Well Brians, I guess the others are leaving it to me to respond to this one first.
"My experiences with the Woodsman, good or bad"?
As long time posters and lurkers in this forum (and several other forums) will tell you, the 165OT is my favorite Schrade sheath knife pattern. I've used one for many years as my field knife (hunting, camping, fishing, general outdoors).
I've also collected and researched the pattern for years. Needless to say, I have more than one of these with about two dozen examples spanning the entire length of production, 1966-2004.
But I still own and use my original Schrade Walden Woodsman knife, purchased some thirty years ago, more or less. The fact that I would stick with that knife for so long (besides indicating my resistance to change for sake of change) suggests that I find it a very useful knife.
I have been a hunter since before I bought my first one and have used it to field dress and butcher hundreds of deer and other assorted game. It has never let me down. And I've never found a better designed knife to replace it, though I have augmented it and rotated it with a Sharpfinger since those new-fangled knives came out circa 1973-74. IMHO, anyone who can appreciate the Woodsman would be amiss to not try out the smaller (and nowdays more "sheeple friendly") cousin and utilize it as well.
As to listing the negatives of the Woodsman, perhaps my perspective is jaded, but I'll try. Of the two dozen I own and literally hundreds I have examined, I've not yet seen a blade broken, except slightly tipped or an abused edge, not hard to fix either.
The Delrin handles can be melted by high heat (campfire or skillet edge if used for a knife rest), and they can be scored, but it takes an effort to do so with a sharp instrument or a LOT of natural abrasion. The brown top dye on the Delrin can fade if left for a long period exposed to the sun.
The serpentine handle was adapted from Henry Baer's 1964 patented 15OT Deerslayer handle. I believe it to be a good design with either the extended choil of the 15OT or the guard of the 165OT. Nowdays we would call it "ergonomic". Back then it just "fits the hand comfortably".
Since many of them were produced before Schrade developed and perfected the process of "heating in" the shields, some earlier examples may be found on which the adhesive failed and the shield fell out. This was the reason my own original knife went back to Ellenville for repair circa 1997. But not only did they replace the shield, but sent it back to me in a new sheath. Service with a smile!
The pinned two-piece brass guard can loosen over time, rare, but it can happen. Easily fixed by peening the brass pins though. And the brass can develop verdigris, that green waxy stuff if left stored in the sheath. Most leather was acid tanned and it will discolor (tarnish) brass, as brass will discolor leather such as where the guard rests on the sheath in storage.
As a high production knife for many years, some examples will be found that don't exhibit perfect fit of the handle scales (not flush front or rear, top or bottom), over-sunken compression rivets, variance in the sabre grind from piece to piece, slight misallignment of the two guard halves (not meticulously reduced flush in the final finishing). For a high end collector knife, distracting, not so much in a knife that works for a living. (think "Sargent", not "Lieutenant"
)
The blade steel itself is a deal killer for a lot of people who believe only shiney knives are good. From it's introduction until it became a "limited edition and SFO only" pattern, it was made in 1095 high carbon cutlery steel and given Schrade's propriatary heat treat and quench. Carbon steel can rust if neglected, and many folks in this day and time consider this a defect, the fact that a knife requires an occasional bit of maintenance. In fact, trying to satisfy appitites for both steel types was a factor in their downfall, minor, but a factor nonetheless. It so happened that the newer generation of consumers were aghast that their knives discolored when they cut an apple, and returned them to Sears and Wal-Mart as defective. Schrade's deal with Sears and Wal-Mart required them to take them back regardless of the reason for the return and replace them.
Personally, I grew up with carbon steel and have no problem keeping it clean and sharp. Yes, some of the examples I own have minor spotting, and I keep a deep well-earned patina on my original user which prohibits rust like blueing on a rifle.
Here is an example of the 165 pattern with the handle and guard removed so you can see the construction:
You would think that the notches and pin hole provided to allow for the guard would substantially weaken the otherwise robust full tang blade, but I have never seen evidence of this, except with the thinner plain ground cousin, 160OT
Mountain Lion which uses identical construction.
It was, according to at least some evidence, more prone to breakage at that notched point. The Uncle Henry version of the
Mountain Lion, the 153UH
Golden Spike used a full hidden tang which did not include the notches (the single piece guard could be slipped on from the tang butt), and heavier sabre ground blade, avoiding the breakage at the guard.
Michael
