Opinions,Strider or a Sebenza.

D

derschman

Joined
Mar 26, 2002
Messages
130
I have heard all sorts of things about these knives,and I can not make up my mind on which one will be the best one,for everyday carry,like I said before which ever model I choose it will get the hell beat out of it,I just need input from all of you people who have these knives,please somebody recommend a sebenza,or strider,if its strider which model would take the most abuse,and which one will hold sharpest edge longest,and which one has the strongest lockup,I appreciate all of your input,thank you very much.......
 
I assume you are talking about folders.

I have the Large Sebbie, it is a great knife. It is part of my EDC. The lock up has never failed, in use or spine whacks.

My AR is also a good knife, but does fail the spine whacks on the lock side. I also does not have the fit and finish of the Sebbie. If you are only going to buy one, I´d suggest the Sebbie.


Steve
 
I don't have a Strider so I can't comment on it but I did just buy a large Sebbie and it is my one and only EDC, probably will be for a long time. Great knife and well worth the price tag.
 
Tough decision.

I was once tempted for a Strider SnG, but the reason I didn't buy it is because I prefer the Sebenza pivot construction. That uses a bushing and therefore the pivot tension is always the same. You just tighten the screws as tight as possible, and you always have the same smooth action. I also think that the Sebenza has a bit more sheeple friendly shape.

Just my 2 cents.

Ted
 
The Sebenza has such a long track record of greatness that it's hard not to recommend it. If you have the opportunity to handle one, definitely do so. Chances are that if you like the feel of the straight handle design, you’ll have no complaints in the long run. The Sebenza is an awesome knife at any price.
 
Im a Strider fan, not a Strider groupie who thinks they can do no wrong. I very much like their knives, great designs, overbuilt and fit and finish are decent on a production knife. But, there is no doubt in my mind the Sebenza is a better made knife. The Sebenza is all about precision and it also happens to be very strong as well. The Striders are less about precision, and more geared towards brute force. I like and can appreciate both approaches.

The thing is, i think the Sebenza is probably just as strong as the Striders, with the exception of tip/blade strength, i see the Strider having a blade that can withstand more abuse, but the Sebenza lock is at least as strong as any Strider's lock, and the knife to knife consistancy of quality is better on the Sebenza. The Sebenza is extremely refined with incredible attention to detail, the Striders are, well, not. :)

It's odd, i absolutely believe the Sebenza to be the higher quality knife, but i "like" the Striders more, the Sebenza, as amazingly well made as it is, just doesnt appeal to me visually, or on a gut/emotional level, while the Striders do. Its crazy.

I love my Sebenzas, but if i had to trade a knife away, a Sebenza or my AR, the Sebbie goes. Sad, but true. The AR is just a massive, overbuilt, brute of a knife, not as well made as a Sebenza, but more appealing to me. Oh, almost forgot, it's cool. :)
 
Meg hit the nail on the head. Don't buy the Strider if you want something precision made. Although, I must say, the lock on my SnG is _perfect_.

Also, I think you may be misinformed about the pivot on the SnG. I just took mine apart yesterday for a cleaning. I tightened up the pivot as tight as I could, and it didn't make a bit of difference as to how easily the blade opened.

I went on a 10 day camping trip a while back and the SnG was the only knife I took. I cut kindling for firewood, rope, cans, just about everything. It just laughed at me.

It's also one of the most ergonomic knives I ever picked up. The two finger grooves, the large palm filling handle, and the balance (which is perfect, btw) really make a big difference.
 
I just picked up a small Sebenza for my EDC and I couldn't be happier. It's the perfect size for me and the construction is flawless. Smooth, absolutely no blade play and very solid lock up. I thought about the Striders as well, but I'm really happy I went with the Sebenza.
 
The Chief's post is right on the nuts. I have a few Strider folders and they are spot on. They are CUSTOM, UNIQUE, and TOUGH. It is also true that whenever the human equation can be taken out of the picture, QC issues will dwindle. Machine's don't screw up when tuned accordingly. A bunch of guys at a grinding wheel and sander can make mistakes. I have seen a number of their folders that have had issues, which is unfortunate. ...And no, you shouldn't have to buy something brand spankin' new and then send it in to be fixed. This is a bummer to say the least. Some guys won't buy one sight-unseen.

The end result is what I care about, and the getting there is worth it for me... If it's not worth it for you, then you may be wise in not giving yourself a headache. I'm comforted in the fact that I can send it back after using a hammer to pound it through door lock and get it back like brand new with no questions asked.

As a sidenote, buying a used Strider is buying a new Strider. Pi$$ on it some more and then send it in.
out,
Cris
 
....Oh, I also have two Large Sebenzas and wouldn't trade them for the world!! If you are asking the question, you'll end up owning both sooner or later (guaranteed.) If you are worried about QC, there won't be any issues with CR.
 
To me the difference is the Sebenza is designed to be a knife of supreame cutting ability, great ergo's and one of the best locks in the world. The fit and finish are second to none. It does the job without shouting about it.

The Strider is shouting and jumping up and down "look at me, look at me, Im HUGE!!":D

I will get one at some point, but seriously, the Benza is the better knife, the Strider is the better tank carry.
 
They are differently styled knives, that do manage to converge in alot of ways. In have not seen a huge variance in the QC myself, and that is after owning two different ARs, and two different SnGs.

A hint, Buck is coming out soon with a new Buck/Strider folder, modeled after the SnG which is the 3" blade framelock. Might want to wait and get one of those....



When it comes down to it I think that you can rely on both knives to do what you want, and then it is just down to which one you like the looks of better. And what features you like better. For instance, the SnG has the opening hole in addition to the studs. Many prefer that style to just the studs, and CRKs thumbstud that digs into your hand.
 
I carried a large 'benza for a long while, and still do sometimes. I now carry my SnG most of the time. I've put both of them to the test, both have served me well in all situations. I use the SnG where I might not use the Sebenza because to me I can beat the hell out of it and now worry about the finish. I beat up my Sebenza quite a bit, but was still hesitant to use it in some situations where it might scratch it up too much.

I also have an AR and while it is considerably beefier, it works well as a daily carry. I just save it for when I'm outdoors.

Pick the one you like the most. Either one can take it. Both are backed by exceptional knifemakers.
 
I witnessed something that was disturbing this year at blade.
I walked over to the badlands booth where the strider guys were and noticed they had several SNGs layed out for purchase. Well, I was kinda stoked to see them because I had heard so many good things about them. The Marine behind the counter urged me to pick them up and try them out so I proceded to inspect them one at a time.
Well, the first thing I noticed was that every sng I picked up would not lock open, the frame locks were cut too long and would not ingage the back of the blade. This was true for All Six sngs they had layed out on the table.
I showed this to the strider guy and he told me it was because they were new. I think he said "fresh from the shop" and proceded to try to get the one I was holding to lock open. When he couldnt get it to open by ficking with the wrist, he began to raise the knife above his head and sling his whole arm down past his waist to generate enough force to get the lock to engage. He slung the knife four or five times with as much force as he could muster and finally on the fifth try he got the liner to slide over what must have been no more that 1 or 2 thousandths (A VERY TINY AMMOUNT) and lock open.
I had walked over there to buy a sng but seeing as how every one they had would not lock open I felt pretty let down.
I still like the sng design but feel hesitant about buying one without first having in hand to inspect.
 
the bottom line is do you want a tank or a porsche? the/all strider's (own a mfs and a smf on the way) are a full on heavy metal tank. the sebie (i own a small classic in BG42) is a nice smooth 911, great lines, awsome craftsmanship, and its soooo beautiful. it really comes down to where your going to carry it, what your going to use it for and finaly do you want people to say "dude what is THAT?" or "damn thats a fine piece of cutlery"

just my semi-educated 2 cents

hebi16
 
hebi16 is pretty much right on.
the strider is a tough a$$ folder, that has a bit thicker blade, pivot pin, and unique handle (G-10 & Ti together). In a pinch, it can handle MORE than just cutting, such as light prying and chopping.
The sebbie is also tough, and may be able to do some of the things that the strider can do, but it will probably CUT or SLICE better, due to the blade. You may be less inclined to beat up the sebbie as opposed to the strider.
I have both, and they both get the majority of my carry time, sometimes together.
 
Well, after reading my thoughts in this thread, i think you all see im not a Strider groupie, but in this instance, i have to come to their defense regarding the issue raised by draftaman.

According to Strider, they intentionally make the lock fit against the blade VERY tightly, so tightly that when new, the knife requires a few hundred cycles of opening and closing to allow the 2 parts to wear in slightly and thus, at some point, the lock will begin to engage properly. When i heard this, i admit, i thought it sounded like BS, but i have to say, it is true. I have owned 4 SnGs, 2 were the original striped models, 2 were the stonewashed versions, and a few of them had this very problem when new, and, after opening and closing them a bunch of times, they did indeed wear in nicely and began to lockup pretty well. I know its disconcerting to buy a new $400 knife and have what seems like a defective lock, but once they do wear in slightly, they generally lock up pretty nicely, except for the few i saw that locked up too far to the right, however, this is something ive often seen on customs from several top makers, on knives more expensive than any Strider.
 
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