striders

If you are willing to pay the money for a high-end production knife, go for it. The market fuels demand and ultimately pricing.

There will be no logic or proof of the statements that certain brands are better than others; instead emotions, and second hand stories will control the debate.

On a personal note, I'm always weary when any brand or maker claims their products are in use by super-secret black/spec-ops units.

--dan
 
Originally posted by dano

There will be no logic or proof of the statements that certain brands are better than others; instead emotions, and second hand stories will control the debate.

On a personal note, I'm always weary when any brand or maker claims their products are in use by super-secret black/spec-ops units.

--dan
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Real-life torture tests with hundreds of witnesses are hardly "emotions" or "second-hand stories."

And as for "claims" about use by spec ops units: http://www.tacticalknives.com

Strider SnG is now being issued to a new SOCOM unit.

So THERE! :p :D
 
"Worth", in an economic sense, is whatever value the market puts on something. It isn't individual tastes, or performance alone, or hype alone, or any other single factor. Striders are certainly worth their price as they continue to sell.

If the question is whether the performance by itself justifies the price I'd just read through the posts on this thread. There are far more people pointing out that they have been issued to spec ops units or that they were marketed via word of mouth in the military, or something similar than there are people pointing out any specific performance attributes. There is nothing wrong with that, as long as you acknowledge that you are buying into those things as much as you are buying into a solid knife.

That said, there is no doubt that Striders are built for stout. If you are willing to part with that kind of money and you want a knife you can't break you won't go wrong getting one. They have few competitors, and you'll be buying into as much image with any of them as with Strider.
 
Cool..I like proof of usage (why does TK magazine always show up on the shelves like 3 weeks before it come in the mail--another post).

I don't have an SnG, I do have a TAD/Tac-AR. Tank of a knife that was pricey. But, if you don't like 'em, don't buy 'em...

--dan
 
Something that I wonder about is: How much do Striders charge LEOs and military, both now and before they went commericial?
I'd bet anything they're making more money based on testosterone alone just because they sold decent quality knives to those folks for much lower prices than today, and then got out and claimed that they are the ultimate knife ever, when they went commercial. A brilliant marketing strategy, if you think about it.
Keyword=marketing.
 
Originally posted by drjones
Real-life torture tests with hundreds of witnesses are hardly "emotions" or "second-hand stories."

And as for "claims" about use by spec ops units: http://www.tacticalknives.com

Strider SnG is now being issued to a new SOCOM unit.

So THERE!
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The question then becomes could other comparably designed knives, some of which may cost less, perform as well or better in these "real-life torture tests".

A product being issued to or used by SOCOM (or anybody else, for that matter) says little if anything about the quality of the actual product.

Regardless of what you may think that I "seem to be", comparing a complex machine loaded with advanced technology and proprietary designs such as a Ferrari to a simple hand tool such as a Strider is ridiculous.

A much more accurate comparison would be other hand tools. If you wish to claim that a $65 hammer is "worth the price" oever a $20 hammer then you should probably be able to demonstrate that the expensive hammer is better designed or fabricated for driving and removing nails. If you cannot do this then your claim is not valid.
 
Whether we admit it or not, we all buy into "image" to some extent - from the kid who wears his baseball cap backwards to the Bel Air plastic surgeon who purchases a pair of matching Mercedes-Benz "Maybach" luxo-cruisers.

I own many (many!) knives, yet I just purchased my FIRST Strider (black SnG) - just to see what the fuss is all about. Did I pay extra for the "image"? I'm sure I did. Are Strider owners fanatics about their brand loyalty? Yes, they are. Do I think that's a bit silly? Yes, I do (but can you say Sebenza...Mayo...Mad Dog?). Is my new Strider "worth" the money I paid for it? I don't know yet. Did it at least impress me? Yes it did - I ordered an AR an hour after I received my SnG.

I'm still a novice when it comes to the technical aspects of knifemaking - but I did spend 30 very successful years in marketing and advertising. One of the truisms in that industry is this: "You can only sell a bad product once."

So Strider must be doing something right - even if they're charging a premium for "image".
 
Originally posted by fishbulb
A much more accurate comparison would be other hand tools. If you wish to claim that a $65 hammer is "worth the price" oever a $20 hammer then you should probably be able to demonstrate that the expensive hammer is better designed or fabricated for driving and removing nails. If you cannot do this then your claim is not valid.
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We've been over this a bazillion times in this thread-- when most of us here at BFC buy a knife, we get more out of the experience than just buying a sharpened piece of metal. Hammer nuts (hnuts? :)) over at HammerForums.com might evaluate hammers based on more than just simple performance aspects. Warranty, soul, design, et cetera. These elusive and difficult-to-measure qualities of an object are factors in determining its personal worth to the collector.
 
The one thing that I've seen that turns me off from Striders is whenever one person has a complaint or negative remark about a Strider, (usually someone who hasn't purchased one yet, but is interested), they will get tons of replies and all of them just say stuff like "If you don't like em, don't buy em", or someone will make some immature jokes about the person, etc, and never really address the issue at hand.

That aside, they look like great knives, very bad-ass. I just don't find them that appealing because their handles are not very comfotable, and I can get a knife that will do 90% of what a Strider can do for 1/2 the price. Swamp Rat and Becker Knife and Tool are much better values. Striders being worth it or not is something you will have to decide.
 
Originally posted by PhoulPlae
I can get a knife that will do 90% of what a Strider can do for 1/2 the price. Swamp Rat and Becker Knife and Tool are much better values.
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And by that logic, I can get a set of 10 Ginsu 2000 knives on Ebay for $0.99 cents that perform at 50% of your knife. For most people, the mediocre performance of a set of ginsu 2000 knives is "good enough". They don't need sharpening, and they sort of cut/rip things. And when they don't rip/cut very well anymore, just throw them away and buy another set.

We "waste" money on fancier knives because we appreciate higher levels of performance, whether that is in ability to cut, take abuse, ergonomics, or even in the look and style of the knife.

Comparing one knife brand to another and saying "better value" is ridiculous. Busse makes great knives. So does Strider. But their designs are quite a bit different. For example, how many folders does Busse currently manufacture?

There is no perfect knife for everyone. A CEO probably wouldn't want to EDC a soldier's 7" fixed blade, and the soldier probably wouldn't want to EDC the CEO's 2" pearl handled slip-joint. Read the reviews, and get what makes you happy. And if you're a knife knut, repeat.

-- Rob
 
Originally posted by Matteo Escobar
Not to redirect this thread into a knife contest, but for the price get a Busse. Busse is so far ahead of the game it's not even funny. Jerry stopped using ATS-34 a DECADE ago. Striders are still being made with this steel. As far as giving Cliff Stamp a Strider, a Busse and a Mad Dog, he's already done this. It's no secret that Cliff Stamp thinks the toughest knives out are Busses. So are are Striders worth the dough? I don't think so.:)
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Strider uses allot of steel Matteo in the different knives they offer...Ats-34 is one of them and still a very hard use steel in my IMHO. My Strider EBS was the sharpest blade I ever recieved out of the box, sharper than my other 2 Striders & sharper than the 3 Busse's I own. So, you can see I own both - Are Striders worth the money...Absolutely. Are Busse's...absolutely. I'd put an MT up against an SH any day of the week as far as toughness, edge holding and fit and finish; their both really very close in all those catagories. For the money, you can't beat either of them and I love both brands; fot their similarites AND their differences...


Worth the dough...umm YES
 
Originally posted by Walking Man
Something that I wonder about is: How much do Striders charge LEOs and military, both now and before they went commericial?
I'd bet anything they're making more money based on testosterone alone just because they sold decent quality knives to those folks for much lower prices than today, and then got out and claimed that they are the ultimate knife ever, when they went commercial. A brilliant marketing strategy, if you think about it.
Keyword=marketing.
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Retail pricing has been the same since 1998 when I first found out about Striders. Active duty enlisted personnel are given a discount.
 
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