Someone talk me into or out of buying a Strider SNG..

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Corton93

Corton93

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So I've been on a buying/selling kick the last couple of weeks. Just getting rid of older stuff and trying some new ones out. And now I've got my eye on a Strider. I'm not getting into the drama surrounding Mick, just interested in the knives.

I have never owned a Strider, tho I have had a ProTech Strider auto so I know that the ergo's will be fine. Really just trying to finish out the holy trinity I guess. I've had every Chris Reeve, my daily for the last year has been a large Inkosi. I've had multiple Hinderer's, tho the ergos have never agreed with me, something with the flipper tab and my index finger knuckle.

Last on the list is Strider, would be buying used, so will definitely be over paying which is what it is. Will be getting a SNG opposed to a SMF as I already have too many large folders. Will probably be going with PD1 tho that's not set in stone.

So what's the opinion? What has been your experience with your Strider's?

Any other knives in that 500-800 price range that I should look at that are similar and sort of fill that same role? Looking for something that's currently available, whether new or on the secondary market.
 
I would not buy one.

I owned an S30V SnG for a while. While I liked the knife, I just didn't care for the weight, and the thick blade just didn't cut well. I did fall for the overbuilt bug for a few years, but to be honest my Spyderco Gayle Bradley 1 is the toughest use folder I'll ever need. It has better steel, cuts better by leaps and bounds, and is cheaper.

When my marriage started getting rocky and I got in financial trouble, the Strider was the first to go. That was 2015. I didn't know about the stolen Valor issue at that point.

I ended up selling all my "hard use" folders. Too much weight. If I need to fell a sequoia, an axe, saw, or my Becker BK-5 would all be better choices.

I've reached a point that paying more than $250 for a knife in a non "super steel" is generally not worth it, unless it's a custom or an OTF.
 
There are many great knives and Strider has been near the bottom of my list for decades. Keep looking and you will find much better knives by many fine makers. I just never found a Strider that was special enough to be worth the asking price. Have fun looking.

n2s
 
The newer production striders are of better quality with less problems. If it says M Strider on the blade it is newer production. I’ve had 2 that came perfect with no problems and I’ve had 2 that had some lock stick. Adjustment of the pivot and use resolved the issue with both. If u can get a hold of a 20cv 3v xhp or pd1 I think it’s worth it and will hold value. PDW had a drop of custom tiger sng that sold out in 8 seconds last week. Now selling for more than twice as much on secondary. Also consider the .75 ar which is made by Medford for strider.
 
I have a Z-Wear SnG that I bought when they dropped in 2014/15 IIRC. I love it. Of course it’s hollow ground 3/4 rather than the flat grind I think the PD-1 models came in. It cuts just as well as any other knife I own after sharpening. The size/weight comments don’t hold much water for me as the knife has a significantly smaller footprint than most knives I own. It’s about the same size as a Manix 2, I’d say. Weight-wise it’s fine: right under 4.5 ounces. That’s rather light for an “overbuilt” folder.

The difficulty you’re going to find here is that, regardless of you asking to remove the drama, BFC members are always going to come packing that in the backs of their minds.
 
rizza32 said:
The newer production striders are of better quality with less problems. If it says M Strider on the blade it is newer production. I’ve had 2 that came perfect with no problems and I’ve had 2 that had some lock stick. Adjustment of the pivot and use resolved the issue with both. If u can get a hold of a 20cv 3v xhp or pd1 I think it’s worth it and will hold value. PDW had a drop of custom tiger sng that sold out in 8 seconds last week. Now selling for more than twice as much on secondary. Also consider the .75 ar which is made by Medford for strider.
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This is not as black and white. So, the newer ones are made in Mick’s custom shop. So, naturally, they have more attention paid to them. In about 2013 Strider changed the lock interface on all of their folders and it resulted in bank vault lockup being rather standard. Prior to the “new lockup”, it wasn’t uncommon to find Strider knives that had worn to the point of having lock rock. So, there’s more like three generations of incremental quality increases. I find most of the new new stuff is on par in execution with the post 2013 stuff, they’ve just done some refinement in terms of hardware.
 
Murdamook said:
This is not as black and white. So, the newer ones are made in Mick’s custom shop. So, naturally, they have more attention paid to them. In about 2013 Strider changed the lock interface on all of their folders and it resulted in bank vault lockup being rather standard. Prior to the “new lockup”, it wasn’t uncommon to find Strider knives that had worn to the point of having lock rock. So, there’s more like three generations of incremental quality increases. I find most of the new new stuff is on par in execution with the post 2013 stuff, they’ve just done some refinement in terms of hardware.
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So sounds like ur recommending newer production 🤷🏻‍♂️ Isn’t that what I said 😬
 
Fully prepared for horrible feedback on this post - fire away 😂

SNG’s have roughly a 2.65 useable edge on a overall size of 8 + inches. They snag on everything with 2 choils and horrible clip ( snag cutting, snag when pulling from pocket ). I’ve had about 9 of them, kept trying. Not worth the secondary market prices at all. For 1/3 the price you’ll find many options ( Adamas mini ) For similar price you’ll find better oprtions ( Curtiss F3 ).

I guess They look cool on Instagram though. I know a few people that actually use theirs, not many though. “Tactical” Pocket jewelry. The scumbags that immediately buy them to sell for 3-4 x the price swear by them.

On the positive side - heat treatment is excellent, fit / finish is light years ahead of what it was 5-10 years ago. PD-1 is incredible steel if you can get one.

Here’s a few pics of SNG’s I sold. They are great knives, but far from worth the current scalper trend boy Instagram prices.

243E5900-3B62-4702-A66C-92107725E785.jpegA3E76F31-3FB9-433D-9A98-F4802C1EB846.jpegBD867021-EB88-40CA-AC1D-1C6E5ED06091.jpeg
 
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Go for it. You can always sell it later.

BTW, I also have the ProTech SnG, but I realized tactical knives in general are not for me. A PT is more down my alley.
 
Years ago, I bought a Buck made version of the SnG. I loved the ergos, but wasn't happy with the Buck's build quality, so I bought a Strider SnG.
Didn't like the stripes and coated blades , so when a dealer got these stonewashed drop points, I jumped on it.

Back then I paid $350 for it and never had any problems with lockup or other qc issues. Still have it and an SMF I bought around the same time.

I wouldn't pay the current prices for an SnG, you say you've had a Hinderer, but IMO the ergos are better on the XM-18 and it's a superior knife.

sng.jpg

hinderer1bb.jpg
 
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JPD1998 said:
Years ago, I bought a Buck made version of the SnG. I loved the ergos, but wasn't happy with the Buck's build quality, so I bought a Strider SnG.
Didn't like the stripes and coated blades , so when a dealer got these stonewashed drop points, I jumped on it.

Back then I paid $350 for it and never had any problems with lockup or other qc issues. Still have it and an SMF I bought around the same time.

I wouldn't pay the current prices for an SnG, but if you could get one for CRK or Hinderer prices , then I'd say it's a good option.
Otherwise I'd buy one of those, leaning more towards the Hinderer.

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I'm probably just going to buy one and if I don't like it I'll flip it for something else. After making a couple calls last night, I found a guy I know who has a SNG PD1 Aluminum GG. Said he would take 500 for it. My edc is already a large Inkosi. Flipper on Hinderers never agreed with my hand, but I may pick another one up if I could find a non-flipper version.
 
Tried one years ago and wasnt for me. I will add that if the problem you had with the hinderer was the xm-18 ergos, give the Eklipse a try. Night and day for me.
 
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