Disappointment!

To clarify a bit, I would not say that the Strider guys were rude, but arrogant about their product. Maybe they just picked-up on the shock I had when I saw and felt the inconsistancy of their knives, added to the prices that were on them. Again, my body language was probably what put them on edge as I handled the Zero Tolerance and began asking questions on them, shying away from all the Striders that I just was asking about. I was not trying to put them on edge, but I can understand. When I walked across the aisle and pulled out my money to by a Sebenza, I am sure that that did not help either.

I plan on carrying my Sebbie everyday, but would still like to save up for a strong tank of a knife. I have the Zero Tolerance in mind now, but are there others that you all would recomend besides the Strider?
 
The Hinderer XM-18 seems to be all the rage, but I haven't found the change to buy one yet. I own a ZT 0302 and it's nice but heavy as hell. I swear to god, it weighs as much as one of my little handguns.
 
I am not too familiar with the Hinderer knives. I have heard of them, and seen a few on the never ending EDC thread, but would love to hear about them some more. I will be some time before I can save up the money to buy a tank of a folder, so I will have a lot of time to review all of your thoughts. Thanks again, and please keep the options coming.
 
Time and time again I have been psyched up about a particular knife. Then, when I had the opportunity to handle it, was disappointed. It is really nice to hear that you did manage to find a knife that YOU are happy with. The fact that it came in a somewhat unexpected way, to my mind, is even better. Sometimes those are the best kind of purchases. Congrats on the Sebbie. Use it in good health.
 
I bought the SnG after seeing alot in the forums on it. I compared features and assessed the knife as a whole, not for any one individual characteristic. I got to looking precisely because I wanted a Sebenza - and discovered it did not have the features I thought were necessary in a big bucks knife.

I bought the SnG because I would use it, and do. Chopped 3/4" ice off the door handles of my Jeep with the back of the blade just two days ago. I shaved sheetrock with it the day before to install a new HVAC grille. I do things like that with a SnG, and lots of others do.

For pretty, I carry a Buck Mayo TNT, which I think is equal in strength to a Sebenza. I treat it gently. Hollow ground knives are thinner and more likely to break doing something you shouldn't with a knife.

Some folks don't see the price, but I never found used Striders a fire sale bargain yet, so as a "commodity" investment, it's holding up well.
 
I'd imagine I'd let the vendor demeanor turn me off of his knife. That aside, it's hard to compare the Seb to the Strider.

My impressions are off of owning a small Seb & an SnG (Should be getting a PT in the next day or two).

The Seb reminds me of a Lexus. Class & reliabilty along with incredible tolerances & consistency.

The Strider's more like a Humvee (The older ones). It's big, tough, but can be a little rough around the edges. But it'll do everything you'll need it to do.

I've found the Seb to be too pretty to want to use it & scratch it up. I don't feel that way with the SnG. It makes me wanna use it.

Having said that, I'd LOVE to get a Hinderer. Any one would do, but the XM-18 would be the bomb. & that reminds me of a Ferrari. But a Ferrari from years ago, when they crammed a 12 cyl, IIRC, into a Jeep. Tough, but FAST.

OK, enough dreaming. You did pick up a very nice knife at the show, though.
 
I think of the XM18 as the child of a Sebenza and a Strider. It has the best of both.
 
Bolt, you forgot to drink the KOOL-AID first. I have had similar vibes at different shows. Strider knives will have their advocates, to them the product is worth the money. Others will feel differently. I'm glad you are happy with your Sebbie, many others are too. You will also hear those that say the Sebbie isn't worth the money either, that knife <insert your favorite here> is as good or better for less money. As long as you are happy, that is all that counts.
 
striders are over priced and dont have great preformance
they are mass produced, not hand forged
the are mass heat treated, not done individually or differentually tempered(they should be, for the price)
their fixed blades are made so simple because they dont want to worry about fit and finish
it really doesnt matter though, they are mostlly used by mall ninja's
 
So says you Macgregor but I happen to like them and have used an AR, GB and an SNG for real hardcore EDC and they did what they were made to do.

They sure are not art knives.............Different strokes I suppose.

Sometimes extreme confidence in a product can equate to arrogance.....
 
well there folders are great, they are very tough
I was mainly talking about the fixed blades
I still think they are alittle costly
 
macgregor22 said:
striders are over priced and dont have great preformance
they are mass produced, not hand forged
the are mass heat treated, not done individually or differentually tempered(they should be, for the price)
their fixed blades are made so simple because they dont want to worry about fit and finish
it really doesnt matter though, they are mostlly used by mall ninja's
Click to expand...

macgregor22,

I seldom involve myself in these types of threads but felt obliged to respond to your post.

If you are presenting the five points in your post to be fact, would you be so kind as to cite your sources? If these points are opinions, I will steadfastly support your right to express them. However, will you again be so kind as to elaborate on how you came to have these opinions.

Please tell us honestly how many Strider, CRK, or knives of similar price and quality you have owned and briefly explain your experience with them.

I have owned and used Strider knives for approximately five years. These uses include hunting, fishing, camping, and general everyday knife related tasks. I have found them to be sturdy, robust, tools that have performed as advertised. So not to be labeled as a Strider fanboy, I also own and use knives by Reeve, Randall, Carson, Spyderco, Victorinox, and other makers both production and custom. I have owned and used knives for approximately fifty-four years.

If your goal is to bash Strider knives and to surround yourself with those who despise them, then this forum is indeed your Mecca. You will encounter few here that will disagree with you. The hatred here for Mr. Strider and his products is so thick you can cut it with a knife.

I suspect however your knife experience is somewhat limited. Your unrelated post extolling the virtues of your CRKT Kiss may perhaps be an example. In that post you explain your fondness for the knife is because the girls think it is cool.

I for one would take the information in your posts more seriously if presented a bit more professionally. Your logic, spelling, and grammar appear to be that of a fifteen year old. Oh, wait............you are a fifteen year old.

Have a nice evening.

dan
 
O.k., just for the record again, I do not think that Striders are a bad knife by any stretch, I merely started this thread to share a disappointment in the fit and finish for the price being asked. If I come across a Strider folder someday for around $200 or so, I may pull the trigger and buy it, but that is highly unlikely. From other thoughts shared, I could see the investment of the asking price of a Strider being better spent on a R. Hinderer.
All you Strider fans please just relax.
 
A bad experience with a Cold Steel employee is what turned me off their product, so I can understand where you are coming from.

That said, my experience with them at BLADE 06 was very positive. I had set out to originally buy a Large Micarta Sebenza, but ended up taking home a Coyote Brown SnG. When I was looking at the Strider booth they only had PTs & SMFs, but the person there had a SnG. When I told him I preferred the SnG, he then told one of the other guys there to go scour their vendors to find some SnGs. A few minutes later there were 3 different SnGs for me to choose from. Then learning I was a Disabled Vet, they offered me their Military discount. I told them it was not necessary because I had been out since 99, but they insisted. When I asked the guy behind the counter about the warranty, he turned to a guy off to the side digging through some stuff and said "What's the warranty?" That guy just looked up and said "You break it, I'll fix it, and thanks for buying a knife." That guy was Mick Strider.

All in all a very positive experience on my part. Sorry yours was not better, could be you just caught them on a bad day. Maybe they were a bit hung-over or just got done dealing with someone talking negatively about their work, making them a bit defensive.

Always gets me how a legitimate post regarding Strider Knives can get made here and some people just feel the need to jump in & bash them regardless of whether it is off topic or not even related. Like I said, I'm not overly fond of Cold Steel, but I don't see the need to jump in every post here on them and bash their product or poke fun at those who own the product.
 
Bolt said:
From other thoughts shared, I could see the investment of the asking price of a Strider being better spent on a R. Hinderer.
All you Strider fans please just relax.
Click to expand...

AMEN!!!

For the record I do own a MSC but waiting for delivery on a Hinderer 3.5" Hellfire blade XM-18 which will be roughly half the price.
 
Halfneck said:
A bad experience with a Cold Steel employee is what turned me off their product, so I can understand where you are coming from.

That said, my experience with them at BLADE 06 was very positive. I had set out to originally buy a Large Micarta Sebenza, but ended up taking home a Coyote Brown SnG. When I was looking at the Strider booth they only had PTs & SMFs, but the person there had a SnG. When I told him I preferred the SnG, he then told one of the other guys there to go scour their vendors to find some SnGs. A few minutes later there were 3 different SnGs for me to choose from. Then learning I was a Disabled Vet, they offered me their Military discount. I told them it was not necessary because I had been out since 99, but they insisted. When I asked the guy behind the counter about the warranty, he turned to a guy off to the side digging through some stuff and said "What's the warranty?" That guy just looked up and said "You break it, I'll fix it, and thanks for buying a knife." That guy was Mick Strider.

All in all a very positive experience on my part. Sorry yours was not better, could be you just caught them on a bad day. Maybe they were a bit hung-over or just got done dealing with someone talking negatively about their work, making them a bit defensive.

Always gets me how a legitimate post regarding Strider Knives can get made here and some people just feel the need to jump in & bash them regardless of whether it is off topic or not even related. Like I said, I'm not overly fond of Cold Steel, but I don't see the need to jump in every post here on them and bash their product or poke fun at those who own the product.
Click to expand...

wow, that sounds like a movie scene :D:thumbup:
 
Bolt said:
To clarify a bit, I would not say that the Strider guys were rude, but arrogant about their product. Maybe they just picked-up on the shock I had when I saw and felt the inconsistancy of their knives, added to the prices that were on them. Again, my body language was probably what put them on edge as I handled the Zero Tolerance and began asking questions on them, shying away from all the Striders that I just was asking about. I was not trying to put them on edge, but I can understand. When I walked across the aisle and pulled out my money to by a Sebenza, I am sure that that did not help either.

I plan on carrying my Sebbie everyday, but would still like to save up for a strong tank of a knife. I have the Zero Tolerance in mind now, but are there others that you all would recomend besides the Strider?
Click to expand...

Check Yuna knives.

Thanks, Vasili.
 
You ended up with a great knife, I have one as well and the next time I save up enough for a large Seb I'll have a hard time deciding on a Seb or another SMF or SnG.

The SMF I have was worth the money for me and am quite happy with the workmanship and materials. My youngest (9) is quite fond of the Strider and uses it alot. Perhaps you can try again later. As has been mentioned, mine needed some break in time, not unlike my Seb.

There is a chance, based on your body language comment, that you didn't seem like you were genuine about your intent to purchase, or were negative in your discussion. That may be a part of what transpired, maybe not, so relax.
 
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