Strider SNG Questions..Anyone?

J

jimmy123

Joined
Jun 27, 2006
Messages
132
I got a few questions about my strider that maybe someone can answer,

1. My ti lock engaged pretty deep in the tang, like 3/4 of tang, which is good, but will the lock ever wear past the tang and make the blade unstable? (I'm sure thats why the tang is slanted)

2. Would ANYONE know where to send my knife so I can get bigger stop pins of it so its super sturdy? Does sng's usually have a tiny tiny bit of horizontal blade blade due to the smaller pins?

Thanks guys!
 
1) Just checked my SNG, and there certainly no room for the lock to move past the tang. Like you say, the chamfered tang back means that there will need to be a LOT of wear before there is a problem. I also heard that the end of the lock bar is also heat treated, meaning wear will be extremely minimal.

2) Contact Strider, they are generally very accomidating, and are obviously the best authority on their products.
 
yog said:
1) Just checked my SNG, and there certainly no room for the lock to move past the tang. Like you say, the chamfered tang back means that there will need to be a LOT of wear before there is a problem. I also heard that the end of the lock bar is also heat treated, meaning wear will be extremely minimal.

2) Contact Strider, they are generally very accomidating, and are obviously the best authority on their products.
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do you have ANY, even tiny bit of horizontal play when you grab the handle and blade and wiggle it?
 
I have a tanto SnG which developed vertical bladeplay in the first month. It was purchased brand new too.

Haven't had time to send it in to Strider though.
 
yog said:
1) Just checked my SNG, and there certainly no room for the lock to move past the tang. Like you say, the chamfered tang back means that there will need to be a LOT of wear before there is a problem. I also heard that the end of the lock bar is also heat treated, meaning wear will be extremely minimal.
Click to expand...

Is the tang at a single angle, or does it curve towards the end? Curving towards the end is a mixed blessing. The lower the angle of the tang, the more reliable and "sticky" the lock will be, but the faster it will wear. On tangs that arc towards the end to prevent wear, as the lock wears it will meet with a steeper and steeper tang angle .. they can often start getting unreliable at the end of the tang because of the angle increase. If the lock starts hitting the arc, I start worrying about reliability and test more often.

Joe
 
jimmy123 said:
I got a few questions about my strider that maybe someone can answer,

1. My ti lock engaged pretty deep in the tang, like 3/4 of tang, which is good, but will the lock ever wear past the tang and make the blade unstable? (I'm sure thats why the tang is slanted)

2. Would ANYONE know where to send my knife so I can get bigger stop pins of it so its super sturdy? Does sng's usually have a tiny tiny bit of horizontal blade blade due to the smaller pins?

Thanks guys!
Click to expand...

1) I've never seen or heard of the lockbar going too far to the right on a Strider. (Past the tang anyway, I didn't like mine sitting on that slippery hyper-angle much either) It would get a little sloppy because it can't go up that extreme angle farthest to the right first I would think. But I may be wrong. YMMV

2) Ya, Strider. That's how they fixed the ones I sent in. And it isn't the stop pin they replace but the Thumbstud as that's the point of contact. (On the Ti side, not the G10 side(which is a little shorter))

As far as play, I don't like any. Especially on a folder that is supposed to be better than other folders and costs 3x as much.:(
 
I've looked at those knives and don't see that there is room to move up to a much bigger diameter stop pin. There may be though, I don't have one in front of me to look anymore. Doing this stop pin change out changes many aspects and relationships in a folder besides just the pin. It would also require redrilling holes, modifying the blade to now sit or straddle over a bigger pin as well as modifying the contact area where the blade and stop pin meet and also recoating the blade in the places you grind on it to modify it. In many respects this can be far more risky to the lock engagement than messing with the lock itself because it will in effect reduce the contact area of the lock to the blade at the interface. The pins are fine in it as it is in my opinion but should the lock become so worn that it does allow vertical blade play sometimes a larger diameter pin is the easiest fix. In that event I'd sure let Strider do it over anyone else.

After closely inspecting the SNG I had here I would say the real weak point of the Strider designs (if you want to try to find one that is) is in the lock relief cut out to make the lock bend easier and move easier, its not the point of contact at the interface or the stop pin that is the worry spot in my mind. They thin the relief areas down at Strider pretty far for a larger surface area compared to many other knives I've handled of that type. The one SNG relief area I measured was .039 thick covering about the width of my pinky finger in length. When you look at the thickness of the lock and the slab of titanium as a whole and then realize it has been thinned down at the relief area to a level much less than even a small gents folder it makes you wonder about the reasoning behind this. This thinness of their lock relief is the sole reason they need a lock stablizer on their knives to keep the user from pushing the lock out too far when releasing it. It is also the point where the lock will fold or buckle when the folder/lock is stressed to the limits of it's ability. Not that these are disastrous failures when this happens but they are still failures. Fortunately Strider has a super warranty and will cover it for you so in that event you will be in good hands.

STR
 
This area in the very back of the folder I call the lock relief is what I'm referring to above. If it were hardened stainless I'd not have much worry about it being .039 or as in this case of the PT pictured here .033 at the lock relief. Being that the lock here is titanium that is incredibly thin and even fragile in my mind to take it down that much. You can easily bend a .070 thick piece of titanium and make it into a liner lock. Just look at the Buck/Strider 881 Mini folder for example. Its lock is uniform in thickness the whole way down it's length. No relief cut out is necessary on one up to that thickness based on my experience making knives. So to me there is no reason whatsoever to take a lock relief thinner than .060 ever, unless you are just trying to make it extra easy to move to release the blade I guess. I tend to look at the Sebenza as the standard by which all other frame locks are judged and Chris seems to have his relief a little stronger minded for durability comparing these two folders.

To me I have to ask, "why make the weakest link in the chain even weaker by doing that relief area so thin?" Like I said though at least they will cover it at Strider in the event that it does give you some trouble. For what its worth I don't read many reports of trouble with their knives its just that I made four frame locks in the last week and one was tested to failure. I did this after reading of Spydercos testing on a post by Sal referring to his observations stating that from what he can tell the locks do buckle at the relief when they fail on the frame locks he has tested or had tested. I'll give you one guess where it gave out on mine. Mine was .050 thick at the relief area as best I can tell on that one. I do them by hand so it could be it was a bit thinner in the middle, maybe as shallow as hovering around the .045 or less area. As a result of that test though I'm not making any relief areas thinner than .060 anymore on my frame locks.

STR
 
1) ive never heard or seen the liner lock go that far up the ramp on the tang so i couldnt say on that one.
2) striderknives.com
 
STR said:
This area in the very back of the folder I call the lock relief is what I'm referring to above. If it were hardened stainless I'd not have much worry about it being .039 or as in this case of the PT pictured here .033 at the lock relief. Being that the lock here is titanium that is incredibly thin and even fragile in my mind to take it down that much. You can easily bend a .070 thick piece of titanium and make it into a liner lock. Just look at the Buck/Strider 881 Mini folder for example. Its lock is uniform in thickness the whole way down it's length. No relief cut out is necessary on one up to that thickness based on my experience making knives. So to me there is no reason whatsoever to take a lock relief thinner than .060 ever, unless you are just trying to make it extra easy to move to release the blade I guess. I tend to look at the Sebenza as the standard by which all other frame locks are judged and Chris seems to have his relief a little stronger minded for durability comparing these two folders.

To me I have to ask, "why make the weakest link in the chain even weaker by doing that relief area so thin?" Like I said though at least they will cover it at Strider in the event that it does give you some trouble. For what its worth I don't read many reports of trouble with their knives its just that I made four frame locks in the last week and one was tested to failure. I did this after reading of Spydercos testing on a post by Sal referring to his observations stating that from what he can tell the locks do buckle at the relief when they fail on the frame locks he has tested or had tested. I'll give you one guess where it gave out on mine. Mine was .050 thick at the relief area as best I can tell on that one. I do them by hand so it could be it was a bit thinner in the middle, maybe as shallow as hovering around the .045 or less area. As a result of that test though I'm not making any relief areas thinner than .060 anymore on my frame locks.

STR
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sorry for the ignorance, but i am considering getting a SnG for edc, witch is what in the pic, is it the top? if its neither, witch do it most resemble?
thanks
 
If the folder is new, call Strider. They may fix it for nothing.

They will fix any Strider folder, new or used - no questions asked, if you send the knife with an explanatory note (don't forget your return address) and a $15 money order.

A surprising number of Striders (mine included) come with problems that require return to factory. The repair service is great, but the need to return the knife is a seemingly unnecessary pain in the ass.

Hope this helps!

Edit: Address here: http://www.striderknives.com/
 
well looking at the pic alittle better i feel kinda dumb, its rather obvious, with the ti bottom lol, but would youguys reccomend a tanto SnG for edc?
 
I've had several Striders in the shop but not for repairs. Just to look them over to see if I could get one of my low rider clips mounted on them. So far I have passed on trying. The size of the screw Strider uses to mount that clip is just too large to accomadate a conveniently sized low rider.

The one in the pic is the PT not the SNG.

I personally don't care much for tanto tips and find them the least useful for anything I use a folder for. The tanto will probably hold up better to prying and digging as well as puncture or thrusts vs a different shape though. It just depends on what you intend to use it for I guess. I'd prefer a Spear point over a tanto myself but my favorite blade shape is the modified Wharncliff or traditional Kiridashi type blade with a point on it instead of a blunt tip. So far Strider is not offering that blade shape to my knowledge.

STR
 
well i see it as tanto is my favorite grind, and if im gonna spend 400 bucks i might as well get what i like you know what i mean? i guess what i ment to ask is the SnG a good edc?
 
I would say the PT is a better choice for constant companion status or EDC but I prefer smaller knives. If you like the SNG size and thickness I'd say it should work fine for you. Many people carry one every single day. The real question I always ask myself about the knife I choose to carry daily is this. "Can I afford to lose it if its taken from me by a cop because he deems in illegal carry because of the blade length, or if I misplace it or it gets stolen?" To me first and formost the EDC has to be practical. But to you that may be a different story and you may do things with your knives I'd never do. One of the other things I look at in an EDC is how it rides on or in the pocket. Does it stick me when I sit in my front seat, does it get in the way when I bend, or bang on other things in my pocket, does it stick up too much or feel too thick, does it slide on and off the pocket with one hand or does it require two because of the pocket clip configuration or tension? Stuff like that is commonly overlooked and yet 99% of the time the knife sits right there until you need it so to me that is more important than many other questions to be concerned with. Buying site unseen its hard to answer all those questions. I'd recommend going to a gun and knife show and checking one out to be sure you like everything about it before forking out $400 big ones.

STR
 
BaliBowler said:
well i see it as tanto is my favorite grind, and if im gonna spend 400 bucks i might as well get what i like you know what i mean? i guess what i ment to ask is the SnG a good edc?
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at the moment, I think the sng is great knife and worth the 400.00 because it better then the other knives i tested, such as the spydercos in terms of blade and locking sytem. Right now the closests knife I would def consider instead of the sng, is the hk34, those are also awesome knives.
 
i can get them for a little less, not too much but a little. i just have to sell some of my stuff right now.
 
SnG is a great edc knife, that said i just swapped mine for a recurve SmF i like them just a tad larger than the SnG the SmF might be the perfect edc for me.

i prefer the drop point or recurve to the tanto but hey, vanilla/chocolate, if thats what ya like i'm sure it would be fine also.
 
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