SNG rant

[flipe8]

I thought for a second this wasn't gonna turn into a Strider bashing thread. At least I know the earth is still spinning on its proper axis.

 

[wally@ferguson]

Why did it turn into a Strider bashing thread ? Public opinion.

Great research thread for potential Strider knife buyers

 

[flipe8]

It was a good thread, but it's starting to go off track. Eventhough I've had nothing but great experiences with the 7 or so Striders I've owned, others have had less than perfect experiences. There's nothing wrong with that, but why does it have to go negative? The OP had an issue, the issue was taken care of, now it's time to start bashing. It's always the way it goes.

 

[Ankerson]

It was a good thread, but it's starting to go off track. Eventhough I've had nothing but great experiences with the 7 or so Striders I've owned, others have had less than perfect experiences. There's nothing wrong with that, but why does it have to go negative? The OP had an issue, the issue was taken care of, now it's time to start bashing. It's always the way it goes.

Because it's typical and predictable, nothing new.

It's real easy to say you owned a $500 knife without posting photos of it then complain about it.

I haven't seen any photos from any of the complainers so take that for what you will, likely just people that can't afford them so they bash them, must be because there isn't any proof any of them owned one in this thread at all. If they never owned one then they are just talking about something they know nothing about and or listening to others who never owned one.

Photos or it never happened.

 

[Shing]

And Ford & Chevy were so reliable during that time ? The Vega ? Chevette ? Fiesta ? Pontiac's Fiero ?


Dealer sales ( and ability to keep them in stock ) would tell you otherwise.

If a company did make some hard use folders that worked first time, I think they would make a big dent in the hard use folder market. Just like Toyota took away the GM, Ford and Chrysler market.

 

[Ankerson]

If a company did make some hard use folders that worked first time, I think they would make a big dent in the hard use folder market. Just like Toyota took away the GM, Ford and Chrysler market.

They sell them faster than they can make them, that's the reason a lot of models are hard to get with certian blade coatings and Ti options.

Also why there is a waiting list for models with those said options.

 

[Shing]

They sell them faster than they can make them, that's the reason a lot of models are hard to get with certian blade coatings and Ti options.

Also why there is a waiting list for models with those said options.

If they made the right the first time, they might have more time to make more rather than fixing the ones that have to be sent in to make them right.

 

[Royalmist]

I paid $505 for a new Strider SNG that I got on January 8.

Let me say that I really want to like this knife. It's ergonomic, extremely well balanced and the materials and handle are top notch. That being said, the folding action sucks out of the box.

OK, I knew going into this I would need to "break in" the knife. Two weeks later and approximately 1500+ cycles later, the folding action is worse than the day I got it. Now admittedly, I may not have done the "break in " process correctly (I used Eezox on the pivot to smooth it out), but the knife comes with no instructions (I got a sweet ziploc bag though) and Strider's website is devoid of any information on "break in" or even maintenance. I emailed Strider's customer support on Monday, still no response. Outstanding.

Put me in the camp that thinks when you pay $500+, the folding action should be smooth from the factory. There is simply no excuse for anything less IMO. I own a Sebenza 21 and an Umnum and they were buttery smooth from the factory. Further, the SNG is a tactical knife, and yet deployment speed is far far far worse than my Sebenza two weeks into this hellish break in process. Suppose I was being sent to Afghanistan, should the Army give me a month or two to break in my $500 tactical knife? To make matters worse, you are not supposed to field strip the knife ( I learned this supposed fact on and unofficial internet FAQ). what the hell?

I'll keep the knife, and I'm sure if I keep cycling it 500 times a day, it should smooth out so that I can thumb flick it some day. Of course i'll probably need a new lock bar by then lol.

Don't get me wrong, it's a nice knife, but worth $500 as it comes from the factory? IMO, hell no.

The knife is worth however much you paid for it. I value it at much less than what you paid however. Since you are a member of a forum had you heard of these problems before? There are literally hundreds of threads on Strider and in every single one of them a person with their bad experience will chime in. The fact that you got a lemon from Strider is not surprising at all, they seem to make much lemonade at SKI.

I have or had several different sebenzas, umnumzaan, striders smf & sng's, ZT 0301, etc. To me the sebenzas are awsome as well as the umnumzaan. The ZT 0301 blows away the strider I my opinion. My only remaining strider of the three I have had is the smf. Its nice and smooth and I think its one of the ones they made on a wednesday, because its great. The two sng's were definately made on a friday about 1/2 hour before quitting time. Both had uneven grinds, both were tight as hell, both had off centered blades. Both were all scuffed up as well, looks like they kicked them around the floor for a bit before it was boxed up. But like you, I did get that beautiful zip lock bag to keep it in. The 2 sng's were bought new. The smf was pre-owned, but was never used as it still had factory edge and no scuffs. The smf is a keeper as I reprofiled it to a more normal 20 degrees. It opens smooth and I like it. As for the two sng's I have had. I got one and like an idiot, I tried another. If the knife is at best a $200 knife, but $500, forget it. For $1000 for 2 sng's, I expect a hell of alot more than you get. I know there are alot of strider fans. If I only had the smf, I would be preaching striders to all the corners of he world. But with my experience with the two sng's, they are not worth the $16 shipping to my house ! I dont know how strider can help design the ZT, then make their $500 knives so much less. The ZT is a strider style knife with CRK quality/fit/finish. Buy a ZT and save yourself $300. My thoughts on the sebbie and umnum are well documented in the CRK forum and I am not going to repeat all that here. In the end, you can do much better than a strider. As much as I like my smf, its far from being worth $500, more like $300 and thats only because I got one of the few good ones.

There is absolutely no way that a Strider is stronger than a ZT0300. I haven't even heard of someone ever breaking their ZT0300. Most of the SMF/SnG's I've seen that break have broken from the same exact spot. The area where the oval is cut out and the jimping is (the one closest to the middle of the hole). Some I've seen come cracked from the factory (free of charge).

With that you guys should have realized a very long time ago that you're paying upwards of $200 more than what you should be paying for a Strider. Yes they are over priced but that's the price I have paid to have a cool as hell Strider. There is also no way in hell the ZT0300 is anywhere near as cool as the Strider. Just look at it. It's badass.

did you try taking a fine power sander to the base of the tang? that might help somewhat.

Don't power anything on your knife. Ever.

You need to Call CS @ 1-760-471-8275 and let them know about what's going on, they will ask you to send the knife in and they will take care of it.

Good advice. They will fix it. Just gotta wait.

buy a hinderer i've had the same problem i've had several smf,sng,gb,and customs striders and some open like butter and others you have to tinker with them all the time infact my custom smf you have to loosen the third bolt near the pivot to open half ass like i said i've got a sng and a gb that is smooth as butter i take them apart and clean and oil them i noticed that if you carry them in your pocket very small particles of dirt get in between the brass washers so i pull the blades out and clean/oil them also as said above adjust the pivot will work sometimes i also have two 300 zt series i love them and they feel great and solid but are heavy i've got a extrema ratio rao comming but looks to be very heavy too! so the answer is a hinderer xm-18, cures all problems and now is my favorite knife (still love the looks of the striders)

Actually had this happen to me on a Dwyer Custom. That's right a custom.

Remember not everyone who complains really owns or has owned a Strider.

If they really had that many issues the Strider Forum over on USN would be full of people burning it down with posts complaining as there is a link to it right on their Website....... It's not so take that for what you will.

I always tell people to read the FAQ before they buy one as there is a break in period.

Striders are basically custom knives that are hand fitted, they are not legos that you can swap parts from one to another like production knives are.

People that post on that forum are the same exact individuals posting the same dribble over and over and over and over again.

The forum (and its Members) you refer to has a long proven history of intolerance and disrespect to those daring to say anything other than words of praise for their leader. If the OP would have posted in that forum he would have received asanine replies to the effect of;

OP
"I spent $500 and the Pivot is incredibly tight"

Replies
"Feel lucky Bro - I've wanted one of those and would never complain"
"That's the way we likes em" followed by the head bobbing hair throwing icon
"Quit yer bitchin - Mick will make it right"
"Strider don't make no pretty folders, if you want nice get somethin else"

and other such dribble.

Ongoing Poor fit on an expensive knife (this same thing or similiar problems has been heard for years) - excuses are like.... well you know.

Dead on!

 

[Ankerson]

If they made the right the first time, they might have more time to make more rather than fixing the ones that have to be sent in to make them right.

Don't believe everything you read as most of it is pure BS.

They don't have as many problems as some like to make it appear they do.

 

[dangreco]

Don't power anything on your knife. Ever.

Why not?

 

[Ankerson]

There are literally hundreds of threads on Strider and in every single one of them a person with their bad experience will chime in.

And most of them are full of it, never owned one, most of them are telling the exact same story they read on another thread or someplace else.

Don't believe everything you read.

 

[mongomondo]

I think the thing with Strider is that when you get a good one, it's really damn good. That's why they have all these fans. Unfortunately, my SnG came with bladeplay and the customer service I received (or didn't receive) was atrocious. They told me to send it in and would take care of it. I just wanted an update on the repairs so I called and emailed them for over a week and nobody replied. The repair took almost 2 months before I got it back, no communication, I just got an email one day saying that my knife shipped. Is it really that hard to respond to a phone call or email to give me an update within 2 months? Thankfully they fixed the issue, but I was so pissed at my treatment that I sold it.

Proof that I owned and sold it here, http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php?t=616339

That said, I'm thinking about buying an SnG GG model after watching So-lo's videos. He's a good salesmen.

 

[Ankerson]

There are literally hundreds of threads on Strider and in every single one of them a person with their bad experience will chime in.

And most of them are full of it.

They are just coping a post from another thread or forum or telling a story they heard from another one who copied it from someone else.

Don't believe everything you read.

 

[Ankerson]

I think the thing with Strider is that when you get a good one, it's really damn good. That's why they have all these fans. Unfortunately, my SnG came with bladeplay and the customer service I received (or didn't receive) was atrocious. They told me to send it in and would take care of it. I just wanted an update on the repairs so I called and emailed them for over a week and nobody replied. The repair took almost 2 months before I got it back, no communication, I just got an email one day saying that my knife shipped. Is it really that hard to respond to a phone call or email to give me an update within 2 months? Thankfully they fixed the issue, but I was so pissed at my treatment that I sold it.

Proof that I owned and sold it here, http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php?t=616339

That said, I'm thinking about buying an SnG GG model after watching So-lo's videos. He's a good salesmen.

I remember when that happened and you sold it etc.

 

[mongomondo]

I remember when that happened and you sold it etc.

Why is my experience not believable? They didn't return any phone calls or emails and I just gave up in frustration. I'm glad they fixed and returned the knife to me, but just fixing a knife isn't customer service. When I send a company a $400 knife I want some communication! I'm not really complaining about the actual knife here.

 

[Royalmist]

And most of them are full of it, never owned one, most of them are telling the exact same story they read on another thread or someplace else.

Don't believe everything you read.

I don't. That's why from my experience with Strider I know that they aren't tip top on customer service or quality.

But I read enough to where I knew what I was getting in to. I wasn't surprised when I had to break in my SMF's or SnG's and I sure as hell wasn't surprised when they came in with their horrible edge that becomes blunter at the tip.

 

[Ankerson]

Why is my experience not believable? They didn't return any phone calls or emails and I just gave up in frustration. I'm glad they fixed and returned the knife to me, but just fixing a knife isn't customer service. When I send a company a $400 knife I want some communication! I'm not really complaining about the actual knife here.

I never said I didn't believe you, all I said was I remembered when it happened.

I don't. That's why from my experience with Strider I know that they aren't tip top on customer service or quality.

But I read enough to where I knew what I was getting in to. I wasn't surprised when I had to break in my SMF's or SnG's and I sure as hell wasn't surprised when they came in with their horrible edge that becomes blunter at the tip.

I noticed that too, but I reprofile mine anyway, and that's all knives I get that I use.

MIne had pretty good edges on them, sharp wise.

 

[Goldistheanswer]

As I said very early on, I think the SNG is a fantastic knife. But to usethe car analogy, it was like taking delivery of a brand new twin turbo 911 and then not being able to start it. I felt a bit like a sucker, warranted or unwarranted.

Well, I got her started and I like it a lot. Of course I can no longer feel anything with my thumb, but it's a small sacrifice.

I think the lack of info on Striders website contributes massively to a lot of the problems people have with their knives. Easily correctable, but maybe strider just doesnt care or actually likes it that way. To me it seems like there is a lot of untapped potential in the company, but who am I to criticize someone who built their own company from nothing?

 

[Ankerson]

As I said very early on, I think the SNG is a fantastic knife. But to usethe car analogy, it was like taking delivery of a brand new twin turbo 911 and then not being able to start it. I felt a bit like a sucker, warranted or unwarranted.

Well, I got her started and I like it a lot. Of course I can no longer feel anything with my thumb, but it's a small sacrifice.

I think the lack of info on Striders website contributes massively to a lot of the problems people have with their knives. Easily correctable, but maybe strider just doesnt care or actually likes it that way. To me it seems like there is a lot of untapped potential in the company, but who am I to criticize someone who built their own company from nothing?

I am glad you got it worked out and I am sure the more you use it the more you will like. :thumbup:

 

[wally@ferguson]

If you own or have owned a Strider it's easy to separate the BS from the factual experience.

Pics are like words...you can post anything on this or any other forum.