Strider SMF alternative?

Another vote for the 0550. I picked mine up on the exchange within your price range. Tough as nails knife. Completely confident in it being in my pocket.
 
Sonnydaze said:
Hi, ole bud. I see that you just picked up this one. I hope you enjoy it; it looks nice...and unique. Elmax blade of 0.160" thick and 1/2 grip thickness sounds quite like a nice piece. Happy for you.:thumbup:
http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php/1262608-Zero-Tolerance-0620-elmax-gold-anodized-SPF
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Aye - picked up that, an Adamas, and the schrade models 302, 304, and 104L. I'm also looking for a Boker Vox F3, as it may be a shorter knife but is impressively stout and overbuilt.
 
I picked up a LNIB Contego in the Exchange for $95... that would he my choice given your criteria. It was just too big for me. I've had a 0560 and a Manix 2 XL and of the the three the Contego is pretty awesome. The Axis lock is amazing
 
The Tuff is really one of those knives you need to own and use for a while before making any real judgements. It just performs so nicely. It's in my pocket most days now.

It looked awful in pictures to me. I had no interest in it until I handled one in person. It's one heck of a knife. It followed me home. Much better looking in person.

And all of the things that make it look awkward are what make it such an awesome knife to use. The odd handle shape is really comfortable in any grip. The weird angle of the blade works really well. And for a knife that's as large as it is, it slips in a pocket really easily and doesn't feel like you're carrying a thick brick around.

The fit/finish on these knives is also superb. Taichung did an awesome job.

As a side note regarding the Tuff lock failure posts:
Some of the early Tuffs had issues with the lock geometry. Spyderco corrected the issue. And I did see where they replaced quite a few for customers that had lock failure issues.

Comeuppance said:
I honestly just can't stand the looks of the tuff. It's ridiculous to me. It serves as a intermittent reminder that I'm not entirely practical about my knife choices, as the aesthetics of that knife are wholly repllent to me despite all the materials and the price point being fantastic.

I hope they discontinued it for the sake of a spiritual successor of some variety.
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The ZT you chose (just saw that) is an awesome knife I'm sure. you simply can't go wrong with ZT if the size of the knife is what you after. I like my knives to come as close to disappearing in my pocket as possible
 
The Dude1 said:
The ZT you chose (just saw that) is an awesome knife I'm sure. you simply can't go wrong with ZT if the size of the knife is what you after. I like my knives to come as close to disappearing in my pocket as possible
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Aye, ZT is always a good bet. Every time I look at one of the $100+ clones, and most of the Kizer and Emerson knives, I just think "I could get a ZT with better build quality, materials, and warranty for the same amount or less."

Embarrassingly, I found a Boker Vox F3 on USN, said I would take it, and... Insufficient funds. Whoops.

Edit: I made the OP a little more concise.
 
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A deserving knife that rarely gets the nod is the Buck CSAR-T. I picked one up on the exchange for $60 - ATS-34 steel. It's a bargain for how tough it is!
 
If you can go a little higher you can find a Lionsteel SR1A that should fit the bill. 5MM blade stock with one piece aluminum handle and the roto block. IMO one tough SOB and a looker too.
 
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