I have decided to Test a $350 Plus STRIDER

[anythingsharp]

Hard-use knife must approximate the performance of a cold chisle.I own 2 combat blades by Robert Hankins,one is S7 and the other is 3V.He tests his blades by hammering them thru a 1/4" plate of mild steel.If you want real knives,buy Grecos,Siegles,MMHW,Hankins and a few others.I will believe Busse and Strider hype on the day when I see brisk sales of cold chisles and jack hammer bits made from INFI and S30V.

 

[J85909266]

Hard-use knife must approximate the performance of a cold chisle.I own 2 combat blades by Robert Hankins,one is S7 and the other is 3V.He tests his blades by hammering them thru a 1/4" plate of mild steel.If you want real knives,buy Grecos,Siegles,MMHW,Hankins and a few others.I will believe Busse and Strider hype on the day when I see brisk sales of cold chisles and jack hammer bits made from INFI and S30V.

I've seen INFI hammered through steel, concrete, what have you, as well as many other impressive things you didn't mention. I would also tell you that Busse makes knives in S7 as well as other more traditional steels under sister companies. So, I wouldn't group them with Strider.

 

[Michelle]

Strider blades are cheap, laser cut blanks that are single-pass, CNC milled, then painted with ridiculous looking "urban" camouflage, cord-wrapped, and sold to unsuspecting dupes for ridiculously high prices.

If Strider replaces your blade 20 times, he's still made money off you. The sheath they supply (they buy them aftermarket) costs them more than the blade does.

SMARTEN UP PEOPLE.

Where do you get your facts/information from Sir?

Thank you,

m1

 

[Cobalt]

Hard-use knife must approximate the performance of a cold chisle.I own 2 combat blades by Robert Hankins,one is S7 and the other is 3V.He tests his blades by hammering them thru a 1/4" plate of mild steel.If you want real knives,buy Grecos,Siegles,MMHW,Hankins and a few others.I will believe Busse and Strider hype on the day when I see brisk sales of cold chisles and jack hammer bits made from INFI and S30V.

I think you've been living in a cave.:jerkit:

I guess you weren't around when Wicked1 went around many forums proclaiming he broke a Swamp Rat. I guess you don't remember when he admitted to batoning it for over 8 hours with a pipe wrench and it did not break.

I guess you did not see the ultra abuse Cliff heaped on his 8 year old Straight Handled Battle Mistress (SHBM) that is still going strong How many knives that he tests have survived that long..

I guess you didn't see when Cliff broke a Ferhman 3V blade, with no more abuse than he heaped on his 8 year old SHBM.

I guess the only postings you read are your own:foot:

 

[Cobalt]

Strider blades are cheap, laser cut blanks that are single-pass, CNC milled, then painted with ridiculous looking "urban" camouflage, cord-wrapped, and sold to unsuspecting dupes for ridiculously high prices.

If Strider replaces your blade 20 times, he's still made money off you. The sheath they supply (they buy them aftermarket) costs them more than the blade does.

SMARTEN UP PEOPLE.

Where did you hear this? I am not Strider fan, but when someone indicates how a makers knife is made I'd like to know from where you got those facts.

And I think there was a thread about CNC versus hand grinding and as far as quality goes it neither detracts nor adds to quality, it just makes it less exclussive as you can make many more, certainly not custom when CNC is used.

 

[t1mpani]

Hard-use knife must approximate the performance of a cold chisle.I own 2 combat blades by Robert Hankins,one is S7 and the other is 3V.He tests his blades by hammering them thru a 1/4" plate of mild steel.If you want real knives,buy Grecos,Siegles,MMHW,Hankins and a few others.I will believe Busse and Strider hype on the day when I see brisk sales of cold chisles and jack hammer bits made from INFI and S30V.

Uh-huh---you let me know where you're obtaining those 3V chisels.

 

[hardheart]

Where did you hear this? I am not Strider fan, but when someone indicates how a makers knife is made I'd like to know from where you got those facts.

And I think there was a thread about CNC versus hand grinding and as far as quality goes it neither detracts nor adds to quality, it just makes it less exclussive as you can make many more, certainly not custom when CNC is used.

I think his point is just that Striders cost the buyer a lot for manufactured knives; not so much a strike against the quality, just that there isn't enough hand labor to justify the price.

 

[anythingsharp]

3V chisles don`t exist,but would make more sense than S30V ones.The standard steel for the most hard-use tools is S5 and S7.My problem with Busse is the idea of a "proprietory" INFI steel.Let`s say I want to modify A2 by using 4% of chromium instead of 5% and adding some nickel or tungsten,where would I go with this idea to make tons of this "secret" steel and patent it under,let`s say SHMINFI?The price of INFI is approaching that of palladium which is a platinum group precious metal and I would like to know what it is that makes it such a valuable investment.Even if INFI turns out to be a good steel suitable for hard-use knife,a mass-produced cold chisle with an extra edge and micarta slabs isn`t worth 500.00 and more $$.

 

[fulloflead]

Strider blades are cheap, laser cut blanks that are single-pass, CNC milled, then painted with ridiculous looking "urban" camouflage, cord-wrapped, and sold to unsuspecting dupes for ridiculously high prices.

If Strider replaces your blade 20 times, he's still made money off you. The sheath they supply (they buy them aftermarket) costs them more than the blade does.

SMARTEN UP PEOPLE.

I appreciate the skeptical attitude - really I do, but you should resist the urge to be simple if you're going to earn your own reputation as a member of the knife forum community.

From my very first knowledge of Strider, several years ago, continuing even now, I'm skeptical as to whether the buyer was getting his/her money's worth or if they were simply over-priced for what you got. (Marketing, name, etc.)

For the most part, I've spent the last several years picking up every Strider I meet (admittadly not using them) and checking it out. I'm stilll not sure what to make of them.

I've even considered that my hunch may be entirely wrong and that their brute strength, simplicity and utilitarian purpose simply eludes people like me who tend to focus on details like grind marks and get squeemish about spending $$$ on functionality only.

So, I tend to keep my mouth shut and watch and pay attention.

I'm an objective kind of person. I doubt this test will make up my mind. But this test + 3 or 4 more tests from Bladeforums members might.

I welcome all of them.

.

 

[j.h]

Strider blades are cheap, laser cut blanks that are single-pass, CNC milled, then painted with ridiculous looking "urban" camouflage, cord-wrapped, and sold to unsuspecting dupes for ridiculously high prices.

If Strider replaces your blade 20 times, he's still made money off you. The sheath they supply (they buy them aftermarket) costs them more than the blade does.

SMARTEN UP PEOPLE.

m40, have you any support for this ridiculous comment?
Sounds like a troll to me.

 

[anythingsharp]

It`s common knowledge among knifemakers that the production costs of a mass-produced knife are between 0.50$ to 2.00$$.High-quality pliers can be bought for 20.00 retail and a knife is a much simpler tool than pliers.

 

[j.h]

No disrespect anythingsharp, but I find that hard to believe.

Materials, labor, tools, facility, and overhead may cost $2 per unit for something produced in a foreign country, but it would not be the best materials nor would it be the best design or workmanship. The $5 knockoff of Benchmade's Stryker or Emerson's CQC7 may have cost $2 to produce, but that is not what we are talking about.

Add design, testing, marketing and profit (nobody works for free) and I find the comment unbelievable.

I am a small business owner myself, and I just cannot buy into that statement. Now if you can get Sal to chime in and say he produces any knife he makes for $2 per unit, I would believe it.

 

[anythingsharp]

I heard this from a knifemaker who makes very high-end art folders starting from 1000$ and up,he literally sweats over each for a month or more.I think production folders may cost a bit more to make,but FB`s are probably right around that figure depending on the size and shape.The initial costs of the machinery maybe 10`s of thousands+rent etc,but after that it`s nearly pure profit.The high-end knifemakers may be biased towards people like Strider and Busse,cause they sit there almost alone with their incredible knives at the shows,while Strider table is swamped with customers,but I tend to believe them.You can buy a car engine for the cost of a Busse,you think Busse is more difficult to mass-produce than an engine?

 

[JimConvex]

I heard this from a knifemaker who makes very high-end art folders starting from 1000$ and up,he literally sweats over each for a month or more.I think production folders may cost a bit more to make,but FB`s are probably right around that figure depending on the size and shape.The initial costs of the machinery maybe 10`s of thousands+rent etc,but after that it`s nearly pure profit.The high-end knifemakers may be biased towards people like Strider and Busse,cause they sit there almost alone with their incredible knives at the shows,while Strider table is swamped with customers,but I tend to believe them.You can buy a car engine for the cost of a Busse,you think Busse is more difficult to mass-produce than an engine?

Let me see if I understand this.

Buy the Steel.

Have it Laser Cut

Grind the Blank

Have it Heat Treated

Have it Surface Ground

Finish Grind the Blade

Buy the handle material

Cut it to Shape

Attach it

Shape the handle

Apply any blade Coating

Sharpen it

Clean it

Mark a logo on it

Put it in a Box

Put the sheath in the box

Put a label on the Box.

And Busse and Strider do all of this for .50 to $2.00 ?

And It's Common knowledge between all the knifemakers ?

Those Guys must be really Good.

I'm in the Wrong Business.

You need to go and help this guy test knives.

I'm sure you will get along Swimmingly.

 

[anythingsharp]

I do get along with honest people SWIMMINGLY.Busse SHBM sold for 750.00 on ebay and BF,do you think the production costs of 10 SHBM`s are equal to those of a car?The initial costs of a knife shop are many 10`s of thousands but after you break even it`s nearly pure profit.1/4" thick S30V would cost 25.00 a foot from a knife supply if you buy 1 foot,if you buy 50 tons,it will be a very small fraction of that per foot.PS>Aren`t there a few things to grind,heat treat,coat and fit together in a car?PS>I`ve ordered knives of mostly my own design from several knifemakers,these were karambits in 1/4 stock that are quite difficult to make and I got them for between 80.00 and 100.00$ each,these were blanked out and ground ENTIRELY by hand since I was helping with the design+the fact that these makers had never made a karambit before and there was no way they had any laser-cut blanks ready.If these were machine-made,the production costs would be 2.00 each.

 

[JimConvex]

I do get along with honest people SWIMMINGLY.Busse SHBM sold for 750.00 on ebay and BF,do you think the production costs of 10 SHBM`s are equal to those of a car?The initial costs of a knife shop are many 10`s of thousands but after you break even it`s nearly pure profit.1/4" thick S30V would cost 25.00 a foot from a knife supply if you buy 1 foot,if you buy 50 tons,it will be a very small fraction of that per foot.PS>Aren`t there a few things to grind,heat treat,coat and fit together in a car?PS>I`ve ordered knives of mostly my own design from several knifemakers,these were karambits in 1/4 stock that are quite difficult to make and I got them for between 80.00 and 100.00$ each,these were blanked out and ground ENTIRELY by hand since I was helping with the design+the fact that these makers had never made a karambit before and there was no way they had any laser-cut blanks ready.If these were machine-made,the production costs would be 2.00 each.

Hard to Argue with Logic Like that.

Thanks,

Jim

 

[anythingsharp]

I`m not a knifemaker(only have ground a couple of shanks on a 29.00$ grinder and then gave up knifemaking for good.Think about this way,you can buy a gun for a 100.00$ because it`s mass produced,even though a gun is infinitely more complex than any knife.On the other hand,if you gave me some some steel and ordered a gun for me to make with common tools,it would take me years to make and probably would be impossible.Talk to guys in the knifemaker`s section,they would make incredible things for you for a 100.00-200.00$ entirely by hand.PS>I still stand by my 2.00 per knife figure,maybe now a buck or 2 more due to the dollar going down the drain.

 

[t1mpani]

Well the fact that you're willing to pass judgement on a maker's products without ever having tried them seems telling enough to me, but the far more amusing end of your argument is your criticism of Busse not sharing its secrets with us on the one hand, and then saying that all your information comes from special inside sources within the knife industry--whom you manage to dance around without ever naming. Doubtless, you will now expound upon the necessity of keeping them nameless in order to protect them. I'm glad they felt comfortable enough with you to share these secrets...

Of course, the other other cute one was "The high-end knifemakers may be biased towards people like Strider and Busse,cause they sit there almost alone with their incredible knives at the shows,while Strider table is swamped with customers,but I tend to believe them."

So, you say that you think there's a possibility that they're biased, and yet you choose to believe them anyway. Hmmm. Of course, to bother arguing the logic of this, we'd have to give credit to the notion that these special confessions-of-a-master-but-anonymous-knifemaker conversations of yours really took place...hmmm, don't think I can do it yet. Gimme a little while, I'm going to go drink some beer and listen to some unbiased insider information about the foreign car market over on Detriotforums.

 

[Cobalt]

Hard-use knife must approximate the performance of a cold chisle.I own 2 combat blades by Robert Hankins,one is S7 and the other is 3V.He tests his blades by hammering them thru a 1/4" plate of mild steel.If you want real knives,buy Grecos,Siegles,MMHW,Hankins and a few others.I will believe Busse and Strider hype on the day when I see brisk sales of cold chisles and jack hammer bits made from INFI and S30V.

Hankins is a good knifemaker and a nice guy. Has ever told you the Busse Pure Bred Fighter Story. Do you know that Hankins refuses to finish a Busse knife now because the one I sent him that he could not work on and had to send to busse to refinish and have sent back to me. But he has no problem with 3V and S5 and S7, hmmm, I wonder what makes INFI so special.

 

[Cobalt]

My problem with Busse is the idea of a "proprietory" INFI steel.Let`s say I want to modify A2 by using 4% of chromium instead of 5% and adding some nickel or tungsten,where would I go with this idea to make tons of this "secret" steel and patent it under,let`s say SHMINFI?

Absolutely you can. If you have the UP FRONT CASH OUTLAY, you can go to a steel mill and order up your own special formula of steel made just for you. The mill doesn't care what it is, they will make it and ship it to you and no one else can have it as it is your own formula. And yes, this is what Jerry has done, at his cost. Well guess what, the buyers ssoak up some of that cost.

Oh and for your information the makeup of INFI is no secret you just have to look for it in the forums by searching old posts.

The price of INFI is approaching that of palladium which is a platinum group precious metal and I would like to know what it is that makes it such a valuable investment.

see above.

Even if INFI turns out to be a good steel suitable for hard-use knife,a mass-produced cold chisle with an extra edge and micarta slabs isn`t worth 500.00 and more $$.

Wait, that is what I would get from any knifemaker a cold slab of steel with slabs on it and I see custom knives going for thousands?!?! So should they all drop their price.

Even if INFI turns out to be a good steel suitable for hard-use knife

See this is how I know you did not read my thread and you DO NOT READ ANYTHING ABOUT BUSSE ON THIS FORUM. "EVEN IF" The examples of how INFI beats many steels is all over the forum. It's also all over Blade Show. No one has Taken Busse up on his challange to outperform his knives at any show. Why don't you be the first:thumbup:

A competition between your 3V and INFI? And if you think that Busse my make a specific knife for this, then he can use one of my very old knives.