Is the Strider HT worth spending $325 on?

[agoutihead]

I am in need of an indestructable knife for hunting/camping/SHTF/survival.

I am about to pull the trigger on the Strider HT and just want to know if it is really worth spending $325 on it or if I can get a similar knife of equal quality for much less?

Thanks.

 

[tsiloics]

You can certainly get a knife that will fulfill your objective criteria as well for a smaller price... and I think you can get a knife that will fulfill the criteria better for about the same price.

On the subjective side, "quality" has a way of being in the eye of the beholder.

I am saying all of this as someone who owns a number of Strider fixed blades, and also some other knives that fit into this general category.

Cliffs Notes: Perhaps.

 

[Biginboca]

This is going to be an interesting thread...

 

[agoutihead]

You can certainly get a knife that will fulfill your objective criteria as well for a smaller price... and I think you can get a knife that will fulfill the criteria better for about the same price.

On the subjective side, "quality" has a way of being in the eye of the beholder.

I am saying all of this as someone who owns a number of Strider fixed blades, and also some other knives that fit into this general category.

Cliffs Notes: Perhaps.

Suggestions?

I really like everything about the HT.

Size
grip
Paracord wrap
Indestructable
Tanto tip

So what else can I get that is comparable or better?

 

[3Guardsmen]

If I were you, I'd take a look at this first! The DLC coating will stand up to your "hunting/camping" uses a lot better than Strider's bead-blasted finish will. You can always ditch the handle scales in favor of para-cord, if you really want to.

Regards,
3G

 

[agoutihead]

If I were you, I'd take a look at this first! The DLC coating will stand up to your "hunting/camping" uses a lot better than Strider's bead-blasted finish will. You can always ditch the handle scales in favor of para-cord, if you really want to.

Regards,
3G

I really like the look of the HT the best... so a tanto tip is a must. The large serrations are quite nice also.

I was going to get that Strider finish removed and have the Black-T coating added on for the ultimate durability.

 

[MORIMOTOM]

a tanto would not be my choice for a camp knife.

especially for food prep or for making kindling, i prefer a nice drop or spear type point and a full height flat grind. and i would think any skinning would be quite a task with a tanto.

i would have no problem spending $325 on a strider ht, but not if a camp knife was my primary use.

 

[agoutihead]

a tanto would not be my choice for a camp knife.

especially for food prep or for making kindling, i prefer a nice drop or spear type point and a full height flat grind. and i would think any skinning would be quite a task with a tanto.

i would have no problem spending $325 on a strider ht, but not if a camp knife was my primary use.

Well this will also be a SHTF/combat knife/survival, but will be used secondary as a camp/hunting knife if and when need be... does that change my approach?

I would like an all around knife that would be good for defense, survival,camping, hunting etc... so why is a tanto blade not good for all of those things?

 

[tsiloics]

Suggestions?

I really like everything about the HT.

Size
grip
Paracord wrap
Indestructable
Tanto tip

So what else can I get that is comparable or better?

For a camp knife, I would not want the paracord. *No* knife is indestructible, and I would definitely not want the tanto profile for this purpose.

As far as a price comparable goes, I have a nice Busse SJT here that would work better as an outdoor knife in just about any way I could imagine. Or you could get a number of different knives for about half the price that would cut as well or better (geometry) and be just as durable if not more so.

I'm not saying you personally would like the alternatives better... just that I think they would either work better, cost less, or both.

 

[agoutihead]

For a camp knife, I would not want the paracord. *No* knife is indestructible, and I would definitely not want the tanto profile for this purpose.

As far as a price comparable goes, I have a nice Busse SJT here that would work better as an outdoor knife in just about any way I could imagine. Or you could get a number of different knives for about half the price that would cut as well or better (geometry) and be just as durable if not more so.

I'm not saying you personally would like the alternatives better... just that I think they would either work better, cost less, or both.

Why, whats wrong with the paracord for camping?

What is bad about the tanto blade?

 

[MORIMOTOM]

Well this will also be a SHTF/combat knife/survival, but will be used secondary as a camp/hunting knife if and when need be... does that change my approach?

I would like an all around knife that would be good for defense, survival,camping, hunting etc... so why is a tanto blade not good for all of those things?

Why, whats wrong with the paracord for camping?

What is bad about the tanto blade?

the paracord will hold moisture and other materials within the wrap itself. it will also fray and perhaps tear. the service life of the paracord will also be much shorter, in general, than micarta or a natural solid scale.

the tanto is good for piercing and perhaps prying. the saber grinds normally on tanto type knives will not slice or chop as well as other grinds.

its not a bad grind, but may not be the best suited for your needs.

since you are far more likely to use your knife as a camping tool as opposed to being in a self defense or shtf situation, you will probably find a spear/drop point more useful.

 

[agoutihead]

the paracord will hold moisture and other materials within the wrap itself. it will also fray and perhaps tear. the service life of the paracord will also be much shorter, in general, than micarta or a natural solid scale.

the tanto is good for piercing and perhaps prying. the saber grinds normally on tanto type knives will not slice or chop as well as other grinds.

its not a bad grind, but may not be the best suited for your needs.

since you are far more likely to use your knife as a camping tool as opposed to being in a self defense or shtf situation, you will probably find a spear/drop point more useful.

Hmm. Well I do know the HT does come in a spear point

But what is the difference between a spear & drop? Are these types not suggested for prying like the tanto is?

What is so different about the saber grind that doesnt make it good for anything other than piercing? I mean its a knife with a very sharp edge... so how can it not chop/slice or skin what is needed?

I def want the paracord handle, I'll always have spare around to change out the dressing if need be.

 

[tsiloics]

Why, whats wrong with the paracord for camping?

What is bad about the tanto blade?

Paracord gets gunk in it and gives you blisters when it's warm and you're using the knife a lot.

Tanto blades generally don't work as well for slicing as other profiles do.

Again, I'm not saying your head will explode if you take the HT camping... just that it's kind of a specialized tool. Not really a traditional camp knife.

Maybe a little like taking your weekend track car to the grocery store. It'll get you there and back, but you'll be standing on a $2K clutch, trying to drive over speed bumps on #1K springs, forgetting that you only have 2 gallons of gas in the cell, having to climb in and out of race shells... burning your leg on the hot harness buckle, etc.

 

[agoutihead]

Tanto blades generally don't work as well for slicing as other profiles do.

Give me some examples... I guess I dont see how the tanto couldnt cut anything the spear tip could?

Veggies, shave a branch for kindling... it all seems like not a big deal with a tanto? I dont have as much experience like you guys do, but I just dont get it.

How is skinning an animal with a tanto a bad idea?

Cause you dont have the curve of the spear to carve/slice off the skin? and instead of that bottom point of the tanto where the curve should be?

 

[mongomondo]

You have the right idea. The interrupted cutting edge doesn't make it ideal.

If you have the money and you have your heart set on the HT, then just get it. You probably won't be happy until you do.

 

[agoutihead]

You have the right idea. The interrupted cutting edge doesn't make it ideal.

If you have the money and you have your heart set on the HT, then just get it. You probably won't be happy until you do.

But the spear tip isnt as durable as the tanto is it?

Plus its not a good thing to pry with a spear is it?

 

[mongomondo]

I have no experience with the HT, but on my SnG folder (with drop point blade) the tip was ridiculously thick. I don't see the tanto being that much stronger.

And don't pry with your knives, even a strider. Go to countycomm.com and buy the EOD breacher bar for $20. Use that for all your prying needs, you can even sharpen it if you want to. Use the HT for everything else.

 

[agoutihead]

I have no experience with the HT, but on my SnG folder (with drop point blade) the tip was ridiculously thick. I don't see the tanto being that much stronger.

And don't pry with your knives, even a strider. Go to countycomm.com and buy the EOD breacher bar for $20. Use that for all your prying needs, you can even sharpen it if you want to. Use the HT for everything else.

Fair enough, I dont plan on prying and dont want to, but who knows.

 

[agoutihead]

Does the HT come in both a spear and a drop? Or are they the same thing?

 

[tsiloics]

Give me some examples... I guess I dont see how the tanto couldnt cut anything the spear tip could?

Veggies, shave a branch for kindling... it all seems like not a big deal with a tanto? I dont have as much experience like you guys do, but I just dont get it.

How is skinning an animal with a tanto a bad idea?

Cause you dont have the curve of the spear to carve/slice off the skin? and instead of that bottom point of the tanto where the curve should be?

This is kind of simplistic, but imagine you are using a knife to carve thick shavings off of a 1" diameter wood rod. These are big shavings - like sharpening the end of a broom handle.

Your arm has a fixed length, so when it moves, your hand describes an arc. So a curved cutting edge feels more natural as it moves along the medium you're cutting.

The curved edge is also longer in relation to the blade's length than the straight tanto edge. That means the curved edge will hold up longer, because the cutting work is being distributed over a greater length.

Basically what I'm saying is that a bellied edge is more ergonomic in most general situations. The Americanized tanto profile has some specialized advantages, and has also become stylistically popular recently, but it's an inferior *general* cutting tool.

The primary grind geometry of the HT is also not really geared for general use... and I personally think you can do better than S30V in this type of knife, but opinions do vary in that regard.