Was your Strider SnG worth it?

I liked the few striders I owned I'm not gonna lie, they were all good knives no issues at all.....BUT for personal issues that have been beat to death I sold them all off and will never buy another one. They are good knives and tough as nails, no doubt, I must have gotten lucky too because I bought 2 SMFs and one SnG and they were all perfect. Rolf you take that back you know the cqc-7 is the best knife on the market...
 
Strider really got their Fit and Finish issues taken care of about the same time that they changed to their latest generation lockup.

You want one so you're probably best off to go ahead and pull the trigger...if you like it, keep it...if not sell it and get most of your money right back (more if you find one inf 3V or PD-1 steel). I had an SnG (Lego w/CPM154) but then enjoyed a new ZT 0550 Gen II (almost exactly the same size) so much that I gave the SnG to my oldest son. I prefer the SMF to the SnG but most would probably say that the SnG is the safer choice.

Strider's ARE worth the money (so says the market place) since they're easy to re-sell without losing much money at all and that's if you buy one with standard issue steel, pickup one in 3V or PD-1 and you'll get all your money back since they're made in very small batches. Some guys will tell you that they wouldn't give you a dime for one, others will jump at the chance to give you the full price you paid for it...maybe a bit more depending on the steel.

I like Strider's, I'm not saying that they're the best, I'm not sure what the best is.

Best of luck!
 
Last edited:
I have a 2005 SnG (the era of the poor fit and finish) but mine has none of the defects that you might hear a lot on this forum and on youtube. After 7 years, it's still one of my favorite folders and it just fits so perfectly in my hand for such a simple design. I will say that my sebenzas get more pocket time nowadays as I consider myself the mild-mannered office type now but the Strider SnG is a purchase that I will never regret. Different strokes for different folks I guess
 
Allen- If the CQC7 had nut and bolt construction, I would give my SnG some time off.
Strider, Emerson, Sebenza, Hinderer, Spyderco... top 5.
Wait till you see the Busse Folder.
 
Strider Worth it? Yes.--- However so many choices. Three sizes, several steels, CC Lego GG. I like the lego SNG.
 
I received the sng from ajack yesterday, didn't really get a chance to check it out til late last night.

So far I'm liking it. Fits great in the hand, nice thick blade, super solid lockup. Couldn't rock the blade if I wanted to. Only thing I didn't quite catch on to (despite seeing countless photos & videos) is the cutting edge blade length. It's pretty tiny. The sng is advertised to have a 3.5" blade however the cutting edge is less than 3". My fault for never paying close enough attention to that detail. Heck even the cutting edge on the smf is only 3". I prefer 3.25" to 3.75" with a few exceptions - this might be one of them.

Again big thanks to ajack for being so kind to ship me this one. He said if I fall in love with it then I can buy it, so I'm just going to give it another day or two and see if my feelings change.

First pic compares overall length, second pic compares blade lengths. (RAT 1, SNG, Tenacious)

hav5.jpg


8uc9.jpg
 
In my personal experience, they are great knives. I have really had to set aside all the chaos about Mick, BUT, I try to judge the product not the person. I had one, wife was in college, money got tight and I had to sell it. It sold in hours not days. Fast forward a few years and I made a trade into another one. This time it's an all aluminum SMF in CPM M4. Definitely not your average Strider. I look at it as an asset that you can play with. Most things we buy are instantly worth about nothing once we use them. Mid to high end knives are another story. I guess I'm saying what everyone else is: get it, play with it, if you like it great. If it doesn't speak to you, you can trade it off for another asset pretty fast.
 
Are they worth it? That answer will be different for every user. Going on the materials involved than I would say no way. But I look at it as im not paying these high prices based on the materials but because of the dedicated love, care, and craftsmanship that the maker works hard to create each knife. That is what is worth it to me. I dont make it a habit of buying 400 plus dollar knives but I have bought them. its all personal preference and opinion.
 
All I got to say is: of all my edc's, including other Striders, ZT, Benchmade, Spyderco, the one that gets about 90% of my pocket time is my s110v SnG. (And I'm a huge ZT fan, and love some of the higher end Benchmades and Spydercos). I'm a farmer and beat the shit out of my knives, but that SnG takes everything I throw at it...and laughs at it. Hardly ever have to sharpen it either. And of course, if I ever did damage it, the warrantee at Strider is rock solid--even if you are not the original owner. Doesn't matter. I think Strider may be the ultimate hard use knife--especially for that price range.

Get it. If you don't like it, I'm thinking I know where it could find a home.

The only downside for me is its 'pocket presence' is a little big and blocky. However, I'm so happy with everything else about it, that I no longer mind, or notice.


Dang, I almost forgot. The blades on the SnG are SUPER SIMPLE to center.
 
Last edited:
Yep, must have been. I've currently got 15 of 'em in my collection, so I'm probably a little biased.

You'll have to base your decision on your own thoughts since you have the knife in your possession and can actually use it and decide.
 
I really like mine. It shares EDC duty with my VECP. If you're on the fence try and get one used.
 
Well when I first received mine about 6 weeks ago, my initial impression was mild disapointment, I think primarily because it was so light and I, for some reason expected it to feel heavier, which in my mind at the time meant better quality, go figure. Once I carried it and used it I realized it is a very good quality knife that wants to be used. Now I am looking for an SMF digicam blade. My recommendation would be to pick one up, but save up for it rather than selling off part of your existing collection, unless you know for sure you will not miss the knives you are selling.
 
I like my SNG. Even with its cost, it feels like a user, which is an unusual way for me to feel.
 
I've been on and off with SnGs. I've always thought they were very good knives though. It is a good design and a well made product. There really is nothing else quite like the PT/SnG/SmF design/build. Spyderco, Kershaw/ZT or Benchmade could produce the identical knife and charge $200 though. I've handled so many knives I can pretty much tell from pics and a description what I'll like or not. Not many knives "do it" for me though. The SnG does, so I have to pay a bunch to have one.

I really dig the SnG. It gets more carry time than any of my other folders. But some of that is just that it is fun to dick with. If I were to own one high end knife it would be a Large (21 or 25) Sebenza. IMO they still are the best knife out there.
 
Well I decided to pull the trigger. Just paid ajack for it. Big thanks to him again for sending me his with the option of buying or returning. :thumbup:

I may venture to an smf in the future. Not sure though, the blade is marginally longer. I'll see if my thoughts on this one change...if not then maybe the sng is good enough for me.
 
OK, so here it is. If you like the SnG, and the SMF isn 't too freakin big for your pocket, then you will REALLY like the SMF.

If you ever had to launch a full on frontal attack on an M1 tank, then the SMF is definitely the knife that you'd want to be the tip of your spear. And that, my friend, would be overkill....

I got an aluminum chevron handled SMF and an RW-1 Rouge Warrior tanto SMF...AND I JUST WISH I WAS MAN ENOUGH TO CARRY THEM. They are freaking awesome...

Once they are in my hand, they are perfect in every way. ...they are just a bit big for my pocket... Damn my damn pockets...
 
Look forward to hearing what you think about it. I've been enjoying mine. I've never been into the hard use category of folders, but this knife appeals to me a lot. While not a lot of blade, it feels great with the choil, the ergos are really spot on for me and as tough as it is- wow what a light knife! The pd1 is taking a nice edge and the black blade is breaking in with character...now how about a couple pics?!





Didn't do badly on the cardboard for such a thick blade...and that lime never stood a chance! ;) And neither did the mojito it went into... :)
 
Last edited:
I have an SNG and it is the best feeling knife that I own. There is something about the way that it fits into your hand and that is what you are paying for. Is it worth the secondary market prices no. Is it worth the usual $400 price? Maybe not quite simply based on the overall materials and the possibility of imperfections. However, it is meant to be a user and once you put it into your hand it feels and delivers great. It is so lite yet you can tell that it is rugged and ready to get the job done. The issue with comparing it to the Sebenza is the fact that they are nothing a like. The Sebenza is perfect from a craftmanship standpoint however, I have one simply to have one. It just does not fill the hand at all and it certainly feels nothing like the Sebenza. For example if you ever had to use a knife for protection and you had both sitting next to I can guarantee that you would choose the Strider over the Sebenza. One feels lose in your hand and the other fills your hand and actually gives you the funky shaped end to grab onto ensuring that it will never come out of your hand. It even acts as a longer knife if you want it to by hanging onto the end rather than the middle or choking up on the choil. Oh yeah did I mention that it has three ways to hold it and the Sebenza only has one . Both knives are excellent but you are looking at one for a reason. Go with your gut feeling otherwise you will be buying two knives eventually. I'm not trying to steer you in any direction. If you were asking about the Sebenza I would say that it was a great knife and that you should buy it. Is the Strider worth the money at factory prices I say yes. I also agree that there are lots of fakes and if you do not know what you are looking for then go through a dealer. They are available now on line. Good luck with your choice and enjoy it whatever it ends up being. You cannot go wrong either way.
 
I have only had two striders come through my hands, first was an SnG, which was short lived since it was too small for my hands. The other was an SMF that I liked better but still ended up selling.

Both were cool, but ultimately I didn't really feel like they were worth what I paid for them. That can be pretty subjective, of course. If I'm going to spend 400 bucks on a knife, I want it to be perfect. Is that an unreasonable expectation? I don't think so, but I'm sure some would disagree. The SMF felt like the nicer of the two knives, but there were a couple of things I wasn't exactly pleased with, and long story short: I would have kept it, were it not for a unsatisfactory interaction with the company. I sold it, taking a very small loss and bought something else.

very cool looking designs, good materials. Not very ergonomic for me, though one day I might still try a CC SMF to see if i like it better.


fetzer85 said:
I'm considering buying one but it would be (by far) my most expensive knife purchase to date. I've watched YouTube videos, stared at countless pics and read through numerous threads. I'm still hesitant though as I would need to sell off some knives to be able to afford the purchase. I'm just looking for some more thoughts, opinions & insight from either current or previous owners. Perhaps some more reaffirming is all I need to pull the trigger. Thanks in advance to anyone who chimes in w/ useful info.
Click to expand...
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top