- Joined
- Feb 4, 1999
- Messages
- 5,786
Well, I thought I missed my new Strider PT because the FedEx tag was hanging on my office door when I came in this morning, but the UPS truck pulled in at 11:45 and when I saw him I started doing backflips (well, not really, but I was pretty excited).
After mangling the box I had my first Strider in my hand. I took part in the AR passaround, and I handled an SnG at a recent knife show, but this is the first one I've bought myself to keep. I am writing this right after opening the package so you're getting true first impressions. Oh, and before I start, I ordered the knife from Plaza Cutlery and got $50 off (yippee!). This is the first knife I've ever PAID this much for (I've had some $400-$500 knives that I have gotten through trades) and it was through hard-earned money from selling my own stuff. I have never ordered from Plaza before. They answered my email immediately and I was able to use Paypal, and Dan was great. He offered me an option between "one that needs to be broken in or one that has really good clear markings" and, of course, I said "One with great action AND great markings!" Hey, for $250 I'm not going to screw around! So, my impressions:
-Tiny! I was unprepared for how small this knife actually is. Numbers on websites mean nothing to me. I have medium-sized hands and I will probably mostly use it with my index finger on the blade choil rather than in the index finger notch like on an SnG of SMF or AR or....
-cutting edge is about 2.25" long, but for once I feel like the big choil is okay, since on a handle this small it actually will get used.
- Fit and finish are GREAT! All of the hardware is nicely countersunk/counterbored and fits flush with the scales. The Ti scale and clip, as well as the blade, have a really nice beadblast finish. No scratches, dings, marks, anything. VEry pretty. No gaps between scales and backspacer.
- When closed, the blade pulls a little toward the G-10 scale but is centered when open. I'd rather have it pull toward the G-10, anyway, to keep from marking up the blade as much, anyway.
- "Jimping" on the blade, handle spine, and butt of handle is nicely centered and spaced and matches up perfectly when it goes through multiple scales/blade.
- I was surprised to not see any camo stripes on the blade. I could go either way with them, so no big deal.
- Blade grinds are perfectly symmetrical and even from plunge to tip
- Blade markings are stamped perfectly and are very nice and clear
- Just eyeballing it, only about 10% of the lock engages the tang, but I think this is what Dan meant by needing some break-in. No biggie. Ti locks will break in to the tang very easily.
- Despite the small amount of lock engagement, there is no up/down or side to side blade play whasoever.
- Detent feels pretty good
- OPens and closes smoothly but is a little "grindy" (I think probably because the entire blade is blasted instead of marked off for where it would contact the washers, although I'd have to take it apart to check for sure)
- Nice grippy, but not abrasive, jimping on the lock release tab.
- Handle feels very comfortable to my hand, despite the boxy shape (I think Strider handles are deceptive that way, in general. Even the AR handle worked okay for me, which was a big surprise).
- Clip has a bit of a bend to keep it from being on the frame itself, making it just right for on/off the pocket
- Quite a bit of the butt of the knife sticks out of the pocket. Nice on one hand because you have plenty to grab hold of, but not real concealed.
- No lanyard hole. I think there's plenty of room for one, too, so that would be a nice addition.
- Oval cutout in the blade makes opening pretty easy, although not as easy as a real round hole.
- Blade is shaving sharp out of the box
Bottom line: A nice little knife with a perfect fit and finish. I have not seen a production knife/folder with fit and finish this nice (Spyderco- high end, Benchmade, Bark River to name some of the things I've gotten recently) in a very long time, if ever. This knife COMPLETELY bursts the "Strider has sucky fit and finish" argument altogether. The other two Strider folders I've seen have also had good F&F. Is the knife "worth" $250 to me? Admittedly, that's a lot to pay for a pretty basic small production folder. F&F are a lot better than on any of the high end Spydercos (I have or do own nearly every custom collab they've made) or Benchmades I've seen. The value of a knife is really measured if it does what you need it to when you need it to, so time will tell, I guess! Anyway, I suggest you see if Plaza Cutlery has anymore of these. Now I REALLY, REALLY regret passing up a lightly used SnG for $250 at a knife show in April! :grumpy:
After mangling the box I had my first Strider in my hand. I took part in the AR passaround, and I handled an SnG at a recent knife show, but this is the first one I've bought myself to keep. I am writing this right after opening the package so you're getting true first impressions. Oh, and before I start, I ordered the knife from Plaza Cutlery and got $50 off (yippee!). This is the first knife I've ever PAID this much for (I've had some $400-$500 knives that I have gotten through trades) and it was through hard-earned money from selling my own stuff. I have never ordered from Plaza before. They answered my email immediately and I was able to use Paypal, and Dan was great. He offered me an option between "one that needs to be broken in or one that has really good clear markings" and, of course, I said "One with great action AND great markings!" Hey, for $250 I'm not going to screw around! So, my impressions:
-Tiny! I was unprepared for how small this knife actually is. Numbers on websites mean nothing to me. I have medium-sized hands and I will probably mostly use it with my index finger on the blade choil rather than in the index finger notch like on an SnG of SMF or AR or....
-cutting edge is about 2.25" long, but for once I feel like the big choil is okay, since on a handle this small it actually will get used.
- Fit and finish are GREAT! All of the hardware is nicely countersunk/counterbored and fits flush with the scales. The Ti scale and clip, as well as the blade, have a really nice beadblast finish. No scratches, dings, marks, anything. VEry pretty. No gaps between scales and backspacer.
- When closed, the blade pulls a little toward the G-10 scale but is centered when open. I'd rather have it pull toward the G-10, anyway, to keep from marking up the blade as much, anyway.
- "Jimping" on the blade, handle spine, and butt of handle is nicely centered and spaced and matches up perfectly when it goes through multiple scales/blade.
- I was surprised to not see any camo stripes on the blade. I could go either way with them, so no big deal.
- Blade grinds are perfectly symmetrical and even from plunge to tip
- Blade markings are stamped perfectly and are very nice and clear
- Just eyeballing it, only about 10% of the lock engages the tang, but I think this is what Dan meant by needing some break-in. No biggie. Ti locks will break in to the tang very easily.
- Despite the small amount of lock engagement, there is no up/down or side to side blade play whasoever.
- Detent feels pretty good
- OPens and closes smoothly but is a little "grindy" (I think probably because the entire blade is blasted instead of marked off for where it would contact the washers, although I'd have to take it apart to check for sure)
- Nice grippy, but not abrasive, jimping on the lock release tab.
- Handle feels very comfortable to my hand, despite the boxy shape (I think Strider handles are deceptive that way, in general. Even the AR handle worked okay for me, which was a big surprise).
- Clip has a bit of a bend to keep it from being on the frame itself, making it just right for on/off the pocket
- Quite a bit of the butt of the knife sticks out of the pocket. Nice on one hand because you have plenty to grab hold of, but not real concealed.
- No lanyard hole. I think there's plenty of room for one, too, so that would be a nice addition.
- Oval cutout in the blade makes opening pretty easy, although not as easy as a real round hole.
- Blade is shaving sharp out of the box
Bottom line: A nice little knife with a perfect fit and finish. I have not seen a production knife/folder with fit and finish this nice (Spyderco- high end, Benchmade, Bark River to name some of the things I've gotten recently) in a very long time, if ever. This knife COMPLETELY bursts the "Strider has sucky fit and finish" argument altogether. The other two Strider folders I've seen have also had good F&F. Is the knife "worth" $250 to me? Admittedly, that's a lot to pay for a pretty basic small production folder. F&F are a lot better than on any of the high end Spydercos (I have or do own nearly every custom collab they've made) or Benchmades I've seen. The value of a knife is really measured if it does what you need it to when you need it to, so time will tell, I guess! Anyway, I suggest you see if Plaza Cutlery has anymore of these. Now I REALLY, REALLY regret passing up a lightly used SnG for $250 at a knife show in April! :grumpy:
Just thinking about somebody doing that makes my tongue hurt!
