Two Striders--my first purchase; which to get?

[heekma]

Howdy folks,

The Strider bug has bitten, now it's a question of which to get first--The SNG or the SNG Double Gunner Grip. I've handled both--loved the machining on the Double Gunner Grip, but preferred the slightly thicker Titanium and G-10 on the SNG.

Anybody have comments one way or the other?

A few other questions:

The Hinderer-style frame lock stop looked thin and kind of chintzy--have they always been this way, or is this something new? Any other ways to tell if these are newer or older production versions? Are some production versions more desireable because of features which had or had not been changed? If so, how to tell?

I'd appreciate any and all info. I've got a lot of Benchmades, but this will be my first "expensive" knife purchase and I'd like to make the most informed purchase I can.

Thanks,

Heekma

 

[misterjuiceman]

I believe the oldest SNGs didn't have the Hinderer stops, and then after that they put thestops on, and they said "Hinderer" on them. eventually I think they started making them in house.

 

[smitty1505]

Don't get the double gunner grip. I have it and regret getting it. If u plan on EDCing it the double gunner grip is to rough. It's to hard to put it in and take it out of my pocket using the pocket clip. It rips up my pants and is just hard to do. I would say don't get it unless you need the extra grip .

 

[Kaizen1]

The Hinderer Lock Bar Stabilizer (HLBS) was eventually rounded out for the DGG and CC models because the flat versions kinda stuck out from the handles. I works just fine, you're not losing any strength from the modification. The HLBSs originally had "Hinderer" on them, but according to Strider, Rick Hinderer was short on time to keep up with their need, so they started making them in-house. From what I can tell, the in-house made HLBSs don't affect the market value much. The older Striders were heat treated by Paul Bos, a legend in the industry who recently retired according to a knife magazine I read a couple of months ago. They have "Bos" stamped on the blades to indicate which ones he worked on. I believe those can affect the value to some degree. I haven't read of any differences in performance between Bos heat treated blades and blades that were heat treated in-house.

I like all of the handle versions so I can't really help you there. The CC models aren't quite as thin as the DGGs, they're very comfortable in hand and I believe they're the easiest on the pockets if that helps. I've read that the CCs can feel "slick", but I own one and don't feel that way at all. I understand that the DGGs can be pretty rough on the pockets. I've never seen or read of a broken Strider handle. The blade will be much more likely to break before the rest of the knife, so if strength is a concern, I don't think it will matter much if at all between the handle choices.

 

[archieblue]

Having owned three different SnGs, I would honestly say that the differences are pretty big all things considered. These being:

The "lego" SnG fits my hand better. The grip is full. I like it a LOT more than the CC/GG.

The CC/GG is waaaaaaay more comfy to carry.

For me, the overall similarities, that they are variations of the same knife, are what eventually proved to not be the most useful tool for me. Being readily available they are on the secondary market, I would buy the least expensive one you can find with a "centered" (a nitpick) blade in whatever configuration is available. If you like the knife, you may wish to upgrade at no additional cost to you since whatever you get will hold it's value.