Spyderco vs Strider

[Jimd]

Cracks me up when people say Striders don't cut well. These are the people whom I know have never attempted to utilize a Strider, let alone held one.

Sure, a few models of Strider (their tantos, mostly), have been designed to break open doors, etc. and are not the best cutters. Solution: dont' buy their tantos.

[severedthumbs]

they do cut but more like a hatchet than a knife.

[J Smith]

I will say that I have not owned a Strider but I do want to try an SNG out sometime.
All I am trying to get at is that the Native design would make a great starting point for this kind of knife.The knife I am trying to get at will really be better than a Strider.Thinner and with a little thinner edge for better cutting.

[clovisc]

i must admit... i've thought more than once: "wow -- if only my native was a bit bigger..."

[CKE]

I had an SNG and really liked it. Totally different from a Spyderco. That is why I carried both. I had the SNG and my Endura. The Endura was sharper out of the box and it took care of most cutting tasks. The SNG was there for everything else...it is nice to know that you have a knife that is backed by a unconditional warranty. No matter what I do to this knife Strider will replace it. Now I also spent a LOT more cash on the Strider. At the price point of Striders they can afford to have a warranty like that though. I am not dissing Strider but they are pricey for what they are. Like Sal said he could make overbuilt folders for $200 all day long. Not $40:(
Would I buy an overbuilt Spyderco...for sure. The Chinook and Manix are two overbuilt, beefy folders. I think the Manix would give the SNG a run for its money...but with the SNG if it does break no worries. I don't see Sal giving out free Manix to those people that abuse their knives. I abuse my knives so I am not saying not to either but the warranty issue does come up. Take Care!!!!

[Joe Talmadge]

The Endura was sharper out of the box and it took care of most cutting tasks. The SNG was there for everything else...

Just to tease you a bit, how often did "Everything else" come up? I actually see this kind of thing a lot -- "I carry <X> to actually cut with, my Strider is for just in case". ****, in a self defense situation, wouldn't you rather grab the knife that's sharper?

I'm actually not opposed to Spyderco doing an overbuilt superstrong folder ... just want to make sure it's not a philosophy change. I'd prefer a new design, rather than just putting a current model on steroids.

Joe

[severedthumbs]

yeah with a Strider you would have a better chance of clubbing the person than anything.

And if I need to bust up some concrete I will go rent a jackhammer.

[Joe Talmadge]

yeah with a Strider you would have a better chance of clubbing the person than anything.

Well, obviously that's not true. The edges are often thicker than I'd like, but certainly sharpened well, and I wouldn't want to get cut with one.

[severedthumbs]

Well, obviously that's not true. The edges are often thicker than I'd like, but certainly sharpened well, and I wouldn't want to get cut with one.

it was just a little sarcasam. :p

[GarageBoy]

Spyderco makes knives, not folding prybars

[Jimd]

yeah with a Strider you would have a better chance of clubbing the person than anything.

And if I need to bust up some concrete I will go rent a jackhammer.

How often have you had to defend yourself?
Thought so.

[Jimd]

So far, in our Strider-bashing, people have generalized that they're "2-lb., folding pry-bars that don't cut".

Wow, couldn't be further off base. I'll chalk it up to the rumor mill and ignorance.

Tell ya what, guys....bring on any knives that you want, and I'll put my Striders up against any of them, be it for cutting, stabbing, whatever. We'll have a cut-off if you want.

I have a Strider MFS that will absolutely out-cut any Spyderco that I have, hands-down.

As for S30V being S30V and heat treat not meaning anything...heat treat is everything! A great steel with a poor heat treat will fail much of the time if actually put to real use.

How many Striders break their tips off after cutting through a chicken bone?

I love my Striders and my Spydercos, but for some reason, people seem to feel compelled to mock Strider's knives. As I said, though, if you think they can't cut, then you are ignorant. And you should investigate the truth.

[RLR]

Don't put spyders in your chicken!

Seriously, use what floats your boat. Maybe, MAYBE, if I was a military or covert ops kinda guy, then a Strider type deal would be useful. But then again, maybe not. Let's just cool down and admire the beauty of all types of tools.

Off to whittle and cut herbs, I remain,

RLR

[Jimmy_Dean]

Jimd, you have some very good points. One of them is that Strider makes incredible knives. Expensive but mind-blowing nontheless.
This is not a Strider bash though, it's just a Spyderco forum! Porsche fans trash Ferrari everyday of the week, doesn't make it a bad car!

Everybody's been asking the same question : what if Spyderco made a way overbuilt 400$? Think of it this way: if Strider made a 60$ folder, would it be better than a Spyderco? I don't think so but I honestly don't give a ****! Two different companies guys!

-Dean

[Senate]

Maybe the futur Bison will give us some keys to compare Spyderco and Strider, because right now they're not playing in the same category...

[Jimd]

Jimd, you have some very good points. One of them is that Strider makes incredible knives. Expensive but mind-blowing nontheless.
This is not a Strider bash though, it's just a Spyderco forum!
-Dean

I know it's a Spyderco forum, but I thought we were all knife fans here, first and foremost. :D Heck, I like all manner of cutlery!

Hey, I can hack the fact that some people here like Spyderco, and that brand only. But I don't think they need to bash the other knives that I enjoy, since I like different flavors.

But perhaps I'm off base, so I may stand corrected.

[Joe Talmadge]

You know, sometimes when comparing things, it comes out as bashing, though it wasn't intended that way. I got increasingly worried about how my posts came out through the thread, then I'd post another and make it worse :)

Nothing I said is meant to be bashing, just truthful. I've handled a lot of big fixed-blade Striders, especially the old ATS-34 ones. The edges were very thick. I haven't handled some of the smaller, presumeably higher-performance fixed blades, like the MFS. If they've tuned up the edges, great -- I'd be happy to retract those comments for those knives, after I feel it for myself. I've also handled a bunch of the folders and followed a lot of folder threads. Even in Strider-fan-only threads, there's always discussions about tool marks, and which generation has which particular known finickiness. That's not bashing either, it's just what I've observed. For my own personal opinion --these are with my hands, yours may vary -- Strider folders have handles that are either too rectangular and blocky for good retention and cutting leverage, or have a handle that flares out at the back of the hand and pinch grips up at the index finger, which makes the hand want to go forward on a thrust. I've handled a lot of SNGs because I kept trying to talk myself into getting one, but walk away due to the handle (and in the past, some iffy locks, though that's mostly fixed from what I've seen). And I"m not saying this as a Spyderco vs. Strider comment, it's an opinion I formed about Strider in the absence of any comparison context.

In addition, I don't think anyone would say heat treat doesn't matter. It's vital. It's done by Paul Bos, one of the best. And it should perform like a blade heat-treated by Paul for any other maker, unless you have evidence Paul is following a special recipe just for Strider. But there was a specific claim in this thread that Strider's Paul Bos S30V is somehow stronger than everyone else's -- that needs some substantiation, first with how it's stronger than any other Paul Bos S30V, and second with comparisons with others' heat treatments.

I do respect Strider immensely for, #1, grabbing the mindset of many knife users to the point that the way they think about what's important in a knife has changed, and #2, clearly optimizing for what they think are the most important. As I said, in many ways they've changed the way many people talk and think about knives.

No doubt it's great stuff, and matches perfectly what some people use their knives for. I like thinner edges than the ones I've felt on their big fixed blades, I like handles with good ergonomics, and for top performance, I'll move away from stainless.

Again, hard to make a comparison without making it sound like bashing. I'm not trying to bash, but this is what I think.

Joe

[LJK]

This is a great thread. Very interesting. I don't know much about Striders handled a few at show once, but was instantly turned off by the prices. But I would love to see Spyderco make a stout bladed extra heavy duty folder. I would buy one in a second. Just one or two models like this, no more, because I trully love there light thin handles and thin razor sharp blades. I can't help but think Spyderco would sell a bunch of those beasts. Sometimes a sharpened pocket crowbar is just what a man needs.

[Jimd]

Nothing I said is meant to be bashing, just truthful. I've handled a lot of big fixed-blade Striders, especially the old ATS-34 ones. The edges were very thick. I haven't handled some of the smaller, presumeably higher-performance fixed blades, like the MFS. If they've tuned up the edges, great -- I'd be happy to retract those comments for those knives, after I feel it for myself. I've also handled a bunch of the folders and followed a lot of folder threads. Even in Strider-fan-only threads, there's always discussions about tool marks, and which generation has which particular known finickiness.

In addition, I don't think anyone would say heat treat doesn't matter. It's vital. It's done by Paul Bos, one of the best. And it should perform like a blade heat-treated by Paul for any other maker, unless you have evidence Paul is following a special recipe just for Strider.

Again, hard to make a comparison without making it sound like bashing. I'm not trying to bash, but this is what I think.

Joe

Joe,
Thanks for the clarification. :)
I'd brought up the comment about Paul Bos doing their heat treat, but did not mean to imply that he has an exclusive recipe just for Strider]Strider's tantos[/U]. They truly are meant as sharpened pry-bars, end of story. Great for extricating people from car wrecks, cutting through/prying open steel fire doors, and other brutal tasks that most knives have no business tackling. Their front edge of the tanto blade is basically unsharpened on purpose; it's not meant to cut, but rather to pry. The straight cutting edge can be sharpened to a fairly effective cutter, but it's not one of the greatest; it'll get you through, but certainly won't excel at most cutting tasks.

If you need a tool to plunge through car bodies or steel doors, their tantos are the way to go. For everything else, I recommend another geometry. Several of their drop-point/spear-point designs are really effective for cutting/slicing/hacking, yet remain very durable.

Thanks for clarifying, Joe!

[GarageBoy]

My statement was meant to be plain humor and nothing more. JimD, have you seen the Military's tip? You could pick splinters out with that thing. ****, it was pointier than some of my sewing needles. I do like striders though and I hang out on USN pretty often