The first high end knife I've ever held

NjHart

NjHart

Joined
Jan 4, 2013
Messages
715
Howdy yall,

Today I took a little trip to a gun show and for the first time as a member of this community and a developing knife aficionado. I'm sure pretty much everyone around here has had the chance to handle some great knives, but today was actually my first experience with knife over the $200ish range. I actually had the opportunity to play around with a Strider SNG one of the dealers had in his case, and I thought it might be fun to record for the sake of interest exactly what I noticed.

As soon as the dealer passed me the knife, I was utterly shocked by the lightness. After watching countless videos of them and the durability I suppose I was expecting the knife to be exceptionally heavy. It could have just been my expectations, but despite how heavily built the features were, the knife seemed to be quite light- lighter than the JYD in my pocket or the 1ton I carried previously. As soon as I got over the weight and opened the blade I was really really shocked by the lockup. I've played with frame locks, liner locks, and axis locks before and they've ranged from pretty mediocre to great- I even thought I'd felt lock up as secure as a folder could be and would have even claimed some of them to have no blade play. As I tried to muscle a little play in blade, it felt like I was pushing against a fixed blade. Even if it was imperceptible to the eye, I've always been able to at least feel the movement in a locked folder regardless of how minor, and this had no hint of play. My favorite part of the SNG, and I can fully acknowledge may not be for everyone, is the chunk of steel the blade was crafted from. It felt like a car door. It was gloriously thick to the point that despite what was undoubtedly an excellent edge, there was no question this was meant to be a tool rather than just a sharp edge- the entirety of the knife seemed purposeful rather than just the edge and geometry.

I know its probably a pretty mundane experience for many of you, and there are undoubtedly more impressive knives on the market and especially on the custom side, but it was a fun experience. I was actually a little disappointed that it was the only high end knife there (I actually agreed to go because I thought a ZT dealer was suppose to be there), but I suppose only touching one new knife today did allow me to fully enjoy it without sensory overload.
 
"I know its probably a pretty mundane experience for many of you" No way man, that is awesome and i am happy for you. No one started out collecting or using 400+ knives so everyone should be able to relate to what your saying, and remember how awesome they felt the first time they handled a truly nice knife. All I have to say is that I am sure you will be lusting after a high quality knife now. I hope you get it, and can relive that feeling for a long time, Until the next one that is!
 
Well said and thank you for posting your experience here in such a lucid and interesting manner. The magic of having a superior tool in your hand is not an easy feeling to hammer into words.
 
NjHart said:
Howdy yall,
It felt like a car door. It was gloriously thick to the point that despite what was undoubtedly an excellent edge, there was no question this was meant to be a tool rather than just a sharp edge- the entirety of the knife seemed purposeful rather than just the edge and geometry.
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They make some very nice knives. It's too bad that Mick and Dwayne are douches that lied about their military service; otherwise I'd buy a couple myself just to have a tacticool toy to fondle sometimes (probably and SNG and a PT). As for the rock solid lockup you saw, that's not always the case. As with any frame lock, there will always be some that develop lock rock. My buddy's SNG had lock rock so bad that it could be closed from the locked position pretty easily, even in normal use--to their lying douche credit they fixed it for him (after which he sold it).

NjHart said:
I know its probably a pretty mundane experience for many of you, and there are undoubtedly more impressive knives on the market and especially on the custom side, but it was a fun experience. I was actually a little disappointed that it was the only high end knife there (I actually agreed to go because I thought a ZT dealer was suppose to be there), but I suppose only touching one new knife today did allow me to fully enjoy it without sensory overload.
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A really well constructed knife is definitely something that sings to me when I have it in hand. Going from inexpensive knives even to $100 knives you can see the difference. Then you touch the really well-built knives and you see the difference again. Sebenza's aren't that pretty and aren't that special, functionality-wise, but part of the reason that folks rave about them is that they really are beautifully crafted little machines. Holding a couple of them left me short of wanting one for myself, but it made all the hype a bit more understandable.

That said, maybe I'd be better off if a friend hadn't bought me one reasonably nice knife to get me started. I'd still be happy carrying the low-end folders I used to carry, and my wallet would be thicker ;)
 
I know exactly what you're talking about. My first fixed blade over the 30$ range was my Ohare damascus knife, which i bought well over the 500$ mark off the internet. I felt like i was taking a huge gamble, but it paid off.

Then i set out to replace my 14 year old, 30$ folder. I went to a store and handled a CRK sabenza, thought it amazing, but walked away empty handed. After receiving my Allan Davis folder, I dont think i would ever be happy with a sabenza, though, that is still up in the air. Everyone that i hand the Davis to reacts instantly, "WOW, this is LIGHT". Then i show them how fast it is! lol

Handling your first high end knife is like having your first taste of good scotch... its a very expensive moment that puts an intense smile on your face!
 
Wait until you pick up your first William Henry, NjHart. The fit and finish will leave you speechless but you'll swear you're handling air.

I've checked out a few Striders and they just don't appeal to me. Maybe it's the handle shape. The ergos just seem all wrong. I mean, make a fist and notice how your fingers lay in the palm of your hand. If your hand is shaped the same way mine is, the outside edge of your palm extends beyond the outside edge of your little finger. If you're going to design a knife handle, wouldn't you take that shape into account and make the side of the handle that lays against your palm at least as long as the side that lays against your fingers? Now look at a Strider handle. It's shaped exactly the opposite way. The side of the handle that lays against your palm is actually shorter than the side that lays against your fingers. Some folks in certain professions might find that handle shape useful for crushing skulls and the like. But I'm not one of them. All the Strider handle shape does is make the knife uncomfortable in my hand or longer (and heavier) than in needs to be.
 
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bld522 said:
Wait until you pick up your first William Henry, NjHart. The fit and finish will leave you speechless but you'll swear you're handling air.
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You need to quit that, bld, it's your fault I have this new E6 ;)

Thanks for pimping them here so much and putting me on to them, it's pretty sweet.
 
The highest end knife i've ever got my grubby fingers on is the Para 2 in my pocket lol. I'm a bit cheap when it comes to knives, mostly because i just don't have any money. Also I personally think striders are kinda ugly and look uncomfortable. I'd like to try one out someday though. there is a few high end knives I will eventually drain my bank with.
 
evilgreg said:
You need to quit that, bld, it's your fault I have this new E6 ;)

Thanks for pimping them here so much and putting me on to them, it's pretty sweet.
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Turnabout is fair play, my friend. Don't forget it was you who turned me on to Rod Olson flippers. :)
 
The strider military service issue seems to pop up quite a bit. I've read some about it here and in other forums, and there are a few aspects that seem a bit shady. That being said there really is a case that can be made from each side (never underestimate imperfect information even from an original source and assume it to be unbiased fact), and I would rather offer my respect and praise to 100 impostors than to incorrectly discount the efforts of one honest man. I can't speak to their personalities since I don't know them, but I can say from the knife I held that they have to potential to turn out some exceptionally fine products.

I've seen some of the william henry knives online and they are beyond beautiful, and I'm pretty sure I've never heard an ill word spoken about their fit and finish. Though very different knives, they go in the same category as the sebenzas and hinderers as virtual knife making perfection by all accounts. I think Dallas is suppose to have some bigger knife shows this spring that I'll definitely have to visit in hopes of seeing some of these. I never really had the intention of purveying striders and the pinnacle of knife making, but the one I held absolutely blew away any other knife I've ever owned or even held before, and it was an interesting experience. I just wanted to share my initial observations from the perspective of someone who does have only a beginners eye on higher end knives. Maybe this particular one was just exceptionally nice or maybe the previous top knives (I guess maybe the benchmade 940 or bone collector?) weren't as well built as some of their other knives, but in just the 2 or 3 minutes I had with it I could certainly tell a difference- and I thought that "ah ha" moment is something many of yall had also experienced at some point.
 
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