- Joined
- Jul 10, 2009
- Messages
- 3,094
I'll preface this by saying the strider I owned previously was sold quickly. It had horrible fit and finish for a 50 dollar knife, nevermind a 500 dollar knife. I tried to contact customer service and was left hanging. I didn't have the patience so I sold it at a loss. I decided to pick up another SMF just for the hell of it to see if maybe I just got a lemon before.
The knife arrived today, and I am actually impressed. 400+ dollar value? Probably not, but I don't think any folding knife is really "worth" that if you consider what they actually do. But I had the $$ so I wanted to treat myself.
Ergos - There isn't a knife that fits my hand like the SMF. It feels, in a word, perfect. In every single grip, the knife just feels right.
Blade - Thick s30v = a very good working blade. You don't realize how thick the knife is until you really hold it in your hand. The knife grind was very even and although I wouldn't shave my face with it, it easily shaves arm hair and makes confetti out of paper.
Handle - Green g10, grippy, but not to the point of being painfully annoying if I used it for some time. The flamed titanium is a nice touch, and I really love the pocket clip.
Lock - The frame lock opens with authority with a loud clack, there is absolutely zero blade play and the lock is not overly tough to disengage.
The knife opens smoothly out of the box, although not as smooth as a CRK blade, but when you buy a Strider you're not expecting one. It's like a Mac Truck compared to a Bentley, two separate, very nice, very expensive vehicles with different uses in mind.
The blade is perfectly centered, however there are obvious tooling marks in spots, and other imperfections. I really don't care, I expected it. Overall I'm very happy with it. I'll buy an Umnumzaan next, but for now, this strider is a keeper.
The knife arrived today, and I am actually impressed. 400+ dollar value? Probably not, but I don't think any folding knife is really "worth" that if you consider what they actually do. But I had the $$ so I wanted to treat myself.
Ergos - There isn't a knife that fits my hand like the SMF. It feels, in a word, perfect. In every single grip, the knife just feels right.
Blade - Thick s30v = a very good working blade. You don't realize how thick the knife is until you really hold it in your hand. The knife grind was very even and although I wouldn't shave my face with it, it easily shaves arm hair and makes confetti out of paper.
Handle - Green g10, grippy, but not to the point of being painfully annoying if I used it for some time. The flamed titanium is a nice touch, and I really love the pocket clip.
Lock - The frame lock opens with authority with a loud clack, there is absolutely zero blade play and the lock is not overly tough to disengage.
The knife opens smoothly out of the box, although not as smooth as a CRK blade, but when you buy a Strider you're not expecting one. It's like a Mac Truck compared to a Bentley, two separate, very nice, very expensive vehicles with different uses in mind.
The blade is perfectly centered, however there are obvious tooling marks in spots, and other imperfections. I really don't care, I expected it. Overall I'm very happy with it. I'll buy an Umnumzaan next, but for now, this strider is a keeper.
