CRK VS Hinderer VS Strider

There are only a few brands that, no matter the quality or how much I like the design, I will never buy because of the behavior of the owner. Strider is one of them. There are plenty of more palatable sources of quality knives.
 
I have owned more in the past but currently own multiple models of all thee brands - Strider PT and SMF, CRK large and small Sebenza and Inkosi, and Hinderer XM24, XM18 3 " and 3.5". They are all pretty tough well made knives and each have some advantages. I did not think any were exceptionally sharp right out of the box. As far as fixed blades go I don't really like any of these makers especially Strider with their cord wrapped handles, and I don't care for the CRK hollow handle models at all, but the Micarta handled ones are fairly good. I have not owned a fixed Hinderer but some do look OK. I think all of these knives are pretty expensive for what they are, especially Strider. The ergonomics of the Hinderer folders are easily the best of the bunch with CRK second and Strider sucking wind last. Out of the bunch the only ones I carry on a regular basis are the Hinderer XM24, which I have made extremely sharp and the large CRK's also made pretty sharp by myself. That is my felling and quick summary of the bunch. I don't think any of them are all that much better than the ZT 561 that's currently in my pocket especially for the money.
 
For me, CRK holds up in the trinity, joined by the Koenig Arius and the Arno Bernard iMamba.

Honorable mention to Hinderer (not sharp enough, and I don't always love their detents); Spartan Harsey Folder (the action, fit, and finish aren't quite there for my taste although their art is great); and Shirogorov (although I don't want to have to worry about warranty shipping to Russia.)

I currently own all of the above. I've never owned a Strider, but have handled one, and hated the ergos. Other issues have already been shared.

And I'm sure Les George deserves his love, I just haven't found any that spoke to me.
 
CRK is still a benchmark for quality IMO. There are now a few brands that are even more expensive and have gained a following, but they stand out more with things like snappy flipper action; it's hard to beat the practicality of a CRK for a work knife. Hinderer is still around and not much different. Strider closed down and now has Toor making his knives, apparently.

There are new contenders that are directly comparable to the old trinity, though, and edge them out. Arno Bernard does something similar to CRK but with an even higher degree of polish and more handwork like the early CRK's. The Spartan Harsey reminds me of Hinderer but with a more ergonomic design and without the little issues I had with my XM-18. And Medford is like an improved Strider (Medford has a lot of detractors, too, but if you like Strider, Medford is better in pretty much every way).

Other than that, Shirogorov and Koenig have come out as higher end mainstays. Les George, McNees, Grismo, Oz, Custom Knife Factory, Reate, Rike, and a few others have also made their mark but aren't as established, popular, and iconic as the old trinity were. Maybe they'll get there.
 
Hi
I can share some expirience of Strider knives usage. In 2016 bought Sebenza 21, Hinderer XM-24 and Strider SnG with the hope to find my ideal EDC knife. Maybe its strange but Strider (produced in 2016) become my main EDC for next 6 years. It hase a lot of use and harduse like prying, chopping and crazy flipping of course :) So with this experience I can say that Strider definitely have issue with frame lock wear. During this 6 years I needed bent-up the frame lock plate three times due to its wear off, but now there are no more resource so it have some not adjustable rock lock. My second Strider I was using quite more gently, but already after around one year of use I see the significant wear of the frame in the blade contact zone. So I sent it in to the drawer.
About Sebenza (I hade three of them) I can't say anything bad, very impressive knife, never have any issues with it. But Sebby qute boring for my taste, and unfortunately dont take that much pocket time as it deserves.
And now my question if OP don't mind :)
All this years my gorgeus XM-24 Bowie was waiting for its time. And I really want to know how it takes real and regular use as an hard use folder? especially how quickly the "heel" (sorry don't know the correct term) of the frame wears out. I hope on this forum I will find somebody who really use this knife and can share with own opinion, because here in the middle Asia, Hinderer knives is only fancy photo-models :D
Sorry, I’m forgot to mention, it’s a gen-4 XM without steel insert.
 
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SuzukiGS750EZ said:
Now comes the question.... Do striders still have issues?
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I have an SnG of recent manufacture, and it has no issues. I did a lot of research before buying it to figure out if the trend of lockup-related issues was a past problem or a current one, and it seemed to be a past problem. My sample size of one agrees. ;)

Among the very few knives I still own are a CRK Inkosi, a Hinderer XM-18 3.5, and this SnG. They're all excellent in different ways and fill slightly different niches in my collection/rotation.

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Love Strider knives it’s a knife you have to earn to make it through the break in period. Once you do it will be hard to beat and you earned the right to enjoy it .
 
You know, 20 years ago when I was first getting into knives, it was clear that it was CRK, Hinderer, and Strider. But now there are so many choices of extremely high-quality made-in-the-USA knives that you just don't need to pick a brand with an owner or maker who says or does sketchy or drama-filled things.
 
WedgeAntilles said:
For me, CRK holds up in the trinity, joined by the Koenig Arius and the Arno Bernard iMamba.

Honorable mention to Hinderer (not sharp enough, and I don't always love their detents); Spartan Harsey Folder (the action, fit, and finish aren't quite there for my taste although their art is great); and Shirogorov (although I don't want to have to worry about warranty shipping to Russia.)

I currently own all of the above. I've never owned a Strider, but have handled one, and hated the ergos. Other issues have already been shared.

And I'm sure Les George deserves his love, I just haven't found any that spoke to me.
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Did you find the Hinderer detents too weak or too strong?
 
I had issues with Hinderer in about 2018 with their screws falling out of my Half Track and my XM-18, had to put on a generous amount of locktite. I since had a few Hinderers and all of them were perfect.

When the 31 first came out I had a couple small 31s, and they all had lock bar flex. I since got one, and it had no flex at all. Ive still heard it being an issue.

Ive never had a strider.

All in all, I have sold all my modern folders and have gone to the true holy land, of Great Eastern Cutlery.
 
I’ve never had a Strider, but I’ve had both a few Hinderers and a CRK and none of them have stuck around for various reasons…

The CRK (large inkosi) simply wasn’t appealing to my hand, though the idea of a large 31 in Magnacut has been growing on me.

I liked the two Hinderers better, and they both stuck around a little longer, but despite being really nice, I simply don’t love the combo of thick blade stock, weakish detent, pokey flipper tab, thick grinds, and softish steel. Other than that, a USA-made titanium tank really appeals to me.

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But honestly, there are other makers in the same price category that I think provide better combinations of design, quality, practicality, and bang-for-buck.

#4 Koenig. I recently picked up a patterned NF Arius, which is, in my opinion, one of the most attractive knives out there, while being made extremely, extremely well made. And sliced very nicely, despite being ground from thicker blade stock than even the XM-18 3.5”. (Beautiful hollow grind) I did sell mine, but I’m on the hunt for a mini!

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#3 Tactile. Their newest model, the Archer, is their first venture into this level of knife, and though I personally wouldn’t drop the $600 for a new one, around $400 for a preowned model on the exchange isn’t bad at all. The machining is incredible on these, and it’s a very functional folder, despite being not quite as comfy on the mitts as the Arius. They’re also almost 100% made in Texas, except for the skiff bearings they come standard with. Mine continues to get smoother and smoother as I break it in! (It already has a controlled free fall action with 0 play and perfect centering).


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#2 MachineWise. These guys are new to folders, but I’m telling y’all the Sonora is a gem. It’s an extremely well finished contoured, textured, integral, 100% in shop made button lock flipper. That weighs 3.5 ounces. Magnacut at 63-64 or S35VN at 62-64 (they individually test every blade and I saw an S35VN version at 63.5…). They’ve been changing up their blade finishes, but the one I ended up with has a near-mirror stonewash that’s just gorgeous, and the grind is just beautiful, going from .120” to something like .0011” behind the edge on the belly. They also run on a unique steel bushing system stolen from MachineWise’s balisong experience that’s smoother than anything else I’ve ever felt. Period. It feels like buttered glass, and has the free swing of bearings, but with the grime-resistant nature of washers. I have beat on mine, and simply love using it. Even at $650, this is an easy A++ in my book.

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And at #1 in my personal ratings… Holt. It’s gotta be. I’ve owned a Holt Haptic in the past and traded it away, but recently I picked up a Morpheus and found the love again. This thing is ridiculous. The tolerance are absurd, the machining is absurd, the finishing is absurd. The action is the smoothest frame lock or liner lock that I’ve ever felt. Actually, scratch that, it’s the smoothest of any knife I’ve ever felt, aside from the above-mentioned Sonora. Oh, and did I mention it’s an almost complete mirror polish? And made by a two-person team? Yeah… These things are nuts. The price when new? Also nuts. On the exchange? Not bad at all! Especially considering you’re getting something that rivals a far more expensive custom in every aspect.

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Also, I feel like we need to talk about the Chinese legacy brands. Specifically Reate, who I feel truly has earned their place among the “Holy Trinity” discussion. In my opinion, they were making better knives than any of the Holy Trinity were when Reate first hit their stride around 2015.

In modern times, Reate is well-know for always producing folders that are finished extremely well, and, as I’ve experienced, are always mechanically perfect. I.e. they have no blade play, lock-rock, precious little detent or pivot lash and are always perfectly centered. They go back together exceptionally well, with parts fitting tightly and easily.

This is something that not every USA brand can claim. And I’ll also bring Shirogorov into this discussion, as both of the Shiros on MRBS I’ve had have both had issues with “wandering centering”.

But if we travel back in time to 2015… Reate is still just as good as they are today.

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This is an original Reate Torrent in M390 produced in 2015. The pivot runs on ceramic MRBS. The blade is M390 @61-62. The scales are chamfered and micromilled gorgeously, and though it isn’t shown in the photo, the backspacer is polished and the clip is finished just as nicely. The grind lines are perfect. The action is still near perfect, though slight detent lash has developed over the thousands of times I alone have flipped it. It’s still snappy, still has a controlled, buttery drop shut, and still locks up 100% rock solid. In hand it’s far and away more comfortable than an XM-18 while retaining the same sort of hand-filling metal slab feel.

This is so much better than any other 9 year old knife I’ve ever gotten the chance to handle it’s not even funny. And it continues to cut and be used and perform, which in my mind proves Reate’s viability as a true legacy brand.
 
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WedgeAntilles said:
Both of mine have weak detents. I can shake them open, and it's possible to fail them with the flipper tab.
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Ugh. A weak detent is a deal-breaker for me. I’ve been looking at an XM-18 lately but perhaps I’ll skip Hinderer and look elsewhere.
 
Both detents on my xm-18 and xm-24 are great. I don’t feel they’re weak at all. The -24 is from 2022 I believe and I just got the -18 last month. I want to try a Sonora but I see they’re slightly difficult to come by new!
 
SuzukiGS750EZ said:
Both detents on my xm-18 and xm-24 are great. I don’t feel they’re weak at all. The -24 is from 2022 I believe and I just got the -18 last month. I want to try a Sonora but I see they’re slightly difficult to come by new!
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There are three plain-Jane models in stock right now!
 
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