Disappointment!

B

Bolt

Joined
Aug 28, 2007
Messages
449
Well everyone, I have just returned from the Chesapeke Knife Show here in Maryland, and I am very disappointed. I had saved up some of my extra money to go to this show. This was my first ever knife show, and the show itself was a treat. I met many a custom knife makers, and some of their pieces were trully works of art.
My disappointment came when I approached the Strider table. I had purchased the Buck version of their knife not to long ago, and I was itching to see the real thing in person. I was taken back by the arrogant personalities of the men working the table, as if they were displaying knives that were unmatched in the room. I proceeded to work my way down the table, handling their folders. I will give them that the knife locks up strong, and has a strong feel to it. The warranty is outstanding, but when every knife felt different as I opened and closed them, and half the handle is made from G-10, I could not justify the 400 they were asking, not to mention the few that were priced as high as 900. I just could not see it. Strong knife, yeah, but fit and finish to justify price, no way.
I began looking at the Chris Reeve Sebenzas around the show. EVERYONE, even at other vendors, felt exactly the same. Smooth open, extreme lock-up. Every vendor that had them, had many others from custom to strider included, and the Chris Reeve was the only production knife in my opinion that justified the custom level pricing.
I had plans to by a Strider so that I could show the difference to my friends from the Buck Strider that I own. I wanted a Strider because the opportunity for me to save this kind of money for a knife may not come around again for quite some time, so I wanted a knife that would be there for the wait with a warranty that would not fail, but the air was let out of my balloon when my hands picked one up.
The other failing point that I failed to mention was that the Strider guys had the Kershaw Zero Tolerance line on the table as well, and in all honesty, the ZT's were just as much knife for considerably less.
At the end of the day my smile had returned as I drove home with a Chris Reeve Small Classic Sebenza.
See you on the Chris Reeve boards!!
 
Congrats on your new Sebbie..... Its really disappointing when you have yourself all worked up to see something that you really want, only to find out its less than you expected. I know there are a lot of guys that swear by Striders. Makes it even worse when the people you are dealing with have an attitude. I can't comment on the Striders as I have never looked at one before, they just never really grabbed my attention... The CRK knives are definetely sweet, and CRK doesn't have to use all the tactical hype to sell their knives JMO......
 
You still brought home a great knife. Striders need to be used/broke in to really understand them. I carried a SNG droppoint for a few months as EDC, great knife. But, still IMHO they are about $150 to high, for what you get. But, they sell at them prices, so they must be priced right.

You done good getting a Sebbie instead! IMHO :cool:
 
It really doesn't matter to me if the knife was worth the money or not. If you got treated badly by them I wouldn't have bought it either. That really sours my opinion on someone and their product when they act that way.

Those Sebenza's are sweet knives and you should get years of use and enjoyment out of yours.
 
Bolt said:
Well everyone, I have just returned from the Chesapeke Knife Show here in Maryland, and I am very disappointed. I had saved up some of my extra money to go to this show. This was my first ever knife show, and the show itself was a treat. I met many a custom knife makers, and some of their pieces were trully works of art.
Click to expand...

Sorry your first knife show was not a totally pleasant experience, but remember for every bad attitude out there, there are plenty of good ones. And in the end, any bad encounter you can drive home safely from is a good one!

Keep hitting those shows! :thumbup:
 
I just got back from the show also. The two things I went for no one had. belts and mesquite. I did find some nice ironwood. :thumbup:
Some beautiful knives at the show. J. Neilson and Butcher Block have some stunning pieces on their table.
Scott
 
It is disappointing when a product (knife, car, whatever) doesn't live up to hyped expectations. But that's what knife shows and test drives are for. So even though you didn't like the item you specifically went to see, you ended with a fine knife anyway and gained valuable experience.
 
had many others from custom to strider included, and the Chris Reeve was the only production knife in my opinion that justified the custom level pricing.
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Preach it Brother! :p
 
Bob W. I could not agree with you more! I found the whole show to be very beneficial. I got to see many knives I wondered about, example the Benchmade Skirmish. Man is that thing BIG!!!! Should I ever get one, it will be the MINI. The show opened my eyes to a much large world of knives. I thought I had the knife collecting itch before.
Can't wait for the next show.
 
BOLT said:
My disappointment came when I approached the Strider table. ... I was taken back by the arrogant personalities of the men working the table, as if they were displaying knives that were unmatched in the room. ... I will give them that the knife locks up strong, and has a strong feel to it. The warranty is outstanding, but when every knife felt different as I opened and closed them, and half the handle is made from G-10, I could not justify the 400 they were asking, not to mention the few that were priced as high as 900. I just could not see it. Strong knife, yeah, but fit and finish to justify price, no way.
Click to expand...
Anytime someone can get hundreds of dollars for a plain pocketknife, my hat's off to 'em. And if they can make the folks happy who buy them, so much the better. But whether any plain folder is worth what's asked for it is something else. There are lots of folks who can afford them and who buy them, but what's the criterion? Smooth lockworks? Strong locks? Supersteel blades? A combination of the above?

I suspect the Strider guys were simply trying to pitch their knives as being worth the clearly outrageous prices they thought they could get.

Since there will always be a market for Sebbies, you'll generally be safe investing in them. And it will probably be safer than spending the same amount of money on a fine magnum revolver, which may later be in danger of being confiscated by the government. In short, anything that can be kept as a commodity, and keep its value, is worth investing in.

One can't help but wonder why Strider believes its knives are worth so much. Only time will tell.
 
Strider has a number of interesting designs and it looks to me as if their fit and finish have improved.
 
An acquaintance who has met the Strider team said to me a year or so ago how he thought their arrogance was glaring. I've never met them or read much about them, so my initial thought was that he was just in the wrong frame of mind at the time he was dealing with them. This is the second instance I've heard ill about the Strider group.
 
When I run across a vendor with an arrogant attitude he doesn't get one thin dime of my money!
 
That's what's so great about knife shows and knife stores. You get a chance to see the knives for yourself. As Bob W said, "So even though you didn't like the item you specifically went to see, you ended with a fine knife anyway and gained valuable experience."

Sebenza and Strider, often compared, appeal to completely different market segments. You did especially well by understanding this instinctively, and recognizing what was right for you, not what the hype had been telling you. Imagine if your only resources had been advertising and these forums. You might have sent in your $400 and been unhappy with the result.

But no knife is perfect for everyone. Some people just haven't got the class to appreciate a SEBENZA. :D
 
Different knives for different tastes. There are Strider knives that I really like and i think are worth the money, and there are Strider knives that I don't like and don't think are worth the selling price.

Arrogance turns me off, but I wasn't there so I can't comment on how the Strider folks were acting.
 
I always made a point of looking over the Strider knives, and talking with the guys working their tables. I never felt any of them were arrogant. Just the opposite: I had a lot of fun talking with them about the knives. But then, I met them at the New York knife shows, and maybe when I get back to New York, I get a little arrogant myself. :cool:

They aren't selling grandpa's whittler or kid's toys, so maybe their enthusiasm is a bit rambunctious. Like the knives themselves, the Strider guys have their own place, and it may not be for everyone. That's why there's such a variety of other knives and other people at these shows.
 
The New York Strider crew is very friendly, especially when paired with Ernie Emerson. To them, Striders are what they are
 
I was at the show, liked it very much and wish I could have afforded more:grumpy: I didnt have a problem with the strider table, they were pretty helpful to me actually and answered all of my questions. But that was my experience....it sucks you had a bad one. Great buy in the sebbie:thumbup:
 
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