Knife Review: Pro-Tech Custom Strider SnG Automatic Knife

The Pro-Tech Custom Strider SnG Automatic Knife

Pro-Tech Knives, LLC is a knife company that has been around since 1999. They are a family owned company who designs and produces high quality American Made knives. Pro-Tech strives to use only the finest materials that are available and use the newest high-tech manufacturing processes. Because of this, you know that your knife is innovative, modern, and will last you a lifetime. To keep quality of their knives high and customer satisfaction higher, they manufacture their knives in small batches, around 12,000 each year. By keeping their batches smaller, they can take the time to hand fit and finish each individual knife, creating a level of quality that is hard to come by on factory made knives.

Today we will be talking about one of the newest arrivals at BladeOps, which is the Pro-Tech Custom blue and black Strider SnG automatic knife. This knife sports a Damascus blade.

The Blade:

The blade has been made out of Damascus steel. The name itself on this steel dates back to medieval cultures. The name does refer to a craftsmanship style that comes out of India. This was around 300 B.C. which was a time when craftsmanship was large. This steel name was most likely named for the region where it comes out of, in Syria. Damascus was originally used for swords. These swords were known to be tough, almost resistant to shattering, and even capable of getting a very fine edge on it.

At the time, Damascus steel was known as almost a superplastic, because it was hard and durable at the same time. Today, our Damascus steel can outperform the ancient Damascus steels, but many legends have come out of the Damascus steel history.

The Damascus steel is known for the bands and mottling that is welded together in a patterned fashion to create a decorative blade. Often times, this pattern is compared to flowing water. To create this steel, the manufacturer is going to combine different pure metals, depending on what they want to get out of the specific Damascus steel.

The blade is finished in a Damascus style, which is most often the finish found on a Damascus blade. Specifically, the finish is a Chad Nichols Damascus finish. This finish appears the way that it does because of how the steel is made. Like I mentioned, this steel is made when multiple different metals are melted together and then hardened. Because of the different densities, melting points, etc., the steel has a molted look to it. This Pro-Tech’s Damascus is swirly and rippled, almost in the pattern of “eyes” or knots that you would find on a tree. This is an elegant Damascus, one with a fairly traditional appearance to it.

This finish is known for being very beautiful—definitely more for aesthetic than performance.

The blade has been carved into a drop point style blade, which is the most common blade shape that you are going to find in the cutlery industry. The popularity of the shape is no surprise when you find out how tough and versatile it really is.

For starters, the spine of the blade curves down to meet the point, creating a lowered point. This is the first advantage of the drop point shape: the lowered point is going to give you more control. The dropped point is also broad, which is where the strength of the blade comes from. The drop point blade shape is such a popular option because it is so tough and strong. It is able to take on many different tasks without the concern of it breaking.

The last reason that this is such a popular option is because the belly is large. The large the belly, the easier it is for something to slice with.

The only drawback to the drop point is that because the point is broad, it does take away some of your piercing abilities. Typically, the pros far outweigh the cons for people who are using a drop point blade. This is also more of a show knife than a utility knife, as the Damascus steel is mostly there for appearance rather than versatility. This means that just because you won’t be able to pierce, you probably aren’t missing out on anything that you feel like you would need with this knife.

The Handle:

The handle on this knife is made out of G-10 as well as 7075-T6 aluminum. Aluminum is a very durable material for knife handles. This material is a low-density metal that provides for a nice, hefty feel to the knife without actually weighing the knife down. This is ideal for a knife that you will have with you at all times, because it is not going to weigh you down, but you are still going to have the heft that you need to take on a wide variety of tasks. When an aluminum knife handle is properly texturized, you can have a very secure grip that is comfortable enough to use for extended use. However, aluminum also has high conductive properties, which means that if you are using this knife in cold weather, it will probably be uncomfortable to use. The aluminum portion of the handle is black.

The aluminum has been covered in blue G-10, which is where you are going to get your grip from. G-10 is known for providing grip. And this one will add texture because there is a crosshatch pattern to the G-10, which creates more texture. With the combination of these two materials, you really won’t be able to go wrong. You should never feel like you don’t have enough grip.

The handle has a row of jimping on the spine at the top. This is a thicker jimping. The spien is then straight until it angles toward the butt. The butt flares out, creating an almost triangular shape to the handle. The belly has a shallow finger groove, which will add comfort ot the knife. There is a lanyard hole.

The Pocket Clip:

The pocket clip on this knife is designed for tip up carry only on the traditional side of the handle. This does mean that the knife is not going to be ambidextrous friendly, as you can only carry it on the single side. However, if we were to look at the pros of this, it does make the handle look more elegant, as there are no extra drill marks in it. Carrying a knife tip up is the more dangerous way to carry a knife, especially when it comes to an automatic knife. This is because if the knife accidentally opens inside of your pocket, it becomes harder to reach into your pocket to get the knife out. That being said, this custom Pro-Tech is a high-quality knife, and that should never be an issue. It is something you should keep in mind though.

The Mechanism:

The blue and black Pro-Tech Strider SnG is an automatic, or switchblade, knife. Like always, automatic knives have pretty strict laws behind them that vary depending on where you live. Make sure you know your local knife laws before purchasing this knife and especially before carrying or using this knife. You, the user or purchaser, are the responsible party, not BladeOps.

A switchblade knife works by pressing a button to automatically open the blade. There is a spring encompassed in the handle of the blade that has significant pressure on it when it is in the closed position. When the button is pressed on this knife, the spring is released, popping the blade out of the handle. A silver thumb stud on the blade stops the blade when it opens all the way. The blade is locked into place. When you want to close this knife, you press the button again, which unlocks it, and push the blade back into the closed position.

One of the only drawbacks to an automatic knife is the legality. However, some would argue that one of the other disadvantages to an automatic knife is that it is going to be harder to maintain than a manual knife. This is because the entire mechanism does rely on the spring inside of the handle. You have to keep the spring clean and dry for it to remain in the best quality. This means that you are going to need to be aware of what is getting inside of your knife. You will also want to clean the inside occasionally, just to make sure that the spring is not getting gunked up. Other than those two things, automatic knives are favored by many people.

The biggest advantage to an automatic knife is how quickly and smoothly it will open. All you have to do is press the button on the handle, in this case, it is inlayed with mother of pearl, and the blade will swing open, lock into place, and be ready to use. This means that you can easily open this knife with only one hand. This is important if the task at hand requires you to keep a hand on the task. It also means that in a situation where every second counts, the SnG is going to have your back. It will swing open more quickly than any other style of mechanism.

Most people feel that the pros of an automatic knife outweigh the cons of an automatic knife. This is especially relevant when you can legally have an automatic knife in your state or city. As far as automatic knives go, this Pro-Tech Custom Strider SnG is the way to go, as it is one of the best.

The Specs:

The blade on this knife measures in at 3.5 inches long, with a handle that measures in at 4.75 inches long. This means that when the blade is deployed, it is going to measure in at an overall length of 8.25 inches long. This is a fairly standard knife length, although it is going to be slightly longer than your typical EDC. Not so long that it feels absurd, it will just provide you with a small amount of extra length so that you can feel confident while using this custom Pro-Tech Strider SnG knife.

This version of the SnG weighs in at 5 ounces, which is going to be just in the sweet spot for an EDC. To get in this sweet spot, you want a knife that is between three and five ounces. It is this range that is going to ensure that you have all of the heft that you could possibly need for your standard tasks. However, this range is also going to ensure that you aren’t weighed down by the knife. You can see that this knife falls right at the end of the range, so you are going to have all the heft you could ask for. This means that while you are using this automatic knife, you can feel confident and secure, knowing that it has the weight to support your needs.

This Pro-Tech was proudly made in the United States of America.

Conclusion:

This automatic knife features a blue and black front G-10 handle scale with black anodized rear handle scale, mother of pearl inlay on the push-button, a drop point style blade in a Chad Nichols Damascus finish and the pocket clip is designed for tip up carry only.

This Pro-Tech Strider SnG automatic knife blends classic Strider design elements with the incredible Pro-Tech manufacturing system to create an auto knife you will never want to put down. This particular model sports great ergonomics and generous jimping for extra grip security. Also, the stainless-steel blades deploy lightning-fast and includes etchings of both Pro-Tech and Strider logos.

This is a limited run, which mean that there are only 30 units that you can get your hands on. This is a fantastic custom version of a popular knife, so if you want one, you are going to want to order yours today. Secure yours by clicking here to order right now.