Strider knives question

What makes the Strider knife line so desirable and expensive?

I dont own a strider but Ive been a knifeaholic much longer than a flashaholic the main steel used [S30V] is very good and some of the knives even look cool but IMO $400 is way overpriced if your looking for a good fixed blade this would my last choice. try something like KA-BAR D2 fighter or something from emerson,benchmade,kershaw,wilson combat,or cold steel

Pokerstud said:

What makes the Strider knife line so desirable and expensive?

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Somewhat desirable due to appearance ("I'm an Operator!"), function (sharpened prybar) and customer service (according to many). Have a fanatical following on some boards.

There is a cottage industry developed to bash Mick Strider, who may not be a nice person and so forth. This makes some folks really like him and others really dislike him. Court documents are posted all over the internet in support of this thesis. I do know that Mick Strider can hurl some pretty low down insults at his detractors.

I own an SnG and have fondled a modded AR on a passaround. I like the knives. Very tough, but the obtuse grind (for strength) makes them poor slicers. They really are sharpened prybars, if thats what you are after.

Are they worth $400? Not really. There aren't $400 worth of materials and workmanship in one, but that didnt stop me from buying and enoying mine.

If I find an AR at a decent price, which is improbable, I'll get one. They are huge, almost cartoon-like.


SnG.


Top to bottom: Delica, SnG, AR.

cheers

Struders are quality knives from what I hear, I would pay $200 for one myself, a folder, but for what they sell for Ill never own one...I thinks its not what they are worth, but rather what people will,pay for them...Yeah they use S30V which is awesome! but you cna get that in other knives for less than $100...Anyway if the onwer sets a price for his knives no matter what it is, some people will buy them, if they like them then they will spread the word and other people will buy them too...

For example, I have ALWAYS wanted a Chris Reeves Sebenza..ever since I was like 14 years old, but I coudl never affrod a knife like that, I stop at the $150-$200 mark for a single knife, and even $200 is a big stretch for me...Are they worth the money? I think thats a personal opinion...Yeah you cna get a knife with similar if not the same exact materials...for less money, but tis not the same exact thing...I think its about whats desirable...It doesnt matter how much somethgin costs, no matter what it is, someone, somewhere will buy it...

I mainly stick within the $30-$80 range when buying new knives, or trading for used ones...I figure you get the most for your money in that range, not too expensive so you wont have a heart attack if you ose it, but good enough quality to use without worry...

cutlerylover said:

Struders are quality knives from what I hear, I would pay $200 for one myself, a folder, but for what they sell for Ill never own one...I thinks its not what they are worth, but rather what people will,pay for them...Yeah they use S30V which is awesome! but you cna get that in other knives for less than $100...Anyway if the onwer sets a price for his knives no matter what it is, some people will buy them, if they like them then they will spread the word and other people will buy them too...

For example, I have ALWAYS wanted a Chris Reeves Sebenza..ever since I was like 14 years old, but I coudl never affrod a knife like that, I stop at the $150-$200 mark for a single knife, and even $200 is a big stretch for me...Are they worth the money? I think thats a personal opinion...Yeah you cna get a knife with similar if not the same exact materials...for less money, but tis not the same exact thing...I think its about whats desirable...It doesnt matter how much somethgin costs, no matter what it is, someone, somewhere will buy it...

I mainly stick within the $30-$80 range when buying new knives, or trading for used ones...I figure you get the most for your money in that range, not too expensive so you wont have a heart attack if you ose it, but good enough quality to use without worry...

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My thoughts exactly, well said!

someday you will run across a deal on a sebbie and jump on it!

after that you'll have several...

cutlerylover said:

For example, I have ALWAYS wanted a Chris Reeves Sebenza..ever since I was like 14 years old, but I coudl never affrod a knife like that,

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I have been tempted MANY times...But I always just pay the bills instead, lol...I get very close to buyign one ususally from other memebrs since thats where they get the cheapest...but I have yet to just do it...Im sure it will happen soon enough, but money has been VERY tight for a long time...

I have not purchased a new knife in about 2 years now, or new anythgin for that matter! I just trade thigns I already have to get new stuff...costing me shipping for each transaction...

Pokerstud said:

My thoughts exactly, well said!

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Thanks!

I heve never heard or read a bad review of the products. I will not own one due to his questionable busness policies there are other much more aforadble companies out there.

An oft hashed theme, not so unlike why a Surefire instead of an Ultrafire or an Inova? They all can be quite bright, light your way, scare an intruder. But the Surefire is built like a tank, and has cache as one of the best. Same with Strider.

Another oft debated issue is the person or the knife? I'm more interested in whether the tool works, rather than the drama around the man, generally.

So, for me, if I could only have two knives, they would be a small Sebenza and a Strider SNG, hands down. Both are examples of high function and high form. Simple, elegant, practical.

I'm sure there is more than one old thread here on this topic, as well as many more at the knife forums, both pro and con.

daloosh

Let me preface my response with this...

I would ask anyone deciding to buy a high priced item to consider what they are buying and getting their facts straight before purchasing. That would go for flashlights, knives, guns, cars, etc etc etc. It would be easy to jump to conclusions by reading one article, thread or hearsay. Ask around and don't be afraid to handle some of the products. Ask the users of the product and not the people that "handled" it one or 2 times. Be a "smart" buyer.

AND bottom line buy it only if YOU like it. If you don't like it then DON'T buy it.





Anyways, to answer your question, Striders are worth every penny of the 4 Benjamins.

1. Their customer service is top notch.
2. The man behind thier company is honorable. (please get your facts straight before making assumptions).
3. They support our troops.
4. They have a GREAT product...able to withstand hard use.

I own a Strider GB and carry it daily. I feel like it will stand any abuse I throw at it and more. It has not seen an emergency yet but I would bet that it would perform VERY well if not even better than the stories that I have heard about it's use just because of my personal experiences using it.

I know that behind the knife there is a company and a man that believes in honor and when I look at it I know it stands for something more than a knife.

I also know that if it ever needs a tune up or sharpening there are people in that company that will make it happen.

Now, I could go on and on but I will stop there. I am a proud Strider owner. Please PM/email me if you want more information on Striders. I don't know it all but I may be able to point you in the right direction. Good luck on your decision.

The fact is that Mick Strider is a convicted felon, and for carjacking, of all things.
He is also a huge liar, and there are official court documents that confirm all of this.

I had some of his knives, and I sold them.

His knives are good, but there are other brands, and knifemakers out there that make wonderful products.

The Strider defenders use the words, honor, and respectable, when talking about Strider, However, I see no "Honor" in carjacking. None.

Best,

RL

I really hope this doesn't turn into another mick bashing thread. For years all my friends carried striders and I wanted nothing to do with them. Not for the money cause I was spending that much on knives but cause I could get some more elequent knives for the price. Now I love striders. They're built to use and abuse. It would be really hard to break one and you don't have to worry about scratching them cause most of the time they're already scratched when they're brand new
If something goes wrong or you're not happy with it you simply mail it back with 15 dollars and in 7-10 days its back to me in the condition I requested it.
Are they for everyone? No of çourse not.
Are they expensive? Sure but i'll pay doe a quasi insurance piece of mind policy with a 15 dollar deductable and a lifetime commitment to the buyer.
Is the maker a god honerable person? Maybe maybe not, I don't know or care as its never once come up when I needed to open a box at work.
To each his own and I truelly hope you find the tool that you need someday.
Jimmy

Again, I wish people would get their facts straight. But then again, the media is a powerful tool for good and evil.

I agree with cutlerylover and my price range is about the same...maybe wider...$20-$100 to include great knives like the Boker Trance (low-mid-20s) and some BMs ($100ish). For me, I like certain Striders for the aesthetic design. I don't care if it looks "tactical", it's just aesthetically pleasing to me. I like the heat effect on the Ti slab, and the blade shape. If Buck made the SBMF with a 65mil liner, I wouldn't consider the Strider anymore (except maybe the PT, because of the smaller size). There is nothing my Lone Wolf Harsey T1, or a BM 635, couldn't do that a Strider PT or SnG could, for me. All have S30V blades, but the Harsey T1 and 635 are considerably cheaper. For my uses, and even uses I don't intend to have for my knives, I don't even foresee a dramatic difference in performance between a Strider and a Kershaw JYDII with 13C26 steel or CRKT Lightfoot M1 with AUS-8. The JYDII is beefy and solid...and I don't see it breaking easily, for $50.

You know my dad alwasy asks me why some knives cost so much...I try to explain to him that the materials are better and qaulity is better and so on...but he alwasy responds with all knives cut things dont they? And I always laugh and say yes they do, but...and he alwasy stops me and says so why woudl you pay $300 or more for a knife that will cut the same as a $50 or $100 will...And I alway stop to think about it, and the onyl answer I can ever come up with is that your buyign the design...Sure some of the cheaper knives use the exact same materials and everythgin, but in the end your just buying that specific design, and if you like it, then you buy it, its pretty simple really...Im sure if someone got 50 knives in all different price ranges and pout them all to the test until they all failed you might be surprised as to what knives lasted the longest...

And in my case, and many others...As much as I want a hardcore knife that will withstand a bunch of abuse without failing, I hardly use my knives for much more than openign mail and other simple tasks...Just like some people want sports cars but they dont speed...I think some of its mental, like people here about striders beign the best all the time and so they wonder about them and think are they really? and then they buy one and like it, so they start believing they are the best...but remember you can only compare how good your knife is to other knives you have owned and used...I am pretty certain not everyone gets the chance to try out 1000 different knives...

Knives are a personal preference...there are so many factors when buying and using knives...Some people have brand loyalty...like say they bought a benchmade and really like it, and they stick with that, and become a benchmade fan, sometime they will say their knives are better than others without even knowing or using the "other knives" Soem people buy knives for how they look, or feel, or size, shape, color, materials, price, etc...

So in the end what Im saying is that I dont really believe there is a good knife, bad knife, or this knife is much better and worth the money, and so on...Yes some knives are better than others (meaning they will generaly last longer with use) but as far as everythgin else goes its about preference...

You know this could get really nasty if I was in a bad mood. I'll just say some people here don't know what they are talking about except they are talking sh** about things they obviously don't know about and have been influenced by all the BS being hurled out there. Strider's are sold to the military - they have big contracts with them for a reason and a lot of jealousy because of that. Owner of Cold Steel knives was so jealous he started spreading all kinds of garbage.
Striders are super tough knives. Extremely high quality and yes I've got thin blade knives that will cut paper a little better but Strider's aren't made for cutting out paper dolls. I'll agree they tend to be on the high priced side - that is until you start looking at some $1,000 to $2,000+ knives and there are a ton of them out there. I've got a Strider and have had a couple others but only one at a time. Having owned one I don't ever plan on being without at least one. I think an SNG or SMF is a good investment - lifetime warranty with no questions and their resell value is great. And as far as being pricey - how many knives with can you find for less that have a very thick S30V blade and a thick slab of pure Titanium?

Well Ill give you that, you are right, Strider knives have THICK S30V blades, so they do serve better for certain tasks...but I think for the average citizen a thick blade like that will be less usefull than a thinner one...Like I said knives are about personal taste and preference...Striders may be very good for some people but not an option for others...So to say they are the "BEST" knives is not neccesary...Im not saying you said that, but many strider fans often do...

P.S. as far as reading about mick strider and hid faults I agree, there is alot of propaganda out there and soem fo its is not true, but I only go by what he himself admited to, and appologized for to his fans and family...

matrixshaman said:

Strider's are sold to the military

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Yes they are, but they are not the only knives sold to the military...

On a side note I have to say that they are unique in that for some reason people either love them or hate them?

These guys really show how much abuse a Strider fixed blade can take before the blade snaps... http://www.knifetests.com/page7.html

matrixshaman said:

You know this could get really nasty if I was in a bad mood. I'll just say some people here don't know what they are talking about except they are talking sh** about things they obviously don't know about and have been influenced by all the BS being hurled out there. Strider's are sold to the military - they have big contracts with them for a reason and a lot of jealousy because of that. Owner of Cold Steel knives was so jealous he started spreading all kinds of garbage.
Striders are super tough knives. Extremely high quality and yes I've got thin blade knives that will cut paper a little better but Strider's aren't made for cutting out paper dolls. I'll agree they tend to be on the high priced side - that is until you start looking at some $1,000 to $2,000+ knives and there are a ton of them out there. I've got a Strider and have had a couple others but only one at a time. Having owned one I don't ever plan on being without at least one. I think an SNG or SMF is a good investment - lifetime warranty with no questions and their resell value is great. And as far as being pricey - how many knives with can you find for less that have a very thick S30V blade and a thick slab of pure Titanium?

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Well, the Benchmade Skirmish for one. And the PT and SnG are not that thick.Thats not even the point, or shouldn't be anyway. Striders are priced the way they are because they can be. And they keep they're resale value, so who cares? If you like them, buy one! But most folk who talk about how badass they are never seem to use them, other than to open envelope either. I don't know how "badass" they are, a boxcutter can be "badass" in the right/wrong hands. But I do know that they are a very good knife, and have a look that is unique. In the end, only the purchaser can say if it's worth the price to them. And like you said, if not, they can no doubt sell it for what they got it for, so it is almost a guaranteed no loss investment. BUT, the warranty isn't that big of a deal anymore since many knife companys will give you a new knife through warranty, not just fix it. But, theres is a compromise, and that depends on whether you want to buy 100% American or not. Strider's are definitely an 100% American product.