Strider vs. Sebbie.

Well, Navy is a quasi-branch of the military. Locutus, retired Army!:)

Navy is a branch of the military. Send an email to hinderer you can get an xm-18 directly from them for cheaper than the secondary market. He sells direct to EMS, police and military. I just got one from him and let's just say the price is a steal. I prefer it over both my CRK and strider.

View attachment 329034
 
Wow, I had no idea Hinderer sold his knives THAT much cheaper to military! Well that's a done deal for me then, the XM-18 is absolutely my favorite knife I've ever seen, I only didnt include it because I didn't want to spend 1000. Deal, as soon as the next run of 3" flipper models is done I'm getting one.
 
Wow, I had no idea Hinderer sold his knives THAT much cheaper to military! Well that's a done deal for me then, the XM-18 is absolutely my favorite knife I've ever seen, I only didnt include it because I didn't want to spend 1000. Deal, as soon as the next run of 3" flipper models is done I'm getting one.

:thumbup::thumbup::thumbup:
 
Hey, first post here, just looking for some advice. I'm at the point in my knife addiction that I've decided to get a nice, high-end blade (finally). I'm pretty well narrowed down to two, between the Strider PT and the Chris Reeve Small Sebenza 21 Insigno. Now obviously the CRK is alot easier to find in stock, but I probably won't be ordering either for at least a couple weeks. If you have an alternative suggestion, I'd love to hear it but the one caveat is the blade has to be no more (well maybe a TINY BIT more) than 3 inches due to Navy regulations.
I love the look and apparent quality of both knives, but I wonder about the toughness and durability of the CRK. It always seemed like more of a "gents knife" meant for removing the tag from a pair of Italian loafers, but alot of people have touted its strength and real use applications. For the record, I'm not talking about "hard use", but I'd like a folder I can carry every day and feel comfortable hiking with and using to make fuzz sticks and prep food. Any opinions are welcome. Thanks!

I've recently purchased 2 large Sebenzas and they are anything but "gents knives." The Sebbies are very robust and well-made. Put the shoe tag thing to rest. I believe the word Sebenza means work and they are ideally suited for just that. I feel no need whatsoever to baby them.
 
What is a top-general?
Because from my understanding all Generals... are just that. Generals. They command portions of the army, airforce, or navy.

Unless by Top general he means the president? Which is silly since they aren't generals the President would be commander in chief.

Okay, Luis, I can't find his name now. He was a Commanding General of the U.S. Marine Corps (2003) who adopted the Strider MARSOC SMF as the folding knife specifically developed for Detachment 1, the first SOCOM unit of the United States Marine Corps. The Strider SMF was the first knife issued to an individual Marine Corps unit in over 60 years and the first tactical folder issued within the USMC. Compliments of Wikipedia.
Try not to lose the importance of the message.
 
Okay, Luis, I can't find his name now. He was a Commanding General of the U.S. Marine Corps (2003) who adopted the Strider MARSOC SMF as the folding knife specifically developed for Detachment 1, the first SOCOM unit of the United States Marine Corps. The Strider SMF was the first knife issued to an individual Marine Corps unit in over 60 years and the first tactical folder issued within the USMC. Compliments of Wikipedia.
Try not to lose the importance of the message.

Can't find anything in military websites, or google. No mention of a General, maybe you saw Commanding officer?
Either way they did use it for their issued knife that's for sure, and we know Striders can a take beating. Point is understood.
 
Strider has a unique presence in our military...or lack thereof.
Id go with a sebenza. There's just nothing else like it. And the sebenza holds a much more prominent position in the knife industry IMO.
 
When you consider that the Strider SMF may well be used to dig in the gravel, sand and dirt in search of a buried IED, or to cut the tops off of tin cans or punch holes in MRE's or to pry open the door of a blast-damaged Humvee, then you realize that you'd leave your nice Sebbie at home.
The SMF has a blade thickness of 0.190" contrasted with the 0.125" of the Sebbie. Which would be most apt to fail first? The SMF performs as a pry-bar.
I've owned more Sebs than Striders. They are both good. They each have a job to do...not necessarily the same job.
 
No mention of a General, maybe you saw Commanding officer?
Either way they did use it for their issued knife that's for sure, and we know Striders can a take beating. Point is understood.[/QUOTE]

Somewhere, sometime...when I did some research on the origin of the Marines' SMF-NSN, I "thought" I read commanding general, but you may be correct.
Thanks. I meant no flames. Forgive me for being rude. I'm still on my first cup this morning.
 
I like both Striders and Sebenza's, but I'm kind of confused as to what the toughness of the SMF has to do with the discussion. The OP clearly states he needs a knife with about a three inch blade. Compaing an SMF to a large Sebenza is completely different than compaing a PT and a small Sebenza insignio.

When you consider that the Strider SMF may well be used to dig in the gravel, sand and dirt in search of a buried IED, or to cut the tops off of tin cans or punch holes in MRE's or to pry open the door of a blast-damaged Humvee, then you realize that you'd leave your nice Sebbie at home.
The SMF has a blade thickness of 0.190" contrasted with the 0.125" of the Sebbie. Which would be most apt to fail first? The SMF performs as a pry-bar.
I've owned more Sebs than Striders. They are both good. They each have a job to do...not necessarily the same job.
 
Feel free to throw stones at me or vote me off the island.

(1) Sebenza - The purpose of a Sebenza is to be an incredibly high-quality EDC folder that boasts enormous pride of ownership. The Sebenza has been marketed as a superbly made, ultra-high attention to detail, knife that sports legendary fit and finish and is made by the most reputable (in terms of quality control and attention to detail) production knife maker on the planet. Because the Sebenza seeks to fill the purpose described above, it has a unique distinguishing characteristic that makes it special: it is amazing because of its absurdly fine fit and finish, EDCability, and pride of ownership. The Sebenza succeeds at accomplishing its intended purpose. It was never marketed or intended to be a "end of the world ultra hard use tacticool folder" with epic edge retention.

(2) Strider - The purpose of a Strider is to be a virtually indestructible hard use folder. Unfortunately, this is where Strider fails to accomplish its purpose to the same degree that a Sebenza accomplises its purpose. There are too many "KING OF KING HARD USE" production folders out on the market that can compete with (or exceed) Strider in terms of hard use: ZT (300); BM (275); Spyderco (Tuff/GB); Cold Steel (Voyager/Recon). These other folders knock Strider off its pedestal by rendering its intended purpose something that is not special or unique to Strider. The Sebenza, however, has managed to achieve such a legendary status in terms of quality, fit and finish, and sheer pride of ownership that it has niched out almost any competitors.

I struggle to think of a production folder that I would pick up and say, "oh goodness, this is better made than a Sebenza and boasts a higher recognized pride of ownership." I can think of at least half a dozen production folders I could pick up and say, "oh wow, this knife is more durable than a Strider." But, the thing is, I would never use Strider as a ruler by which all "hard use" folders are judged; there are too many competitors that rival its purpose. However, many people in the knife community (including myself) DO use the Sebenza as a ruler by which fit and finish, pride of ownership, and production quality are measured. That is the critical difference between CRK and Strider.

Other considerations: (1) Hinderers, like Striders, are obscenely over-priced for the product you receive and the intended purpose of the knife; (2) Strider's questionable military and business ethics leave a bad taste in the mouths of many consumers (for good reason); (3) Hinderer's bias for military-sales has virtually destroyed any possibility for his knives to be reasonable in terms of value vs performance ratios; price gorging (i.e. - 1/2 market price discount) for purposes of military bias is a ridiculous market practice that lends to abuses of the discount.
 
Last edited:
The important thing to remember is Striders are the brainchild of two special forces war heroes. They know what it takes to be tactical. We're not dealing with an ex con and a military computer tech pretending to be operators. When I see the name Strider, I see red, white, and blue. God bless them both.
 
The important thing to remember is Striders are the brainchild of two special forces war heroes. They know what it takes to be tactical. We're not dealing with an ex con and a military computer tech pretending to be operators. When I see the name Strider, I see red, white, and blue. God bless them both.

Agreed. I think strider still holds the record in the military as longest in forced service, what was this "forced service" like 5 years? The military just wanted him that bad...

-rolls eyes-
 
Feel free to throw stones at me or vote me off the island.

(2) Strider - The purpose of a Strider is to be a virtually indestructible hard use folder. Unfortunately, this is where Strider fails to accomplish its purpose to the same degree that a Sebenza accomplises its purpose. There are too many "KING OF KING HARD USE" production folders out on the market that can compete with (or exceed) Strider in terms of hard use: ZT (300); BM (275); Spyderco (Tuff/GB); Cold Steel (Voyager/Recon). These other folders knock Strider off its pedestal by rendering its intended purpose something that is not special or unique to Strider. The Sebenza, however, has managed to achieve such a legendary status in terms of quality, fit and finish, and sheer pride of ownership that it has niched out almost any competitors.

Let me start by saying, I own knives from both companies, and I enjoy both of their products. The Hard use part, saying there are a lot of other folders that rival them, but none with their warranty. You pay for the piece of mind that when you break it, you get it fixed or replaced. No other company you listed does that.

However, to the OP, I would def. get a hinderer at the same price you can get a strider or CRk. No one will tell you otherwise
 
So far I haven't heard the real difference between these two mentioned:

The Sebenza is a work knife. The fit and finish is unmatched, it's strong, and it takes a hell of a lot of abuse. The Strider fit and finish can be lacking (if you get a bad one) or it can be on par. The Sernza is perfect, and boring. The PT is full of vibe, and flair. Porsche vs. Lamborghini.

However the real difference between these two, fit and finish, cutting surface etc aside:

The PT is a back up self defense blade. It's made in such a way, that only those who understand the basics of knife combat will see the design cues and the why behind it's construction.

For an every day knife the Sebenza is a far better choice. In fact it is the best every day knife ever made.


-Freq
 
I'm not sure what the background is of Chris Reeve with respect to military training, but Strider and his partner Dwayne were Special Forces all the way. Mick was a Ranger killing machine in Somalia and Dwayne was a sniper's sniper. Both true American heroes. Just ask them.

If that isn't enough to sway you toward a Strider, then I don't know what else to say.

:rolleyes: :D

The PT is good I'm sure. But the Sebenza is where it's at. :cool:
 
Back
Top