Extrema Ratio vs. Strider?

ReconTech

ReconTech

Joined
Dec 3, 2002
Messages
316
What is your opinion, if you had one fixed blade, for EDC, for battle use, for hard use, whatever it may be...

Which would you get? Extrema Ratio or Strider? You can always suggest others, but these are the two i'm focusing on... And no customs please...just production knives...

Also, I have heard a lot of comments about how the material (blade and handle) used on Extrema Ratio knives are much better than Strider materials, true in your opinion? Any real life tests done of owners of both knives?

Other fixed blades I've looked at are from Mission, Busse Combat, Swamp Rat and of course, on the lower end of the price range, BK&T, SOG, etc....
 
Never owned a Strider, but I can assure that the ERs are tough. I've got a Harpoon (not the F version, no need to rip through aircraft skin).

I took it through some hard work on a camping trip and was extremely impressed (no pun intended). The steel is tough as nails, but resist a lot of torque (I had to pry a knot out of a board of our campsite table to set up a rain shelter.) I chopped through many pieces of hard wood and it came out still shaving sharp. It also comes with interchangeable handles and sheaths that you can purchase for it. Different colors and materials.
 
Not to down either of these knives, but NIB and Fudo, Do you own a Extreme Ratio?? I am not saying one is better than the other. But I believe you can't offer much of an opinion unless you own and have extensively used both.:rolleyes:
 
Thats my point exactly, its hard to find people who own and use both...

Lets try this, which one has better steel? I do like the idea of being able to have interchangable handles and what not...
 
When Tactical Knives did a review on the Extreme Ratio, they broke the tip off the knife and suggested to the company that the steel in the tip area should be left a little thicker. I don't know if this has been remedied or not. Might want to discuss it in the new Extrema Ratio forum. They look nice to me though, I like their designs.
 
I tried to cut a mango up the other day... first with my Strider, then with a friend's Extreme Ratio... neither one did very well. The factory edge was too shallow to cut a soft mango effectively. Instead, it sorta ripped and mushed, making a horrible mess of juice and mango fibers. Both thick blades tended to make the slices uncontrollable and awkward... I think for cutting purposes, they are both as effective, or ineffective as the other.

On the other hand, my Swedish (SAW brand) camp hatchet sliced a similar mango neatly and effectively... talk about role reversal.
 
That's a strange mental image -- a grown man tenderly cutting through a mango with a hatchet. :D

It would be nice to see what Cliff Stamp had to say about the two knives.

Truthfully both are so overbuilt, you probably wouldn't have any problem with either one. It's just a matter of taste.

BTW -- how did they bust the tip? I was going crazy on that piece of wood (the Keystone helped throw away my "new knife" inhabitions.) :D
 
I did the article for TK and when stabbing and gouging out a hole in a 2X4 I hit a NAIL coming up from the backside. I broke off about 1/32 of an inch from the tip. Also YES they have add more steel to the tip. Frank donated six knifes which I forward to an old SF tean mate in Afghanistan. He used it to cut open cans and at one point cut through about a foot of sun dried mud wall (gets like concrete) to make a hole for a stove pipe, all without damage to the point. I have also used Strider knives and they are also rock solid. I think it is more a matter of personal taste, both Exteme Ratio and Strider are knives that will not let you down.
 
Hmmmm...perhaps looking under the hood might provide some insight...

The Extrema Ratio tangs

standard


standard


decloaked Striders

standard


standard


Which one gives you more confidence?? Which one do you think will have better balance (and which one is more likely to be blade heavy?)

RL
 
I look at being able to switch out Handle materials, for which they sell different styles as a plus!
 
Actually, one of the most impressive parts of Extrema Ratio is the balance, particularly in their Col Moschin blade. It's . . . perfect. As one of the guys at their booth put it, "I picked up that knife and the only way I could tell it was in my hand was by seeing it there in my hand." I heartily concur.

Striders . . . well, they're legendary, I must admit.

But . . . "ultimate hard use blade" screams Busse to me, particularly the new Fusion Steel Heart. Busse doesn't have much on their website now, but the new line they've got coming out is very, very nifty. Check out the blade I'm talking about here. It's absolutely amazing.

Oh, and if the tan isn't your thing, you can get it in black. And if you break it, I don't care how, I'll respect you eternally. :D

And Jerry will give you a new one.
 
I think the benefits of a full tang are overated. Having said that, I don't like the looks of the tang on the ER in the top picture. The one in the second picture, however, looks tough enough for me. Is the more substantial Strider tang tougher than the narrower Extrema Ratio? Yes, I'm sure it is. Am I going to be able to find the limits of either tang using just my bare hands? No, probably not. I'd need to put a pipe over the handle and have the blade clamped in a vise before I could even begin to test the limits of the tang strength. Properly heat treated steel is extremely tough, so a tang doesn't need to be massive to be tough enough. And having handled ER knives at the Blade show, I can say that they were extremely well balanced. In fact that was one of the things about them that really struck me, because it was missing from many of the other combat knives I handled, including Stiders. Even the monstrous T-2000M had a nice balance, and it's blade is almost 12" long! In contrast, I handled full sized Viking swords that felt lighter in the hand than the Striders. I have no doubt Striders are bombproof, and they have the weight to prove it. But I don't thing a massive full tang is necessary to have a good tough knife. My Himalayan Imports khukuris seem to get by just fine on little stick tangs.
 
I have both an ER Harpoon F (striped) and a Strider BT SS.

I've had both knives for about a year and unfortunately haven't gotten the chance to use them much. I haven't been camping or anything like that.

I love both knives a lot. The fit and finish on the ER is impeccable, and Striders have their own "factory-used" type of look to them which I find very appealing. The Striders just have this aura of "use me, use me hard" about them. Many don't consider them very "pretty" but I think their hardcore, no-BS ruggedness is exactly what makes them so appealing to so many.

That said, if I had to grab only one and go it would be the Strider, hands down. The ER's are fine blades, were designed for the Italian Special Forces, and apparently Frank shipped quite a few to some USSF units as well.

However, because of Strider's much longer reputation, I'll stick with them. Busses seem to be excellent blades too, but since you are between ER and Strider, get the Strider.

Any idea which one you want? I like my BT but oh, how I long for a BN...
 
I have handled and used a number of Striderss, and I handled almost all of the ER line at Blade. I find them to be well made but of clumsy design and especially poor handle design. They have square corners all over. My hands don't have any corners on them. They look like a design by a committee of Rambo wannabees. The ER people, Frank especially, have been pleasant and helpful. I just don't like the knives
 
The pics that RL posted are of the KI Doberman, which is NOT a tactical knife in the sense of the Strider and other ER designs, and can not be included in any discussion of this type. The other pic is of the Dobermann II with the original style (non-removeable handle. The pic below shows the Col Moschin w/ the new removeable handle and the slightly re-designed (fuller)tang beneath.
The "which is better" debate is one that I do not wish to engage. This is alot like arguing over who has the better looking girlfriend. Different strokes for different folks!! Strider makes an excellent knife...so does Extrema Ratio. We are the new kid on the block so we are looking for our way to fit in. If any one wants "correct" information please feel free to email or call.
Thanks!
Col%20Moschin%20Dismounted.jpg
 
Originally posted by ExtremaRatioUSA

The "which is better" debate is one that I do not wish to engage. This is alot like arguing over who has the better looking girlfriend. Different strokes for different folks!! Strider makes an excellent knife...so does Extrema Ratio.
Click to expand...
Very well said, Frank.
 
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