CRK or Strider

Umnumzaans are great, too. You really can't go wrong with either. Worst case, if you hate it, you'll be able to sell it for not much less than you paid.
 
mjolnir74 said:
CRK has perfect fit and finish. CRK doesn't refurb their knives for free,
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The reblast is now free.

All you would pay is $14 for return shipping. They will sharpen and tune the knife as well. If you want a new stud or washers or back spacer there is a small fee for those.

OP...Also you won't need a knife tougher than a Sebenza. I don't know, maybe if you plan to pry alot a thicker Strider may do better, but I don't pry alot with a folder. The Sebenza will cut better, and thats the main thing I want in a knife.
My oldest(1999) has been through alot, had it reblasted and it looked/functioned like a brand new knife when it came back.
Its a tougher knife than you'll ever need IMO.
 
I don't really get when people say CRK's aren't tough or that they are just "pretty". Or they are a sports car compared to a hummer. Mine have never let me down in any situation, I've cut pretty much everything but metal with mine. Never have I said, "Man I wish I had a stronger knife." If you do find yourself saying that, you are probably repeatability using the wrong tool for the job.

One thing that hasn't been mentioned (unless I missed it) about CRK's is their blade to handle ratio. You get a ton of blade for the size of the knife, maybe the best in the industry. If you are like me, choils are completely out and useless. Functionally, I think they are a waste of blade. You can very easily choke up on a blade without a choil and you don't lose a half inch in edge. Aesthetically, to me it makes the knife look completely awkward and ugly. Beauty is pretty low on my checklist for a knife, but I can't stand how choils look. Not to mention the amount of bad things I've heard about striders from close friends and many on this forum.... makes me avoid them like the plague.

Get the CRK, send the blade in to Bos HT and get it hardened to 60. Now you have the best of both worlds.
 
Ken44 said:
The reblast is now free.

All you would pay is $14 for return shipping. They will sharpen and tune the knife as well. If you want a new stud or washers or back spacer there is a small fee for those.

OP...Also you won't need a knife tougher than a Sebenza. I don't know, maybe if you plan to pry alot a thicker Strider may do better, but I don't pry alot with a folder. The Sebenza will cut better, and thats the main thing I want in a knife.
My oldest(1999) has been through alot, had it reblasted and it looked/functioned like a brand new knife when it came back.
Its a tougher knife than you'll ever need IMO.
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Good to know. They charged me around $30 +return shipping to re-tumble the blade about 3 months ago. When it did come back it looked brand new.
 
Taking your strider apart to clean it does not void your warrenty. That's common knowledge on the green forum. And if you spend a little time over there reading you'll see it come up over and over again.

Now if you mess it up and can't get it back together properly and have to send it in, that's when their gonna charge you beer money to put it back together you.

So instead of wasting time putting people's messed up folders back together they just tell people not to take them apart.

Theirs nothing wrong with the current production striders. In fact their great. But As for your first higher end folder, go for the Sebenza.
 
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Ken44 said:
The reblast is now free.

All you would pay is $14 for return shipping. They will sharpen and tune the knife as well. If you want a new stud or washers or back spacer there is a small fee for those.

OP...Also you won't need a knife tougher than a Sebenza. I don't know, maybe if you plan to pry alot a thicker Strider may do better, but I don't pry alot with a folder. The Sebenza will cut better, and thats the main thing I want in a knife.
My oldest(1999) has been through alot, had it reblasted and it looked/functioned like a brand new knife when it came back.
Its a tougher knife than you'll ever need IMO.
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I'm not looking for a tank of a knife, I just want to indulge myself in a high end knife, and I want to try a lot of knives. I narrowed it down to a 21 and an sng for the first two. I will try an umnum sometime as well, maybe even first. I am not 100% sure yet. I like the CRK 25 as well. I just know that for a $400+ knife, I'm gonna go with a CRK first most likely. I'm thinking it'll come down to my mood the day I decide to drop that much cash on a knife which model I get. There might even be a new one I like even more by the time I decide to finally get one. Everything is subject to change. If I didn't need a vehicle right now I'd buy a 21 and an umnumzaan after I posted this. But life has to decide otherwise all the time :/

If I got a CRK it would strictly be an EDC knife. I only buy cheap knives to beat on and they last 2 and 3 years themselves. Which I think is excellant for a $30 dollar liner lock. I use them if I need a quick screwdriver or a gasket scraper or small prybar. I know that these high end blades will hold up much longer to such abuse, but the Seb would only be a dress knife/everday knife possible, the sng I'm not sure about for specific use. Maybe that one will be a beater, who knows.
 
I got an Arctic Grey SW SNG first.
Then I got a CF Large Sebbie.
Then a CF small Sebbie.

I would switch that order if I could do it again. I'd get the Large, the small, the SNG.

But that's just me.

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Get the 25. Its as hard of use knife, IMO, out there.Your talking about two nice thick slabs of Titanium with a huge pivot and top of the line hard wear.
A nice thicker stock blade and plenty strong tip. So you got your hard use side taken care of and it also has the best fit and finish you'll ever find on any
production blade and most customs.
 
I have both. My SnG is a go-to knife when rough use is a possibility. I like both but Striders are tougher I would say.
 
Ken44 said:
The reblast is now free.

All you would pay is $14 for return shipping. They will sharpen and tune the knife as well. If you want a new stud or washers or back spacer there is a small fee for4 .
Click to expand...
o

Nice. Thats new news to me. So now any one that owns a sebebza has no excuse to not use them :)
 
These knife brands get compared a lot, but I don't think there could be two knives that are more different (grind, secondary bevel, steel, fit and finish, etc.). I own several of both and love both. The Sebenza feels like a finely tuned German luxury car. The Strider feels like a top of the line American 4x4. If you like both, I think you have to own both. I do not think one can replace the other, if you truly like them equally.

I carry a small insingo to work...so I don't scare all the sheeple and I carry one of a number of Striders on the weekend. If you can only grab one, I think the 25 is a very good compromise. It is stout and tough like a Strider, but has the tight tolerances of a Sebenza.
 
There are dozens of outstanding "hard use" folders that can withstand insane amounts of abuse as well, if not better, than a Strider SNG/SMF: ZT 300, Benchmade 275, Benchmade 810, Spyderco Gayle Bradley, and Cold Steel Voyager.

I have never understood the purpose or reason behind buying an incredibly expensive ($150+) knife that will intentionally subjected to hard use, borderline abusive tasks. Striders are good knives, but the marketing stigma, warranty service, and unpredictable fit and finish leave *much* to be desired. These shortfalls also fail to distinguish Strider from its competitors. Much of Strider's inflated price reflects the "hard use"/tacticool marketing fad and military-esque niche it has adopted.

I've owned dozens of knives from most major production knife companies, and not one of them comes close to approaching the fit and finish of the Sebenza 21. The Sebenza 21 distinguishes itself from the crowd with its unearthly tolerances, great blade to handle ratio, superb handle materials, ergonomic design, and sleek, no-nonsense appearance.
 
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I've had a few Striders pass through my hands. Had several CRKs pass through too.

I still have 6 CRKs. I do not plan on ever getting another Strider, for several reasons.

I must say though, that if I want the cutting edge of a SnG in a large Sebenza, I'll just break 1/2" off the tip.
 
I would avoid getting a Strider. There have been numerous f&f problems with them in the past. Un-centered blades, uneven grinds, vertical blade play, lock bar traveling beyond 100%, and poor finishes with scratches and machining marks. (all of these problems straight from the factory) I actually used to own an SNG that had a couple of these problems.

CRK on the other hand is pure perfection at its finest. Chris Reeve really takes every detail in his knives seriously, even the insignificant ones that everyone overlooks. I don't know why people here are saying that Striders are tougher, I don't think this is the case. The Sebenza is an extremely rugged knife built for hard use while maintaining finesse and elegance. Many here on bladeforums refer to it as the "Holy Grail" of production folding knives.
 
I own 3 sebenzas and a strider smf. They are 2 very different knives and hard to compare. My SMF has outstanding fit and finish. The grinds are absolutely perfect and 100% symmetrical at every section of the blade. Blade is dead center. 0 blade play whatsoever and lock up is very solid. I would never expect it to be as smooth and easy to manipulate as the sebenza, but again they are two very different knives. Choose which one you like the most and don't hesitate to buy it. I can't speak personally for strider's customer service, but I hear nothing but positive comments about it. And CRK's customer service, well there isn't much need to say anything about it. The reputation speaks for itself.
 
Since I refuse to ever put a penny in Strider's pocket my obvious choice is CRK. They are the highest quality production knife on the market, IMHO
 
If your looing for more of a "gentlemens" folder go with a sebenza... if you want something that can take a beating... get the strider...

Or.. do what i did.. and buy both =D...and couldn't be happier ;)...
 
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