Girls Just Wanna Have Fun: Marisa Strider Custom Knives

Marisa Strider is a knife maker and protégé extraordinaire of hubby and master knife maker Mick Strider. She makes artful knives from high grade titanium and from Damascus steel that she hand-forges in the couple’s shop.

Her custom knives display superior finishing and come in both fixed blade and folding models. Expect to see high quality custom versions of the Strider PT folder and the Tanto fixed blade, among others. Marisa’s keen eye, attention to detail, and superior skills are evident in every knife she puts her name on.

Characteristics of Strider Knives

Strider knives have a reputation as hardcore tactical knives that are engineered to hold up under the toughest conditions. They are commonly characterized by the tiger stripe blade finish, and the paracord wrapped handles on fixed blades, or the gunner grip texture on other knife handles. Their diverse knives range from every day carry (EDC) to military grade.

Most custom knives are limited editions and use different blade shapes, grinds, blade materials, and handle materials. Often a Strider custom knife will be a one-of-a kind version, which is one of the draws to these exquisite knives. Strider one-of-a-kind custom knives are knife connoisseurs’ collection favorites. The dynamic duo often collaborates on knives with other top makers.

Marisa Strider Knives

If you ever see Marisa Strider at Blade Show, or see her in an interview, don’t let the soft-spoken persona fool you. This woman makes some killer knives – on her own, and as collaborations with other top dogs like her husband or top tier knife maker, Doc Shiffer. John Willis of SOE, likened one of her Damascus folders – a $5000 EDC – to the Lamborghini of knives. On his YouTube channel, Willis says of Marisa’s highly prized knife, “Not only did she make the knives, she forged the Damascus that went into the knives.”

In Marisa’s collaboration with Doc Shiffer, her Damascus blade with his mirror grind resulted in a blue and purple finish so stunning that Willis described it as electric, appearing to be lit from within. Even the pocket clasp has a Damascus finish; it’s both amazing to look at and engineered for rugged use. You can check out many of Marisa’s knives on her Instagram page. The Custom Tanto Fixed Blade, SJ75 Baby Huey, and XL KVA are just a few examples of her exemplary custom work.

Custom Tanto Fixed Blade

A prime example of the excellent Damascus steel blade work by Marissa Strider is her Custom Tanto Fixed Blade-Strider Forged Damascus. This knife is a Japanese-inspired fixed blade piece with clean lines and expert grinds.

She doesn’t share her trade secrets when it comes to hand-forging her Damascus blades, but she shows her skill off beautifully with this knife. The sole authorship of the stunning 5.25” blade shows you how talented she really is. The entire length of the knife is 8.75”, and the handle is made of natural micarta scales – an excellent knife-making material that is super strong and stable. The high-end custom Marisa Strider Tanto stands out among the characteristically cool  Strider fixed blade line.

SJ75 Baby Huey

Blade Magazine praised Marisa Strider’s contributions to custom tactical knives with the Marisa Strider Custom Cobalt Damascus PT and the Marisa Strider SJ75 Baby Huey in their article “What’s Hot in Custom Tactical Folders”. Her Baby Huey is an everyday carry (EDC) folding knife that has a 3” blade; the handle length closed is 4.25”.

It’s a thin blade compared to the Sngs and has a thin hollow grind at the edge. The handle has a flat ramp with a sturdy pillar design. The Dragon-spine file work on the top of the blade is a unique design feature. The stone washed blade opens with the flick of your middle finger, smoothly and effortlessly. It’s very quiet. It also comes in a Damascus steel version.

XL KVA

Marisa Strider’s XL KVA is a departure from the hand-forged Damascus steel knives she’s so well known for. It’s a high-end, super functional custom fixed blade knife with full tang construction. The 4.75” medium-sized blade has a beautiful double hollow grind with stonewashed flat, satin grind, and a dropped point.

Although it is a fighting knife, the dropped point makes it a good EDC knife as well. The total knife length is 8.5”. The handle has carbon fiber scales and a ring at the butt. Marisa’s KVA comes with a molded kydex sheath that attaches to your belt with a comfortable Velcro loop. This smaller, lighter KVA is easy to carry and quick to deploy.

Which Marisa Strider knife is your favorite?