Strider- Talk Me Into It

Firefighter880

Firefighter880

Joined
Nov 17, 2006
Messages
595
Hi All,

I've been thinking about purchasing a Strider SMF Tanto for some time now. I just haven't been able to bring myself to pull the trigger yet due to the price tag. Is it worth it?

What makes a Strider so much better (and more expensive) than a Benchmade, Spyderco, or SOG? How well do the Strider's hold up? Has anyone ever had any issues with blade play in a Strider?

I'm looking at a Strider because I hear they are the most solid knives around. I need an extremely well-built knife that can take a beating. I want something that I can carry to work (Firefighter/ Technical Rescue) that can survive falls out of a multiple-story building, cut through bunker gear, car doors, and fire hose, pry open doors, and not have to worry about breaking the knife or causing blade play. I've been through several "high-end" knives that have either developed blade play after just being opened and closed repeatedly, or after slight use.

I appreciate all of your input. I've used the "search" function to find out what I could, but I'm looking for some more info from all of you Strider owners before I purchase my own.

Thanks and take care,

FF880
 
I don't think you should use a knife to cut through car doors or use as a pry bar. A knife is simply a knife, a cutting tool. I do know however that Striders are one of the toughest knife around.
 
I think my SMF digicam is by far the "sturdiest" folder that I own. My black DDR Gunhammer MGT is by far my favorite .... and not just because it cost 2X as much as the Strider, I just like the way it looks and feels.
As far as if it's worth it.......only YOU can answer that. To some ...it's a waste of money, to others, just plain WANT the high end toys. Nothing special about that.
Plus, I think you should keep on SEARCHING, as I did before I got it.... seems you did NOT do enough research. Tons of threads and posts...reading is good for the mind .... YOU learn ....
 
I have and SNG and an SMF. I have had 2 SNG's. The first one had blade play and I eventually traded it. The 2nd one did as well and I sent it back and it was fixed after some wait. I really like the design but it eerks me when knives that are that expensive and tight and ready to go. The ege's on mine have held up great and my SMF is like a tank and locks up like a vault. Easily my fav one but it can be a bit big depending on the pants you wear.

You using it for work would probably favor the big handle. My friend used his SNG to cut open a car hood, he works as a MP. That knife did not appear to have suffered much damage at all. Sadly his too had blade play though. I really like the knife, but some things(bladeplay) agitate me.
 
This may or may not be appreciated, but I'd just like to say it in case it hasn't been considered yet: why not go with a fixed blade instead of a folder? If you want an indestructible knife, folders just aren't the right choice. It's just plain impossible to make a folder that can take as much abuse as a fixed blade. Now, I understand there may be legalities involved that put fixed blades out of the question - if that's the case here, then you should ignore this comment. :)
 
Even fixed blades aren't for prying. That's what crowbars are for. Granted, I pry with my knife at work as well, but i kknow full well that one day it's gonna break, and I'll have to buy another one.

If you're a fireman, why no look into the spyderco rescue, I think they have one made for your line of work.
 
I used to be interested in Strider knives, but that interest has gone. I've seen/ handled/ played with Strider knives several times in the past and they seemed pretty nice, stout etc. I went to Blade with the intention of picking up a Strider of some sort, just to have one in my collection. But when I stopped by the table selling Strider at the show I was appalled. The grind quality and fit and finish on the Strider knives was by far the worst out of anything that I saw at the show. Compared to the trainloads of beautiful craftsmanship in the hall, the Strider knives looked like junk. Honestly, it was really bad. I'm sure the knives are tough etc., but they just don't look like they are being made by someone who cares. Of course anything that is essentially a thick slab of steel is going to be tough. You can get a tough, indestructible knife from several different companies, at a comparable price, that are much, much nicer than what Strider makes. Perhaps not so much with folders but I can see no reason whatsoever to buy a Strider fixed blade. Based on the actual knives I've seen I think the main thing keeping Strider going at this point is inertia and mall-ninja marketing. I guess it must be working out okay for them.

Now ensues the inevitable backlash from rabid Strider fans.
 
I'm NOT a Strider fan, but the biggest advantage that you have with the strider folders are the extra large pivots. It makes sense that the stronger the pivots are, the stronger the folder is going to be.
I'd be interested to see if any other makers use modified pivots. I haven't heard of any so far.
I've owned one strider SNG, which I thought was a tad small, and I handled a PT from a passaround, which I thought was small and ergonomically poor. HOWEVER, I didn't really have any problems with the fit and finish. No, they aren't hand polished, but if you can EASILY smooth out the handles with a little sandpaper if you care to. Do I think it's worth the price? Sure, the folders aren't bad, and you can't extra strong pivots from anyone else, as far as I know.
I agree with the fixed blade part. Not even close to being worth the money. Buy a Chris Reeve knife if you've got that type of cash.
(or other)
If you REALLY want the toughest PROVEN fixed blade money can buy get a Busse, barring that a swamprat or scrapyard.
If you don't believe they are tough, just look at their guarantee against ALL unintentional damage. NOT limited to the original owner.
 
The reason the Striders get blade play is because the g10 wears around the big pivot. Thats why it usually will get sisde to side blade play, and the lock bar contact is so small(I still don't know why they do that) I've had 9 Striders, 3 SMF 3 SnG and 2 AR 1 GB, and they all had the lock contact of just the very corners contacting. Locked up like a vault, but still strange. All are gone except the 1 SnG, and it's a Tanto, since it's the closest I could find to a folding Razel. If there was another folder out there that was 3/16 thick, and did not have a distal taper blade, I would have that one instead.(Maybe, I really like the way they look) Striders are great, but IMHO overpriced. But hey, they sell really well, and the resale market is great, so what do I know? But, IMHO if you want the TOUGHEST folder, and it's legal, get a Balisong, probably a Roton. As for the Strider fans, when one of them comes around and says "It's the toughest" and "it dosen't matter what it looks like it's a Strider" Or "I cut my way out of a burning safe" and then shows you pics of the very same knife he was "beating on" 3 months ago and its mint, I call bullshit. I've seen WAY too much of that. Use 'em or STFU. I do, so I know what it can or can't handle. Nice knife if you like em' they can pry and do some stuff I wouldn't do with another knife, but it's not infallible. It IS a folder after all.
 
As far as the knives themselves go, I like them, I had a PT with some of the smoothest G10 ever (Spyderco has the best G10 IMHO, and this wasn't too far off). I absolutely hate the digicam and tiger stripe b.s., but to each their own. I got the chance to play with a modded PT, and an AR or GB. I do want an EB, SNG, SMF, SMF fixed blades both large and small, and another PT. But, I have handled the SMF and SMF fixed blades, and the G10 was extremely rough. Simple task of sanding it down for my tastes. I like the basic design of the SMF, SNG and PT, and the Buck Strider collaborations weren't filling that need for me. Are they worth 300 to 500 bucks a piece? No, not brand new IMHO. I would buy used models, as I would use them for heavy duty work, something I haven't put my folders to until recently. There are always used Strider models on here for sale at good prices.

Some would say that you could get a better knife from other companies. Since you want a Strider, they are still well made knives. I would watch the prices for a while, and then pull the trigger on the middle of the road folder, the SNG. I don't go for tantos, only drop points, but Strider offers all of their models in many different points, grinds etc.
 
If you're looking for a sharpened prybar that will never, ever quit, check out some of the things put out by TOPS Knives. They're (on average) much, much cheaper than Strider with roughly the same level of quality. They're made out of quarter-inch 1095 carbon steel stock, so they're, in my experience, most resilient than the S30V that goes into most Striders now. They all come with good sheaths and are backed by a very good warranty. Tough as hell, cheaper, and the ethics of TOPS are better than the questionable ones of Strider lately. They're good people.

God bless you, America, and our men and women overseas.

KATN,

Wade

"There ain't much a man can't fix with seven rounds of .357 in a Smith 686."
 
I know that I might come up with some flack for this, but owning an AR and a buck-strider 881sp (I think that's the number, it's the "mini"), I can say without hyperbole, that the Buck-Strider has a heftier tip than the AR, and I've put it through some punishment that I would be worried about putting my AR through, as far as prying goes. My AR sits in a drawer, safe and sound, and I'll probably end up selling it eventually. That said, I've recently acquired an Extrema Ratio Fulcrum IID, and let me just say... If you want the toughest folding knife around, you owe it to yourselve to look at Extrema Ratio... And regardless of what people say about it's massively thick blade not being a good slicer, I can shave with mine, and cut up an apple with it. It's not as good of a slicer as a Paramilitary or Ritter-Grip, but it's still very usable, and would survive a "trip to Hell and back again" better than most of it's competition, IMHO. I cannot recommend it highly enough if you've found yourself with the yen for a folding prybar. But even just the Buck-Striders (the Titanium/G10 models) will get you far more knife for your money, than Strider will. Sorry, don't shoot the messenger.
 
The Buck doesn't have the distal taper, and the blade is the same thickness as the AR, so I agree it's tip is stronger than the Strider. Also it's a saber grind, so it has the thicker blade overall than the flat ground AR. But the Buck does'n't have the finger choil, which provides way better leverage, and the handle and lock are not as secure. I agree the ER knives are CRAZY! But I hated the placement of the thumbstuds, made it impossible to sharpen without removing the them. The ER's are the one kind of knives that based on the design(thumbstud placement) are better with serrations.
 
I love striders, and i dont wanna start a flame war, but only you can decide if you want a strider or not, im a strider believer and if you mosey on down to they can tell you all you want to know about striders, the big things on this site are reeve, spyderco, and Busse, at usn its emerson, strider and a bunch of more tactical knife makers.

so if i were you id just check it out, and see what your own personal opinion is.

its your knife it only matters wether or not you like it, screw what anyone else thinks.

Crossed forum ref. removed.
 
They are hell bent for stout. As for finger choils, all that they are good for are shortening the cutting edge. If the blade is too long for decent leverage, use a shorter blade. When you choke up on a blade with a choil, all you are getting is a terrible design in the grip. Grips are for holding, Blades for cutting. If you need that much leverage to cut something, you are doing it wrong! Period. Mike
 
Michael Lovett said:
They are hell bent for stout. As for finger choils, all that they are good for are shortening the cutting edge. If the blade is too long for decent leverage, use a shorter blade. When you choke up on a blade with a choil, all you are getting is a terrible design in the grip. Grips are for holding, Blades for cutting. If you need that much leverage to cut something, you are doing it wrong! Period. Mike
Click to expand...
Not a fan of Strider's designs I see?:p
 
Nothing against Strider, but if you're looking for a semi-custom folder for a user, check out Greg Lightfoot, Kirby Lambert, Emerson Knives, or Rick Hinderer (just a few that come to mind). I think that their prices should be in the same ballpark as Strider. In the end, taste is individual, buy what you want. All the makers I listed (including Strider) should resale for close the purchase price, so if you buy something and don't like it you can always sell it and buy something else without taking a big hit. If your heart's set on a Strider, but your budget's rather stretched, you might want to check out the Buck-Strider collaborations.

Have a good one,
Nathan
 
Michael Lovett said:
They are hell bent for stout. As for finger choils, all that they are good for are shortening the cutting edge. If the blade is too long for decent leverage, use a shorter blade. When you choke up on a blade with a choil, all you are getting is a terrible design in the grip. Grips are for holding, Blades for cutting. If you need that much leverage to cut something, you are doing it wrong! Period. Mike
Click to expand...

When properly integrated fingers choils are also an effective means of protecting the fingers in case the lock fails.
 
Brother, Striders are good knives, I own two an AR and a DB .

I also look for knives that can do the tasks you ask about (well not car doors but i know what your saying) . For the anti pry keyboard commandos out there, sometimes ya gotta do with whats at hand in emergency services.

Now i would take my DB over any of Striders folders, its a small fixed blade made for prying, hacking etc. Break it they send you a new one.

I don't really get knives like the Rescue and yes i once owned one . To single purpose for me and that one purpose ( cutting webbing, clothes etc.) is something I feel a shears is a way better tool.

If you want a knife where if you lose you tool (axe, bar whatever) and you need to get your ass out of a jam, then Strider is hard to beat.

Oh ya it'll cut seatbelts and clothes too.
 
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