Case/Schrade steel guide

wsyocum

wsyocum

Joined
Oct 28, 2003
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The Case CV thread reminded me of question I have meant to ask on here for a long time:
Is there any sort of guide or table or other source of reference available to allow the average joe the ability to determine the type of steel Case and Schrade knives are made from. I know Case has their CV and stainless steel and Schrade has 1095 and Tru-Sharp. Case even says on their website that you can go by the stamping on the knife or the box label or color. What if it is an older knife and/or you dont have the label or the box? I'm not sure if Schrade has a similar system....any insight?
 
wsyocum said:
The Case CV thread reminded me of question I have meant to ask on here for a long time:
Is there any sort of guide or table or other source of reference available to allow the average joe the ability to determine the type of steel Case and Schrade knives are made from. I know Case has their CV and stainless steel and Schrade has 1095 and Tru-Sharp. Case even says on their website that you can go by the stamping on the knife or the box label or color. What if it is an older knife and/or you dont have the label or the box? I'm not sure if Schrade has a similar system....any insight?
Click to expand...

Case:
1. Tru-sharp stainless (green box)
2. ChromeVanadium CV (white box) (a carbon steel)

Schrade:
1. Shrade+ (should see the + on the blade stamp) stainless, this is a 420 variant.
2. 1095 carbon steel

These are the main steels. Finding out which is simple, if you know it's a schrade or case, then you just need to see if it's carbon or stainless, all you have to do is stick the blade in an acidic fruit, vinegar or coffee for an hour or so. If they blade gets a nice patina (or maybe it is already gray from use if it's older), it's carbon.

For a work knife, go with the carbon in either.
 
Thats great if the guy you are buying it from will let you jam his knife into an orange or a cup of joe for a few hours while you decide if you are going to buy it or not. Or, perhaps, you do not wish to stain the blades of a boxless or unstamped knife in order to retain it's value for collector or personal reasons/purposes.
Some folks lose/misplace boxes...some of the knives aren't marked, so it looks like both companies have been inconsistent in differentiating between their types of steels.
I was hoping there would be some sort of indicator as to the appearance of the steel itself which would lend to deciphering which is which.
 
Some people (mostly non-smokers) can taste a difference in the metals. Some can smell a difference. Historically, Schrade did stamp a "+" after their name on their stainless blades, but not on all the limited editions (LTD). Uncle Henry series knives were mostly stainless. Old Timer knives were mostly carbon. Near the end, Schrade tried to switch all their carbon blades to stainless (without marking it as such or telling their customers), so if you locate a Schrade made before about 1991, you can be fairly sure that the blade is what it is supposed to be. Unless you have the box, this only really works with patterns you know were discontinued prior to approximately 1991. The date there is by no means absolute, just a generality.

Now, have I confused you enough?

Codger
 
The best thing to do is know what you're buying. Know what steel was used in the knife. There isn't always an easy indicator. Knowing what you're buying can also prevent you from being overcharged.

I don't think Case has been bad about marking their knives but I'm not an expert here. Learn how to read the tang stamps. This is an excellent reference

I'm not sure if you're talking about new knives, used knives or both. However a used stainless knife generally won't have a patina the way a carbon would, although it may be rusty or have some dirt.
 
Hey guys,

Thanks for the info.
I know a little homework and research goes a long way. I also know that sometimes there just isn't any way to know...
I think, with all the helpful insight given by you all, I should be able to make a fairly informed and posititive decision regarding a Case and/or Schrade knife and its steel.

Keep up the good work...carry on!

Scot
 
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