The Truth about Buck Strider...

fedaykincmndr

fedaykincmndr

Joined
Aug 3, 2004
Messages
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I've not posted here in awhile because well, I thought I'd found THE knife. It seems now that I may have been mistaken or I've succumbed to the bug again. Anyway, I've not found any follow-up reviews on the Buck Strider 889. Would someone be so kind as to give me the low down and dirty on how tough it is? I would like to have a knife that could be used as a survival tool if need be and nothing else is available (urban and wilderness), as well as a defensive weapon and this seems to fit the bill and the price range (<60 USD). If there are any other suggestions I'm open, I just like the look and the feel of the 889 and wanted to hear from the experts (whom I've admittedly missed :D ). Thanks in advance!
 
there are several reviews on the 889 if you search function the review & testing forums...


IMO the liners on the 889 are entirely too thin. thicker liners, or a framelock, and you'd have a decent knife. then again, you'd also have an SnG. the linerlock works and all, but i'm afraid they'll wear out entirely too fast. well, i'm not afraid they will, i know they will.


i don't much care for the 889's... if it were me, i'd stick with a spyderco delica/endura or benchmade griptilian. nobody can ever go wrong with those knives and they are in your price range.
 
In comparison to the CRKT M-16 how much thinner or the same? I've had one of those for years and beat the piss outta it and it's still fine (older one without the switch thingy). Little forward blade play but still functions and locks up nicely.
 
I own the 889, and all the upgraded versions, I can't entirely recall the model names; the best one has G-10 and either a 154cm or ATS-34 blade, depending on when you bought it. I do not believe the liners are too thing, and seem reasonably thick enough, especially considering the extreme thinness of some seen on other knives. My only issue with the 889 is the QC. The 882 (I looked it up) locks up perfectly, just left of center, and is rock solid, I cannot get it disengage. The 889 that I originally purchased however, would close at even the slightest spine whack. I took it in for repairs, only to find out they replaced it, but the new knife did exactly the same thing. Luckily, I was fortunate enough to have friends in high places, and C.J. Buck just gave me a new one that had no problems at all, and autographed it to boot (Having a Senator for an Uncle rules). Anyways. I really love the 882, and the ergonomics on them all are very very good, especially considering the squareness of the grip. I only wish the 882 was available in plain edge. In closing, I'd say if you can inspect the 889 your buying and make sure the lockups solid, it's an extremely good bang for your buck beater knife. Good Luck! :thumbup:
 
My 889 is my Urban PSK knife, I don't know about earlier versions, but the one I have has extremely thick liners and the lock is like a bank vault.
 
I have an 882 (almost identical to an 889) but I only carried it a couple of times. I share the concern about the liner lock being entirely too flimsy. It's about the thickness of a few sheets of typing paper, and instills about as much confidence. Also, the texturing/stippling on the blade does an excellent job of ruining pairs of pants when you pull it out of your pocket. But they've done away with the stippling on the 889.
 
I would look elsewhere. I have an 887 that has not given me the security I need in a liner lock, especially a survival item. The liner is too thin and short; the engagement ramp too steep, and pressure on the spine forces the liner out of engagement. Because it's stainless, it lacks the friction titanium has and is easily overcome.

While you may find a specific model that resists this poor design, it may be problematic in the future. Buck is rumored to have ceased production; future replacements may be scarce on their shelf once all the bad ones are shipped back. I speculate no replacement may be available in a few years when you need it.

I really regret not saving my money and getting the real thing, an error I am moving to correct. People complain about the price of custom high end knives, but you truly do get what you pay for - high quality construction, service, and performance. My knock-off Strider isn't.
 
I have the Buck Strider 882 (Tarani, with ATS34 blade) in plain edge.

The only mod I've made is to sand down the very sharp diamond-points on the checkered scales.

I find it a very sturdy folder with excellent ergo features. I find the liner-lock just as reliable as Spyderco Military liner-lock - excellent.

For my purposes (I don't test folders to destruction) I feel the 882 liner-lock is just as secure as the frame-lock on my Strider SMF.
 
Is the liner lock on the 882 thicker than that on the 887/889? Since the 882 is considerably more, I'm wondering if they upgraded the liner along with the blade steel.
 
I guess I am lucky... mine has survived numerous spine wacks after hearing the rumors. On a side note, I thought the liners were thickened for the 889. I think it's a steal a that price.
 
I've yet to get around to sending mine in. Maybe next week. It's a Tarani/ATS-34 model though. Thin liners, fails a spine whack on your palm, surface spider rust appearing on the blade and inside the screw heads. The only knife I have that rusted from sitting. It sits with all my others so the location or enviroment isn't an issue.
 
I have two of them and enjoy them both. The black one is 154cm steel and has a thicker liner lock. NOT thin as stated earlier. It wont fail you. The newer one is desert ironwood and shiny ats-34 and is also a thick liner lock. They are very good knives for their market. Strange as it is, some folks just dont like Buck, and some don't like Strider.

whatcha gonna do? I give a thumbs up to the 889! :thumbup:
 
a223cat - I thought the 154cm and ats34 versions were the 882s. Aren't the 887 and 889 the 420hc blades?

Can someone take a pic of the liner so I can see the relative thin/thickness?
 
I don't get why folks think this knife has to pass the "spine whacking" test. The way Strider designed the knife when opened, the index finger goes in the large choil of the blade itself and the thumb is on the ramp. Even in the world's strongest gorilla grip you could not get the blade to close inadvertently since you are gripping the blade itself.

I have an 882-SBTG (G-10 and ATS-34), two 889s (in OD and Black), and an SnG. While the SnG is undeniably the strongest lock of the three designs, it also costs more than the other three knives combined. I EDC the SnG, but use the others when traveling by air since I can afford to lose those to the grabby handed TSA baggage checkers.

The steel liners on the 882 and 889 are heat treated, strong and thick enough (IMO if you need a folding knife that absolutely cannot have the lock fail then what you need is a fixed blade knife). Buck also provides a no-nonsense lifetime warranty and these particular knives are US made. The liners on my 882 are the same thickness as the 889s, the increased cost is probably just the blade steel as ATS-34 is an imported Japanese steel.

Get yourself an 889 and an Atwood Prybaby. For less than $100 you'll have a fine knife and a proper prying tool. Oh and keep saving up, because once you've owned a Strider design for a while, you just keep acquiring more.....
My progression: 889OD, then 882, then 889Black, then an SnG, then an ED, then a ZT301, then an MFS and next an RW-1 & 2 combo (hopefully!)
 
Hypothetically, if you're say, cutting something on the edge of a workbench, you have your finger in the choil, and your exerting downward force. If your cut snaps the object for example, you come down and your wrist rolls to the left or right. You fly past the edge of the bench but the blade collapse from the spine hitting the edge of the bench. Even if your finger is in the choil, the force will mush the choil against your index finger and the blade ede comes very close to the remaining fingers, if not cutting them.
Given varying degrees of force used downward, etc., it's quite possible for the lock to fail if I can collapse it against the palm of my left hand, gripping the end of the handle with only my index and thumb. It can happen.
 
It still sounds like you are holding the knife incorrectly. On the 882, 889, PT, SnG and SMF knives that Strider makes, the design has a double cut-out (one on the blade itself (the choil), one on the handle (where the lockbar is)) The knife can be held with the index finger in the cut-out where the the lockbar is, but this is not safe enough for heavy duty cutting. Put the index finger in the blade cutout section and the middle finger into the handle cut out section. Now put your thumb on the ramp. There is no way even with the unlikely situation that G3 described that the blade can close on your hand.
 
Lemon328i said:
It still sounds like you are holding the knife incorrectly. On the 882, 889, PT, SnG and SMF knives that Strider makes, the design has a double cut-out (one on the blade itself (the choil), one on the handle (where the lockbar is)) The knife can be held with the index finger in the cut-out where the the lockbar is, but this is not safe enough for heavy duty cutting. Put the index finger in the blade cutout section and the middle finger into the handle cut out section. Now put your thumb on the ramp. There is no way even with the unlikely situation that G3 described that the blade can close on your hand.
Click to expand...

If the force pushes hard enough on your index finger it will move in the choil. The choil cutout is larger than the circumference of your finger. By your theory, you would have to have an index finger with a circumference 2x larger than the rest of your fingers for it to physically stop the blade from closing. I'm not saying you'll snap off the other digits, but they may contact the blade edge. Do it in slow motion, you'll see what I mean. I also don't have really thick fingers so it may be different for each individual but it still comes down to force involved. This is gripping the knife the same way you stated above.
 
Okay, clearly this discussion needs a picture so we are all are on the same page:


I put my index finger at "A" where it completely fills the choil (mine fills this space completely). I put my middle finger at "B" where the lockbar is and my thumb at "C" (above the opening hole, C is off a little in the picture). With index finger at A and thumb at C, you are holding the blade itself. The lock isn't even under stress with this hold, so I can't see it failing regardless of whether the knife is an original Strider or one of the Buck Striders.
 
OK.
Now, turn the blade upside down as if you rolled your wrist and caught the spine on a table, etc. Unlock the blade and slowly close it. Your index finger gets pushed out towards your middle finger. If the middle moves the index will follow. Since the cutout on B is deeper than A, you have more room for play. If the middle moves, as it probably will unless your mind can stop it that quickly when the emergency occurs, the index will mush against the middle finger and cause room for the blade to close further.

You know what, I'll take some pics of mine in the process when I get home tonight. Provided I'm still sober enough. It is Friday after all.
 
Okay, I tried the procedure you outlined and still can't see it ever happening. My wrist doesn't wish to go all the way round such that the blade spine would hit the table. At best the blade ends up sideways.
 
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