ha ha another what knife to get thread ..

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panzeron

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Jun 14, 2015
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Let Me Start By Saying .. Maybe This should Have Been Posted IN The General Forum . But I wanted opinions from people who are familiar with CRK . and also other knives .. so here's my deal , since I got into knives a few months ago, I have aquire a plethora of knives . Finally aquiring my first true high end knife . A sebenza 21 with ebony inlays ... just shy of 500 dollars ... damn I still can't believe it . I remember when I got my first paramilitary 2 at 120 dollars and thought that was a lot . So here's my deal I feel I now own a lifetime of knives at hard use ... I'm not a collector but I do like to have a small stable .. so as to not put all the wear on one knife . If you mix it up the entire collection last longer by sharing the load .. ya da ya da ... now to the Crux of the post . I want to make one more high end purchase . And then just chill for a bit and enjoy the ones I have . Instead of always antisipating my next purchase . I find myself ,as soon as I hit the buy now button . I'm planning my next purchase ... not that there's anything innherintly wrong with that .. it's just not me .. I think it impedes on me using and enjoying what I have .. which already is more knives than I could use in a lifetime .. so I'm gonna make one more big purchase , budget 500 dollars .. I know I sound like an addict, one more fix and I'm off the stuff .. lmao .. but seriously ... here's what I have boiled it down to . A chris reeve umnumzaan and a strider sng cc ... which would you recommend and why ... damn I ran on a lot before getting to the point ... but I think I made some good side points along the way that y'all can relate to ... so what say you ?
 
I think the umnumzaan is a bit less "knife" and a bit more quality in each individual part. The SNG is a bit better for harder use work, even for prying and chopping. It definitely won't slouch on finer work, either. The Umnumzaan is a bit more refined and precise, but with reasonably thick blade stock it won't have any problems doing 90% of what the SNG will. It comes down to what you want to use it for.
 
You'd probably get a less biased answer in the General section but there's a solid group of people in here regardless.
I'd personally pick the Strider but would rather have the SMF over the SNG.
 
I don't have an Umnumzaan; but I do have a Strider SNG CC and large 21 with inlays.
If it will be helpful to you, I can post comparison pics...though I suspect that it would probably best done in General.
 
I think the reason I posted here is .. I'm leaning toward the strider and want someone to talk me into the umnumzaan. . Maybe I think ,I don't know .. the looks of the stryper just turn me on .. it's like my paramilitary on steroids. I love the forward finger choil . I use it all the time on my Para and millie. And it's got a sweet flat for sharpening on my edge pro .. something chris reeve knives lack . I love my sebenza 21 and the strider is something completely different .. I'm sure either knife would handle what ever I throw at it . I am a little leary of strider as a company from things I have read .. I have full confidence in chris reeve as a company ... I'm sure I'll love either knife ... but what I afraid of is getting one and then still longing for the other .. as I stated after this purchase I'm off the stuff for a while ....
 
Youre hooked on these drugs! Not easy getting off:)

Since you have a CRK, i def go with a Strider CC. I like the size of the SMF personally .
 
lemmuhj said:
Youre hooked on these drugs! Not easy getting off:) I know , I know ... that's why this decision is so important . If I make the wrong choice . It could set into motion a series of events ...that would cast me straight back into addiction hell..
Click to expand...
 
If you think this decision could make or break your "recovery", you've already lost.

I won't detail my thoughts about the Strider here (this is the CRK forum, after all) - if it gets moved, or you ask in general, (or you email me,) I'll share.
 
The fit and finish on the CRK will be head and shoulders above the Strider but to each his own, I have two SMF's and two CRK's (21 small and Zan) so I am going to cop out and say go with your gut, Strider's have a tendency to be hit and miss but CRK's do not seem to miss...I would try to handle the Strider prior to buying or buy from a person that you know. I bought my first SMF from a very trusted dealer and it was perfect but I am not sure that is always the case with them and I have not heard a bad CRK story.
 
Having both, I can't say I use one more than the other. I usually carry a CRK and Strider. It all depends which hand is free as to what knife I use.
It really doesn't matter which you choose because you will want them both and that's a fact.
If I was in your shoes, already having a CRK and knowing the quality of CRK and how reliable they are, I'd have to chose the CRK. The other thing I think about is longevity, folks here have used, yes used their CRK for many years without any issues nor have some been taken down for cleaning.
CRK's are easy to move and retain good resale value.

I've rotated my Strider collection twice and am happy with what I have. I've sold a few of my CRK's only to make room for other CRK's. I just don't sell many of them. Currently my ratio of CRK's to Striders is 3 to 1.

Of the CRK's I've sold, not one has ever been returned, can't say that about the Striders.
 
Sorry, the only solution I see is to get both.
These are so different.
If you like a short sturdy knife, you probably want to wait for the Inkosi.
As stated above you will need the other knife to find out.
My personal favorite for hard use is a large Insingo.
It got plenty cutting edge and the non sharpened top can be used as a scraping tool.
red mag
PS: If I was normal I wouldn't spent time here!
 
I've had and SNG and an SMF. As others have said they're totally different animals compared to a CRK. If decide that strength is better than

all around knife get a Strider. The SNG only has a 2.75 cutting edge while the SMF is 3.25, both have a Big choil. Small or medium size hands get

the SNG, big hands the SMF. The quality is not always good, customer service is not good from where I've read many times...............

You need a $30 tool to adjust the pivot....I had to use a blow torch to break the pivot screw loose to adjust it on my SMF!

The handle ergos are better on a Strider IMO.


CRK is in a whole different class............................................................

Get a Zaan, get a Zaan, get a Zaan , you won't be sorry.
 
Ive had strider sng and smf before and they are tanks and fit and finish is hit and miss sometimes as another had said better to buy those in person. Sent in a knife for off center and sharpening and they sent it back exactly the same without touching the knife after a month needless to say i sold them immediately and moved on. I see you are considering the umnumzaan did you give the sebenza 25 micarta a look? It has the same blade thickness of the umnum but with a large hollow grind which blends the flat grind of the strider with the hollow grind of the 21. Again the striders are different altogether but if i were to compare a CRK model it would be a 25 preferably in micarta. If your on the fence try buying both used in good condition you should be able to recover most of the funds if not all if you make the buy at the right price. I have met dwayne dwyer at a knife show once, and he is a great guy, he is a rockstar type if I could describe him. They are always very busy there and serve a lot of military guys with their knifes.
 
I will not help you pick between either one. I will say this however; if you can't decide between the two, you are already setting up to buy another knife very shortly. You will inevitably buy one and then also want the other. So, instead of which one to buy, pick which one to buy first. Haha... :)

You know I am right.
 
The Umnumzaan for sure.
It will have higher tolerance levels, and the fit and finish will be much better as well. Just a better made knife all the way around.

CRK also has better customer service. You can even call them on the phone if needed,lol !

I would also MUCH rather give my money to a person such as Chris myself, but that's just me.
 
I have 4 CRK's and the last one is an umnumzaan. If I could go back in time, I would have bought the zaan first and no others. Its my favorite knife of all time. I don't take it easy on it either.
 
I've never owned a Strider but I must say the Umnumzaan has fallen out of favor with me over time unlike the 21.

While the Umnumzaan has a stout design aesthetically I found the dual purpose thumbstuds and lack of bushing to be weak points. I know you can use loctite to secure the pivot but part of the charm of CRK is that you don't have to fiddle with them, and you can easily break them down for cleaning. Loctite means it's more difficult to take down and reassemble, the adjustable pivot is nice if you want to be able to flick the knife open (my umnumzaan shoots out like an auto) I've found no practical advantage to this in my experience.

Also, on my example the thumbstuds fell off rendering the knife completely useless. It was one of the first models where I hear this was a known and corrected issue, but it definitely soured me on the design nonetheless. CRK did fix it quickly, fee of charge though!

If I purchase another 'hard use' modern folder, which is not likely, it would be a Hinderer. I highly recommend considering the XM-18 as it is a nice meeting between the ruggedness of Strider and the QC, FF and customer service of CRK.

I want to reiterate that I am a huge CRK fan, I own and use several large and small 21's, fixed blades, mnandis and plan on checking out a ti-lock soon.
 
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