Strider,Crk & Hinderer

A

aj1985

Joined
Nov 3, 2005
Messages
1,029
Hey guys how are yah

The more and more I frequent this forum the more I realize that Quality is much better than quantity and there are a few knives that a person must own in order to feel true quality in ones hand. I'm a huge Spyderco fan therefore have many great quality production models, but would like to get some great custom folders that represent the best in their own respective class.

So overall I have my sight set on the below three and I probably will get all three depending on the advise I receive from the many forumites. it is gonna take a boat load of time to save up for them, but hey atleast I learn patience along the way :D.

Sebenza large (Not sure classic or regualar, because I really do not know the difference)

Strider Sng (Described as a Tank by many forumites that can handle anything)

Hinderer Xm18 Flipper (One of the best folders on the market today (Looks to be tough like a Strider, But also quite pretty as a Sebenza)

Could you please tell me about your personal opinions regarding the above knives.

thank you and take care

aj
 
Not sure if this is the right forum, but I'll give my input:

I've never seen or handled an XM-18, and I doubt you will anytime soon either, unless you intend to camp the custom for sale section here and be prepared to pay in the upwards of $600. Rick isn't taking orders, right now, and demand is very high. I've heard great things about them, however.

I currently own and carry a Large Micarta Sebenza, and it is hands down the nicest, most well executed folder I've ever had the pleasure of using. It's rock solid and a great user. It has many subtle refinements that vastly improve longevity and solidarity over your average folder. I can't think of anything bad to say about them, other than that I wish CRK would make a wharncliffe in the same format.

I bought a Strider SnG out of curiosity and for the great warranty, and was disappointed by what I got for the price. The fit and finish, the lock up, the overall feel and comfort in the hand, none of it was close to what I got in my Sebenza. That being said, it was a very, very nice knife, and was nicer and more solid than most production knives I've owned, but for the price, I was let down enough to trade it towards something else.
 
sebenza: the cadillac of folders. i think every knife enthusiast should own at least one at some point.

sng: very tough, well built, super strong lock. a little large for edc, but a great knife.

hinderer: i have an older firetac from a recent trade. similar to the sebbie in quality, fit, and finish. wonderful knife. someday i'd like to get the xm18 as well, but i prefer the stud to the flipper.
 
I think this is the wrong area for this thread. But, I play. I carry the Sebbie, and the XM-18 the most. I traded the drop point SNG, as I would carry my XM if I wanted a drop point in my pocket. I kept the tanto for the beater blade. Stuff I wouldn't want to do with the XM. ;)

Go for a XM first, if you can then a Sebbie, than there really is no NEED for the SNG.......:D But, I wanted to know what all the fuss was about. Yeah, they are great knives, just priced a little high for what you get in F&F.

IMG_6035.jpg


IMG_6032.jpg


IMG_6030.jpg
 
All three are great knives, and I've owned several of each in the past few years. Here are my impressions of each:

Large Sebenza: Excellent, tough-built framelock. Quality control is among the best you will find in a production knife. Blade is a little bit on the thin side (1/8" thick) for a folder of this size. Personally, I am not a fan of flat handles, so this one didn't feel great in the grip for me. Still highly recommended.

Strider SNG: Another excellent, tough-built framelock. Quality control is not quite as precisely consistent as the Sebenza, but still excellent for a production folder. Blade is really beefy (nearly 3/16" thick). For the standard SNG, the handle slabs are thick and flat, so the standard SNG feels the least comfortable of these three knives in the hand for me. If you end up getting an SNG CC instead, the handle slabs are thinner and fully contoured, and IMO, the SNG CC feels the most comfortable in the hand of all of these knives here. SNG CC is very highly recommended, standard SNG is recommended too.

Hinderer XM-18: This beefy, tough framelock is the best of the three overall, IMO. The quality control for Hinderer's work is off the charts, IMO, without a doubt the best of the three knives discussed here and among the best overall in all of custom or production knives. Blade is beefy (3/16"). Handles slabs are flat, but with significant champfering on edges to simulate contouring, so the XM-18 is more comfortable in the hand for me than the Sebenza or the standard SNG, but not quite as comfortable in the hand as an SNG CC. Very highly recommended, if you can find it.

Overall, all three are great knives that you can't go wrong with, but I definitely feel that there is a little bit of separation between them, at least for me.

BTW, you mentioned in your original post that you are now looking for custom knives. Of these three, only the Hinderer is actually considered a custom knife (the Sebenza and Strider are considered semi-customs at best).
 
The XM-18 has an interesting ergonomic design, so even though it is a flat-scale folder, it is pretty comfortable to hold. I don't recommend the flipper version - I think that design needs work.

The SNG-CC is what separates this knife from all other flat-slabbers, as Ken indicates. I personally think it is a major improvement in comfort and pocketability.

The Sebenza is nice and thin, the Classic is point and the Regular is more broard in the blade profile. The Classic has a sweep from front to back and might be called more comfortable. IMO, the clip desing needs work.

As Ken alluded to, the SNG and Sebenza aren't custom knives as defined by the Knifemaker's Guild.

One benefit to getting a hand-finished knife is that even the slightest bit of contouring in a knife handle makes a big difference to me in grip comfort - especially over time.

If you are looking in the $600 range you might want to also consider the Grant and Gavin Hawk RAM (basic model), used Tom Mayo framelock or some other hand-finished knives. You have quite a bit of choice once you get to that cost level and I wouldn't be stuck on the soup du jour.
 
Thanks for all helps especially the pictures So-lo. I'm gonna take your advise and post in the general forum & see what others have to say about it.

once again thanks for the help eh

aj
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top