Large Sebenza 21 vs Stryder SNG

Ptman2000

Ptman2000

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Feb 8, 2014
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I've recently purchased my first Chris Reeve's knife, a small Sebenza. And now I have the sickness you all fondly refer to...... I have two smalls already. I'm now looking to get something a bit larger not for EDC but for camping or around the yard use. Since I've really enjoyed the Sebenza's I have, my initial thought was to just go with a large, probably a carbon from knifeart. But I have run across the Stryder SNG in my research and like the looks of it.

Before I made up my mind, I thought I would see what opinions of the SNG are out there. I looked for some previous threads but really couldn't find much comparisons.

Thx all!
 
Stirrers are awesome if you get a good one. They have been known to have "rock lock" issues. They also have different generations of lock face geometries. From what I gather the customer service CRK offers is better than Strider. I think Striders in the end may be "tougher" due to their thicker blade stock compared to a 21. If toughness is what u desire then I would get a sebenza 25 or umnumzaan.
 
I think your going to get a lot of bias asking that here, general would be a better place but then again you could just do a search. There's a lot of those threads out there already.
 
Ive owned many Striders and still have one left, which I may never sell due to the fact that its has perfect lock up with no lock rock. The newer Gens are not ridden with that issue nowhere near as much as they use to be. Fit & Finish is far better now as well. The only Strider that would ever kick a CRK out of my pocket is an all Ti custom SnG. My brother has several of those in SnG's and SMF's and they are simply incredible. Now, let me quit boasting about Striders and talk about the advantages of CRK's over Striders and why I prefer my CRK's. Consistency, ergonomics, ease of servicing the knife, Quality control, value and customer service. The Strider will be a harder use knife but I don't need a knife that stout honestly. Most people could easily get away with using a Mnandi or small Sebenza for an EDC knife. These tank like knives have gotten way out of hand and practicality.
 
There are more than a few YouTube videos comparing CRK and Strider, give them a look, as it's entertaining to see how different the opinions are. You may consider a fixed blade for camping and yard work. No reason to overwork a $500 folder with >$100 fixed blade type chores. I used an ESEE 3 for a long time as a camp and yard knife, only recently did I replace it with a Survive! GSO 4.1.
 
The SNG is chunkier than a large Sebenza, that may or may not suit you. You get less cutting edge per handle size but you get a choil that you can choke up to the edge on, again that may or may not suit you. You do seem to get a choice of steels and handle materials on the SNG you don't get with a CRK although actually being able to get one steel or handle type over another can be an issue.

I personally like the SNG blade shape and the flat grind but the large choil is something I don't like. The handle shape is not hugely comfortable for me but not particularly uncomfortable either, I find the knife less nimble in hand than a CRK though. The lock set up with the stop pin/thumb stud only contacting the Ti side is another thing I didn't much like. The integral scale and spacer is nice though. The over all fit and finish of the knives I had was fairly poor next to a CRK although still pefectly functional. There were tooling marks on the blade and Ti scale and the Ti/G-10 sides didn't match up too well at the jimping for example.
It has been many years since I owned a Strider and I hear some things have changed although having seen them in shops regularly I don't see much in the way of a difference so I suppose my thoughts on them still stand. I don't own one now and won't buy another one but I know many people are happy with their Strider knives. At the end of the day the knife will behave as any knife would and if you like it go for it. :)

Ptman2000 said:
I've recently purchased my first Chris Reeve's knife, a small Sebenza. And now I have the sickness you all fondly refer to...... I have two smalls already. I'm now looking to get something a bit larger not for EDC but for camping or around the yard use. Since I've really enjoyed the Sebenza's I have, my initial thought was to just go with a large, probably a carbon from knifeart. But I have run across the Stryder SNG in my research and like the looks of it.

Before I made up my mind, I thought I would see what opinions of the SNG are out there. I looked for some previous threads but really couldn't find much comparisons.

Thx all!
Click to expand...
 
The advantages of CRK over many Striders I would say are firstly the blade-to-handle ratio, and the fact that the CRK is a 100% metal knife (excluding the full metal striders), and is thus impervious to most things that might degrade plastic over the years (G10 ain't plastic.......OK whatever;) )

Also, personally I like a big knife, but don't want to come across as a 'soldier of fortune' if I have to use it in public, which I do all the time at my work, so CRK knives suit my life a bit better. That all said, the Strider Smf/Sng is a classic design and I understand the appeal. They certainly look cool.
 
1st it is Strider and SnG not SNG
I love the SnG. It is a truly unique design . It has great hand hold from a number of positions and is very good a hard cuts do to the large handle to blade ratio and thicker blade(.165"). The choil can be pretty comfortable also. The integral scale is very strong-cut out of a solid piece of G10 with no stand offs-this also make it fairly light for it's size. I have owned a number of them and have only had 1 problem-that being a slight play in the thumb stud which also acts as the stop. It didn't effect the function, but not right and had to be fixed. It is certainly a knife to try if you want variety, but there is nothing wrong with being all CRK either. If I could only own one knife it would be a Sebenza, but since I can own many I will certainly always own a SnG also.
I won't bother to mention the virtues of the Sebenza and other CRK's, there is plenty of info on the forum.

I own
2 Lg Sebenza(Reg+21)
3 small Sebenza(2 Reg+21)
Strider SnG(parts knife-CC lock and blade(Z-Wear) with Gunner scale)
Strider MSC PT full stealth
Jarosz 75
3" Hinderer XM-18 non flipper slicer grind
A Laconico one off
Fellhoelter Kwerk
Fellhoelter No One & One off no one
Sean O'Hare Vector
 
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I just bought an SNG CC, I have owned several SNG CCs and a regular SNG, in addition to an SMF and a few PTs. All were great knives except for the sharp edges on the handles.

I've owned an Mnandi, numerous lg and sm, classic and regular Sebs including wood, micarta, plain. I've owned an Umnumzaan. Right now I have a classic lg micarta Seb, lg 21 micarta Insingo and new pivot Umnumzaan. I EDC the Insingo. The CRKs are much nicer in hand and look better.

Both companies make great frame locks. I really like the design of the SNG/SMF. This CC model is not sharp on my hands. It does not have the Hinderer stabilizer, and has a stonewashed S30V blade.

The Seb has an S30V blade also while the Umnumzaan and Insingo have S35VN blades. I've owned SNG CCs with Cpm154 blades, which I like. Both the Sebenza and SNG are great knives but the SNG is the more brutish unrefined cousin of the Seb.
 
I own both, based solely on random selection, the CRK wins every time. You can buy a CRK new, used, or on a trade and you'll get a quality, no issues, good working knife. Even CRK's 10+ years old will be dependable without any issues. You won't be able to do that with a Strider. I've never had any issues with the Striders I've got, but I've seen far too many videos about issues with Striders. Lock rock, blade play, sticky lock and the such. You just don't hear that much complaining with the CRK. That's all I can say about comparing the two side by side. I carry a SnG and a Sebenza most every day. I actually use the Sebenza more than the SnG. There's just something about the Sebenza that makes it enjoyable to use on a daily basis.
 
I've been interested in the sj75, but hate the cheap looking g10 scale. I'd rather buy something else. Never was a fan of other strider designs. Striders have always, in my mind, been knives on par with ZT designs, but with worse QC, and way overpriced.
 
Strider and CRK often see comparisons due to their pricing and how many retailers of higher end knives tend to sell both.

At the same time, I've always seen them as such different knives they really cannot be compared. The Strider is built for a type of usage that would destroy most other folding knives. At this hard and even abusive usage, it excels. However, I don't think they are nearly as good for someone wanting a general EDC for basic cutting tasks. The Sebenza is a significantly better slicer and capable of fine prep work that is comparable to a thin paring knife. The Strider cannot fill that role very well. Simultaneously, the great slicing blade of the Sebenza cannot fill the role very well of some of the heavy tasks that Striders can do (ex: cutting other metals).

Fit and finish wise, I have no complaints about Strider myself, but like most any other non-custom maker, it's fit and finish cannot be compared to the CRK IMO as only a Sebenza has fit and finish on that level of knives made in quantities beyond that of small custom makers.

I think the Sebenza is a much better EDC for the tasks I do myself. The SNG is different from other Strider models, but it still has an exceptionally thick blade which is not great at slicing, and it's a pretty heavy knife for one of that size IMO. At the same time, I know people who do tasks with folding knives in which a Strider (especially the ones in 3V) are better-matched to their usage than a Sebenza. Handling one first is desirable IMO, but if not then purchasing from a retailer with a good return or exchange policy as only you can say if Strider fits your preferences/usage as well (or not as well or better) than a Seb.
 
Ajack60 said:
I own both, based solely on random selection, the CRK wins every time. You can buy a CRK new, used, or on a trade and you'll get a quality, no issues, good working knife. Even CRK's 10+ years old will be dependable without any issues. You won't be able to do that with a Strider. I've never had any issues with the Striders I've got, but I've seen far too many videos about issues with Striders. Lock rock, blade play, sticky lock and the such. You just don't hear that much complaining with the CRK. That's all I can say about comparing the two side by side. I carry a SnG and a Sebenza most every day. I actually use the Sebenza more than the SnG. There's just something about the Sebenza that makes it enjoyable to use on a daily basis.
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So well put. Funny that today is the day I bought my first Sebenza! For many of the reasons Ajack just mentioned. After reading around here I noticed that while some people prefered other knives they generally didn't bash CRK's quality. The same just wasn't true for strider. Strider complaints just seem to be more prevalent. Including my buddy who, after he found out I chose the seb over the strider, sent me some pics of his tiger striped strider that is covered in rust.

I actually just remembered too reading this thread that when I was at SHOT in 2013 I went to their booth and one of their on display knives wouldn't lock up. Not sure what the issue was there but in order to get the blade to lock you had to wrench the thing. Showed it to the rep and he said "oh that ones messed up" and removed it from the display table. Was a little unnerving.

Anyway extremely glad on the purchase. It's been a couple of months trying to decide and I'm absolutely IN LOVE. I'm coming off of a military and paramilitary and a leek so this is quite the jump up. As much as I love my para it looks like the ugly red headed step child sitting side by side with the sebbie. I kinda felt bad for him hahah

Anyway, not bashing the strider just sharing my experience and honestly I plan on getting a SMF at some point for sure. That green cc with flamed ti and stonewash blade is a mean looking mother!
 
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Thanks all for the great responses! As always, BF is a wealth of great info. I realized that I was searching under the wrong name and once I changed it to Strider I was able to find many other threads. I'm definitely leaning towards the Sebenza now. Guess I'll have to decide between the 21 & 25 now.......
 
You might have to try out several other knife makers like I have, to really see what a professional knife maker is like Chris reeves. A,s across the board.


Strider on the other hand, just beating a dead horse.;)
 
Is Chris Reeves the guy that makes the Sabenza ?.......

Krav said:
You might have to try out several other knife makers like I have, to really see what a professional knife maker is like Chris reeves. A,s across the board.


Strider on the other hand, just beating a dead horse.;)
Click to expand...
 
I felt that SnG was a poor cutter, although it felt nice and was fun to play with. To me, the thinner grinds of CRK knives lend themselves to cut a wider variety of materials more smoothly. I'm sure with the right edge profiling, both would cut well, just my experience with them with no sharpening changes from factory.
 
I think they are different knives for different purposes.
I think both offer high quality.
CRK = classy, do everything short of using as a prybar, knife.
Strider = overbuilt "tactical" look/feel knife that you can use as a prybar.
Figure out your true EDC needs and pick the one that meet those needs.

Striders just don't do it for me. They do feel good in the hand, but not in the pocket, they take up too much room. I also see no need for such an overbuilt knife, especially in a folder. I used to be into big tactical looking folders, we all go though that phase at least once, if not more. And if that is your bag, maybe a Strider is for you. To each their own.

I like high quality user that masks it's toughness in elegance. Hence I prefer the CRK knives.

Best of luck.
 
The large Sebenza and SnG are very different style knives. Since you have Sebenza's you may be underwhelmed with the SnG's tolerances. If you do get a SnG I would definitely recommend a flat grind, they cut much better. The tip on the 3/4 grind I had was thicker than my Junglas. Also look at the micarta Sebenza's. I got a used one for $300 shipped and couldn't be happier. CRK offers to refurb a knife, Strider doesn't. The SnG is chunkier in the pocket, but I do feel like I have more control of the blade due to the choil. Works well as a skinner if you hunt. The Strider ht I like better and the choice of steels, but my CRK's edge hold up fine with occasional stropping. Either would hold up fine for yard use. If you go with Strider I would also recommend black oxide or stonewashed blade. The tiger stripped blades are more prone to rust. Good luck.
 
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