The Buck Strider Tarani in FRN and 420. Too many cooks spoiled this pottage, it's a mess. I honestly thought it was made in China until I looked at some others I had and realized they were better.
The only thing Strider about this knife is the silhoutte, and shows just how far a design can be abused when a marketing department decides to maximize value engineering. The FRN scales were so sharply checkered they had the ability to rasp wood, and would slot a jeans pocket in a matter of a few short weeks. Held together with rivets, the effect is lowest bottom dollar construction. FRN not having sufficient stiffeness in this size means adding liners, and the excuse to let one of them be the liner lock. The liners are about 1/3 the thickness of the blade, and stainless, with the shortest leaf cutout possible.
With a thin and short stainless liner, the recipe for failing to lock is guaranteed. I could pressure the blade by hand and unlock it. I sent it back and got another just as bad. It makes no difference if Buck Customer Service is one of the best when they can't ship a knife back in working order.
Tarani did no favors modifying what is regarded as a classic design. The SnG doesn't need the operator's enhancement of a stippled blade surface for handle down gravity opening. A gimmick blade deployment if ever, you're left holding the blade, duh, not the handle. That is not high speed low drag, much less being so enfeebled that your opponent obviously could disarm every other means of defense you had to leave you with a cheap knife.
The hollow grind and gripping surface also makes deep cuts like taking down cardboard boxes a challenge at best. The blade wedges in the cut because of the pronounced swedge, and the stippling creates even more friction to hang things up, exactly what a user does not need - especially in stressful use.
The Buck Tarani deserves a lawsuit for intellectual property abuse, but unfortunately, it was done under cover of a license - to steal, I guess, and I was my money. At $65, I could have had a Vex and $20 change, but what I got was Buck laughing at all the parties to this joke and making bank.
My only solace was that I immediately bought a real SnG - the differences were exponential. I even bought a Buck Mayo - and that proved Buck could mostly get it right, when they have the character to do it. Too bad the ball detent doesn't work, but the price was right, as another knife lover dumped it for the poor workmanship.
Paul Bos did ok on the 420, tho, it's the sharpest 420 I've ever owned. Almost as good as real knife steel, but that's not his fault. The Mayo in S30V shows what that can be. At least that one gets his mark.
Lots of owners of the G10/ATS34 knives have good opinions of their versions, and those don't seem to be a problem. Step down to the FRN level tho, and you'll find a company that can either show what they can do - Gerber with the legendary LST, or what they can't - the Tarani.
that was a dreadful purchase.
