Anybody dissapointed with new Schrade?

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Nathan Dewey

Nathan Dewey

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About a month ago, I went to K-Mart and bought a Schrade Old Timer Middleman Jack to replace the one I had when I was younger. Long story short, I learned a very hard lesson about doing research before throwing anything "old and broken" away. It's not a horrible knife, but I can't help but think it's not worth the $20.00 I payed for it. So, I'm looking for your opinion on this matter. Aside from the obvious like all their knives now have stainless steel blades and they're all made in China, what's your opinion of Schrade knives made today?
 
I don't buy chinese knives. I wish I could go back in time and pick up a brand new U.S. made LB7.
 
Nathan,
WOW... prepare for an earful. I do not personally have experience with the Chinese impostors (sorry, not a lot of love here), but there are many who have personally experienced them. Some have bought them just to see the difference, some have been duped into them by less than honest sellers. I myself have my eye on a 171UH that one day I will buy from a friend just to see how it compares, and then no doubt wish I hadn't! haha

You are sure to get a few replies to this thread!

Greg
 
I thought they looked bad when they came out, and I think they look worse now. I never considered buying one. I handled a couple of them in retail stores to look at them. They did not feel right either. :thumbdn::thumbdn::thumbdn:
 
Nathan Dewey said:
About a month ago, I went to K-Mart and bought a Schrade Old Timer Middleman Jack to replace the one I had when I was younger. Long story short, I learned a very hard lesson about doing research before throwing anything "old and broken" away. It's not a horrible knife, but I can't help but think it's not worth the $20.00 I payed for it. So, I'm looking for your opinion on this matter. Aside from the obvious like all their knives now have stainless steel blades and they're all made in China, what's your opinion of Schrade knives made today?
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Stelth said:
I don't buy chinese knives. I wish I could go back in time and pick up a brand new U.S. made LB7.
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There is no need to go back in time to buy genuine U.S.A. made Schrades. One of the best things about the success of Imperial Schrade was that they made huge numbers of knives. And huge numbers of them survive today new in the factory box if you are willing to look for them. No, not at Ace Hardware, K-Mart, Wal-Mart etc., but on the knife collector market. Often, common knives like the 34OT and LB-7 can be bought in near new, if not actually new condition, at or below their last MSRP (2004).

My opinion of the Taylor Brands LLC knives being imported from factories in China? They are inexpensive Chinese knives made to the price point specified by the importer and marked with nostalgia marks owned by TBLLC. But those marks do not make them "Schrades". "Schrade" is now a merchant's mark, not a maker's mark.

Having examined a few of the sheath knives first hand, I was not impressed by the fit and finish on them. But they are what they are, imported knives intended to sell for the same price that the real ones sold for thirty or forty years ago. At the time that the real ones were selling for $20 +/-, knives such as these (they were coming from Japan then) sold for $2-$5.

Yes, the Chinese factories (some of them) are quite capable of manufacturing much better, even high quality knives. But that isn't what this particular merchant ordered.
 
Well I have experience with ALOT of Chinese Schrades and I can say they aren't worth a pot to crap in or a window to throw it out of,in short they suck for the price I never much cared for em for that price you can actually buy a Benchmade NRA slipjoint sure they're made in Taiwan but at least they're good knives with the 9CR13MOV steel blades,black linen micarta handle scales and excellent construction.

P.S. sorry for the rant.
 
I am disappointed that Taylor Brands has treated the Schrade name the way they have. The advertising is such that if one did not know, one would think that nothing has changed with the quality and construction of Schrade knives since 2004. IMHO, they now make a cheap imitation and try to capitalize on the Schrade name. Some of their advertising even calls their knives "collectible". They are only collectible in that they can be gathered up.
 
....the most collectable Taylor Schrade would be a "Second" if one existed as they have no quality control none are rejected....genuine USA Schrade seconds were common and many are hard to tell what was wrong with them....as you know Schrade used to put 'xx' through the tang or just obliterate with a grind mark through one of the Tang stamp words.....ever seen a Taylor Schrade second....now that would be something grotesque and a unique collectable.....I got caught with one of their "First Production" run Sowbellys that had sheep horn coming out at right angles to the scale and it would have been difficult to even pack it in the box....I was sent/ given a Taylor Schrade Golden Spike by a mate with a weak sense of humour....I threw it in my fishing tackle box and it rusted all over quick smart....unbelievable for a supposedly ""Stainwess Steel" blade..
Built down to a price and they bring little on Ebay cos thats what they are worth...bet the Chinese dont use them!.Hoo Roo
 
Once a Shitrade always a Shitrade

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The thing I hate most about new so-called Schrade knives is, people keep asking about them in this forum, and wasting bandwidth!
 
I never would give them a chance. No interest WHATSOEVER of discussing Taylor knives. It is common knowledge they SUCK!!!! This is a SCHRADE USA forum, not a Taylor forum.
 
thawk said:
I never would give them a chance. No interest WHATSOEVER of discussing Taylor knives. It is common knowledge they SUCK!!!! This is a SCHRADE USA forum, not a Taylor forum.
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Right on thawk , BLACKBAN their posts or send me in .:thumbup:
 
Well, thanks for all your help. I know there are better knives out there for the price point, I just wanted to know the tangible differences between Shrade USA and Shrade Taylor. Take care, everyone. :)
 
It is an often forgotten fact in this forum that Schrade USA was in the process of importing China made knives for sale in the US when things all went to hell.
 
USA Imperial Schrade did import items from China and they still bring squat because they are crapp....the quality is not inherited by having the Schrade tang stamp...this is what Taylor failed to grasp.....after the initial sales due to mistaking the nostalgia marks...the knives now occupy a place of their own in the common knife market....crapp cheap mass produced knives to be thrown away when broken <which does not take long>....it will be interesting how long that market will be maintained...I will not be staking my life out in the Aussie bush on a cheap mass produced piece of junk which happens to look something like the quality USA product..i.e. these are not subtle differences the differences stand out like Ayres Rock when you feel and use them....have you seen how the cardboard reconstituted sheaths stand up to a good drenching? followed by a dose of 100 degree heat.....I wish I could get that hard.......
Jamo where is Larry in the above Stooge act..he was my favourite..he always sat on the fence not being controversial and he still invariably got poked in the eyes or led along by his nostrils....bit like life really!...Hoo Roo
 
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townsend said:
It is an often forgotten fact in this forum that Schrade USA was in the process of importing China made knives for sale in the US when things all went to hell.
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Yes they were, and you can still buy those imported ones for about 1/10th of the retail price from 2004. The traditional knives were not imported, still hold a pretty good price for most patterns. In my opinion, getting away from the traditional knives and branching out trying to make so many different lines was a part of the problem. The imported knives were not poorly made though, like the Taylor imported knives are now.
 
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