what's up with strider knives lately?

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wastin yer time aj , they dont get it , never will. Some people are purfectly happy with their swap meet knives. That's ok , one less person I gotta race to the table in Atlanta. :D
 
When I was a kid I dreamed of owning a Mercedes-Benz. They were very distinctive, classy cars that just smelled like quality. The closer I have come to being able to afford one, the less I find I want one. Why? Because they started changing the models every couple of years into an entirely new car! The result being: 1. Your new Mercedes didn't look new for very long. 2. Your new Mercedes now looks like a Japanese car. My point? For certain things, if it ain't broke, don't fix it.

Whether Doorkicker has an agenda or not, is moot. He basically raised two questions; Why are there die hard fans of the Strider product and/or image who will part with their cash for many alleged similar knives?, and; Why don't Strider Knives come out with some radically different knives?

For three years now I have gone to the NY shows twice a year with about $400 to kill and with the intention of getting either a Strider or a Dozier. For three years I have come home with neither. Why? because that's the type of user or collector I am. For the $400 I can come home with two or maybe three or even four knives that I feel I got my moneys worth. I'm not saying that a Strider isn't money well spent, I'm saying that for me $400 is too much for one knife. I am just one type of collector and my way is unique just like everyone else's. Whatever is aid about guys buying all Striders can be said about any of us buying so many knives. The fact that this question is brought up by a knife nut is what is astonishing.

We all have worked out ways to finance and rationalize our collections and there are about as many different approaches as there are collectors. If a guy can own eight Striders, I say more power to him. If I had the kind of dough to be able to do that, I would, but I don't. I'd like to see how the guy who makes eight dollars an hour can afford them though.

As for the Strider lynch mob, If you see them that way that's fine. I don't think they see themselves that way. I also don't think that this aspect of Doorkickers point is entirely free of malice or judgement.

Lastly I ask for your understanding if this post doesn't make much sense as it is late here in NY.
 
Hey Donnie Brasco ;) , a Dozier made is half the price of a Strider! And well worth the price many times over if you' re gonna use them. Last time I heard Bob wears a L/ XL in leather jackets. :) See you in March.

Nakano
 
Well, my 0.02$ is that they're great knvies. I own production MH which is IMHO their best desing for field knife, and couple Duane's customs, those are just beautiful blades, and no I am no warrior, haven't used them.

I've met Duane Dwyer on BAKCA shows and few other strider guys, great folks, friendly, cool ppl to hang out with talk about knvies, etc. Honestly, I disagree sometimes how Mick handles certain situations in public forums, but anyway.

As for the cult folks. Unfortunatelly most of the famous makers have that annoying part of their following who are simply overzealous and see their main purpose in bashing and flaming anyone who won't sing hosanna to their favorite brand, anf of course no other knife is real knife for them.
 
My respect/appreciation for Strider knives goes beyond the bad-ass blades they build.

Their knives are tougher than coffin nails.
Stronger than a bull elephant.
OK so they camo them with desert camo and tiger stripes...if you need fag specific knives, you must look elsewhere.

The meek need not apply.
As far as pricepoint...you can buy one good knife that you can pass down to your grandchildren...or you can buy the 4 or 5 flea market pieces of crap that will break or wear out before you need to retouch the edge of a real knife to a hone.

All that is neither here nor there.
There are other makers that build bomb proof knives.

What sets the Strider Guys apart from the rest of the crowd is the things they do for the troops. I don't know if you've ever served in a rifle company, but when a manufacturer goes out of their way to give you something at a loss just so you'll have the best...that says something.

Mick, Duane, Josh and the rest of the crew consistently make sure our troops are taken care of. Whether it's blades or other gear or auctions/donations to help out the cause. They do it.

They've gone above and beyond the call of duty for our other brothers that risk their lives to keep us safe.

They'll always have my support and gratitude.
If that makes me a cultist with Marine Corps Green Blood then so be it.
Personally the rant that kicked off this thread sounded like an unruly 2-year-old acting out to get attention...whether good or bad.

Some people just don't get it!
 
I wasn't going to originally post, as I generally lurk on both the mentioned boards. But having seen the thread that was brought up and some genuine issues with the direction this thread has gone in, I felt compelled to post.

I will have to say that the fact that there have been 6 generations of SNGs and 2 of SMFs is actually a testament to the fact that they are constantly trying to improve that which they have designed and a very good thing. The thing that is being failed to be noticed is that the revisions in each generation were not major problems that were corrected, instead they were evolutions of what came before, further refinements to help bring the knives closer to perfection. Whoever made the comment that the multiple generations of a knife concerned them, should think, that just the opposite would be cause for concern. If companies weren't contstantly evaluatating their own strengths and weaknesses, there would be stagnation. Strider folders are almost always evolving simply because there's more involved with them, in regards to improveable areas/designs in folders in general. As for the fixed blades, the adage which has been used frequently is more than adequate,"if it ain't broke..." A lot of the fixed blades are purpose driven, and if you see a reiteration of an old design in a smaller or larger package, its because it fills another niche that might otherwise not have been covered by another knife in the catalog.

Even being a lurker on this board and the other, having messaged Mick personally, he treated me with as much respect as he would have one of the "cultists" It was refreshing to have a maker take the time to reply so personably to someone he didn't even know. I have had less than stellar conversations with other makers, most in person, as they have assumed thing about me based on some sort of predjudice. I remember having a vivid experience with a make rhyming with "Slawturd"

It all really comes back to the original post, if you don't like them, why bring them up? It feels as though you're looking for validation for an assumption that you've already made up your mind about. At that point, its arguing for the sake of arguing if nothing anyone says constructively about Strider can/will change your mind.

(joncalibur)
 
I seen a coke bottle bespectacled geek named Aaron, weighing 110 lbs (who benches about 40 to 50 lbs) destroy his strider knife in three whacks against a piece of concrete. Said he saw the Strider demonstration where some guy whacked concrete with it and the knife survived. I think Mick chewed him out for that one.He was supposed to use the spine, but forgot.
 
It was refreshing to have a maker take the time to reply so personably to someone he didn't even know.
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I had the same experience at the Strider forum, and to me, that is a big deal. There are plenty of knifemakers who get extremely popular and then put up a wall between them and their customers. That's certainly not the case with the Strider guys. Mick doesn't know me, but he did respond to my question, and I was quite grateful that he did so. I think it's fair to say his days are busy enough without being active on internet forums, but I think he realizes the value of his presence on that forum.
 
I'll start off by saying that I collect 3 brands of knives. Striders/Dwyers, Chris Reeve's, and Bob Terzuola's. All 3 of these makers have a very loyal and deserved following. I'm sure MANY other makers also have a similar following, but I am not familiar with them since I don't collect other brands.

Is it a "cult" following? Uh, no, I don't think so. If Mick, or Chris, or Bob said drink the purple juice, I don't think anyone would. They do have a VERY loyal following by those who own them. When someone puts them down, especially without ever owning or even handling one, the loyal fan base will speak up. When someone posts something negative about the product or maker/designer on that persons specific forum, it can get heated rather quickly. Go to the Reeve forum on this board and post something negative about the Sebenza, especially if you don't even own one. See what happens.
Go to watchtime and post how a Rolex is nothing but a Texas Timex and see what happens. Tell a Leicaphile forum that the M series is an antiquated relic and see what happens. See where I'm going.

I buy and collect Striders for a number of reasons. The are well made, overbuilt tools that can take more than I'll dish out to them. They are made by men with honor who are ardent supporters of our military (as am I). They are cool knives to me. They hold their value. Reeve's knives represent perfection in precision to me. Bob's knives are just plain gorgeous to me. Am I right? In my book, yes. Am I wrong? In some peoples opinion, yes. But it's my collection, and I'm only trying to please one person.

Good topic doorkicker, thanks for bringing it up.

John...

p.s. Aesop had a fable about the fox and the berries. The fox spied a batch of bright, plump, juicy, perfectly ripe berries up on a bush. Try as he might, he just wasn't able to reach them. After a number of attempts, he left in disgust, cursing the berries and saying how they were probably sour anyway.
:)
 
nitrox1 said:
p.s. Aesop had a fable about the fox and the berries. The fox spied a batch of bright, plump, juicy, perfectly ripe berries up on a bush. Try as he might, he just wasn't able to reach them. After a number of attempts, he left in disgust, cursing the berries and saying how they were probably sour anyway.
:)
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That's the tactic I use!

Nakano, this might be the year!
 
Marcelo,
You can't go wrong with a Dozier.
It's no prybar like the Striders, but as for cutting ability, Doziers are surpassed only by lightsabers.
I snagged a 6 inch freedom fighter when they first came out and then a 7 inch last year. My next step is a custom.
 
For what it's worth...(which is admittedly darn little)

I've never owned a Strider knife, doubt I ever will. The style of them doesn't appeal to me, and I'd have to want one reaaallly bad to pay the market price for them.

That being said...all of...what? Maybe three times I've ever communicated with Mick on the forums he's been nuthin' but good to me. Most of his knives aren't my style- Strider knives seem to be marketed towards super tough, bad a$$ top notch door kickin' butt whoopin' soldiers and all, while I'm just a barely educated white trash far Northern woods loafin' kinda guy. Different kinda folks, different kinda tools for their jobs.

As far as whether or not they put out something new and exciting every year, What does it matter? a company can only try to re-invent the wheel so many times before they screw something up, and that's the last thing that the folks who really need that kinda knife should have to deal with. I would think it'd be safe to assume that Strider would be more concerned with putting out a basic, reliable tool for the soldiers in harms way than appeasing collectors and wannabes. I certainly hope Strider will be around quite awhile, even if I never do own one. (It's also pretty cool to see a guy from my neck of the woods be so darn successful in the knife world)
 
Runs With Scissors said:
..Strider knives seem to be marketed towards super tough, bad a$$ top notch door kickin' butt whoopin' soldiers and all, while I'm just a barely educated white trash far Northern woods loafin' kinda guy. Different kinda folks, different kinda tools for their jobs.
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Heh heh! :cool:
 
I can only comment on the Buck / Striders and the Buck / Strider/Taranni , and a few SMF's Ive seen . The Buck/Striders are good solid afordable tools well within the reach of the target end users . I think this collaboration speaks well of the Guys . Price and availability of some models is a bit limited , I wanted a Gen. 6 SNG but figured the price landed in Canada , duties paid etc . was a bit above my pain point . I'll get one someday , when the hype dies down a bit . The Buck/Strider/Tarranni is a good , canny design , and shows evidence of a good deal of thought . The Liner makes me feel uneasy , but it passes a spine whack test . I dont think Strider fans are any more cultish than , say Chris Reeves fans , they are just a bit more intimidating !
 
Mick and Dwayne are stand-up people who make a quality product. Honor, integrity, trust- you can't put a price on these things. Their knives and the principles that stand behind them are why I give them my hard-earned money. If one of my son's were going into harms way, the first tool I would give them would be a Strider.
 
Strider makes a great knife. I like them and own some. No, I won't get a Strider tattoo, but respect the fact that there is an ardent and loyal following.
 
OK, here's my take on this - and I don't jump in on these discussions very often). I think the problem comes in when people start thinking in terms of either/or, as in "Strider or Busse", etc... I collect Striders, Busses, Doziers, Emersons, Chris Reeves, and a host of others as well. Each one has it's specific niche, and what I like the most is the array of choices this provides for the task at hand.

For example, if I'm heading out into my back yard to trim the trees, I'll grab the Busse BM. If I'm disassembling my front porch, I'll grab either a Strider BN or a Busse BA, depending on which I think I'll need most. If I'm doing some fine slicing work, I'll lean towards one of the Doziers, or a Sebenza. If I need a quick-deploy folder, I'll put an Emerson in my pocket.... Choices, choices, choices - that's what makes our hobby/obsession so cool.

All of the folks who make these fine products deserve our support, and we obviously value their efforts because we are willing to put out hard-earned money for their wares. I think we should carefully guard against the "either/or" thinking that leads to overheated division (but admittedly makes for great discussion!). In the end, those who continue to make great products will survive in the free market, and those who don't will either become fringe players or fade into obscurity.

I am grateful for the broad array of choices available at my disposal, and for the fine men and women who produce them.
 
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