Strider SNG Review: A Great "Beater Knife" for $400? Maybe...
Published: 10 years ago
Here is my review of the Strider SNG tactical folder. While I won't classify it "outstanding," or even "excellent" given its $400 price point, it is most certainly not a bad knife. In fact it's pretty darned good! But in the midst of its true competition in the knife world, the Chris Reeve Sebenza, and perhaps more directly, the Hinderer XM-18, the SNG is solidly in the rear of that pack.
It's pretty solid, has rugged good looks, is a joy to operate and uses excellent materials. The ergonomics are outstanding for the most part, and its design lends itself to hard use, again for the most part. The weakesses of the SNG are its fit & finish, lock operation and ultimate strength (Yep, I really said that).
I think the SNG, and its big sister the SMF, which are solidly in the realm of "production knives" at this point, would be much better marketed against and priced comparably to knives that are truly of similar quality, like Emersons and ZT's, somewhere in the $200-300 range. As a $400 knife, the SNG survives on emotional attachment and reputation, not so much on objective quality.
All that said, I've really enjoyed having this guest blade in for evaluation and review, and I'll probably own one at some point. It is a very enjoyable knife to have at one's side. I just won't be paying $400 for one. A big thanks to Jon at "1all's Pub" for letting me have custody of his beloved SNG for a week. If you're not subscribed, get subscribed!
Here's his channel info:
http://www.youtube.com/channel/UCBY_I_DjNB-7nFO2nAB-umg
It's pretty solid, has rugged good looks, is a joy to operate and uses excellent materials. The ergonomics are outstanding for the most part, and its design lends itself to hard use, again for the most part. The weakesses of the SNG are its fit & finish, lock operation and ultimate strength (Yep, I really said that).
I think the SNG, and its big sister the SMF, which are solidly in the realm of "production knives" at this point, would be much better marketed against and priced comparably to knives that are truly of similar quality, like Emersons and ZT's, somewhere in the $200-300 range. As a $400 knife, the SNG survives on emotional attachment and reputation, not so much on objective quality.
All that said, I've really enjoyed having this guest blade in for evaluation and review, and I'll probably own one at some point. It is a very enjoyable knife to have at one's side. I just won't be paying $400 for one. A big thanks to Jon at "1all's Pub" for letting me have custody of his beloved SNG for a week. If you're not subscribed, get subscribed!
Here's his channel info:
http://www.youtube.com/channel/UCBY_I_DjNB-7nFO2nAB-umg