strider disapoints??

danroot

danroot

Gold Member
Joined
Oct 28, 2004
Messages
370
got my sng in the mail yesterday and was just wondering if any of you guys were disapointed with your first striders?

the last two weeks seemed like an eternity as i waited for my sng to arrive. once it came however i noticed a few problems. now, dont get me wrong, the knife is perfectly mechanically sound, solid, sharp, and as everyone always says, it feels like its indesctructible. but the problems i speak of are purely cosmetic, suck as, the titanium was scrached on a couple places, the blade had a few surface scratches, the stampings on the blade were incredibly shallow, like i could barely make out the strider emblem and "s30v" markings, the blade has ink rubbings from the first cardboard cutting i did with it that will not come off. also, the "tiger stripes" were really weak, like, ive seen many many many pics of sng's and ive always admired the pattern, i thought it was really cool, but i look at mine and there are three really skinny black stripes that feel like they could be rubbed off with enough effort.

so i know your not supposed to base a strider off looks alone, it is an awesome knife, i have every intention of keeping it and using it, no problems with function. that being said, i personally was looking at striders for the last couple of months, admireing the design, finish, materials, etc. i diddnt think the titanium would scratch so easily, nor the blade for that matter. i really liked the way they looked in all the pictures i had seen. now if there had been a way to hold one where i live without buying, i would have done that and would have gotten a more realistic idea of what i was in for, but since i diddnt , i have to say that i was a bit disapointed with the aesthetics of my individual strider, which i know is not the point at all.
 
Sorry you are a bit disapointed.

It shouldn't have been a surprise though, it has been mentioned many many previous times that F&F is not their number one priority.
 
You're right about the thin stripes. I have a huge archive of photos of Striders that are posted on forums, and I notice that most of the photos have very nicely done stripes while some others have very thin and uninteresting stripes.

And you're right about the finish wearing very easily. But it might just be cosmetic wear, the coating is probably still on the blade but transparant.

Striders are great for their warranty and strong designs.
I never took them up on their warranty, though.
 
Maybe fit and finish is the wrong term in referring to Striders. The fit should be great, that's part of the mechanics of the knife. But the finish isn't, because the knife is meant to be used in ways that would scratch up any finish, anyway. Titanium will scuff and scratch easily, even Sebenzas scuff up quickly, until the handle looks as stonewashed as the blade. :

I think you've gotten a more realistic look at what the appearance of a Strider is now. Go out and use it, and I bet your satisfaction with its capabilities will totally overawe any initial disappointment with its appearance. -- A lot of us have asked about using an expensive knife. The response is usually to do so, and that the first scratch will relieve you from worrying about its pristine gleam. Striders come ready to work.
 
danroot said:
.... i have to say that i was a bit disapointed with the aesthetics of my individual strider, which i know is not the point at all.
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If you know that Then WTF? :rolleyes:
 
I think it's pretty natural when you put out the amount of money a Strider costs you want it to look really good. And even though they are awesome edged tools (I love my AR even it makes me walk lopsided ;) ) a lot of folks buy the brand because they are just so hardcore looking, I recently visited the posts on the Simonich forum about an auction that included two custom Striders and I have to say they were two of the most wicked looking blades I've ever seen.

Cut stuff. Scratch it. It will look like everyone else's soon.
 
ARman said:
I think it's pretty natural when you put out the amount of money a Strider costs you want it to look really good. And even though they are awesome edged tools (I love my AR even it makes me walk lopsided ;) ) a lot of folks buy the brand because they are just so hardcore looking, I recently visited the posts on the Simonich forum about an auction that included two custom Striders and I have to say they were two of the most wicked looking blades I've ever seen.

Cut stuff. Scratch it. It will look like everyone else's soon.
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If you want something pretty, don't buy a Strider! Mick would tell you that himself I'm sure...
 
The point is that a lot of people like Striders, and buy Striders, based on hype and the badass tacti-COOL look.

I bought Striders for an even lesser reason. They were described as sharpened prybars and I thought "FINALLY!"
I always told myself that the perfect knife for me would be a prybar sharpened to a workable edge and given a tip.

Out in the great wilderness, cutting performance isn't utilized. The knife just has to cut, period. And it can't break, period. There is no resupply on equipment, period.

When you beat the hell out of your Strider because you know they will give you a free knife if you manage to break it, then you have a whole new appreciation for what you bought.. Even if the stripes would look better if they weren't there at all.
 
Its a F'ing TOOL! I mean I dont worry if there are a few machine marks on a Snap On wrench! Just about everything you mentioned would be done to a knife in its first day of use. Also knives dont look quite as "Cool" in person as they do in an Ichiro Nagata photo. If you want something to GANDER at dont buy a Strider, if you want something to USE buy a Strider.. :cool:


Take Care
Trace Rinaldi
www.THRblades.com
www.Shivworks.com
 
Well put, Trace........and a big 10-4 on the Nagata photo comment! His work is other-worldly!! :cool: :cool: :D
 
Any manufactured object, handmade or machinemade, will have "manufacturing irregularities". It is unavoidable and more so with a handmade product. A Strider will, without any doubt, perform as it was intended to.
 
the biggest problem with a lot of collectors is that they want beautiful knives. companys like strider,busse,emerson and the like is that they make a knife to be used not to be trophys. to put it another way if i had to take any knife with me into combat or a survival sittuation only two come to mind, and that is strider and a sak. nuff said
 
What do you expect?

Do you expect a military Humvee to have the same classy finish as a brand new Ferrari?
Do you expect the Ferrari to handle rough roads?
 
This whole strider thing makes no sence to me, people say its not about fit and finish, it about the hard core bad boy blade. Thats like selling a new hummer or range rover with a few scratches and saying, its no big deal the first time you take it off road it will get like that anyway. As far as how hardcore they are, ive had a benchmade griptilian and put it thru hell and back , and used it as a beater for over a year; and its still fine and has pleanty more to give.....can a strider really be a ton more hardcore since they are 3 times the price. I dont know i just dont get it, but then again for that kinda money id buy a sebenza. But these are just my opinion, yours may differ. :)
 
Vermont woodsman said:
As far as how hardcore they are, ive had a benchmade griptilian and put it thru hell and back , and used it as a beater for over a year; and its still fine and has pleanty more to give.....can a strider really be a ton more hardcore since they are 3 times the price.

I dont know i just dont get it, but then again for that kinda money id buy a sebenza. But these are just my opinion, yours may differ. :)
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His Strider could literally cut your Benchmade into pieces.

The problem with increased value in an expensive knife -- or most any other high-end item --- is that every small increment in quality and performance costs a lot. A knife that costs three times as much might be twice as good, whatever that means.

Many of us with Striders also have Sebenzas. Many of us with jeans and t-shirts also own suits. :)
 
Esav Benyamin said:
His Strider could literally cut your Benchmade into pieces.

Big deal I could do that with my Opinel. They all good knives the Opinel, BM, and Strider, just different.
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Esav......What is a "suit?" Is it a knife part? Some sort of new steel?

:D

NOW.....If Spyderco would just make a longer NATIVE, there would be no need for other knives.

:)
 
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