How does Striders frame lock compare to Cold Steel Tri-ad and which one is stronger?

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lonestar1979

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Mar 2, 2014
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I have handled couple Striders(folding ) at my local dealer, and liked the knives, but have zero experience regarding that company.Any comments would be welcome.
 
They are both very stout. Neither one is likely to fold up on you.
 
I'd say either would be stronger than one would ever need since you can cut with a Slipjoint all day long without the blade closing on your fingers.
 
Striders are tough folders. I own an SMG and it's a reliable strong knife. You will not be sorry for buying one.
I own over a hundred folders from all brands, with all known lock types. None (IMHO) equal the heavier Tri-Ad lock folders like the Spartan, Recon 1 or Talwar as far as lock strength is concerned. Doesn't make it the best lock, just the strongest. My most favourite lock type is the compression lock by Spyderco (also very strong, and a lot more easy to use).
Frame locks (again, IMHO) are not good locks for heavy use. Severe impacts on the locking bar tend to deform it, as shown in multiple Youtube clips.

Just my two cents worth. ;)
 
I dont know about the strider, but I do know that the triad lock is one solid lock. I am not afraid to throw anything at that lock and I will treat it as if it is a fixed blade. Look at some of coldsteel's videos. They beat the crap out of the lock and it is fine.
 
I've never had a Strider, but I have had well-built framelocks, i.e. a couple of Sebenzas, ZT560/61, etc. I currently have a Cold Steel Mackinac and a Code 4, both with the Tri-ad lock. In my opinion, Cold Steel makes the most solid, strong lockup I've seen on any folding knife. It's an absolute beast. I'm partial to lockback knives - it's my favorite lock - so I'm bias, but I trust the Tri-ad over any framelock.
 
I've owned a CS Spartan and I'm actually carrying a Strider SMF right now. As far as brute strength, the tri-ad lock is the winner. That is NOT to say the Strider lock is weak, far from it. Just by design and placement the CS is the stronger lock. In reality though, if you are doing something that causes a frame lock from any company to structurally fail, you deserve a broken knife. Using the right tool for the job when possible is necessary when doing any task. I think you'll be fine with either one.
 
Silvanus said:
I've owned a CS Spartan and I'm actually carrying a Strider SMF right now. As far as brute strength, the tri-ad lock is the winner. That is NOT to say the Strider lock is weak, far from it. Just by design and placement the CS is the stronger lock. In reality though, if you are doing something that causes a frame lock from any company to structurally fail, you deserve a broken knife. Using the right tool for the job when possible is necessary when doing any task. I think you'll be fine with either one.
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Bingo.

I've EDC'd an SMF for a couple years now (in a 4-5 knife rotation) and its as strong as you'd ever need a folder to be. I have one of the Cold Steel Code 4 Tanto's that I use as a beater around the house and you can tell that its lock is very strong (though the scales are extremely slick). It took a while to get used to how stiff the Tri-Ad lock is but its good to give your thumbs a work out now and then.

To the OP, I'd buy whichever knife YOU like the most and wouldn't be concerned about the lock strength of either of them.
 
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