Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Jan Carter on January 26, 2014 at 18:21

Ricky,

I have not so I am very interested also in the responses

Permalink Reply by Ron James on January 26, 2014 at 20:48

When I collected Schrades, I was on another forum, and the reviews were really bad. Blades did not hold an edge, tips would break off, some were really hard to open, some had wobble in the blades, and some had very weak snap. 

I only had one, a fixed blade that I added to an order to get the cost up for free shipping. It actually seemed lighter than the original. It was ok as a beater knife, but would not trust my life to it. 

Permalink Reply by Ricky L McConnell on January 26, 2014 at 22:38

Thanks Ron, I was afraid of that. I know they are made in China , but some China knives now are better quality that they used to be. I hope to hear some more opinions.

Permalink Reply by Tom Chase on January 27, 2014 at 18:23

I have seen many Taylor Brand Schrades and I am personally not a fan! The coloring is way off the original Schrade USA Staglon and Delrin handle material. I can usually spot a Taylor Brand Schrade right away when I see a picture, they just don't measure up to the USA Schrades.

I have a couple of the Schrades that Taylor had made in the USA by Camillus prior to moving production over to China and the quality of those knives is good. I ended up with a couple of Taylor Schrades that were included in some lot buys I made for the USA types and they are lighter weight.

Just not a fan !

Permalink Reply by J.J. Smith III on January 27, 2014 at 18:28

I'm not a fan either, Ricky.  Definitely lacking in the quality department.

FeaturedPermalink Reply by Craig Henry on January 28, 2014 at 17:20

I was a huge Schrade collector back in the 1980's. The Taylor/Schrade knives make me feel.....how should I say it.......creepy?

Permalink Reply by Brad T. on January 28, 2014 at 17:50

Please don't consider the taylor brand Schrades as Schrades. It belittles the domestic brand by comparing the 2, as there is no comparison. Every Chinaschrade I have handled has been lacking in several areas, fit & finish being number one. As Tom stated above the color hues for their handles are just...off.

Permalink Reply by Ricky L McConnell on January 29, 2014 at 19:00

Thanks for the responses.  I too feel I can see the difference in the pics I see on Ebay .  I feel that I will continue to collect the old Schrades, and maybe some of the Canal Street Knives , but not the new ones. Maybe this thread will give a heads up to new collectors that are considering collecting Schrade.

Permalink Reply by Pat Kennedy on February 7, 2014 at 14:54

Short answer: not impressive. I bought a 3-knife "collector set" because it has a whittler in it, which is not too common in the saw cut delrin Old Timers of later years. As observed above, it is noticeably lighter in weight and the coloring of the handle slabs is off. As I don't carry it daily, no opinion as to it's sturdiness but it doesn't have the genuine feel of domestic Old Timers.

Permalink Reply by Ugly Old Guy on August 28, 2017 at 17:49

I've bought a couple Taylor Schrade Old Timer 7OT's, a Uncle Henry LB7, and a Hammer Bramd 4 blade Canoe, a couple years ago, and just recently a Old Timer 95OT Large Trapper and 12OT set.
The latter two made by BTI Tools.
I also have a Schrade (USA) Old Timer 7OT and 6OT.
The Taylor Schrade 7OT and LB7 both have 440A blades, as do the 7OT and 6OT Schrades made in the USA.
Yes, there is a slight difference in the color of the Delrin scales. (Big deal, that does not affect how the knife works. I'm quite sure that there are color variations from one batch of Delrin to the next when Schrade was made in the USA, too.)
As far as fit and finish goes, there is no difference between those made by Taylor Schrade and Schrade USA.
Regardless if USA or Offshore, there is no blade play, lockup is right, and the blades are centered, on all my examples.
As far as the blades holding an edge, and for ease of sharpening, there is no discernable difference between the 440A used by Scharde USA and the 440A used by Taylor Brands, in my experience. (and yes, this was confirmed in an independent neutral 3rd party comparison over at Blade Forums, which just happened to use a Case with True Sharp blades, as a reference. Both the Schrades held an edge noticably longer than the Case, by the way.)
I do not know how the newer BTI Schrades compare to the USA or Taylor, since BTI uses the Chinese equivalents of 440A and 440C, depending on model. (for example, the 858OT uses the 7CR17MOV equivalent of 440A, while the 858OTB uses the 9CR18MoV(?) equivalent of 440C.) Regardless, the 440A used by Schrade USA and Taylor Brands have a good heat treat.
As for the BIGOTRY of "... I won't buy a Schrade (or Buck) made in China ... I want to support a USA conpany ..."
Here is a news flash for you:
Taylor Brands is a USA Company.
BTI Tools is a USA Company
BUCK is a USA Company
Smokie Mountain Knife Works (owner of the Rough Rider and Marbles brands, among others) is a USA Company.
How is refusing to buy their products "supporting" a USA company?
Here is another news flash for you:
Your Computer, Tablet, Phone, (yes, including all the Apple/Mac's) and the vast majority of the electronics in you automobile and home, were made in China. In fact, most of your automobile, regardless of make is comprised of parts made overseas and in Mexico, South America, and Canada.

Hate (or loathe) me if you wish. Heck, kick me out of this forum if you want. But the fact is, there is no real difference in the quality of the USA made Schrade's and those made overseas.
You may also want to remember that even before Schrade closed up US production and licked their doors, they WERE importing all the Imperial knives from Ireland, and had several popular modern one hand opener's made in both Japan and China.
Be the knives made in China now or somewhere else, Schrade is still a US company.

Permalink Reply by Jan Carter on August 28, 2017 at 19:50

Steve, 

One thing I can tell you about iKC, opinions count and everyone is entitled to one LOL.  We won't kick you off the forum.  Be polite and there is always a place at the table regardless of what you collect.

I have bought and gifted many Rough Riders.  My son collects them.  I don't know if there is a difference in before or after the doors closed, only because I was never a Schrade collector.  I can tell you with many of the other brands it is not so much the quality I notice right off it is 

1) fit and finish

2) weight in hand

3) that it hold an edge

a feather weight knife does nothing for me personally, I like a knife to be a good enough weight to give me confidence in the make

fit and finish drive me nuts.  I dont insist a blade be centered, I insist there be no play, no wiggle and that it not rub.  I also feel if your going to take the time to use good materials for a handle for goodness sake make it fit properly.

3 is self explanatory LOL. So I dont so much care where it is produced, just that it fits into what I think I want MY knife to be.  I also would prefer that the money produced by a product remained here in the USA.  The only reason I would prefer US factories is that I do not want the skills here to be lost as they were in Sheffield.

Permalink Reply by Ugly Old Guy on August 28, 2017 at 22:53

Thank you, Jan. Some get ... mightily upset ... if anyone says anything positive about the Taylor and later Schrade products.

I agree that a good quality knife jas no blade wobble. In fact, blade wobble is a deal killer for me.
Blade rub I am not fond of, but I do realise it can just be an effect of the pattern. Some knives, like a 2 spring 3 blade Stockman (or a 5 or 6 blade 3 spring Stockman) or a 4 or 5 blade 2 spring scout knife, or any single spring 2 blade knife can pretty much be expected to have at least a little blade rub. It is just part of the design.
A hard pull, is also a deal breaker for me. I have less than zero desire to have to fight with a knife to open it when my hands are cold and/or wet. That is one of the reasons I like the Buck 301. Others may say the pull is "too light", personally, I think it is just right. The springs hold the blades in the closed and open positions, and when you're using a knife properly, the cutting motion forces the blade open and the tang against the backspring stop.
And yes, regardless of cost or origination, there is no reason the covers should not fit against the liners and bolsters, nor should there be excessive gaps between the springs and liners.

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