Winkler vs Strider

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Aerose91

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Feb 11, 2014
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Soim looking for a good long lasting fixed blade for pretty much ajack of all trades job- hunting, dressing animaks, filleting fish, widdling soears, camping, batoning and maybe sometimes prying. I know both are well made knives but im kinda leaning toward either the Winkler Belt knife or the Strider MK-1 Mod 10.

My only hesitations are that both arepretty pricey but will the Winkler resist all rust and corrosion if im in a damp environment and near the ocean? And is the .25" Strider too thick to be able to cut normal stuff let alone filet a fish? Also the Strider comes with a 550 cord handle which is kinda shotty to me considering its $350, but the stainless is a plus. Thoughts? Anyone handle both of these?

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Winkler win by a mile. Far better ergonomic, design and also tougher steel with Master-smith heat treat. You can doing some hard-use with Winkler while maintain the capability to cut as a knife. With Strider's fixed blade you can just only stabbing or prying, it is actually a sharpen prybar.
 
I think the winkler is available with a coating, which will protect it from corrosion. It is also a better knife in every imaginable way. Neither knife will be a good prybar.
 
The Winkler is definitely a more well rounded knife, but I would honestly call it more form over function. If you want a knife to do a little of everything, you may want something a little more function based. If rust resistance is a big concern, you should probably get something in stainless (unless you don't mind a good amount of upkeep required).

Considering that both the knives you showed interest in are wildly different, it sounds like you aren't sure of what style, grind type, or size of knife you want, which is perfectly fine. There isn't a perfect for everything knife, and each design or specification option is good at one thing and bad at another. I suggest checking out the knife maker forum here. We have dozens (maybe even hundreds) of knife makers that would love to hook you up with a knife. Many of them would even be willing to help you narrow your design options down.

Just remember, don't be mad about not being sure. When I started collecting knives my only criteria was a cutting edge. The knife could be big or small, fixed or folder, I had no idea what I wanted. Now I know all I want is medium sized (2.5-4") folders with stainless blades, one handed opening, lefty accommodation, a pocket clip, and no serrations. The knife world is big and scary, so always make sure to carry a knife out there.
 
Fallkniven S1 offers so much performance and can fill so many roles knife lovers should seriously concider NOT getting it because it makes 99% of your collection obsolete.
 
For those tasks, a Strider RS would best fit the bill. And it comes with grooved handle scales. There is also a version with a gut hook.
 
Both of those knifes are great quality, but very different. The Strider is less refined in its design, but that's not necessarily a bad thing. The Strider team is capable of great "spit'n'polish" when they choose to.


Look at them and decide which one you like best, then buy both because that's what you'll end up trying eventually. Both retain value fairly well, so selling one if you decide you don't like it won't leave you out much money.
 
Thats good to know they retain value. Im pretty much looking for the best jack of all trades knife since im trying to narrow it down to just 1 fixed blade that i carry everywhere with me. Im starting to think that for about the same price i may have to design my own blade!
 
I've handled a few Winkler knives including one of his tomahawks at Plaza Cutlery in Costa Mesa CA. I wasn't impressed by the very least. I could have bought all of them on the spot if I wanted to but even for someone like me the value just wasn't there. I think they are absurdly overpriced for what you get and I strongly believe that you can get better use out of a Grayman knife. The tip on one of the fixed blades I was handling was dull to a point where I could have jammed the knife into my hand pretty hard and no damage would have been done. On top of that all of the knives I handled where unappealing and had useless blade shapes for their intended use.

With that being said I wouldn't pick a Strider for your uses either. For your uses you would benefit more from a simple ESEE or Becker.
 
Metal Made Fox said:
I've handled a few Winkler knives including one of his tomahawks at Plaza Cutlery in Costa Mesa CA. I wasn't impressed by the very least. I could have bought all of them on the spot if I wanted to but even for someone like me the value just wasn't there. I think they are absurdly overpriced for what you get and I strongly believe that you can get better use out of a Grayman knife. The tip on one of the fixed blades I was handling was dull to a point where I could have jammed the knife into my hand pretty hard and no damage would have been done. On top of that all of the knives I handled where unappealing and had useless blade shapes for their intended use.

With that being said I wouldn't pick a Strider for your uses either. For your uses you would benefit more from a simple ESEE or Becker.
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Interesting. Which tomahawk was it - the Sayoc RnD?
 
Metal Made Fox said:
I've handled a few Winkler knives including one of his tomahawks at Plaza Cutlery in Costa Mesa CA. I wasn't impressed by the very least. I could have bought all of them on the spot if I wanted to but even for someone like me the value just wasn't there. I think they are absurdly overpriced for what you get and I strongly believe that you can get better use out of a Grayman knife. The tip on one of the fixed blades I was handling was dull to a point where I could have jammed the knife into my hand pretty hard and no damage would have been done. On top of that all of the knives I handled where unappealing and had useless blade shapes for their intended use.

With that being said I wouldn't pick a Strider for your uses either. For your uses you would benefit more from a simple ESEE or Becker.
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Maybe it was one of the trainer models?;) I have had over 15 of Daniel's knives and approx 10 of his hawks....never had one that was dull etc......on the other hand, I have had 2 Grayman knives and have never seen a knife that exemplified the term "sharpened prybar" more. I guess that is why there are literally hundreds of designs and artists making them for all of the different tastes out there! Admittedly, I am biased....Daniel offers a significant discount for those of us in uniform. I have never hesitated to carry his knives where the wild things are. Come to think of it....there used to be a thread here on BF where a gentleman carried one of his Sayoc hawks on drug interdiction missions.....seem to recall a couple of interesting pics (bullet proof vest in one) where the design of the hawk and it's length came in quite handy in stopping a rapidly escalating situation.

I do agree with you on the ESEE and/or Becker recommendation....both are solid makers of fantastic knives.
 
I've owned 5 Grayman knives (7 if you count fixed blades) and own 3 Winklers. I currently have only 2 of those Grayman fixed blades, one because its titanium and the other because it is an S30V prototype that has considerably more refinement than typical models. I carry one of my Winklers almost every day. So that says something initially about my opinion. The Grayman knives were just too heavy and the sheaths needed some work right away. Winkler knives have a better heat treat than most knives out there, full distal taper, and the best sheath system out there. You're going to get a lot more use out of a Winkler in my experience.
 
Yeah the Winklers do have a very unique blade shape, i wonder if this is benefitial above the rest or detrimental. I am slightly reconsidering a Strider though because like stated, they are like sharpened prybars. .25" seems so damn thick and i dont foresee myself having to pry my way out of an airplane fuselage. Are the Winklers sturdy enough to hold up to some heavy duty work though?
 
Aerose91 said:
Yeah the Winklers do have a very unique blade shape, i wonder if this is benefitial above the rest or detrimental. I am slightly reconsidering a Strider though because like stated, they are like sharpened prybars. .25" seems so damn thick and i dont foresee myself having to pry my way out of an airplane fuselage. Are the Winklers sturdy enough to hold up to some heavy duty work though?
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Old thread, but Daniel has a youtube video out there showing himself tearing apart a car with some of his tools. They are tough enough. Airplane fuselages are "only" aluminum compared to a car's steel body ;)
 
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