Someone talk me into or out of buying a Strider SNG..

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Murdamook said:
Again, not claiming he’s a paragon of virtue. Are you actually contending that he wasn’t a Ranger based on MOS? Did he not complete RASP/RIP then get assigned to the battalion? I’m with you for most of what you’re saying, but that part of your argument isn’t needed. You know he wasn’t assigned to Ranger batt. as a paper pusher.
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I'm saying ranger title is earned, he never did the job of a ranger therefore never earned the right to call himself one. Plenty of guys will say tab'd rangers aren't rangers. Like officers who just attended ranger school but never served in a Ranger bat or did ranger shit. Just wear the tab. Within the community there's a fairly strict scrutiny, on what is or isn't a certain thing.

From within the military community he would not be considered a Ranger. In my opinion from many discussions with other guys.
 
unwisefool said:
Was just curious, you said it was meant for super tough tasks and you do not use it for that. You also carry two slipjoints which handle light duty, so thought you might just have it as pocket jewelry or something. Which is fine, just asking what you were doing with it.
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My apologies if I came off a little crude. Based on the tensions in this thread I couldn’t tell if I was going to be attacked for posting a photo of a Strider knife lol.

I’m still a little unsure if I want to keep this particular SnG because I really would like to add one of those colorful lock side Urban Camo MEFP SnG’s to my collection so I carry this one around to familiarize myself with the ergos and how it carries in the pocket so I’ve been hesitant to use it properly just yet. Of course, if it’s in my pocket and there’s a task that requires a knife I won’t hesitate to use it but until I’m decided on keeping it in my collection I just use it for very light tasks.

There isn’t much room in my collection for a knife that doesn’t get carried and used. Aside from the slipjoints that I collect all of my modern folders get used and carried and I purchase each of them with those intentions.
 
Hyesouljah said:
My apologies if I came off a little crude. Based on the tensions in this thread I couldn’t tell if I was going to be attacked for posting a photo of a Strider knife lol.

I’m still a little unsure if I want to keep this particular SnG because I really would like to add one of those colorful lock side Urban Camo MEFP SnG’s to my collection so I carry this one around to familiarize myself with the ergos and how it carries in the pocket so I’ve been hesitant to use it properly just yet. Of course, if it’s in my pocket and there’s a task that requires a knife I won’t hesitate to use it but until I’m decided on keeping it in my collection I just use it for very light tasks.

There isn’t much room in my collection for a knife that doesn’t get carried and used. Aside from the slipjoints that I collect all of my modern folders get used and carried and I purchase each of them with those intentions.
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Man, plenty of people on BFC own and carry Striders. No one is going to attack you for posting a picture of one. Haha.
 
shinyedges said:
I'm saying ranger title is earned, he never did the job of a ranger therefore never earned the right to call himself one. Plenty of guys will say tab'd rangers aren't rangers. Like officers who just attended ranger school but never served in a Ranger bat or did ranger shit. Just wear the tab. Within the community there's a fairly strict scrutiny, on what is or isn't a certain thing.

From within the military community he would not be considered a Ranger. In my opinion from many discussions with other guys.
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Correct. Tabbed Rangers aren’t Rangers. But being assigned to a battalion is effectively being scrolled. A tab means a person is Ranger qualified and that they graduated Ranger school. Going through RASP/RIP then being assigned is different than being “Ranger Qualified”. I respect what you’re saying that he may not be viewed as a Ranger by many in the community. But he certainly made it beyond simply being tabbed. And again, that may make his infractions worse since he was in batt. at the time said infractions took place. He occupied a place many wish to achieve but don’t, then completely shit the bed and washed out before doing anything of note. Probably easier to swallow if the dude is just some guy who is Ranger qualified and not actually through RASP/RIP.
 
Murdamook said:
Correct. Tabbed Rangers aren’t Rangers. But being assigned to a battalion is effectively being scrolled. A tab means a person is Ranger qualified and that they graduated Ranger school. Going through RASP/RIP then being assigned is different than being “Ranger Qualified”. I respect what you’re saying that he may not be viewed as a Ranger by many in the community. But he certainly made it beyond simply being tabbed. And again, that may make his infractions worse since he was in batt. at the time said infractions took place. He occupied a place many wish to achieve but don’t, then completely shit the bed and washed out before doing anything of note. Probably easier to swallow if the dude is just some guy who is Ranger qualified and not actually through RASP/RIP.
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Someone who under goes ranger school, would be significantly better qualified to call themselves a Ranger than mick burger. Ranger school is significantly longer and more difficult than rip. Rip used to be like 3 weeks?, so going through rip and showing up at a battalion after in processing and out processing along with his awol time, means he spent a few weeks at a battalion, never working as a ranger, or earning the title.

I understand the "technical" aspect you're looking at this through, but the military view on this is pretty damn simple and non technical. Never did anything to earn the title of ranger? Not a ranger.

The tattoo on his forearm is cringe. Cringe AF. Like really? If a dude who finished basic training and goes to ait, is a complete shitbag and is booted out after going awol got a us army tattoo I'd laugh. Like dude, you never soldiered.

No what I'm saying? It's Cringe and the title doesn't belong to him. He is a wannabe.
 
Murdamook said:
Correct. Tabbed Rangers aren’t Rangers. But being assigned to a battalion is effectively being scrolled. A tab means a person is Ranger qualified and that they graduated Ranger school. Going through RASP/RIP then being assigned is different than being “Ranger Qualified”. I respect what you’re saying that he may not be viewed as a Ranger by many in the community. But he certainly made it beyond simply being tabbed. And again, that may make his infractions worse since he was in batt. at the time said infractions took place. He occupied a place many wish to achieve but don’t, then completely shit the bed and washed out before doing anything of note. Probably easier to swallow if the dude is just some guy who is Ranger qualified and not actually through RASP/RIP.
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The school is still important to those in battalion.

Ranger school is a school and those that graduate get a Ranger tab, but aren’t “Rangers”.. despite many referring to themselves as such.

Passing RIP/ROP/RASP whatever the hell they call it now and getting assigned to a battalion/regimental HQ makes one a “Ranger”. Basically if you wear the tan beret, you’re a “Ranger”. Early years in regiment for enlisted are focused around getting people to graduate Ranger school, as it is either required or “strongly encouraged” for those in leadership positions to have graduated Ranger School. If you can’t pass Ranger School, the idea is you really don’t have much of a career ahead of you in battalion.

Mickburglar passed “selection”, which amounts to a smoke fest and observation of how one interacts with others under stress and pressure. Airborne school? Any jack@$$ can pass that if they just do what they’re told and aren’t out of shape.. but lo and behold some privates show up that can’t do 10 pushups. I sh*t you not I stood there and watched several privates fail out of airborne school because they couldn’t do the minimum push-ups… some collapsed and teared up after 10 or 15 pushups. Told to pack their bags.

Anyway, Burglar passed a smoke session, never went to Ranger school, and spent 2 months at a Ranger unit (a good bit of that in and out processing). I personally would consider someone that finished Ranger school that wasn’t in the Rangers more “Ranger” than him, since they essentially spend more time trying to graduate Ranger School than Burglar spent his ENTIRE TIME in RIP/Ranger battalion. He didn’t deploy.. he didn’t learn operator skills, he didn’t do HALO jumps with a Rambo knife in his teeth into shark infested waters, he didn’t rescue hot babes from some guerrilla prison in the jungles of some 3rd world country, he probably never went to the range with the Rangers and they don’t teach candidates any high-speed skills at selection. He literally has NOTHING to brag about except “passing selection”… which as I said is just a mental/physical fitness event.

Edit: corrections and typos
 
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After owning a few over the years, sold them all, including Protech's premium versions. Love the looks and tactical-ness about them but the egos didn't fit. As others mentioned, way to much length open and bulky in the pocket for what little blade you get. The Manix 2 was its superior replacement and A LOT cheaper plus tons of options. Also the Manix 2 destroys the slicing and cutting ability of the SNG. Win-win all around plus like supporting USA made. Lots of people love the Cold Steel AD-10 😄 and though I haven't handled it personally, the other close relatives have been pretty impressive for the price. The Tri-AD lock is no joke.

So if you want trinity, go for it, if you want practicality, performance, or money-saving options, I'll look elsewhere. Also Reate makes a lot of comparable models within the same size range, usually with S35VN steel blades and better ergos.
 
Hyesouljah said:
My apologies if I came off a little crude. Based on the tensions in this thread I couldn’t tell if I was going to be attacked for posting a photo of a Strider knife lol.

I’m still a little unsure if I want to keep this particular SnG because I really would like to add one of those colorful lock side Urban Camo MEFP SnG’s to my collection so I carry this one around to familiarize myself with the ergos and how it carries in the pocket so I’ve been hesitant to use it properly just yet. Of course, if it’s in my pocket and there’s a task that requires a knife I won’t hesitate to use it but until I’m decided on keeping it in my collection I just use it for very light tasks.

There isn’t much room in my collection for a knife that doesn’t get carried and used. Aside from the slipjoints that I collect all of my modern folders get used and carried and I purchase each of them with those intentions.
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Ok cool. Well I hope you find one of the more colorful versions!
 
Not sure if it's been mentioned before in this thread, apologies for any repeats. While I do enjoy the ergos on my SnG, I find the lanyard hole position right in line with the blade edge to be totally mind boggling. The sharp edge for the lock bar cutout under the pocket clip causes the knife to hang up on a lot of my pockets. The blade-to-handle ratio is pretty terrible if that's something that might bug you. Mine's not quite centered, and I can't quite get it centered no matter what I do. Minor lock stick is an issue, though it seems to get better with time. Other than those nitpicks I enjoy mine, but I would say if your budget is limited then don't feel like this is a knife you need to own, you can do much better, particularly given the bloated secondary market prices. Too many flaws with this knife to really recommend at that price.
 
I wouldn't buy it just because... and I'm taking your cue of avoiding personal drama... this guy says he used to be XYZ forces and knows what is needed in a high hard-use scenario, and what our boys want, etc. Putting no regard into feelings of offense, would his stolen valor issue not just do this one thing: discredit his experiences? Because of that, how does he know anything about real world performance for those professions?

There is this one maker, forget his name, think a Brit or Aussie, who makes a "super-Strider", it is like an overbuilt Medford/Strider but as though you melded two of them together. It was insane, but pure art piece. I prefer my knifes longer rather than wide-big, unless I'm specifically looking for a sharpened-pry-bar experience. Which, maybe I will, someday. My Ontario SP-1 fixed blade is like that but it's just chunky, and $60. Meant for wood not paper, so I like the wide angle.

Does a Benchmade Adamas or the AD-20 (AD-15? The big, fat, Sharklock Adam Demko folder) give you sort of a "training wheels" picture of what these knives are like, I wonder? Because I am slightly interested in those.
 
This is a caffeinated off topic rant

What is the hardest use a folder will actually see ? Maybe the 1/500 chance of having to pry something open ? I had an Adamas that I hated, hated it so much I carried it 7.5 years. I tried to break it often. It survived things I won’t mention. I never pushed my striders 1/10 as “hard” or idiotically as that D2 Adamas. Honestly, I don’t trust the striders like I did that Adamas.

For a collector piece and photo shoots , Strider all day 👍.

For something that will be dirty, dropped, scratched, lost, found .. many, many options at 1/3 the price.
 
shinyedges said:
Mickey ray burger isn't a Ranger. He's a liar and a fraud. He never served as a Ranger. Hope that is "accurate" enough.
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So, my question is: If you (and others) didn't know all of this sh*t, would you like his knives? My guess is yes but, if you refuse to buy his knives because of his misrepreseentation of his military service, so be it.

I get why you'd be PO'd, If you bought one of his knives based on his misrepresentations about his military service but I don't think that the military background of a business owner is a good reason to buy anything from any company.

Either his knives are well made or they're not and, personally, I don't care if Mickey lied about his background but, if the relevation about his lying drives down the price of his knives, I'm all for it. ;)
 
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luethge said:
What is the hardest use a folder will actually see ? Maybe the 1/500 chance of having to pry something open ? I had an Adamas that I hated, hated it so much I carried it 7.5 years. I tried to break it often. It survived things I won’t mention. I never pushed my striders 1/10 as “hard” or idiotically as that D2 Adamas. Honestly, I don’t trust the striders like I did that Adamas.

For a collector piece and photo shoots , Strider all day 👍.

For something that will be dirty, dropped, scratched, lost, found .. many, many options at 1/3 the price.
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I was thinking of the Cruwear Adamas, not the D2. I know a D2 one exists, but... I like Cruwear.
I am confused, you don't really hate the Adamas, right? Or was it just not your style, but still performed great? I am happy to hear how well it held up, as that is why I'd buy one of those. I have 10 Spydies and zero Benchmade, wanna buy users only. They aren't exactly pretty. I think Case looks better on Instagram than Strider, ha.
sgt1372 said:
So, my question is, f you (and others) didn't know all of this sh*t, would you like his knives?

My guess is yes but, if you refuse to buy his knives because of his misrepreseentation of his military service, so be it. Pesonally, I don't care but, if this info drives down the price of his knives, I'm all for it. ;)
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Taking the offense out of it, doesn't it void his claims of having this knowledge of "what our boys need"? Forgetting all offense, it just kind of ruins his credentials as someone who has performed in XYZ capacity and is designing a knife that would be of the demand and rigours that his old job afforded. He said he was doing some pretty crazy stuff, if I ever met a real McCoy Spec-Ops person, I know I would take their word twice as seriously. But, now that you know it is not so?

By the way, I'm not taking a STRONG stance either way, I'm just stating what is showing itself to me and wondering what ya think.

But also... isn't that bad, that I can disrespect you by lying to you, and if I'm still a decent knifemaker, I can get your business? I guess it is a respect thing. Spyderco once screwed up, because their supplier screwed up, and put a different steel on the Byrd line than they wanted, and they disclosed it.
 
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Pass.

Around 2005 I was about to start POST academy and was looking for a new folder.

Before I found out Mickey was a dirtbag, I wanted a Strider knife because I’d heard lots of good things about them. Party on this forum.

Well one day I walked into TAD Gear in Oakland (maybe it was still in Berkley - can’t recall) and got to handle several Strider folders. They had around 6 and I tried all of them.

I was very disappointed. ALL of them had significant blade-play. One of them was literally dull. Another had crazy lock-stick which required two hands to disengage.

For such expensive knives I was shocked how bad they were. I was also a bit embarrassed because I had been telling my friends about wanting one and how “awesome” they were.

The guy at TAD Gear said most Striders he’d handled were “not assembled carefully” and that he’d suggest a ZT for a hard-use folder (ZT was barely on my radar at the time).

I ended up buying a Microtech Mini Socom Elite which I carried (secretly - shhh, don’t tell anyone) throughout academy and eventually gave to my wife. It’s a great knife.
77C5A118-4F71-44B7-BA9B-58446D67D942.jpeg

I understand from this thread that they have tightened up their QC, however I feel that a company that was even once willing to put out crap (for the price) in the past is probably still doing that whenever it can.
 
Medford Infraction, comparable to a SnG, they're not stupidly high on the secondary market. This is my first one and yeah, I wouldn't be hesitant to put it through what some folks on uTube do to the Strider's.

e1zpP9I.jpg
 
shinyedges said:
#I'm saying ranger title is earned, he never did the job of a ranger therefore never earned the right to call himself one. Plenty of guys will say tab'd rangers aren't rangers. Like officers who just attended ranger school but never served in a Ranger bat or did ranger shit. Just wear the tab. Within the community there's a fairly strict scrutiny, on what is or isn't a certain thing.

From within the military community he would not be considered a Ranger. In my opinion from many discussions with other guys.
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I have two cousins who were in the military, one an actual Ranger and both would agree. The other cousin completed the Navy Seal course and considering becoming one, but decided to go Marines. He would never call himself an actual Seal. Both went to the military academies, The Ranger graduating 1st in his class at West Point.

Both sides of my family have much military service, and stolen Valor is a big deal to me. Especially when one is using it to sell overpriced knives geared toward the "military community. "
 
I think we're all forgetting his name is "Mick Strider"- because when you're inventing your persona why not a cool name too? Besides, if you google his real name you might see uncomfortable information on his conviction and prison sentence.
 
Murdamook said:
I’ve actually gotten ahold of Josh multiple times on both social media and by email. Never had problems contacting them.
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I wanted to thank you once again for that link to Josh. He responded to me and things are worked out. they won't re profile. But they will sharpen my blade. Good enough for me.
 
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