![]() ![]() Hollow ground blade on the SNG with some vertical grind lines visible in the stone wash.Ĭomparing the two, the SNG has a slightly longer and thicker blade and is lighter. The 3.4″ blade is flat ground CPM S35VN, 0.140″ thick and it weighs in at a total of 145 g. Both the MK2 and MK3 have a titanium frame and a G10 (black or green) presentation side, both sides are nicely chamfered to reduce hot spots in the hand. The MK3 version of the Dauntless has a stone washed blade in contrast to the the MK2’s bead blasted blade while the MK1 has an all titanium handle. Who actually makes them for TAD is still a mystery. For a production knife they are at the very top of the desireability scale (together with the ZT 0560 and maybe the Hinderer XM-18). However, whenever they become available they still sell out in minutes and are extremely sought after on the second hand market. Every custom Dauntless have had their makers special twist to the original concept and then in 2012 TAD announced that they would make a production version, purified to the very essence of the Dauntless and at least slightly more available than the 10-12 knives usually made in each batch of custom knives. It basically stipulates a folding knife with a 2.5-4” modified spearpoint blade with a single fuller and a clean handle featuring TADs three fullers. The Dauntless is in essence a concept or framework and not a specific product by TAD. TAD’s knife collaborations have reached iconic status and every once in a while they announce a new special run from either a custom maker or some well-regarded production company where thousands of persons enter a lottery for a chance to win a spot to buy one of the knifes they release. Strider has made a small run of SNG’s with Digicam blade and the TAD signature fullers that was sold exclusively through TAD. Triple Aught Design is not a knife maker per se but have had collaborations with different knife makers for quite some time. Triple Aught Design Dauntless MK3: G10 in green. Every design and engineering decision points to a knife made to stand up to hard use, and if you search on YouTube there are many who have tested to find the breaking point of their Striders without succeeding. The scale and backspacer is milled from a single piece of G10, together with the beefy pivot and the 0.165” thick blade stock that makes for an overbuilt and robust knife that still only weighs in at 125 grams. The shape is surprisingly ergonomic and let’s you apply vast amounts of pressure if needed. It has a large forward choil and jimping on top of the blade which means that you can really get down on the blade if needed. The Gunner Grip SNG we have here has a ¾ hollow ground spear point blade with a medium stone wash finish in CPM S30V with Coyote brown scale. In addition it’s available as a custom by Mick and Duane Dwyer (also of Strider Knives) in other materials with more or less wicked and experimental grinds (it was Mick Strider that coined the term “Nightmare grind” since it was so difficult to grind the compound forms). ![]() Not all finishes are available for each version, the tiger stripe blade is not available on the Gunner Grip, for example, and some are some more unusual finishes (like the Digicam pattern). There’s the basic “Lego” version (known so for it’s brick-like scale), the Gunner Grip with machined contouring and dimples on both the frame and scale to increase grip and finally the Concealed Carry which has a smooth contoured handle and no pocket clip. The SNG is available in a few variations as a production knife with different grips and finishes and a number of stores has had special runs made for them with other steels and blade shapes. The SMF has a 4” blade which makes it just a bit bigger than necessary for most people and that’s why the SNG is the overall more popular choice and 3.5” blades have become the de-facto standard in the tactical/general use folding knife category. The SNG is basically a smaller version of the SMF (“Strider Military Folder”, NSN 1095-0), the first folding knife ever issued within the USMC and the first in over 60 years to an individual unit (Detachment 1 of the MARSOC). What’s certain is that his knives have been a runaway success and are known for a rock solid construction, light weight, nice ergonomics, cool design and, of course, the military connection. Mick Strider is somewhat polarizing figure with a “military” background, but no one seems to be sure what he’s really done either in the military or as a contractor. Both are high-end production knives with 3.5” CPM steel blades, titanium framelocks, G10 scales and serves the same purpose as general purpose hard-use knives for the field. Two of the most iconic knives of the tactical folder knife frenzy the last few years are the Strider Knives SNG and the production Dauntless from Triple Aught Design.
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