Looking for opinions on Benchmade nitrous Stryker

chipdouglas said:
how sharp do ZT knives comes from factory ?
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Sharp enough to shave arm hair, and if you're good enough with a knife, sharp enough to whittle hair. YMMV. This was my 0350 out of the box.

EDIT: It's also sharp enough to make me get 3 stitches, but that's another story.
 
No problem shaving the hair off your arm. And they will re-sharpen them for free if you want. Just send it back in. No charge, and no return shipping required.
 
Other than ZT, Spyderco, Emerson, would you let me know of other name brand you'd consider top notch ? Just curious.
 
There is general consensus that KAI (Kershaw, ZT and Shun), Spyderco and Bench Made are the top 3 manufacturers. Buck fits in there too. From there, it goes to personal preference.
 
SPXTrader said:
There is general consensus that KAI (Kershaw, ZT and Shun), Spyderco and Bench Made are the top 3 manufacturers. Buck fits in there too. From there, it goes to personal preference.
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That is true if you are arguing similar price points. 100-250 dollar range. CRK wins the manufacturing quality award almost every year as they should:) BUT, be ready to shell out 350+
 
CRK to me is a semi-custom. They aren't produced in the volume the three I mentioned are. You can also get a well made custom in the $ 250 range.
 
chipdouglas said:
So far as opening speed, would you say a Benchmade AO opens faster than a ZT speedsafe knife ?
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Depends on blade shape. A ZT would probably open a tad bit slower, but still plenty fast...enough to where if you don't hold the knife it could pop out of your hand.

Having said that, I've heard and read from several reviews that Benchmade AOs rattle because of the bar having a lot of play. That is not the case with ZT.

[youtube]8KKgEyJO4N8[/youtube] You can see how fast the ZT 0350 opens.
 
SPXTrader said:
CRK to me is a semi-custom. They aren't produced in the volume the three I mentioned are. You can also get a well made custom in the $ 250 range.
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Well the do feel like a custom in hand, but since the all look exactly like the next one, they are productions in my humble opionion....even if they are only a couple thousand made a yaer.

I have owned 4 of the same model of customs before and no two are alike even in shape. Sure they are close, but you couldn't swap a single part aside from screws.
 
Just out of curiosity, what do you guys think of Emerson knives ?

I have two of them--I sure like them, but my beef is with Mr. Emerson himself. I once read about how their liner lock get prematurely worn, so I wrote Emerson knives to inquire, and Ernie Emerson himself answered that query, and he basically treated me like dirt, was very blunt--I really really didn't appreciate it especially after spending $400 worth of knives.
 
chipdouglas said:
So far as opening speed, would you say a Benchmade AO opens faster than a ZT speedsafe knife ?
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Not really able to answer that. Kershaw tunes each torsion bar to the knife and what they feel is optimum for each piece. Some models open faster than others.
 
SPXTrader said:
Phillip does great work! Here's a 0300 series blem he put orange G-10 on.

orangeg10.png
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That is one fine custom Blem. I think it's time to remove the Blem from it's title. Change it to custom kick ass!
 
I'd give the stryker a big thumbs up. YMMV though lots of people have complained about problems with them on youtube. Can't say that has ever been my personal experience with one. Only thing I dont like about the model is the liner feels very easy to disengage, and while I was never able to disengage it without doing it on purpose with my thumb that was always in the back of my head.

Just out of curiosity, what do you guys think of Emerson knives ?
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I love them. the g10 they used to use before this year was my favorite on any knife I've ever held, super fine texturing that felt great. Havent had a chance to try out the new texturing. As for the warranty I never used it myself (and I dont currently own one of their knives) so I cant speak to that. I used mine with full confidence though, due to the positive things I have heard. Im sorry it didnt work out for you.
 
I hate my Nitrous stryker , never gonna buy any knife with nitrous assist again.
ZT runs circles around it .
 
I have the 913D2 and it is a good knife. Gets sharp and stays that way and locks up nice and just a good all around knife.
 
Yesterday we talked about ZT knives as being of high quality. Now, how do Kershaw knives fare so far as overall quality ? That is, how good is the steel on such knives as the blur and other kershaw ?
 
chipdouglas said:
Yesterday we talked about ZT knives as being of high quality. Now, how do Kershaw knives fare so far as overall quality ? That is, how good is the steel on such knives as the blur and other kershaw ?
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Blurs come in s30v (and recently in zdp 189, which is IMO even more high end, but also has better edge retention - read: harder to sharpen), which is high end steel...definitely something I'd pick over d2 given the option. d2 is tool steel. s30v is specifically manufactured as cutlery steel by Crucible. zdp 189 is also a cutlery specific steel manufactured by Hitachi IIRC. Having said that, I'd pick s30v because it's more user friendly for sharpening IMO. And if you're considering ZT knives...they only come in 154cm (0200 model) and s30v (everything else)...that is until the 2010 models begin showing up. The other Kershaw knives come in a variety of steels, all of which perfectly adequate, though some more robust than others.

Kershaw and ZT have the same quality since ZT is owned by Kershaw (KAI).

EDIT: I can almost see the cogwheels at work in your head. If I had to pick between the Stryker, the 0350, or the Blur, I'd pick the 0350 because of blade steel, grip and finally looks. I'm not a fan of grip tape (Blur).
EDIT 2: Blurs also come in 154cm now.
 
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harkamus said:
Blurs come in s30v (and recently in zdp 189, which is IMO even more high end, but also has better edge retention - read: harder to sharpen), which is high end steel...definitely something I'd pick over d2 given the option. d2 is tool steel. s30v is specifically manufactured as cutlery steel by Crucible. zdp 189 is also a cutlery specific steel manufactured by Hitachi IIRC. Having said that, I'd pick s30v because it's more user friendly for sharpening IMO. And if you're considering ZT knives...they only come in 154cm (0200 model) and s30v (everything else)...that is until the 2010 models begin showing up. The other Kershaw knives come in a variety of steels, all of which perfectly adequate, though some more robust than others.

Kershaw and ZT have the same quality since ZT is owned by Kershaw (KAI).

EDIT: I can almost see the cogwheels at work in your head. If I had to pick between the Stryker, the 0350, or the Blur, I'd pick the 0350 because of blade steel, grip and finally looks. I'm not a fan of grip tape (Blur).
EDIT 2: Blurs also come in 154cm now.
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LOL, cogwheels indeed ! However, you basically answered what I wanted to know about Kerhaw. Not long ago I only knew it by name. I wasn'T very much attracted to their designk, however I'd see people raving about them on forums and on You Tube, which lead me to look at Kershaw. It looks like their speedsafe AO technology is top notch, making it a very good alternative to an automatic knife. I'll pretty much go with the ZT one, actually, I'm crazy enough to get both LOL.
 
I have both 913/907 AO Strykers and like their action. Both came centered and have loosened up with opening and closing cycles. The D2 does have a toothy edge, but I'm used to it, my 710D2 has the same quality of edge and these blades slice very well. One more thing I like is the light weight due to the Ti liners. My main complaint is even with the finger ridges on the G-10 scales they're slippery...it requires holding the thumb to the clip when engaging the stud...it's minor, you get used to it.

I do prefer the original 910/905 Elishewitz Stryker models for their simplicity and much grippier G-10 scales, but the 913's drop point gives me more blade to work with for utility purposes.

While I have trouble sharpening Benchmade's D2 with the SharpMaker, for touchups it's not too bad. Unlike 154cm, the D2 models frequently go to LifeSharp for edge redo's.
 
Another satisfied 913/907 owner here and they are my preferred folder knives of the six that I own. Solid, light, EDC knives. Recommended.
 
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