Strider Knives - A Buyers Guide

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INTRO:

When it comes to hardcore tactical knives, look no further than Strider Knives. You might have heard the hype about Strider’s products and all there is to say about this is, believe it! Strider’s knives live up to the hype because they are engineered and built to withstand the roughest use conditions and definitely hold up through time with minimal maintenance required. They are knives that you can depend on when the chips are down. They are no nonsense knives built using the best materials available in knifemaking today. Duane Dwyer and Mick Strider are the principals behind Strider Knives. Both are ex-military gentlemen whose mission it is to design and build the best tactical knives you will find anywhere. And they are very serious about it. Both Strider and Dwyer have built through the years, a very diverse line of knives that range from everyday carry to military. Small, stout fixed blades, large fighters, small folders to big folders…Strider Knives has you covered.

TIGER STRIPE BLADE

Three things that you will immediately associate with Strider Knives are the tigerstripe blade finishes, the Gunner Grip handle texturing, and the cord wrapped handled fixed blades. The tigerstripe finish is a standard Strider blade finish, found on just about every one of their knives. It is a unique camouflage type finish that is anti-reflective and tough wearing through normal use. The tigerstripe finish is accomplished via selective bead blasting. When the blades return from the heat treating process, they are covered with the black carbon scale that forms on the steel as a result. The blades are then bead blasted in selective strokes in perpendicular fashion to the cutting edge. The result is a distinctive two tone finish, the light gray blasted finish and the untouched black carbon scale that is leftover from heat treating. Each finish is unique even within the same knife series, since this process is done entirely by hand. This is almost a calling card for Strider. Post heat treat clean up of the blades is kept to a minimum while providing a unique appearance, as folks associate this with Strider Knives.

PARACORD WRAPPED HANDLE

The second “signature” of Strider Knives is the paracord wrapped handles on their fixed blades. Some fixed blades are offered with either G-10 or a cord wrapped handle. The cord wrapped handle is entirely covered with tough and long wearing 550 style parachute cord. The pattern they employ to tie the cord onto the knife tang results in a unique, 3D pattern which offers a very secure and comfortable grip for the user by meshing well with the flesh of the user’s palm. The user’s hand will mesh comfortably with the paracord wrapped handle, with either gloved hands, or bare hands. And if the user’s hands are covered with mud, blood, or are cold and wet, this paracord wrapped handle grip will accommodate wet hands well as it permits liquid to not interfere with the grip integrity. And if in a pinch and you need paracord for an emergency, the handle can always be unwrapped and the cord be employed in another manner.

GUNNER GRIP

Finally, last but not least is the Gunner Grip texturing. The Gunner Grip, or better known as “GG” in the model designations, is available only on the G-10 handled fixed blades and folders. One look at this texturing and you are immediately reminded of a golf ball, since the GG’s texturing is based on a tight network of dimples that when you wrap your hand around a GG handle, the meaty parts of your hand will conform to the dimples. The result? A nice, secure grip with wet, dry, or gloved hands, similar to the grip quality of the cord wrapped handles of the fixed blades. When you pair the GG texturing with Strider’s SNG and SMF heavy duty tactical folders, you have a dynamic duo that makes these knives very popular with those who really use their knives hard and often. Alongside grip quality, the GG texturing also lends to a unique appearance of the knife as well.

STRIDER FOLDING KNIVES

Strider’s tactical folders are highly regarded as some of the best selling production folders on the market. The core of their folder line consists of the SMF, SNG, and PT, ranging from the largest to the smallest, respectively. Their folder design is a stout, no nonsense titanium framelock design that incorporates a half-and-half construction style. The lock side is titanium; the non lock side is G-10. This hybrid construction style lets one have the best of both worlds. You have the firm lockup of a full framelock with the light weight and grip quality of a G-10 handled folder. The handle incorporates a pronounced finger groove to help you index your grip, and it flare out towards the butt end to provide a good grip without any backward hand sliding. The blades are made of premium S30V which is proven to hold an edge for a very long time. Blade finishes vary, some will have tigerstriped finishes and others will have bead blasted finishes. The titanium side gets finished in similar fashion as the blade as well. Tigerstriped models will have a flame treated titanium lock side, which gives the impression of tiger stripes, and the bead blasted blade models will have a bead blasted titanium lock side. If you look at how any of the Strider folders are put together, you can see they are engineered for extreme toughness and light weight. How can this be? The pivot screws are oversized for high strength in this critical area. Handles are screwed together using oversized Torx screws for a very tight fit. Finally, the handle spacer is integral to the G-10 scale. It is not a separate piece but rather, machined out of the G-10, so the spacer is not a separate piece like with other folders. As far as blade styles are concerned, the SMF, SNG, and PT all come with a spearpoint blade shape which is great for general purpose use. The SNG also comes in a tanto blade as well, giving a more tactical look to the knife. All models feature a sturdy titanium pocket clip to carry the knife tip up in the pocket. As far as options for the G-10 non lock side, you have a choice of black, green, or tan G-10. There is also the GG version in the same colors. There also are the Concealed Carry (aka “CC”) versions which feature a full contour G-10 and titanium lock side. All three folder designs are the same, just the sizes are different.

Strider SMF, Strider SNG, Strider PT

Let’s start with the biggest, the Strider SMF. Its blade length is 4 inches. Overall this is a large folder that is built for the biggest and toughest cutting tasks. It is a hand full, over 9 inches overall. Moving on, the Strider SNG is the middle size, with a 3 1/2 inch blade, and the original size of this new folder design. Finally, there is the Strider PT, the smallest folder of the bunch with a 2 3/4 inch long blade. The PT maybe a small folder but it is built very robust and is the lightest and easiest to carry of the bunch. It is an excellent choice for everyday carry. If you love tactical folders, then Strider has one that will suit your tastes and budget.

STRIDER FIXED BLADES:

While the folders are hot, Strider’s fixed blades still continue to be big sellers for the company. Don’t expect any dainty bird and trout knives here! Expect more like brawn, brute, stout, and full on tactical with any Strider fixed blade. What we have here is a wide variety of fixed blades designs, with varying blade lengths, blade shapes, and handles but all built with Strider’s legendary stoutness. Typical Strider fixed blade construction echoes that of their folders. Expect to find oversized handle bolts holding the G-10 scales onto the tangs of knives with such handle material, and thick blade stock for that “sharpened prybar” school of thought for fixed blade tactical design. Striders will withstand chopping, sawing, and prying as a result. To be frank, many Strider owners will say they trust their lives to their Strider knives when it comes to that and the chips are down. Strider offers up a variety of fixed blades of varying lengths and blade shapes so there is no doubt one – or several – that you will find to your liking. On the small end, we have the Strider DB and Strider SA models. The DB has a double ground tanto blade while the SA sports a spearpoint blade. These are perfect knives to have if you desire a tough tactical knife without the extra length. Don’t let their overall sizes fool you, they are definitely very tough and can withstand anything you can throw in their path. Your preferences run more to midsize tactical fixed blades? Strider has you covered for sure. The Strider MFS (My First Strider) has a broad spearpoint flat ground blade and cord wrapped handle. This blade shape lends itself very well to tactical applications as well as camping chore duty or even field dressing, so this knife is an all around performer. The Strider WP-T is an all-business tanto fixed blade, just your basic tanto shape but done up with Strider style and attitude. The HT-T and HT-S models feature your choice of either a tanto blade or spearpoint blade, respectively. Their blade spines feature serrations, enabling the HT series to be effective double edge cutters, two knives in one if you will. They definitely have an edgier appearance to them so to speak, an aggressive attitude! And Strider does offer a hunting specific fixed blade, dubbed the RS. It is a skinner pattern with a guthook in the blade. With S30V being used as the blade steel, as with all the other Strider fixed blades, you are guaranteed the edge will last through several field dressing sessions without giving out like lesser steels can do. For you large fixed blade fanatics, listen up. Strider offers quite a few choices in this department, starting with the D9. It features a spearpoint blade with a run of serrations on the blade spine. Or the MT, a less aggressive looking drop point fixed blade. The Mk 1 Mod 10 model is where it’s at! It is just a big, beefy, and tough tactical fixed blade that is overbuilt in a nice way. You definitely cannot hurt this knife! The BN SS is a double ground tanto with the serrations on the blade spine. At 13 inches overall, you can expect this to be a knife that you can count on as both a tool, and a weapon if need be. And the EB LT and EB LS models are more utilitarian in nature, with the former sporting a tanto blade with serrations on the blade spine, and the latter a flat ground spearpoint blade, they are great field carry knives. And for specialty fixed blades, there is the radical looking MV with its upswept, Persian style blade and the Strider/Tarani karambit, a Strider-ized version featuring a hook shaped blade of S30V steel, and the ubitiquous finger ring that defines karambits. For handle materials for the fixed blades, Strider uses either paracord wrap in black, OD green or tan cord. For the G-10 handled versions, choose from black, green, and tan on select models. Be sure to consult the variety of Strider fixed blades here at KnifeArt for more specifics on which models have what for the handle material. Please bear in mind that there are more knives to the Strider fixed blade line than what was discussed here. Be sure to refer to the fixed blade section here on the KnifeArt site for a full run down of what they have to offer, or visit Strider’s website at http://www.striderknives.com.

Strider Custom Knives

While the production Strider offerings are pretty radical, edgy, and make a bold statement in your choice of edged tools – perhaps you desire more than just the standard offerings discussed above. How about a Mick Strider or Duane Dwyer custom knife? Mick and Duane are accomplished custom knifemakers in their own right, and they enjoy turning out limited run pieces of variants of their production knives. Really popular sellers right now for both gents are custom versions of the PT, SNG, and SMF folders. Sometimes, expect to see slightly different blade shapes from the standard spearpoint and tanto blade shapes. There maybe recurves, drop points, and aggressive swedge grinds. Also, there are compound grinds on a blade, affectionately known as the “Nightmare grind”. A compound ground blade usually has two different blade grinds on it such as flat grind and a hollow grind. The Nightmare grind is something that only can be duplicated by hand and gives the knife an extra eye catching appearance to it. Mick and Duane will also use different blade steels besides S30V, such as VIMCRU20, VC20, 60 NiTinol PM, CPMD2, and stainless damascus. Handle materials range from titanium to carbon fiber, to G-10. The idea here is to build a rather unique version of standard folders that have a bit of flair, style, and attitude not found with the regular production line. There are also one-of-a-kinds as well, where they may turn out a rather unique folder design here and there. They also do custom versions and unique one-of versions of the fixed blades as well, varying the handle and blade materials. For the true Strider Knives fanatic, owning a custom Dwyer or Strider piece is the pinnacle of their Strider desire and collection. One other item that is worthy to take note of. If you see a custom version that you like, it is best to grab it immediately as you never know when they may make another one exactly like it! That’s the draw of shopping for a Dwyer or Strider custom knife.

STRIDER & STARLINGEAR

Another exciting and rather unique line of knives Strider offers is an on-going collaboration with Starlingear. Starlingear is a world renowned company that makes custom jewelry pieces and with the pairing of such a company with Strider Knives only gets one’s imagination turning as to what this dynamic duo is capable of turning out. Hence we have the Starlingear editions of Strider Knives. These editions are the most exquisite Strider knives that you will find anywhere. They may feature Damascus blades, or regular blades with special laser etchings, titanium handles with laser etchings, and an included lanyard with a genuine Starlingear bead in it. The laser etchings may have the Strider and Starglingear logos incorporated into it. And with these knives produced in extremely limited numbers, this only increases the demand for the Starlingear/Strider knives. For the ultimate in Strider limited edition collaborations, look no further than the Starlingear edition knives. No doubt, a knife like this will be the centerpiece of your collection.

From the rugged tactical folders, brawny fixed blades, highly desirable custom made versions, and the ultra-exquisite Starlingear versions – Strider Knives has all the bases covered. They build knives that are designed and built for hard use in mind; they definitely are built up to the standards that military grade gear is built for. You might have heard at shows or read on the knife discussion forums on the Internet – all the hype about Strider Knives. Well, believe the hype because it is true. Strider is a company that not only builds great edged tools but they also provide top notch service after the sale. Should your Strider knife ever need work on, know that the Strider guys will definitely take care of you for they stand behind their products 100%. When you purchase a Strider knife, not only are you purchasing a top quality USA made product but you also join an elite club of knife consumers whose tastes are simple – they only want the best.