- Joined
- Sep 14, 2003
- Messages
- 2,556
Robert did this one all on his own.
Again Enjoy.
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Robert Clemente
25 December 2005
Re: New Schrade 8OTY China Report
What does Classic mean anyway, but an item that has withstood the tests of time and has survived the onslaughts of impeccable scrutiny? So, is the original 8OTY a classic? Can a knife that was limited in its production and was offered only one year be called a classic in the truest sense of the word? I think not! The 34OT, the 8OT, the 152OTthese are classics. Calling a knife a classic after many years of obscurity does not a classic make. The upshot is that this knife is touted as a remake of a classic when it may be little more than a meager attempt at putting another knife over onto the buying public, one that is neither classic nor a good copy.
Given the other knives that I have seen and reviewed, I must admit I approach this knife with more than mere skepticism. The weight and feel of the knife is similar to an original 8OTY or even the 8OT, but there is where the similarities end. A Schrade knife is known for its tight assembly and detailed construction. Gaps and glue and goo are never found on an original Schrade knife. This knife is a copy, a decent copy, but a tell-tale copy. At first glance I notice the dark lines around the shield and the space between the handle and bolstersoh no, gaps filled with gunk that give the distinct darker color around the shield and bolsters. The handles are distinctly drab looking, like the knife has been kicking around in a box of grease, giving them a discolored look. The handle edges are more squared off than the original predecessor, which was a bit more rounded off and symmetrical. The brass center pin, on both sides, is surrounded by the markings on the handle material of the little tool used to hammer it into placenot a real finished look, to say the least. The spine tolerances are tight as they should be but are not flush with the handle material, giving that part of the knife an unfinished cheap look and feel. The blades seem normal as normal can be, but one does not know about the quality of the steel as to keeping an edge and sharpening ease. Schrade had a unique and distinctive tang stamp that alerted the user as to the type of Schrade steel being used in the blades. This 8OTY classic has nothing of that. The word SCHRADE is stamped on the main side of the blade tang with the model number on the back side tang (something Schrade never had done). Fortunately, or unfortunately depending on ones point of view, the word China is buried in a small medallion inking on the back side of the main blade along with a little 05 for the year. First Production Run appears on the back of the blade as well. One must wonder what happens when China sends over the third or fourth bunch of First Production Runs. Could we have a second and a third and so on? Am I being trite and over zealous? Of course I am! But, think of it this way. If a company is going to produce knives that for 100 years have proven to be some of the best in the world, that company should continue in the same traditions of knife-making and quality. Taking on the Schrade name and producing a substandard knife does not equate with reproducing a Schrade classic. This knife is neither a Schrade nor a classic; it is a yellow handle, three blade knife copy that is similar to the 1990 Schrade 8OTY.
I hope some will get my point.
Again Enjoy.
--------------------------------------------------------------
Robert Clemente
25 December 2005
Re: New Schrade 8OTY China Report
What does Classic mean anyway, but an item that has withstood the tests of time and has survived the onslaughts of impeccable scrutiny? So, is the original 8OTY a classic? Can a knife that was limited in its production and was offered only one year be called a classic in the truest sense of the word? I think not! The 34OT, the 8OT, the 152OTthese are classics. Calling a knife a classic after many years of obscurity does not a classic make. The upshot is that this knife is touted as a remake of a classic when it may be little more than a meager attempt at putting another knife over onto the buying public, one that is neither classic nor a good copy.
Given the other knives that I have seen and reviewed, I must admit I approach this knife with more than mere skepticism. The weight and feel of the knife is similar to an original 8OTY or even the 8OT, but there is where the similarities end. A Schrade knife is known for its tight assembly and detailed construction. Gaps and glue and goo are never found on an original Schrade knife. This knife is a copy, a decent copy, but a tell-tale copy. At first glance I notice the dark lines around the shield and the space between the handle and bolstersoh no, gaps filled with gunk that give the distinct darker color around the shield and bolsters. The handles are distinctly drab looking, like the knife has been kicking around in a box of grease, giving them a discolored look. The handle edges are more squared off than the original predecessor, which was a bit more rounded off and symmetrical. The brass center pin, on both sides, is surrounded by the markings on the handle material of the little tool used to hammer it into placenot a real finished look, to say the least. The spine tolerances are tight as they should be but are not flush with the handle material, giving that part of the knife an unfinished cheap look and feel. The blades seem normal as normal can be, but one does not know about the quality of the steel as to keeping an edge and sharpening ease. Schrade had a unique and distinctive tang stamp that alerted the user as to the type of Schrade steel being used in the blades. This 8OTY classic has nothing of that. The word SCHRADE is stamped on the main side of the blade tang with the model number on the back side tang (something Schrade never had done). Fortunately, or unfortunately depending on ones point of view, the word China is buried in a small medallion inking on the back side of the main blade along with a little 05 for the year. First Production Run appears on the back of the blade as well. One must wonder what happens when China sends over the third or fourth bunch of First Production Runs. Could we have a second and a third and so on? Am I being trite and over zealous? Of course I am! But, think of it this way. If a company is going to produce knives that for 100 years have proven to be some of the best in the world, that company should continue in the same traditions of knife-making and quality. Taking on the Schrade name and producing a substandard knife does not equate with reproducing a Schrade classic. This knife is neither a Schrade nor a classic; it is a yellow handle, three blade knife copy that is similar to the 1990 Schrade 8OTY.
I hope some will get my point.
