree in my back yard, using the serrations. That was OK as long as I didn't get past about 3/4 of an inch. Anything larger, and it started to bind a bit. I was on a ladder, so I was gripping the knife pretty hard, and torquing it a bit as a went. Liner stayed solid. Serrations stayed sharp.
I found a couple of annoying things about this knife. The detent was one of them. I found that it stuck a bit when you slipped the liner to close the blade and then just released the liner and continued to close the blade. If you held the liner over until past half way, fine. Now that it's worn in, it's better, just less annoying. The clip screws were the other thing. I wanted to move the clip to the other side, and couldn't get all the screws out. It was almost like the screws were halfway between T6 and T8. One of the nice things was, though, that there were two sets of screws - I guess to keep dirt and grit out. I could only get one of those out as well. For me, it's not enough to send this back to Buck or try to exchange it.
I've always wanted to monkey with one of these, and so when I actually found one, I bought it. For me, this is one knife that definitely is NOT for EDC type things. But then again, it's more of the combo edge - just doesn't do it for me, yet
But, it's one of those knives that would want as your backup knife. Mine resides in my daypack. Would I get another one? Maybe....... I'm looking pretty hard at the new 889SBT which is a PE version of this one, sort of. Yes, I like the SBT a lot Depending on what you do, though, in this price range, there are a lot of alternatives. For me, my two primary EDC's are a BM Mini-Grip (556/PE/thumbhole, drop point) and a Spydie FRN Delica/PE. I carry several on any one given day, but these two are currently the most used. Both are lightweight, easy to carry. My M16-03K/PE/spearpoint was also in there. My larger, most carried blades are either the BM 550 Griptillian/PE/Sheepsfoot, Spydie Paramilitary or Camillus Heat. Pick it up it up first.
Sorry to rant - hope this opion helps - gord
- Joined
- Mar 26, 2004
- Messages
- 350
i have an 882 PE and it's a pretty cool knife. its slightly similar to my SNG in design with obvious differences in materials and lockig style. it's a good bit thicker in the handle and the blade is ground unevenly (alot). the silloette is virtually identical to my SNG. i picked it up for less then 100 bucks a got my moneys worth and then some.
- Joined
- Oct 6, 2004
- Messages
- 210
i have a 880sp and a 881t and they are both pocket tanks. i'v opened cans, stabed a steel sink and shaved metal off of some china knives with them and their both still mint. i love them. i'd feel more then comfortable with the 880sp in any possible offensive situation.
plus the look on peoples face when you show them your "pocket" knife is just priceless.
plus the look on peoples face when you show them your "pocket" knife is just priceless.