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Bladeshow 2026
- Thread starter Medieval Peasant
- Start date
- Joined
- Jul 30, 2012
- Messages
- 633
I can't understand why Schrade doesn't display at any of the major shows. American Outdoor Brands, which also is the parent company of Smith and Wesson, paid $85 million for the brand in 2017. That's a lot of knives to sell.
I had a wonderful time at the Blade Show. It was really nice to meet folks behind the companies that I really enjoy. Attached are pics of what I came home with a comment or two about each.
Pic #1 - Scale/cover material for knives i'll be working on.
Pic #2 - SRM 258L - A knife company really appreciate. They produce some knives that match competition at three times the price. The blade is 140cr tool steel, which will rust, covered by two layers of stainless. They advertise to expect performance comparable to S35VN. I tested it against a much more expensive knife for cutting cardboard and am convinced that edge retention matches S35VN.
Pic #3 - Rosecraft Blades Barlow. They are another of my favorite brands. For my money, they deliver fit, finish & quality matching much more expensive knives.
Pics #s 4 & 5 - Bear & Son Barlow. I never purchased a Bear & Son before due to negative reviews about their fit and finish. I inspected every single traditional folding knife they had on display and only saw two that I wouldn't be happy with and I'm rather picky. This Barlow is very nice. I was able to speak with father/son team that own/run the business. I learned a lot and really enjoyed speaking with them.
Pics #5/6 - The only disappointing knives from the batch, though I've already learned a lot. I have a lot of inexpensive traditional folders from brands like Rough Rider, Marbles, Roper, Cattleman's Cutlery, etc... Most have blades made from 440a. I don't collect knives, rather I use what I buy. 440a performs much better than I expected. I was coming to the conclusion that 'gas station' knives no longer exist, though have changed my opinion now that I have these two. They were made in Pakistan. I source products for my business from Pakistan. My experience is that manufacturers there don't understand quality fit and finish the way that folks in the US, Europe and other industrialized country's expect. In my journey, I haven't found any sophisticated manufacturing there. Traditional pocket knives are usually made by hand, though the parts and components need to be well made and adhere to tight tolerances. We have had good luck with steel products, though good heat treating and correct formulation of steel aren't as important for what we do with it.
I found the trapper to be harder to sharpen than other 440a's I've honed. I can't really explain that. Surprisingly, it looks like edge retention from cardboard cutting is going to match quality 440a's that I have. There is a side to side play with the blades - enough that that I probably won't use it without doing a fair amount of pinning. if I weren't curious about blade retention, I would probably discard both knives.
I want to clarify - I'm not being critical of Pakistan. I've appreciated the folks I've met. My take is that they are good people trying their best to earn a living and feed their families in a country with little money and lower education levels.
One thing that really impressed me is how pleasant and approachable everyone was. I didn't purchase anything, though throughly enjoyed speaking with the founder of Alabama Damascus.
Pic #1 - Scale/cover material for knives i'll be working on.
Pic #2 - SRM 258L - A knife company really appreciate. They produce some knives that match competition at three times the price. The blade is 140cr tool steel, which will rust, covered by two layers of stainless. They advertise to expect performance comparable to S35VN. I tested it against a much more expensive knife for cutting cardboard and am convinced that edge retention matches S35VN.
Pic #3 - Rosecraft Blades Barlow. They are another of my favorite brands. For my money, they deliver fit, finish & quality matching much more expensive knives.
Pics #s 4 & 5 - Bear & Son Barlow. I never purchased a Bear & Son before due to negative reviews about their fit and finish. I inspected every single traditional folding knife they had on display and only saw two that I wouldn't be happy with and I'm rather picky. This Barlow is very nice. I was able to speak with father/son team that own/run the business. I learned a lot and really enjoyed speaking with them.
Pics #5/6 - The only disappointing knives from the batch, though I've already learned a lot. I have a lot of inexpensive traditional folders from brands like Rough Rider, Marbles, Roper, Cattleman's Cutlery, etc... Most have blades made from 440a. I don't collect knives, rather I use what I buy. 440a performs much better than I expected. I was coming to the conclusion that 'gas station' knives no longer exist, though have changed my opinion now that I have these two. They were made in Pakistan. I source products for my business from Pakistan. My experience is that manufacturers there don't understand quality fit and finish the way that folks in the US, Europe and other industrialized country's expect. In my journey, I haven't found any sophisticated manufacturing there. Traditional pocket knives are usually made by hand, though the parts and components need to be well made and adhere to tight tolerances. We have had good luck with steel products, though good heat treating and correct formulation of steel aren't as important for what we do with it.
I found the trapper to be harder to sharpen than other 440a's I've honed. I can't really explain that. Surprisingly, it looks like edge retention from cardboard cutting is going to match quality 440a's that I have. There is a side to side play with the blades - enough that that I probably won't use it without doing a fair amount of pinning. if I weren't curious about blade retention, I would probably discard both knives.
I want to clarify - I'm not being critical of Pakistan. I've appreciated the folks I've met. My take is that they are good people trying their best to earn a living and feed their families in a country with little money and lower education levels.
One thing that really impressed me is how pleasant and approachable everyone was. I didn't purchase anything, though throughly enjoyed speaking with the founder of Alabama Damascus.
