Strider V.S Hinderer!!! Your opinions and experiences

IMO they are very different knives but both have their appeal. I swore to never buy another strider after owning a few which all had some form of issues (blade play, sticky lock, poor fit/finish.). However I recently bought a Duane Dwyer sng because the deal was too good to pass up, and even though it has a sticky lock and came (new) with some scratches on the ti finish.... I really like the damn thing. It reminded me why I owned several of these knives in the past.

Hinderers on the other hand, are great in every way except for their weak detent. They don't have that bank vault snap and that rawness of striders but they are very very functional knives. It is the one folder I would trust my life on.
 
Krav said:
A $400 knife, putting marker or pencil on the lock tang is unacceptable. It's like starting a new car with a screwdriver cause the maker won't fix the ignition problem.:thumbdn:
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No, to me it is not unacceptable. Maybe to you. To me its a non-issue. I've had several Striders and they have all been very good knives and up to standard. Hinderer's are not to my liking, though. The 3.5 XM is a pretty nice knife, but the detent is something that MOST people should be aware of before spending "Hinderer" kind of money. I think the biggest draw to them is the "average Joe can't buy direct" mystique and the fact that they can be very easily modified. I didn't find their quality to be any better than Strider, nor as good as CRK. Very nice knife, with a funky detent at a price that is usually way too high for what you get. The 3" is yet another story. To me it felt downright cheap and it flipped even worse than the 3.5". Even with the very light detent, it was a poor and inconsistent flipper. I know its probably going to be hard for the OP to find examples of the knives he's interested in, but I would strongly advise him to try and handle them and make his own decision before spending the kind of money he's talking about. Yes, he can always sell if he doesn't like his choice, but that can get expensive and time consuming.
 
There's a lot of ti frame locks, have a bit of stick when new, I've seen a lot of threads about it. The fix is always sharpie, or pencil lead. Nobody seems to think it's something drastic akin to having to start a new car with a screwdriver. I would call it more like having to oil a squeaky door.
 
gpo1956 said:
No, to me it is not unacceptable. Maybe to you. To me its a non-issue. I've had several Striders and they have all been very good knives and up to standard. Hinderer's are not to my liking, though. The 3.5 XM is a pretty nice knife, but the detent is something that MOST people should be aware of before spending "Hinderer" kind of money. I think the biggest draw to them is the "average Joe can't buy direct" mystique and the fact that they can be very easily modified. I didn't find their quality to be any better than Strider, nor as good as CRK. Very nice knife, with a funky detent at a price that is usually way too high for what you get. The 3" is yet another story. To me it felt downright cheap and it flipped even worse than the 3.5". Even with the very light detent, it was a poor and inconsistent flipper. I know its probably going to be hard for the OP to find examples of the knives he's interested in, but I would strongly advise him to try and handle them and make his own decision before spending the kind of money he's talking about. Yes, he can always sell if he doesn't like his choice, but that can get expensive and time consuming.
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What's even worse, is strider refusal to communicate. It's ok to make mistakes, but a company that refuses to communicate with there customers, and doesn't stand behind there work. No wonder people bash strider.

Just saying.
 
Krav said:
What's even worse, is strider refusal to communicate. It's ok to make mistakes, but a company that refuses to communicate with there customers, and doesn't stand behind there work. No wonder people bash strider.

Just saying.
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It has been my experience with strider knives that they have a no excuses customer service policy. They will even replace a broken blade. Has that changed?
 
murfdog67 said:
It has been my experience with strider knives that they have a no excuses customer service policy. They will even replace a broken blade. Has that changed?
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I just saw on strider site, with ever folder they will give you a pencil and a sharpie so you can maintain the sticky locks.:D
 
I just got my SnG back from Strider. She went in for a tune-up and came back perfect. And, I had great communication with Josh and the other Strider dude.
rolf
 
Striders are certainly well-built knives, and they have a very loyal following. My main complaint on them is that many of them perform poorly with lighter tasks that a folder in my pocket will see. Strider also has some CPM-3V folders, which I think is neat in concept but a terrible steel in practice for a folding knife that will almost surely never see usage that will test the strength and impact resistance anywhere near where 3V really shows its value and justification over a steel with higher wear resistance and lower toughness. If I want to perform Strider-tough tasks, I generally use my $55 RAT5. I've found the fit and finish is very good.

Hinderer offers the Spanto blade, which is reasonably good at lighter tasks and tough as hell. They also offer the Slicer grind which is an excellent slicer and still very strong. They also also offer a wharnnie, which is a helluva good cutter. I am also a very big fan of how they are heat treating CPM-S35VN. On the downside, they are still knives with a large carry profile, the flipper was not built as the primary action if it is a flipper you seek, and the secondary market prices are outrageous given the MSRP for these knives is actually under $400. I have found the fit and finish is excellent.

If the primary goal is a super strong knife that can take whatever, many of the ZT Hinderers rate right up there as well, and for a lot less than most.

I like the Seb 25 a lot too. It is a very practical EDC given the size and strength. It has one of the most usable grinds on the market. However, I dislike how soft Reeve hardens S35VN...especially considering that S35VN is a VERY tough steel even at 60 HRC!!! I've not found a production folder other than the ZT0777 (and a few other low-production ZT and Kershaw runs) I think that the fit and finish is comparable to.

I ultimately traded my Hinderer and bought a Tighe given the money Hinderers costs are in that ballpark. The XM is nice but it's not a Tighe Stick by any means (and this is a reason I struggle to buy BM Gold Class knives). Lionsteel and Guardian Tactical are also making some frame locks of hella strong strength, fantastic steels with fantastic heat treatments, fantastic geometry, and fantastic fit and finish.





But............if you can find it, I think the knives you will personally like most will be either a L.G. Project VECP or a Calavara El Patron, likely with a custom anodized finish on the titanium (anyone good with anodizing can replicate Stider or ZT finishes, likely for under $50).......both of these knives are absolute monsters and I don't personally think any production folder can compare to their all-around performance/build quality
 
Krav said:
What's even worse, is strider refusal to communicate. It's ok to make mistakes, but a company that refuses to communicate with there customers, and doesn't stand behind there work. No wonder people bash strider.

Just saying.
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It's their customers and their work, not there.
 
pnsxyr said:
Striders are certainly well-built knives, and they have a very loyal following. My main complaint on them is that many of them perform poorly with lighter tasks that a folder in my pocket will see. Strider also has some CPM-3V folders, which I think is neat in concept but a terrible steel in practice for a folding knife that will almost surely never see usage that will test the strength and impact resistance anywhere near where 3V really shows its value and justification over a steel with higher wear resistance and lower toughness. If I want to perform Strider-tough tasks, I generally use my $55 RAT5. I've found the fit and finish is very good.

Hinderer offers the Spanto blade, which is reasonably good at lighter tasks and tough as hell. They also offer the Slicer grind which is an excellent slicer and still very strong. They also also offer a wharnnie, which is a helluva good cutter. I am also a very big fan of how they are heat treating CPM-S35VN. On the downside, they are still knives with a large carry profile, the flipper was not built as the primary action if it is a flipper you seek, and the secondary market prices are outrageous given the MSRP for these knives is actually under $400. I have found the fit and finish is excellent.

If the primary goal is a super strong knife that can take whatever, many of the ZT Hinderers rate right up there as well, and for a lot less than most.

I like the Seb 25 a lot too. It is a very practical EDC given the size and strength. It has one of the most usable grinds on the market. However, I dislike how soft Reeve hardens S35VN...especially considering that S35VN is a VERY tough steel even at 60 HRC!!! I've not found a production folder other than the ZT0777 (and a few other low-production ZT and Kershaw runs) I think that the fit and finish is comparable to.

I ultimately traded my Hinderer and bought a Tighe given the money Hinderers costs are in that ballpark. The XM is nice but it's not a Tighe Stick by any means (and this is a reason I struggle to buy BM Gold Class knives). Lionsteel and Guardian Tactical are also making some frame locks of hella strong strength, fantastic steels with fantastic heat treatments, fantastic geometry, and fantastic fit and finish.





But............if you can find it, I think the knives you will personally like most will be either a L.G. Project VECP or a Calavara El Patron, likely with a custom anodized finish on the titanium (anyone good with anodizing can replicate Stider or ZT finishes, likely for under $50).......both of these knives are absolute monsters and I don't personally think any production folder can compare to their all-around performance/build quality
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Thank you for a logical and informative post. No personal attacks. Thank you!
 
I see some folks picked up some sweet gear today!

horse_with_blinders_1788218-1pm9m4b.jpg


LOL
 
jill jackson said:
There's a lot of ti frame locks, have a bit of stick when new, I've seen a lot of threads about it. The fix is always sharpie, or pencil lead. Nobody seems to think it's something drastic akin to having to start a new car with a screwdriver. I would call it more like having to oil a squeaky door.
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Well, if the knife is selling sub $80, the problem of frame locks can be said as squeaking door. I understand manufacture's bottom line as they need to keep the manufacturing cost down, even sacrificing QC or fine adjustment before shipping I believe any knife above $300 ought to be perfect without a glitch out of the box.
 
jill jackson said:
The Strider I have wasn't sticking new, it was a bit after a couple of days, a bit of pencil lead had it fixed permanently with only 4 or 5 cycles.
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I know this issue is a hit and miss. But I think any custom made / higher end knifes to function as is. I understand that graphite would solve the problem permanently, but I expect that to be done at the factory/ shop before shipping.

Now a days, any non petroleum weapon lube can be "baked in" to the pivot point to not to stick any working parts. I feel that added process should be done with higher end models.
 
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