Question about strider lockup, pic included

S

SnowCrash

Joined
Nov 23, 2010
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I'm in the middle of a trade and just wanted to run this by you strider owners before I go through with it. It is a Strider SNG CC
I noticed the lockup is at a level where it looks fishy to me.

Also, here's what he described:

"It locks up solid but the lock bar is broken in as they say...so it's buttery smooth.
I would say very very tiny bit of minor bladeplay side to side. No up and down bladeplay.
When you hold the knife on bull pivot area, no side to side bladeplay so I'm guessing it can be fixed by tightening the bull pivot."

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Thanks for the reassurance. Now I just have to make up my mind whether to trade for my plain large sebenza or not. I already have an umnumzaan, which I like more than the sebenza, so I thought I'd get myself a heavy use folder like the strider to complement the umnum
 
Should be fine, but you might want to send it in for pivot adjustment or do it yourself.

FWIW (nothing!), I have four Striders and really like them, but I wouldn't trade a large Sebenza for a well-used SnG. YMMV.
 
JNewell said:
Should be fine, but you might want to send it in for pivot adjustment or do it yourself.

FWIW (nothing!), I have four Striders and really like them, but I wouldn't trade a large Sebenza for a well-used SnG. YMMV.
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Doesn't value seems to add up? Strider sng cc tiger stripe goes new for about 470? Large sebenza 21 goes for 380?
Why do you say you wouldn't trade a sebenza for a trider?
 
A new Large 21 goes for 410$. I wouldn't trade a large sebenza for a strider because of striders lock up. I'm not a fan of the lock rock/up and down blade play they develop over time. A sebenza will Never develop blade play.

I love the strider look but know that I wouldn't be happy with the lock six months to a year down the road.

Just my opinion.
 
Looks okay to me. The lock-up is a little more full than I'd prefer, but plenty acceptable for a user. It's still got lots of life to it.

The horizontal play is typical. Mine was the same way. I tightened the pivot a hair, and there is no play when locked up. Just a tiny perceptible bit when in the closed position. Just make sure that you have a spanner and a soldering iron for the job.

I'd be willing to trade a large Seb for a Strider SNG. The difference in performance of the heat treatment alone is worth it. Strider's S30V is much better than Chris Reeve's, IMHO. The fit and finish isn't the same, but I think the Striders are the more functional knives. My SNG gets MUCH more pocket time than my large Sebenza.
 
SnowCrash said:
Once that pay develops, will strider fix it? Or is it permanent lock up problems?
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They'll fix it, or you can fix it yourself.
Just disassemble it and bend the lock-bar further towards the G-10 scale side.
The reason they get play once worn in is due to not putting enough tension. They don't put enough tension because then people cry about their poor poor thumbs.:rolleyes:
Simple to fix though. Just heat up the pivot before disassembly, as every Strider I've owned had Loctite slathered the whole length of the pivot screw (I friggin HATE Loctite).
 
I traded a BG-42 Sebbie for a Strider. No biggie. I have a DDC Sng CC that I banged on for six years and only sent it in to have it resharpened and it has yet to develop any blade play and the lock is about where your is. I have a RW-1 SMF that has seen three years of steady hard use. The lock bar hasn't traveled at all, a little side to side play after year two and I just tightened up the pivot and it's fine. Just make sure the Strider hasn't been pimped and you'll be covered under warranty, but I wouldn't worry about it if it's solid and as described by the owner.

I'd also add, if you have any concerns regarding the condition of the SnG as it is a user and you don't know where it's been, then you may want to think it twice before sealing the deal.
 
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Owner is sending me his strider first for inspection due to no feedback, so I'll get to check it out first to see the condition before either calling off the deal and reimbursing him for the shipping, or just send my sebenza in.

Honestly I've been aiming to get a digi camo smf, but seems not many people have them or not many are willing to part with them. I'll just have to settle for a cc sng tiger stripe :grumpy:

I guess all of this strider criticism scared me a long time ago with all of the lockup complaints, helps to know strider does it on purpose

Only other thing that bothers me is that there is only one contact point of locking on the titanium side, and the g10 side "thumbstud" doesn't even touch the g10. However with the track record of being one of the toughest knives around, I'm guessing it shouldn't be a problem
 
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SnowCrash said:
Only other thing that bothers me is that there is only one contact point of locking on the titanium side, and the g10 side "thumbstud" doesn't even touch the g10. However with the track record of being one of the toughest knives around, I'm guessing it shouldn't be a problem
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They are built that way
 
How do striders compare to zero tolerance 0300 series knives? I saw one of those 0300 blades snap in half on youtube when some guy took a 2/4 to it, wonder if the strider would be able to pass that test. Obviously it's abuse but just makes me wonder if the extra dollars mean anything in terms of toughness
 
SnowCrash said:
How do striders compare to zero tolerance 0300 series knives? I saw one of those 0300 blades snap in half on youtube when some guy took a 2/4 to it, wonder if the strider would be able to pass that test. Obviously it's abuse but just makes me wonder if the extra dollars mean anything in terms of toughness
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Probably not. A blade of a certain type of steel, of a certain thickness, heat treated to a certain hardness, will tend to act a certain way. There's no voodoo or magic involved. The Strider blade looks to be tad thicker, but not enough to handle such nonsensical abuse.
 
stabman said:
They'll fix it, or you can fix it yourself.
Just disassemble it and bend the lock-bar further towards the G-10 scale side.
The reason they get play once worn in is due to not putting enough tension. They don't put enough tension because then people cry about their poor poor thumbs.:rolleyes:
Simple to fix though. Just heat up the pivot before disassembly, as every Strider I've owned had Loctite slathered the whole length of the pivot screw (I friggin HATE Loctite).
Click to expand...

That won't fix the kind of play most Strider's develop. Only a bigger stop pin will, which they have to do.

Very rarely is the play due to inadequate spring tension. Most of the time it is from wear on the lock face which throws the tolerances out of whack. A bigger stop pin is needed to compensate for the wear.
 
CrimsonTideShooter said:
That won't fix the kind of play most Strider's develop. Only a bigger stop pin will, which they have to do.

Very rarely is the play due to inadequate spring tension. Most of the time it is from wear on the lock face which throws the tolerances out of whack. A bigger stop pin is needed to compensate for the wear.
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Does strider charge you big bucks for a bigger stop pin? Or is it covered under their lifetime warranty?
 
Geez. I've had my SNG for five years now. The lockup hardly changed one bit after the first few weeks of ownership. In comparison, the lock bar on my Sebenza has changed greatly over the years.
 
If you want to take a 2x4 to your Strider to test it, have at it. Personally it's something I wouldn't do. To any folding knife for that matter. If you send it in for warranty, $15.00 shipping is all you will be charged provided the Strider is true with original parts and zero modifications.
 
It's covered as long as they don't think you took it apart yourself or otherwise used it as a hammer - from everything I see, you just have to contact Josh, send it in and they come back repaired quite well. One of my SMF's I traded for already recently went through that and it works very welland it isn'teasy to tell. On mine, it looks like they pressed a new thumbstud in the hole and the Ti side of that thumstud is slightly larger in diameter than the G10 side so the hole size remains the same on the blade but the contact point of the stud on the Ti side is larger in diameter.

I think where many Strider newbies get disenchanted is that Stider support doesn't seem to coddle and they assume you can figure out how to reach them and contact them but the fact is, there is a proper way to do it. When that way is followed, their service can be quite good and I don't hear about many knives going back a second time at all and certainly not a second time soon after a first.
 
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