Strider folder--I don't get it

S

Swedge

Joined
Dec 23, 2008
Messages
334
I saw some Striders today at a store, and I took a look at the folders (I have little use for fixed blades outside of a kitchen). They are beefy, but sometimes more is not better IMO. One had some blade play, and the clerk said that tightening the pivot pin would fix that. But it was hard to open the knife one-handed; quite stiff.

For the bulk involved, I'd rather carry a fixed blade knife. For the price, I'd rather have a Sebenza.

Anyone care to enlighten me on the virtues of the Strider folders? This is not a slam on Striders. I'm not looking to get a rise out of anyone. If I don't ask, I don't learn. I assume that they are worth the money but I just don't understand why.
 
I think the scratches made on the side of the blade from it rubbing on the liners of your brand new $475 knife gives it a manly look.
 
Swedge said:
I assume that they are worth the money but I just don't understand why.
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I think it has everything to do with pride of ownership.;)
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Regards,
3G
 
I personally don't see the appeal for the production fixed blades. As for the folders, I've found some of them to be pretty nice. I like a lot of the custom stuff more, but they're generally out of the range of what I'd be willing to pay at the moment. Whether or not you like they're style, they are tough. But just like any knife that costs more than about $40, it's primarily a matter of preference rather than necessity.

BTW, I've played with many Strider folders that didn't have play and were smooth to open and close. I've also played with many folders of different brands that had issues, but I don't use the rare occasions to judge the entire brand. I'm not saying that you did anything wrong. I think it's perfectly reasonable to ask questions like this if those are the first Striders that you've held.
 
I recently got my first Strider folder, an SMF. To be quite honest, I love the knife. The G-10 is really grippy, deployment speed is fast, lockup is solid with no blade play in any direction.

It's a well build and designed knife. It has jimping for multiple positions, and is one of the few knives I'm comfortable not using the choil on, although you can choke up on it for more control.

For the amount I spend I could have also gotten a Sebenza, however I really love the ergos on the SMF, compared to the metal box type feel of the Sebenza. Sebenza's are nice, and I'm sure CR is a great guy, but I'd take a SMF over a Sebenza any day.
 
Josh K said:
I recently got my first Strider folder, an SMF. To be quite honest, I love the knife. The G-10 is really grippy, deployment speed is fast, lockup is solid with no blade play in any direction.

It's a well build and designed knife. It has jimping for multiple positions, and is one of the few knives I'm comfortable not using the choil on, although you can choke up on it for more control.

For the amount I spend I could have also gotten a Sebenza, however I really love the ergos on the SMF, compared to the metal box type feel of the Sebenza. Sebenza's are nice, and I'm sure CR is a great guy, but I'd take a SMF over a Sebenza any day.
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:thumbup: On the up-side, Josh K is right. Ergonomically, it is an awesome knife!!
 
The Striders have soul. The Sebenzas are boring. That said, I've sold my Striders for the only reason I love absolute precision, which the Sebenzas have.

It all depends on what passion you attach to the knife. How many of us will readily admit that we look at our knives as we open/close them many more times than we actually use them.
 
I have one Strider folder, a PT. It did come as pretty stiff and hard to open. I put a drop of oil in the pivot and worked it open & closed a few days. Now its as smooth as a Sebenza. I like the PT so much that sometime in the future I will get a SNG.
 
I like Striders, but they are not for everyone. I currently have a PT, which I LOVE. It isa tough little knife, and is smooooooooth!!
 
yea, my sng came stiff as hell. I worked it for a couple of days and now, it's like glass. Very easy to flick open right and left handed.
 
Strider's are the Jeep of the knife world.
And...true, they're not for everyone.
 
I bought a stonewashed SnG back in 2007. I got it because I liked the ergos of the Buck version and found I was carrying the Buck quite a bit.

But I wanted something constructed better.

Is it worth the money? To me it is because I wanted that exact knife. If I was just shopping for a titanium framelock I'm sure I could have found a cheaper solution.

The point is after you reach a certain price range in production knives , you're not going to find any magical qualities. I own a few production titanium frame locks, all less than half the price of the SnG and they would all probably function equally as well.
 
I like the design of the Strider SnG, and somewhere down the road I'll pick one up. I had a PT but it had some bladeplay and it was a tad too small for EDC. I think the SnG is a perfect size for EDC and I really like the handle ergos and blade shape. If I get one that is free of any blade play it'll be a keeper. The one thing about Striders are, if you are not happy with it you can always flip it for about what you paid for it, so you won't lose any money on it.
 
I agree with you. I dont really see the whole worth of them. I had an SMF and I just sold it. It is really a personal thing as is with all knives. If you like it then you like it. I did not. I am like you, for the money I would rather have my Sebenza. At least with that it is worth it. If I pay $500 for a knife, i dont want the f*cking thing getting blade both vertical and horizontal play. That is why I sold the damn thing.

That is why the Sebbie is so nice. Even with hard use the thing still has no play.
 
Striders are stiff when new. So stiff that I was quite disappointed when I got my 1st one. It took a day or two for the SnG to brake in. Now it is by far my favorite folder. It cuts better than I could ask for. It is strong enough to take any serious abuse I can throw at it. Plus, with the Strider warranty I am not afraid to abuse the hell out of it because I know if I mess it up they will make it right.
Since my SnG I have added a SMF as well as 4 of their fixed blades. They are expensive, but for the money I think that they are a value when you consider the warranty and service from the guys at the shop.
Just my opinion.
 
Strider folders are built to be used. Comparing them to other knives in the pocket jewelry genre is a bit off base, rather like comparing a marine grade 12 ga pump to an engraved Belgian Browning. Not all knives in a price range are made for the same purpose or the same buyers.

I've been pointing out the ergo's on SnG's here for years, having owned one that long now. They are the best knife for hard use with gloves on - which is how hard users, military and LEO's are often equipped. The grooves, shape, and placement of details like the opening oval are all well thought out for use. It's not a knife for pretty, and a little play means nothing in the real world of tools designed for combat use.

With only 1 in 100 citizens now intimately familiar with military duty, most of the above falls on deaf ears. In the day, one in ten had served in the DOD and experienced some form of military grade equipment and the harsh standards of construction forced on it by an unforgiving environment and the legions of young men still learning how to finesse the use of tools. There's no compromise in Strider design - which in today's coddled suburbanite society is now looked on in derision. "Why can't it be like (name favorite bling knife here.)"

Well, you get a plastic zip lock bag with a Strider, and a leather slip case and birth certificate with the other. They both cut, they both impress the heck out of their target market, but they are not the same - neither would compromise their design goals to adopt the others standards. They are two different knives for different buyers.
 
The Strider folders are aimed at niche markets where knives are used as more general tools in a more potentially damaging environment than might be encountered otherwise, but for whatever reason, a folding knife is favored over a fixed blade. So, military and emergency services.

As an example, if you compare the SnG/SmF pivot to the Sebenza's pivot, the former is much stronger and is tension-adjustable. The latter is more refined and easily assembled by the user in such a way as to produce zero play. Two different flavors, both appropriately designed for their intended markets, not rocket science.

Of course, as with many other things in life, cults of acolytes grow up around the different marques and fan the flames of Innerweb hype.
 
I wouldn't call Sebenzas pocket jewelry. I still own a few frame locks with G10/titanium handles.

If I had to use and depend on a frame lock folder for side load in a critical situation, I would pick a knife with two titanium slabs AND a screwed and locked in pivot bushing. Crud can't get in and I won't have any play in the softer G10 after.

I'm 210 lb, and would I trust my Sebenza batoned into a crack and use it as a step ? You bet I would.

BTW, my Belgium Browning Auto 5 that I bought in 1964 has dings in the French walnut stock, has lost a lot of bluing, been under water and still functions perfectly. Just gave it to my son on his 40th birthday and hope he can pass it on to my grandson. You can't beat quality in design and manufacture.
 
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