Incredible custom strider!

It's a fake knife, a wall hanger objet d'art. Why worry about whether it is actually capable of anything?

Were I to ever spend $4500 on a blade, it'd better cut like a light saber, be totally lively in the hand, well nigh unbreakable, and look fantastic doing anything reasonably asked of it.

Fantasy blades just have to appeal to someone out there with more money than sense or taste.
 
brightred said:
...cool, but what about HT? lot of assumptions, but IF this is pure nickel and IF this is NOT a san mai blade, then you have some nickel in the cutting edge. use it for chopping, and you'll have a nice saw very soon. well, oh well :confused:

josh?

regards,
hans
Click to expand...

Yes, that is a real criticism of nickel damascus. The nickel is the bright part of the pattern, so not a huge percentage, but it will wear much quicker than the steel. That is one reason many smiths have switched from damascus with pure nickel to steel alloys with a high nickel content. You can still make a good etchable damascus, but with two real knife steels.

Jim F. ran his shop as a production company. I assume Strider would have bought the shop to produce damascus for the whole company (Strider), not just as a small output way to make custom damascus for Mick. Anyone else running this side of the business?
 
Kohai999 said:
...why even heat treat it, or sharpen it....at what point is an art knife no longer a knife, and just a piece of art?
Click to expand...

You gotta heat treat it to help prevent its owner from accidentally denting it. Sharpening it ensures that if the owner ever wants to try to prove the awesomeness of the knife by cutting paper or some other low stress medium they won't be embarrassed.

Boats said:
Fantasy blades just have to appeal to someone out there with more money than sense or taste.
Click to expand...
I disagree. That's like saying people who collect oil paintings from the 1600s all have more money than taste. A great deal of artistry and craftsmanship goes into high end fantasy knives. I have also seen some fantasy works appreciate greatly, making them a very profitable investment for their owner.
 
Fantasy knives are more akin to 1600s oil paintings were this the subject:

dogs%20playing%20poker22.jpg


No landscapes. No scenes of everyday life. No depictions of events or places from the Bible or the Golden Age.

More like brushstrokes and oils being put to a wholly nonsensical and whimsical end that has no mooring to anything real other than it exists as a tangible object to ponder. The musing about said useless object masquerading as a tool form, in the minds of most, will probably cause guffaws of unbridled laughter, especially after the price tag is revealed.

No one makes fantasy hammers, or fantasy golf clubs, or fantasy flashlights. Something about fantasy knife buyers is a little off plumb.

I will amend my statement. All a fantasy knife needs to appeal to is a small cadre of like-minded individuals with more money than sense or taste.

Another example in oils:

ec70_1.JPG


Only $5500.00 for this fantasy art! The only cutting will be from the snickers of the totally unimpressed.

You paid how much for this again? Seriously? C'mon, when's the punchline ending this joke?
 
Boats said:
It's a fake knife, a wall hanger objet d'art. Why worry about whether it is actually capable of anything?

Were I to ever spend $4500 on a blade, it'd better cut like a light saber, be totally lively in the hand, well nigh unbreakable, and look fantastic doing anything reasonably asked of it.

Fantasy blades just have to appeal to someone out there with more money than sense or taste.
Click to expand...

Boats, you imply that this knife does not "cut like a light saber, be totally lively in the hand, well nigh unbreakable, and look fantastic doing anything reasonably asked of it"....I'm curious, did you handle this blade or are you basing that on the picture?

boats said:
When the maker has just about zero credibility in matters concerning the truth, these discussions will happen.

As an anonymous "Burger," there is no way that piece demands, let alone commands, $4500.00
Click to expand...

I find it interesting that you are questioning Mick's integrity again...I seem to recall that you were one of the most active participants in that famous strider thread but then you "apologized" for your behaviour on Mick's forum (and asked for your apology to be re-posted on USN)...in that apology you wrote:

"I'm done with all of the Strider stuff....I promise to never bother with any of this again. There is no real joy in it....I'm done with all of the threads wherever they appear."


since we are speaking in hypotheticals, if I apologized online and made a promise not to repeat my behaviour, i would keep my word...but maybe that is just me.

RL
 
Awesome piece bro!! I know this is not a for sale thread.........but contact me if you decide to sell it! :)
 
I usually stay out of threads that I don't feel comfortable in. This is one but I'm going to post anyway.

RL might have used a different title and maybe this wouldn't have deteriorated so rapidly. I really think it's terrific that Mick has taken the time and spent the $$ to learn about forging. Josh, thanks for coming on and explaining the process and Mick's involvement. (Was good to see you in Vegas)

The knife itself does not appeal to me but it certainly shows a creative side some might think Mick didn't have. The price doesn't bother me in the least, nor should it you. I can't figure out why what someone pays for something is a concern to others.

STeven is right about a knife being a knife is important. I know of a recent show winner where the maker couldn't be bothered heat treating the knife because he knew "it would never be used". Very poor form.

To those that have an agenda that is beyond Mick's skills as a maker:
Don't let the door hit you.

Win
 
Well said Win.
Here's a Mick Strider forged hunter/fighter that's currently offered for sale for about $1260 US.
Not my cup of tea, however I can see some gladly paying this amount for it.

Blade Length: 165 mm - 6 1/2"
Overall Length: 267 mm - 10 1/2"
Steel: Hand Forged 1095 Steel
Scales: Koa
Sheath: Kydex with TecLock

DSC_1973.jpg
 
nice post Win.

here are some more of Mick's forged pieces...

i REALLY like this one...

MSC2253.jpg


and a curvier one

MSC2249.jpg
 
RL said:
I find it interesting that you are questioning Mick's integrity again...I seem to recall that you were one of the most active participants in that famous strider thread but then you "apologized" for your behaviour on Mick's forum (and asked for your apology to be re-posted on USN)...in that apology you wrote:

"I'm done with all of the Strider stuff....I promise to never bother with any of this again. There is no real joy in it....I'm done with all of the threads wherever they appear."


since we are speaking in hypotheticals, if I apologized online and made a promise not to repeat my behaviour, i would keep my word...but maybe that is just me.

RL
Click to expand...

Is this a hobby of yours - keeping track of anyone who has ever had anything negative to say about Mick or his knives? Able to quote past posts from past threads at will? Obsess much?

Still waiting on those answers, RL.

Roger
 
Boats said:
Fantasy blades just have to appeal to someone out there with more money than sense or taste.
Click to expand...

Totally disagree Boats. While I don't care for Fantasy Knives, I do except that some do. I don't consider these folks to be lacking in sense, just that they have "different taste".

I'm thankful for different taste for otherwise we would not enjoy the vast array of knives that we are exposed to. On the other hand, just because a single individual with different taste elects to spend $4500 on the knife in question doesn't mean that it's "worth" $4500 to the masses.
 
Kevin Jones said:
On the other hand, just because a single individual with different taste elects to spend $4500 on the knife in question doesn't mean that it's "worth" $4500 to the masses.
Click to expand...

i've seen a few mentions of that point in this thread...obviously, since there is only one example of this knife, only one person could have spent $4500 to buy it...we cannot assume that this person was the only one to think it had that value...Neil did not disclose how many email inquiries he got about it, nor do i expect him to (as that is nobody's business)...and we've already seen a couple of "let me know if it's for sale" comments in this thread alone.

RL
 
Kevin Jones said:
Well said Win.
Here's a Mick Strider forged hunter/fighter that's currently offered for sale for about $1260 US.
Not my cup of tea, however I can see some gladly paying this amount for it.

Blade Length: 165 mm - 6 1/2"
Overall Length: 267 mm - 10 1/2"
Steel: Hand Forged 1095 Steel
Scales: Koa
Sheath: Kydex with TecLock

DSC_1973.jpg
Click to expand...

What part of this was forged? It's the same exact shape as the stock removal knives, including the signature full thickness tang. This looks like a piece of bar stock that was textured, then ground. That texture is not something that would come without deliberately using something like a ball-peen hammer. You wouldn't get that texture shaping a blade, and things like the choil make this look stock removal as well.
 
gator68 said:
What part of this was forged? It's the same exact shape as the stock removal knives, including the signature full thickness tang. This looks like a piece of bar stock that was textured, then ground. That texture is not something that would come without deliberately using something like a ball-peen hammer. You wouldn't get that texture shaping a blade, and things like the choil make this look stock removal as well.
Click to expand...

You make a good point as there's varying definitions and liberties taken in makers classifying their knives forged. By the simplest definition if the stock is heated and takes blows from the hammer then it's forged.

I only consider a knife truly forged if it's been completely hammered to it's basic shape/profile to be detailed or cleaned up with the wheel/belt.

Here's a past thread where we discussed this topic in great detail.

http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php?t=515154

Would be interesting in deed to know just how much of this hunter/fighter was actually forged.
 
with this thread....here's why:

1. You have one consisitent poster, whose agenda and taste are both things I have serious issues with. He loves to stir up the mud with tacticools, and specifically Strider...which I don't think is fair to either Strider OR us...it is needless crap in a world with too much already.

2. These threads fairly well force anyone who is NOT a hater or an apologist to give the appearance of choosing sides....well, am not doing that either....don't care for a specific aspect of this knife....but am friends with both Josh and Neil, so how can I be honest without insulting someone? I can't, so I won't play into that.

3. The threads ALWAYS drift...we have had:

a. Initial presentation

b. Much discussion about the price

c. My contention about stress risers

d. Some hating from maker to maker

e. The assertion that it is an art knife, and stress risers don't matter

f. Doubt cast on Mick's ability to forge the damascus in the first place.

Sorry, but if you look why we are all here, to discuss, and educate, and have fun....threads like this serve not a whole lot of that purpose, or at least that is what it devolves into. I frequently find myself defending BladeForums to other portions of the knife community, and threads like this one are an area that we are lacking in(this ain't kumbaya, either, this is called awareness).

So I reject it, and encourage the rest of you to do the same....but either way, carry on smartly.

Best Regards,

STeven Garsson
 
If no one knew the maker the discussion would probably be about the grind or the micarta handles (again). I don't think the thread of the title mattered one bit.

Obviously the texturing issue is subjective, and you either like it or not. To characterize some as "ABS sweetness" and some as "tactical sloppiness" doesn't hold water to me. And unless some of the texturing is shaped radically or "sharp", I don't think the stress riser is that much of a concern, especially on the flat of the blade. I think a choil or would cause a more concerning stress riser than any of the texture pictured, and I'm not concerned about those either. :) For a knife to fail under normal use (ie. forces far below the limits of the steel), I think there has to be more problems than just a stress riser (using in cold weather, an existing crack or void or nonhomogeneity issue would be my guess).

I am trying to refrain on commenting further about the rest - lots of glass in my house.

And nice post, STeven - sorry to comment on stress risers after you bowed out wisely.
 
Kohai999 said:
with this thread....here's why:

1. You have one consisitent poster, whose agenda and taste are both things I have serious issues with. He loves to stir up the mud with tacticools, and specifically Strider...which I don't think is fair to either Strider OR us...it is needless crap in a world with too much already.
Click to expand...

steve that is a load of crap...there are over 100,000 members on BF...over 100,000! just because YOU and about 5 other regular, vocal posters here don't like tacticals and striders doesn't mean there aren't THOUSANDS of others here who do. To suggest that I have an agenda or wish to stir up mud is a cop out and cowardly on your part...I simply posted a pic of something that I liked...that's it, that's all. I should not be "terrorized' into thinking that anytime i dare post a tactical or a strider it will degenerate into bashing mick, tactical knife lovers, or calling me a troll (after all i have done for the knife community).

RL
 
RL said:
Boats, you imply that this knife does not "cut like a light saber, be totally lively in the hand, well nigh unbreakable, and look fantastic doing anything reasonably asked of it"....I'm curious, did you handle this blade or are you basing that on the picture?



I find it interesting that you are questioning Mick's integrity again...I seem to recall that you were one of the most active participants in that famous strider thread but then you "apologized" for your behaviour on Mick's forum (and asked for your apology to be re-posted on USN)...in that apology you wrote:

"I'm done with all of the Strider stuff....I promise to never bother with any of this again. There is no real joy in it....I'm done with all of the threads wherever they appear."


since we are speaking in hypotheticals, if I apologized online and made a promise not to repeat my behaviour, i would keep my word...but maybe that is just me.

RL
Click to expand...

There is no way that that disproportional knife is either sweetly balanced or unbreakable. It's a matter of elementary physics.

I am not questioning Mick Strider's credibility. That's a settled question to rational people.

I am not questioning whether he actually pounds metal, others are.

The only reason there is some question as to whether Mick actually makes forged knives is due to Mick, not me. I was only pointing out that the late controversy makes those questions inevitable.

I don't bash the regular Strider productions as most of them seem to be useful enough despite their checkered pedigree, however, I never promised to not criticize a piece like the one featured in this thread, and this piece is subject to valid criticism on many levels.

An astute reader will note that I am bshing "fake" knives generally, not just Mick in particular. If this thread were about yet another goofy Hibben knife like object, I'd call it a fake knife too.

Reading back, I guess I got into his inflated reputation a little with one sentence. Whoops. back on the wagon.

That said, there wouldn't be people implicitly suggesting that Hibben didn't make his own object.

IMO fantasy knives are silly, no matter who makes them.
 
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