After a long and painful wait, I finally got a Strider AR from OSO Grande Knife & Tool.
The Strider AR is a big knife, no doubt about it, but I was actually expecting something even bigger, after reading about the AR here on the forums. It's a good bit bigger and beefier than the Buck Strider, but it feels lighter in the hand. The heftiness, or lack thereof, would seem to be due to the excellent balance, because this is not a lightweight knife by any means.
Fit & finsish are excellent, although there are a few nitpicky areas that could be said to be a bit "rough". Rough is not a problem for me though, and again, it would only be nitpicking.
My only gripe is the thumbstuds, which are anemic. It's all a matter of proportion really, but the thumbstuds are just tiny, and it can be a bit of a chore to open the AR with any speed. On the bright side, my AR, #85, has dual thumbstuds, saving me the trouble and expense of sending it to Strider to have it enhanced.
I am checking around to see if any aftermarket thumbstuds are available, but if not I'm sure the stock thumbstuds will do just fine after a bit.
The AR is a tip up carry, and the clip works just fine for me wearing the AR in the back pocket on the left, as this puts the blade against the pocket seam, further ensuring that the knife will not open in my pocket. Furthermore, thanks to a nice ball detent, the knife is held closed very nicely and securely.
Being left handed, I was a bit worried about being able to close the AR one handed, but thanks to the excellent quality, manipulating the AR's liner lock with the left hand is no problem at all.
Overall, I would say the AR is worth every penny, but the Buck Strider is maybe 3/4 the knife for about 1/3 the price, so I guess everyone just needs to decide for themselves...
The Strider AR is a big knife, no doubt about it, but I was actually expecting something even bigger, after reading about the AR here on the forums. It's a good bit bigger and beefier than the Buck Strider, but it feels lighter in the hand. The heftiness, or lack thereof, would seem to be due to the excellent balance, because this is not a lightweight knife by any means.
Fit & finsish are excellent, although there are a few nitpicky areas that could be said to be a bit "rough". Rough is not a problem for me though, and again, it would only be nitpicking.
My only gripe is the thumbstuds, which are anemic. It's all a matter of proportion really, but the thumbstuds are just tiny, and it can be a bit of a chore to open the AR with any speed. On the bright side, my AR, #85, has dual thumbstuds, saving me the trouble and expense of sending it to Strider to have it enhanced.
I am checking around to see if any aftermarket thumbstuds are available, but if not I'm sure the stock thumbstuds will do just fine after a bit.
The AR is a tip up carry, and the clip works just fine for me wearing the AR in the back pocket on the left, as this puts the blade against the pocket seam, further ensuring that the knife will not open in my pocket. Furthermore, thanks to a nice ball detent, the knife is held closed very nicely and securely.
Being left handed, I was a bit worried about being able to close the AR one handed, but thanks to the excellent quality, manipulating the AR's liner lock with the left hand is no problem at all.
Overall, I would say the AR is worth every penny, but the Buck Strider is maybe 3/4 the knife for about 1/3 the price, so I guess everyone just needs to decide for themselves...
