Strider steel question

gull wing

gull wing

Joined
May 4, 2002
Messages
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:confused: Are Striders blades hardened in such a way that they are softer and don't hold an edge as long as say Spydercos, Benchmades, CRK, etc?
I have an SnG(first Strider) carried it for a few months when I realizied it's dulling faster and am having to sharpen more often than the above counterparts(near same thickness & edge thickness, edge angle). Could they purposefully make them that way so one can beat them up(reputation for toughness) and they don't break?

Now, I'm not blowing the knife up, I like the SnG, it has a lot of character, feels great in hand, and is very pocketable. Just curious.:confused:
 
Just out of curiousity, does you Sng have the Bos flame stamp on the tang? I have two AR's and both have the Bos stamp showing that they were hardened by him. Strider is doing their own ht now.
 
gull wing said:
:confused: Are Striders blades hardened in such a way that they are softer and don't hold an edge as long as say Spydercos, Benchmades, CRK, etc?
I have an SnG(first Strider) carried it for a few months when I realizied it's dulling faster and am having to sharpen more often than the above counterparts(near same thickness & edge thickness, edge angle). Could they purposefully make them that way so one can beat them up(reputation for toughness) and they don't break?

Now, I'm not blowing the knife up, I like the SnG, it has a lot of character, feels great in hand, and is very pocketable. Just curious.:confused:
Click to expand...

If they wanted to do that, I would think they'd just use a different steel, I mean instead of purposely heat treating a super steel to get sub-optimal performance when it comes to edge retention.;)

Regards,
3G
 
I don't think it would be on purpose, CRK's fixed blade S30v is heat treated soft for toughness, from reports I've seen it would seem the effect is opposite what is intended. Just because a blade is softer does not automatically make it tougher, and s30v is toughest at around 60rc.
 
I had a tanto Sng that had no Bos stamp. It did not feel like S30 at all. I was able to reprofile it in minutes.

The Bos stamped one I have now was done right. :cool: They just give you crap if you tell them their heat treat is messed up. Maybe sell it and get/find a bos stamped one? Maybe try to contact them? Good luck with that, they are very hard to get on the phone, and emails never come back. :o
 
My Bos SnG seems to get "sharper" than my RW-1 SMF. However the latter does hold the edge very well.

Matador-
 
gull wing said:
3G, so you are saying this is a BAD batch?
Click to expand...

Nope. I was just explaning to you that I thought it would be rather moronic for any knife company to intentionally give a 'super steel,' known for its excellent edge retention, a heat treatment for sup-par edge retention, just to increase its toughness a tiny bit when there are several other, cheaper steels that would do that exceedingly better, and they wouldn't require any sort of 'special' heat treatment to get sup-par edge holding properties.

Regards,
3G
 
i have had bos stamped SnG's and SmF's and non bos stamped SnG's and SmF's and imho there is little to no difference between the 2, when they 1st stopped stamping them i wouldnt have a non bos stamped one but i got a deal on a non stamped SnG and tried it and found it to be pretty much the same, since then have gotten anopther SnG and also a SmF, i would prefer a bos stamped one though if given a choice and its about the same price, i wouldnt pay a big premium for a bos stamped speciman though especially if it gonna be a user.

seems like collectors want the bos stamped one and will pay a little extra for it,
 
I have two non-bos stamped SnGs...I've only -attampted to- sharpen one, and it is a PITA. I think it is harder than any of my Sebenza's heat treating... I'd like to reprofile to 40deg inc, and it just won't happen! ...I used to enjoy sharpening... but this is not fun. Don't get me wrong, I REALLY LIKE the SnG for its lightness, ergos and robustness... But it's EMBARRASSING to cut open a plastic bag and just have it tear like I was using my finger.... and a buddy say that knife cost HOW MUCH?? ...then use the SAK that I sharpened FOR HIM to cut it like buttah... I'm gonna go sharpen my knife now.
 
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The non-Bos SnG's are heat treated in Paul Bos's old shop in LA, per his recipe, by all those who remained there, after Buck moved to Idaho. It's the same heat treat, Paul isn't there to stamp it is about all. Strider still has some blades shipped to Idaho for Paul's personal work - and stamp.

All this from an old thread about two years ago when Paul personally signed on and explained.

If your SnG isn't giving you the performance you want, have Krein resharpen it and see what happens then.

My experience with my non-Bos RG DP SnG is that S30V is a lot like D2 - it takes a poor edge and keeps it forever. I've been dragging my edge across angle iron work benches for two years, it just won't get dull, but I can't sharpen it any better that touch ups on croc sticks - which works good enough for me.

The SnG is not a scalpel or marketed to that market - a thin, fine edge disappears all too quick on a duty/utility blade in the sandbox. It does do well for all the rough work it gets. A Vic SAK will seem to be a lot sharper, but it doesn't get used the same way, and will need a lot more sharpening if you do.

"It should because it cost $XXX" is not logical - it would follow a $35,000 Lexus would carry as much in the back as a 3/4 ton diesel pickup. Haven't seen that ad yet.
 
So Lo, you sure have it right on(Strider difficult to approach).
Update:
I have contacted them and am holding my breath for the "ruling from on high". I was polite and humble in my approach.

tirod, Strider resharpened it for me......same result!

I like the knife (as a package).
 
I would not attempt cutting anything with an sng that I wouldn't use an sak for.. I would just use more caution with the sak. I would not cut something like say, thick wire, for instance with either unless it was 100% necessary.. I'd say the percentage of strider users that abuse a cutting tool of this price are slim... Hell... We'd prolly ALL be supprised how many never get used! I ain't tryin to convince anyone, but for THIS user it would be nice to be able to cut REASONABLE things with it... like a plastic bag.

I like the IDEAS behind the SnG VERY MUCH.. But it IS a knife, and I'd like to be able to cut things with it.

I can hammer my Swamp Rat through a log and then slice newspaper with it... Wuen it gets dull, i sharpen it.. OH, that's right... The strider is for cutting through car doors with... what a perfect EDC!
 
now from what i understand heat treat is heat treat bos (though he does a good job ) doesnt have some magical dance he performs, its just heat treating, i have heard most folks do it pretty much the same way at pretty much the same temps and such, correct me if i'm wrong.............
 
Wow... I just TRIED to sharpen my SnG CC... I decided to use the idiot method just to be sure... SOOOOO i used a sharpie to mark the edge on both sides and sharpened away.... Using my Sharpmaker on the 40deg side...The left side of the edge did pretty good.... like 400 strokes on the corners of the medium grit (dark grey) stones took all traces of marker off the edge... now for a SUPRISE... 4,000 strokes on the right side, and I still have not gotten to the edge starting from 1/3 of the way to the tip... BUMMER!!! THIS THING IS HARD HARD HARD. I even cleaned the stones TWICE during this with a scotchbrite pad AND comet!!! EVEN MORE STRANGE... the more obtuse side (the right) is the HIGHER GROUND EDGE!!! just...plain...crazy. It is lookin' good though.. I think I'll actually have a usable knife in the next few days!

...just "to keep my pecker up" I also sharpened a few solingen kitchen knives SCARY LIKE... just to make sure that I'M not the a$$hole... (the verdict is still out on this one!)
 
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