Striders and ZT 0560

S

smcjoecohen@yahoo

Joined
Nov 22, 2011
Messages
515
I really love Striders, I have 6 of them so I better love them. I also have ZT's, I've got 0560,0561,0551,0300. I think I have to say that the ZT's are better made knives. They have excellent F&F and they have ZERO BLADE PLAY! At least all of mine do (Not have play). I want a Hinderer, but even for a guy w/six Striders I can't get over the price. I like the Striders look more, I love chunky big knives, and most of mine are pretty solid but there is a little play, just sayen.
 
Zt's are great, especially at their price point. If you want a really big chunkyish strong knife, that will never get blade play, check out Medford knives. They require a break in period, but after that are really smooth.
 
smcjoecohen@yahoo said:
I really love Striders,
there is a little play, just sayen.
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Gosh, I hope not. I have a Sng and a Baby Huey comin' in the mail next week. My ZT 0550 was rock-solid; maybe I should have kept it. Actually, I hear the 550 is coming out with new blade-steel, and will buy one then.
Sonnydaze
 
I have five Striders. Three Hueys, a PT and a SMF. None of mine have blade play but all are relatively new. (Within a year) I have heard of issues in the past bit maybe they're ironed out now. BTW the SJ75 is one of my favorite knives. I also have the ZT 550, 560 and 301 and I'll have to admit that there doesn't seem to much difference in quality but I did have to send a ZT 550 back because of vertical blade play.
 
my smf is absolutely rock solid with no blade play....I use the heck out of it too.

It's my work horse, so it sees lots and lots of use.
 
Ok so I have a pretty stupid question but I was curious what ill affects does a little blade play have? One of my Strider SNG's have a bit of play, but the knife works perfectly fine even through hard use. If the blade is flopping around and you can hear it knocking, obviously that's a problem, but if you grab the blade and wiggle it and you feel some slight play.... I don't really get why that's so atrociously bad.
 
The Logical One said:
If the blade is flopping around and you can hear it knocking, obviously that's a problem, but if you grab the blade and wiggle it and you feel some slight play.... I don't really get why that's so atrociously bad.
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It's like you have a fine target rifle, but you can reach up and wiggle the rear sights back and forth. I would fix it or scrap it.
Yes, I know the knife will still cut, but I no longer have any pride in owning it.
Sonny
 
Sonnydaze said:
It's like you have a fine target rifle, but you can reach up and wiggle the rear sights back and forth. I would fix it or scrap it.
Yes, I know the knife will still cut, but I no longer have any pride in owning it.
Sonny
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that's not a good analogy....lol
 
czombie said:
that's not a good analogy....lol
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That's what I was thinking too. A wiggly rear sight on a precision rifle will render the gun practically useless because it means the sight is completely off so you won't be able to hit what you're aiming at.

I think what Sonny is basically telling me is that the knife will still function fine, but it's just one of those knife pet peeves (ie. sticky lockbar, blade not centered). Obviously I would prefer the blade to not have any play, but I can honestly say that I don't feel any adverse affects when I'm actually using the knife. I would also not notice it unless I grab the blade and intentionally wiggle it.

It's just that throughout my time in BF it seems like people make a huge deal out of blade play; never really fully understood why. But if it's just one of those pet peeve things then it makes a lot more sense. For me, a sticky lock bar will make me absolutely hate the knife.
 
I dont know why blade play bothers me so much but it does. Maybe its knowing that a more perfect example of a model can be had for my collection. Alot of folks must feel the same because a lot of emphasis is placed on centering/play when selling a piece. You might be in the minority but good for you, I have lost sleep over imperfections on knives upon receiving them that I intended to collect. I cant expect flawless pieces everytime, but they are out there and I want them. Come to think of it, im the same with new intended users too. I do agree that a little play doesnt stop a knife from its intended purpose of course. The littler the better for ME though.
 
Blade play in a new knife is like a rattle in a new car. It runs fine and gets you there, but is annoying!

Lack of play requires more precision in manufacturing and attention during assembly, so most collectors would feel a blade with no play is a higher quality, more desireable product.
 
I have two new Striders, an SnG GG and a PT. Both have excellent fit and finish and are rock solid. I think it's interesting that people seem to be surprised by this as Striders reputation for fit and finish has been spotty in the past but most people I know of that have newer Striders all seem to remark of the quality. I think you can get a lemon from any manufacturer. I purchased a new ZT 0550 recently, had it for two days and had to send it in for lock up problems. I think frame lock knives in general require pretty close tolerances to function properly. That said I also understand the frustration of shelling out hundreds of dollars for a knife only to have it not be perfect on receipt. I think if you buy from a reputable company and they stand behind their product you will be satisfied in the end.
 
I have a large sebenza, lego SMF, and a 3.5" XM-18 (0 ZT knives)

The SMF is a beast of a knife and is basically a fixed blade when open. I recently got this one to complete my "big 3" collection. While I like the SMF a lot and have been carrying it almost daily, my heart will always belong to the Hinderer. It is perfect in every way and F&F is flawless. No lockbar stick, smooth for days, perfect, tight lockup.

I want a XM-24 next to really compare size wise with the SMF.
 
i own a 0350, 0300, 0560 x2, 0550 and just grabbed a 0301. I bought a SMF last week and i will say i still tend to get the smf in the pocket. i have had to send back 2 zt for QC mistakes. my 1st 0560 locked up so hard it needed to be disassembled to close the knife. i was so mad too because i waited so long for the thing. the 0300/0301 i love so much. the 0350 quality is not there though. complained to my others it seems like a lower end knife. machining on the 0560 and 0550 is also not as nice as the smf.

i love ZT and now strider but i don't think zt compares at least with my sample amount
 
jwblack911 said:
i own a 0350, 0300, 0560 x2, 0550 and just grabbed a 0301. I bought a SMF last week and i will say i still tend to get the smf in the pocket. i have had to send back 2 zt for QC mistakes. my 1st 0560 locked up so hard it needed to be disassembled to close the knife. i was so mad too because i waited so long for the thing. the 0300/0301 i love so much. the 0350 quality is not there though. complained to my others it seems like a lower end knife. machining on the 0560 and 0550 is also not as nice as the smf.

i love ZT and now strider but i don't think zt compares at least with my sample amount
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I had to send in 3 ZT's for repair. All three had lockup problems and vertical play. The 560 I had went back to cs twice before it's issues were resolved. ZT took care of fixing all of them. But it soured me on ZT.
 
The Striders shouldn't have any blade play--I've used my PT hard for 5 years, and bought it used (I'm sure the previous owner used it plenty too). It still locks up perfectly, is incredibly solid and has the best detent of any blade I've used. No excuses for a Strider or any other knife to be otherwise.

DJK
 
The Logical One said:
I think what Sonny is basically telling me is that the knife will still function fine, but it's just one of those knife pet peeves (ie. sticky lockbar, blade not centered). For me, a sticky lock bar will make me absolutely hate the knife.
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Yes, you're right. And BiginBoca had a good analogy. Perhaps mine wasn't so hot, but it's like that sticky lockbar you mentioned. I will hate the knife. It's useless to me, I'll never use it unless it's fixed...just like that rifle. :)
 
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