# Benchmade vs Strider?



## benchmade_boy (Jan 12, 2007)

hi all

i suddenly got this thing about liking strider knives, espesially the SNG. so i was wondering how does a strider compare to my benchmades? i have a couple of benchmades and i love them espesialy there prices compared to strider:laughing: but there is nothing in the benchmade lineup that compares to the strider.how is the warranty as compared to benchmade? how is there quility? So should i start saving up to get a strider or stay with benchmade? 

thanks!


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## powernoodle (Jan 12, 2007)

Striders are an interest subject. Are they "worth" $300 or $400? No way. Did that stop me from buying an SNG? No. 

A Strider is just a heavy duty knife that - because of its thick blade and blade geometry - isn't very sharp. At Christmas I tried to open some of those plastic clamshell packages with my SNG, and it was sorta pointless. The SNG was not well suited for that kind of slicing. A cheapy Victorinox SAK is better for that, with its thin, scalpel-like blade. Any Benchmade or Spydie is better suited.

I have many folders, and the SNG is the best one for digging a foxhole. For everything else its not best.

Edited to add:






_SNG with M3T._ 





_Top to bottom: Delica3, SNG, Modded AR._ 

cheers


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## benchmade_boy (Jan 12, 2007)

see the thing is i dont have the money to spend that is why if i do buy one i dont want to be dissapionted. and i dont mind it not being sharp as i have had my benchmade full size grip for a year and i half and have never sharpend it. not becuase i dont like a shapr knife but becuase i use my knoves to manly gut wildlife, chop vines, chop tree limbes(small one of course), and totally put my knife through hell. i find the only time i nedd a sharp knife is when i am trying to get into my new light that is under a couple layers of packaging tape and i dont want to jab my new light, other than that i just use force when needed.

BTWdoes anyone know the name of the mini sng? i saw picture of it compared to a full sized SNG and i like the size as i am young and still have small hands.

does anyone know if there is anywhere that sells these lights a little cheaper than say tadgear?


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## GhostReaction (Jan 12, 2007)

Strider quality are top notch and would probably last a lifetime.

I dont have any benchmade but a few Spyderco that got me started into knives. 

I was lucky enough to meet up with a fine fellow CPFer who sold me a Strider PT. For the money you get what you paid for.


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## jlowe2 (Jan 13, 2007)

the PT is the smallest strider. sometimes you can find them between 250.00 and 300.00. i don't think benchmade makes a knife as heavy duty as a strider. you could try one of the buck stiders and see if you like it without spending the big bucks. i think you can find a buck strider 889 on ebay for around 50.00 the 889 is close to to sng in size.


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## benchmade_boy (Jan 13, 2007)

thanks jlowe2! that is the one i was wondering about. so does anyone like the PT?


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## benchmade_boy (Jan 13, 2007)

the cheapest pt i can find is 300.00.

ok so as i am knew to strider how can you tell if you are getting the black handle or the more "heated up stainless steal look". cuz all the ones i can find is the black handle.


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## mspeterson (Jan 13, 2007)

The PT is one heck of a tough little knife, slightly smaller than my recently acquired mini Rittergrip with a thicker blade and tougher frame. You should also check out the ED, it's a fixed blade PT (exact same footprint), with a skeletonized handle. Another great small Strider is the WP, with the trademark cord wrap handle, it has a thick blade with a very stout tip. You won't find any deals on new Striders, but there are plenty on the secondary market. I've seen a PT go for $220 used, a beater SNG go for $280, if you have the time to wait. The ED is I believe $125, the WP is $175, both new. You should also look at Chris Reeve Sebenzas (the 'classic' comparison) and Kershaw/Strider Zero Tolerance knives (Tad has them). Strider has a great warranty and good resale value , heck they even did a special edition kit with Surefire!!!


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## benchmade_boy (Jan 13, 2007)

wow is the pt really smaller than a mini grip? i edc a gull size grip and find it to be just right if not to small.

thanks for all the great advice! all have to check all them out.


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## mspeterson (Jan 13, 2007)

This may help...





If you think the full size Grip may be too small, check out the AR, or the tanto version, GB. Go here...http://www.plazacutlery.com/Strider/Stridermainpage.htm


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## benchmade_boy (Jan 13, 2007)

yeah after that pic i do think i will have to skip the pt and go for the smf is what i am looking at. i think the pt would be way to small for me.

thanks for the great help!


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## jds009 (Jan 13, 2007)

Wow, Quite a size difference!


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## knifebright (Jan 13, 2007)

Benchmade boy
i after years and years of being around my strider carrying friends have finally got to a point were i understand and love them. It took a while but nowi 'm all about striders. Just so you know alll the pics in this thread that are larger than the PT are the SNG model. I mention this casue you say you want and SMF. Here is a picture off all three of the models for you to have a size reference. One way you can tell if your looking at an SMF or an SNG is that the smaller SNG has three body screws and the larger SMF has 4 body screws. Can i make an off topic recomendation since i have all three models,.... look into the ZT-300 series. I'll try and snap another pic next to an SNG and SMF for you. Its one hell of a knife, Designed by Mick strider and Ken onion and in my opinion every bit as tough as a strider with the speed safe and recurve blade for about 1/3 of the price as my recurve SMF. Also for the price of a strider dont forget your paying for piece of mind and the lifetime warrenty. Used/knew whatever you break it they fix it... There was a guy on another board that broke one by putting in through concrete and jumiping up and down on it. Fixed for him cause MIck strider clearly states that if you break it first he'll be impressed and thenn it will be fixed or replaced.








Jimmy


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## knifebright (Jan 13, 2007)

Ok here is a comparison shot between
1. MSC NM SMF
2. ZT-300usn model
3. SNG didgi cam TAD model 
sure you'll need a few striders as well but the ZT is the most robust production framelock that comes close and in some cases is better built than many midtech and custom frame locks out there and they cant' come close to the ZT price point with keeping the strider style g-10 one side and Ti the other.








JImmy


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## moeman (Jan 13, 2007)

If you want to try out a strider on the cheap you can go with the Buck/Strider Tarani w/g10 scales, ATS34 steal and BOSS heat treating.
like here: http://www.knivesplus.com/buck-knife-police-bu-882sbtg.html
not as good, but will give you an idea if you will even like it, at a fraction of the cost.


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## benchmade_boy (Jan 13, 2007)

yeah i think the smf would be to big so if i get a strider i iwll go with the sng. but please people can you tell me what the name is called for the color of the handle with the digi camo in the blade. it is the sng but i want to know the kname of that color of handle.

thanks and great pics!


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## knifebright (Jan 13, 2007)

I'm not really sure your question but the handle on the sng of mine is just standard G-10 with the standard flamed titanium back handle. You do have some options such as green G-10 or tan G-10 but all mine are standard black. the blade is called Didgi-Camo on the sng and the screen looking SMF is called Screen blasted or sometimes Night camo. The stripes are the standard strider blasted stripes. hope that clarifies if not let me know
jimmy


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## benchmade_boy (Jan 13, 2007)

knifebright said:


> I'm not really sure your question but the handle on the sng of mine is just standard G-10 with the standard flamed titanium back handle. You do have some options such as green G-10 or tan G-10 but all mine are standard black. the blade is called Didgi-Camo on the sng and the screen looking SMF is called Screen blasted or sometimes Night camo. The stripes are the standard strider blasted stripes. hope that clarifies if not let me know
> jimmy


yup i think you answerd my question as every time i look at the sng all i see is black or od green handle but i love the look of the flamed titanium handle. i htink it makes it look so good. and if it is titaniium then it is super strong as well.

thanks for helping me!


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## knifebright (Jan 13, 2007)

they all come with the titanium back handle sng/smf/pt. its the other models like ar/gb that the the g-10 overlays over the ti. so no matter what way you go you'll get one handle side with super strong titanium and the other side with super hard g-10 for an amazing combo
jimmy


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## carrot (Jan 13, 2007)

I like the looks of the first one in knifebright's pictures... how much will one of those run me?


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## NotRegulated (Jan 13, 2007)

Thats an MSC NM SMF. It is a custom ground blade by owner, Mick Strider. They run from $800 up. The standard SMF is $475 and can be had with a drop point or tanto blade. It is identical in construction except for the blade grind and finish.
If you go with a Strider I would recommend the SnG as the most versatile. It is the best size for pocket carry. Really tough and fairly light as compared to the AR/GB or even the ZT0300. I have have found the PT to be just a bit too small, especially in the handle area for average size hands.

For an everyday pocket knife, the Benchmade Axis locks are very good. If you plan to abuse your knife like you indicated in your post, you may want the Strider.


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## knifebright (Jan 13, 2007)

ya that particular one was 925 cause i just had to have the freaken screen finish...just couldn't go on another day without it... grrr
jimmy


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## guyg (Jan 13, 2007)

What about looking for a used one?


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## Chronos (Jan 13, 2007)

Great, thanks benchmade_boy. Now you've piqued my interest in yet another area. Now I'll become obsessive and pick up a strider or two. Sigh. 

These are beautiful, and functional too. OK, now I'm going to get a Strider too.


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## benchmade_boy (Jan 13, 2007)

so let me get this right, whatever one i get of the sng it will have the flamed titanium under the black, green, tan scales right? and i can use the knife with the scales off? so basically i will hace like to knives in one?

thanks for all the great help guys!


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## knifebright (Jan 13, 2007)

no no no no.
the very first picture i posted are of the same knife. one side of the handle is G-10 and the other side of the handle is flamed titanium. Take a look at the pictures i posted above. blade pointed to the left=g-10. blade pointed to the right is flamed titanium. there's nothing to remove cause its the whole slab kinda like a peanut butter and jelly sandwich one side is peanut butter and one side is jelly, they compliment each other and make the other better!
Jimmy


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## benchmade_boy (Jan 13, 2007)

ok so one side of the knife is one color and one side is another? well thats kinda whacky.


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## knifebright (Jan 13, 2007)

yes you've got it. Wacky perhaps but functional to no end!


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## powernoodle (Jan 13, 2007)

benchmade_boy said:


> ok so one side of the knife is one color and one side is another?



Yes, exactly.


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## carrot (Jan 13, 2007)

I don't see it as wacky at all. My Boker Subcom (which I like very much) has the same kind of design -- FRN on one side (Chad specified G-10, though...) and metal with an integral lock on the other. It makes sense, from a design perspective, because the G-10 or FRN gives better grip, but the integral framelock makes it simpler to build and means there's less parts to break. Best of both worlds, perhaps. Lopsided design maybe, but quite functional, as knifebright stated.


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## paskal (Jan 13, 2007)

Thanks Benchmade_Boy for this thread. After read all the reply post i'm so excited to get one of the Strider folder. i will show you which Strider folder will be mine


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## benchmade_boy (Jan 14, 2007)

so my freind just asked me a question about stryers that i can not answer. is all striders hand made or just the premium ones? i think they are machine made but i am not sure. so can you please help?


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## knifebright (Jan 14, 2007)

there are very very few if any hand made striders cause hand made is sometimes confused with custom knife. A hand made knife is each and every part is made from hand without even the basic shape of the knife cut out by machine. The custom ones have the handles made by machine just like the productions. Sometimes you see hand grooved g-10 and other features but its the blades that are hand ground then blasted for the customs. Basically the custom striders are tweaked and modified standard models but even strider has a way of explaining this casue all the regular models require some hand finishing and each blade is specifically fit to its particular handle. The way strider responds to this question is this, from Josh at Strider Knives 
"We have catalog and non-catalog knives.
Catalog meaning our regular designs
Non-catalog meaning MSC and DDC
All are custom knives. Meaning that thier is a large amount of hand finishing done on the knives. Some custom makers use the same methods as us to produce knives nowdays"
to clarify MSC= Mick strider custom and DDC= duane dyuwer custom
Strait from one of the horses mouth so i hope that helps you out. And yes its normal to go through a little personal searching as you think to yourself i'm about to pay more for a production knife than i have for some custom knives..

Also i snapped these not so great pictures for you to better clarify the 
G-10/Ti 1/2 and 1/2 side. 









Jimmy 
jimmy


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## parnass (Jan 14, 2007)

powernoodle said:


> ...A Strider is just a heavy duty knife that - because of its thick blade and blade geometry - isn't very sharp. At Christmas I tried to open some of those plastic clamshell packages with my SNG, and it was sorta pointless. The SNG was not well suited for that kind of slicing. A cheapy Victorinox SAK is better for that, with its thin, scalpel-like blade. Any Benchmade or Spydie is better suited.
> ...



It doesn't sound like a Strider would fit my needs. You just saved me a lot of money. Thanks.


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## ksonger (Jan 14, 2007)

my son has three striders and decided to go with a coogler a10. The "feel" is much nicer and it is a keeper. If anyone is interested, i will have him post them for sale here in the appropriate forums. for me, i have been thru the custom/special knives and have decided on a benchmade mini-skirmish. Titanium handles and s30v blade with the smoothest action i have ever experienced on a production folder. Most folks either love these or hate them but i carry it everyday and use it everyday. The strider is just not "comfortable" in my hand and frankly the action on them is not all that smooth imo. You really should hold and operate a knife if at all possible before purchasing.

Having said that, strider is a different class of knife from most benchmades and just cna not be compared in many respects.

ken


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## benchmade_boy (Jan 14, 2007)

knifebright- thanks for the great pics it is worth a thousand words. also what Leapold stuff do ya got?

every one else thanks for all the great info provided so far and i hope it keeps coming in.

thanks!


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## wquiles (Jan 14, 2007)

Does anyone has both the SMG (Frame lock, large, with 4 bolts/screws in the handle) against a large Sebenza? Are they fairly "equal" in strength, or is the Strider still a stronger/beefier heavy duty knife?

Second question: Does Strider makes left handed versions like CR's does for his Sebenza line of knives?

Will

(yes, I am a lefty!)


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## knifebright (Jan 14, 2007)

Its a leupold Mark 4 MR/T 1.5-5 with the Special purpose rectile. Good catch there i was just looking for a black back drop. 
perhaps i could be convinced to send you a picture of my leopold baby though i have been thinking of upgrading to the illuminated one, need a little more time to think cause usually illumination is not something i'm in short demand of 
Your more than welcome for the pics. I just hope i can help you not be in the same position i'm in after avoiding the striders for years i finally get it and just think back to all the money and time i've spent when i could have just done it right the first time. Oh well interests are always changing ya know.
Jimmy


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## knifebright (Jan 14, 2007)

4 bolts is the larger SMF and 3 is the smaller SNG. I only have a small sebbie but if you like i can take a picture comparign either or of the striders just let me know. Left handed models are hard to come by but available none the less. The strider is more ridged in material construction becacue of the G-10 side which is hard as all hell in comparision to titanium which is stronger. The combo of the strong titanium with the hard G-10 makes an overall light yet extrememly tough combo
jimmy


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## Double_A (Jan 14, 2007)

Maybe I just haven't warmed up to them, for now I'll just stick to my Sebenza.


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## wquiles (Jan 14, 2007)

knifebright said:


> I only have a small sebbie but if you like i can take a picture comparign either or of the striders just let me know.
> jimmy


Yes, please. I currently have a small Lefty Sebenza and a large BM520 (Presidio Folder) so seeing how the smaller and larger Striders compare to something I own would be of much help 

Will


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## Steve Andrews (Jan 14, 2007)

The Benchmade-made Bradley Alias Limited Edition is G10 one side, Titanium the other.

A Benchmade Strider?





It's a great knife, but I'm not too keen on the mackerel-stripes!


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## cdf (Jan 15, 2007)

The Sebbie is basically a Gents knife , trust me the Strider is no Gent . I would rate it as tuffer than the Seb , and has a better grip for advese conditions . Out of the box they have a conservative edge profile , about 20 degrees /side . If you want a slicier edge , albeit a bit less durable reprofiling is pretty easy for the cognisenti .

Chris


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## benchmade_boy (Jan 16, 2007)

so would the PT keep a better edge than a SNG becuase of the less thick blade?


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## mspeterson (Jan 16, 2007)

Better for what?

My SNG holds a great edge, for a heavy use folding knife. It is not designed for maximum slicing ability, its designed to take abuse and shrug it off, so to speak. The PT is proportionally smaller, the blade geometry is similar on a smaller scale. The PT is the 'toughest smallest' knife I have ever used, but I find my ED to be a better slicer (ground to a thinner edge). However, there are much better 'slicers' available. If you have never tried a Rittergrip, I would recommend you start there. The regular grips are not comparable, at all, not in the least. A small Ritter and a SNG would be a wicked duo, find them used and they will hold value and/or have a long useful life!!! If you just want a 'stupid' sharp cutter, try the Fallkniven U2. Trust me on this one.
Good luck and have fun...


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## cdf (Jan 22, 2007)

All my Striders , big and small came out of the box hairshaving sharp , Edge retention thru tuff chores is very good . In a hard use situation , you dont care if your Balonga slices are a wee tad ragged . For delicate slicing , they wont compete with a William Henry , or a Caly 3 , but for gross and ugly stuff , they cant be beat .

Chris


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## Dutch (Jan 23, 2007)

A lot of good stuff in this thread!

Be prepared, because after you get your first Strider it's a long downward spiral from there!

I am a Strider 'Fan'  and I also own ten or more benchmades (I love my Sebbies too.) Benchmades are great but Strider's have an aura...

As stated previously, if you manage to break it, Mick fixes it. No questions. (let's keep in mind reality here though; no pounding it into concrete with a framing hammer.) You can buy it fourth party on it's last legs and he'll still fix it!

A good Buddy of mine is a Strider dealer so PM me if you find yourself looking to get into a new blade.

Heck, even if you don't like it for some reason, the secondary market is pretty strong.

Here are a few of my fixed blade Babies!

Take care!
Dutch


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## mspeterson (Jan 23, 2007)

oooh, dem's da big boyz!!!!! :rock: 
Nice steel Dutch! :twothumbs


(your forend looks lonely!)


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## Dutch (Jan 23, 2007)

mspeterson said:


> oooh, dem's da big boyz!!!!! :rock:
> Nice steel Dutch! :twothumbs
> 
> 
> (your forend looks lonely!)



Thanks Bud!!

Good eye on the forend! Yeah, I just got it at the time I was takin' the pics so I threw it in for some eye candy. Really dresses up the 'Ol 870 for those dark evenings in the house!

Dutch


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## benchmade_boy (Jan 23, 2007)

wheres the rest of the AR? 

BTW very nice pics


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## Dutch (Jan 23, 2007)

benchmade_boy said:


> wheres the rest of the AR?
> 
> BTW very nice pics



Thanks!

That one's actually for a Remington 870 shotgun...

I hadn't gotten around to putting it on yet.


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