SNG Tanto - Saaaaweeeeeet

[Barrabas]

Got my first SNG Tanto in today. I have been carrying a PT for some time now, but had the opportunity for it's big brother, and was fortunate to get it.

Just some quick notes now, and I'll throw some more out later as soon as I get a chance to play with it.

Initial Impressions:

Pros -

1 - Fits my hand like a glove (Medium Sized hands)
2 - Choil is very comfortable, and more rounded on the edges than the PT - nice.
3 - The Open/close action is VERY smooth (smoother than either my Small classic/ or Large reg Seb when I first got them - go figure?)
4 - The Blade Spine is nicely rounded and is not nearly as "boxey" as my PT, it will be very comfortable for hard cutting. (I had a big concern about this when ordereing, but I cannot tell you how pleasantly surprised I am with the rounding of the spine/Thumb grooves - nothing like the PT)
5 - Blade centered perfectly.
6 - Locks up is killer - no play whatsoever.
7 - Clip is tight, but not so tight that it will be a pain to get in and out of the pocket, I think it will be a while before it leaves those little rough/worn spots that accompany pants harboring Clip knives over time.
8 - Is very comortable when clipped in the Pocket (I'm a Khaki Man by nature)
9 - Other than the small issue mentioned below, the F&F - is perfect.
10 - Grind is even on both sides with only noticable variation where the tanto edge starts, but even there it is close.
Of course it was sharp.. but I will most likely reprofile - Never had a blade yet (that I planned on using), that didn't hit the stone as soon as I got a chance

Cons -
1 - Strider name / logo did not get a perfect stamp - no big deal.
To Clarify, the Stamp & name are clearly shown, but there is a very small portion at the top of the name, and part of the side of the logo, that did not come through as clearly as I would have liked.


In short, This bad boy is going to see a lot of play time. - Hate I had to wait so long to get it, (Gotta save ya know) but boy am I glad it's here.



Be Well,

sp

 

[T.K.C.]

CONGRATS on the SNG! They ARE awesome knives!! I hope you enjoy it!!

 

[Barrabas]

Thanks KC!! I appreciate that!

I reprofiled the edge last night to around 23 degrees which should be a lot more suitable for the type of cutting I do.

I had done the same thing to my Seb, so we'll put them head to head tonight for a little work on skinning some Bark off of some Ironwood/Hickory saplings that will be used for Walking sticks.

Thanks again,

sp

 

[Barrabas]

Well, the type of Hickory I was cutting on tonight is referred to around here as "Shag bark", and if youv'e ever messed with it, you know it can be quite a chore to strip the bark from - especially when it has aged for about a month in an electric heat environment.

As I mentioned above there were two blades at work in this, the SNG, and a Large Regular Sebenza. Both have had the edge reprofiled to approx. 23 degrees.

I need deep cutting ability, but decent edge retention when working in wood like this and that angle has proven good to date. Working knots or cutting finger grooves can be hard on a lower angle/ or on the flip side a higher angle requires alot more effort.

Since I got my first Seb a couple of years ago it has been my knife of choice for this kind of work because it has been extremely comfortable to use, especially because of the leverage I could get from the rounded blade spine - until tonight I could find no knife it's equal in that capacity.

I have tried oodles of blades for this kind of stuff, and they all ended in a blister or a sore thumb at the least by the time I got a 5-6ft staff peeled down - I just love to do it by hand. The Seb has been the only one that I have been pleased with - again - until tonight.

I did the normal hair pop test for both blades, and the thumb nail scrape etc to make sure they were as close as possible in sharpness before I started. - no burr present on either.

I used the Seb for a few strokes on the wood, and then because of the bark I realized quickly it would take the thumb pressure to get under the bark consistently.

I did this for about 5 passes - each only about an inch or 2 long in the circumference of the would be staff, then I switched out to the SNG.

I cannot begin to tell you how pleased I was at the cutting ability - it was better than the Seb. - which was surprising because I thought the hollow grind would have given the seb an advantage with this cutting - it did not.

The finger choil on the SNG I believe contributed to the increased cutting ability, because I was applying more direct force to the blade. Also the Wider blade spine was MUCH more comfortable to use. (I want to add here that if you have one of the Strider PTs, and you are thinking the SNGs Blade Spine, thumb grooves on the blade spine, are like that - they are very different. The SNG I have is a Gen 6 I believe with the Hinderer Stabilizer - It is easily the most comfortable blade spine I have had the priveledge to use. Well rounded on the spine and the choil - in contrast the PT I have is much more "blocky" on the spine and choil.)

I made approx 80 more cuts to the wood with the SNG. - no gloves - I always had to put a pair of thin leather gloves on with the seb in the past, because my thumb would start to get raw.

My wife then wanted to chat, so I stopped cuting, and decided to check the edges - After all that, the SNG was still very sharp, it would not shave hairs, but was pretty close to it.

About 7 passes each side on a small ceramic rod, and it was back to it's bad self - popping hairs with ease.

I then grabbed the Seb checked it, and it too would not shave...
But, remember, it only had a fraction of the work the SNG had been through.

It took about 11 passes on the ceramic rod to get back to it's original state.


Now, here I want to say that When I would use the PT against the Seb, It seemed to sharpen more quickly, and retain an edge longer than the Seb, but I thought perhaps it was just by chance.

Seeing the SNG in action tonight, I am convinced that whatever process the Strider gang is doing to their blades, is making them superior cutting tools for my uses.

Could it be the grind?, heat treatment? - I don't know .

But the Spyderco S30Vs with the same blade grind as the Strider, have not performed this well - so I am lead to believe it's something deeper that the blade grind itself.

To put it all on the field though I have had only 2 Sebs (large regular S30V, and a Small classic S30V.).

In contrast I had only had 2 Striders (Pt & SNG).

The Striders have won this round.

On that note, I want to say, if you don't do hard cutting like this, or don't use the blade spine or choils as leverage for your cutting, or if your cutting is limited to a few strokes at a time, and not a prolonged action you may not see the advantages I have seen.

I will say though that if you do do a lot of cutting, and the points I mentioned above in the last paragraph characterize the type of cutting you do - Take a real good look at a Strider SNG.

Be Well,

sp

 

[Buzzbait]

Great test!!!! My SNG is also growing on me.

As far as edge retention goes, I have had similar experiences in the past. My BG-42 large Sebenza is a great knife, but the blade seems a bit on the soft side. When I've done head-to-head tests, the edge on the Sebenza has deformed somewhat prematurely in comparison to other blades. Some of that could be my sharpening method though, since the Sebenza gets stropped more often than sharpened. The repeated stropping, without any substantial removal of steel, could be reducing the durability of the edge.

I haven’t had too much chance to test edge retention on my SNG yet. I just got around to reprofiling my SNG, to a 30 degree inclusive angle, the night before last. Cutting ability, as far as I’ve noticed, seems to be right up there with my Spyderco Military and Manix.

I agree about the comfort level and grip security of the SNG. The large choil, combined with the grooved thumb ramp, makes for a great grip. For me, the SNG is a pleasure to use. No real hot spots that I’ve noticed.

 

[Barrabas]

Thanks Buzz, I look forward to hearing about how you like the 30 degree angle. I have really enjoyed your feedback as well on your drop point.

I'm glad to hear I'm not alone on seeing a noticible difference in the edge retention of Seb Vs Strider.

I'm going to shoot Cliff an email and ask him his thoughts as well.

Maybe he can add some more insight to the possible differences also that might be contributing.

Some of that could be my sharpening method though, since the Sebenza gets stropped more often than sharpened. The repeated stropping, without any substantial removal of steel, could be reducing the durability of the edge.

I had the same concern inititally when comparing against the PT, so I gave the Seb a nice work over - the problem persisted.

Maybe the Full grind is just better for these applications?

Thanks,

sp

 

[Cliff Stamp]

The finger choil on the SNG I believe contributed to the increased cutting ability, because I was applying more direct force to the blade.

Leverage is a critical factor in cutting ability because it directly controls how much of the force you apply goes into the material. If in holding the Strider you can get the force almost right behind the cut, the efficiency is close to 100%, the further behind you are the more is wasted, this is why it is much harder to carve with the tip than near the choil.

Could it be the grind?, heat treatment?

If the blade is more stable in hand, more comfortable and in general just cuts better, the edge retention will be raised for a given amount of work as the edge will see less stress in use. However based on what I have seen there is likely a difference in the steel as well.

I have used a small Sebenza carving hard woods, specifically strips of plywood, and the edge retention was poor as the edge cracked apart too readily (it was heavily reprofiled). A South Fork in S30V in the same edge configuration was much better, there was no comparison, it was many to one.

I have seen similar, but worse, behavior on two Green Berets, also in S30V, which are softer still than the Sebenza's. Frequently people equate edge retention=wear resistance, but this is simply not true. It can also depend on strength and toughness significantly.

-Cliff

 

[Barrabas]

Thanks a bunch Cliff!