Modern Manufacture, High Quality Materials "Scout" Knife?

[ddcronk]

Like many of you here, my first knife was a "boy scout" style knife. Mine was a cheapo - I bought it off of a swap-meet blanket for a dollar. The scales were plastic, the blade was thin, but I loved that knife and carried it with me everywhere. During one of my many moves in my adult life, that knife disappeared. Scout knives have been on my mind as of late, and I'd like to get another one, albeit a slightly higher quality one. A homage to my first pocket knife.

First, let's define what a scout knife is: to me, a scout knife is a four-tool knife, consisting of spear-point blade, can opener, bottle opener/screwdriver, and awl. It has a bail/loop.

What I'm looking for is a knife I can buy new, or like-new. High quality materials are a must - carbon steel blades preferred, with real bone/horn scales. The tools must be sturdy and useable.

I know Case makes a scout-pattern knife, but the blade shape is thin, like a pen-knife, and it doesn't look anything like the traditional spear-point blade on old scout knives.

The only other two makers I know of who make a high-end scout knife are Queen and Schatt & Morgan, but I've heard of fit and finish issues with both brands. Anybody have personal experience with these?

I appreciate all recommendations/comments. Thanks for your time!

 

[HeathH]

I'm aware of, but have no first-hand experience with two,

AG Russell had a "Premium Scout Knife" in 154CM a few years ago. I see them pop up on eBay and I've seen a couple on the exchange here as well - a WTB ad may get you there too.

Additionally, there's the G. Sakai Fieldman Trekking tool. It is similar to a scout, but probably falls a little more in-line with a Victorinox Tinker, with the 90 degree Phillips screwdriver and awl on the back side - ZDP189 on the main blade on that one.

Again, I have no first-hand experience with either, but based on the bit of research I've done, they seem to have good F+F. Beyond those, customs are always available, but I imagine that would be pretty cost-prohibitive, at least for me

 

[Rich S]

Rough Rider, Frost, Boker Magnum all make nice "scout" knives. The best IMHO is a Victorinox Pioneer.
Rich

 

[afishhunter]

Not carbon steel, but both Rough Rider and Marbles makes a high quality 4 blade scout knife. If memory serves, one has the old style can opener. Both have jigged bone covers.

They are mentioned and pictured in the Rough Rider and related thread.

Marbles also makes a very nice rendition of the old Camillus 1760 "Demo" knife, which is every bit as good as the originals. I can say that since I have one of the originals made by Western, under a Gov. contract at some point.

 

[Jody744]

Queen has one also, I lost my red bone one a few years back

 

[Buzzbait]

I'm afraid that the pickings are rather slim. If you want knives of non-Asian manufacture, the picking are super-slim. With the necessity of the traditional 4 tools, bone covers, and carbon steel blades, there's really not much. The current Queen scout will give you a D2 blade, but stainless tools. Quality is pretty spotty. But if you get a good one, you have a great knife. Note that the blade is very thinly ground, as is the screwdriver.

If you can live with stainless, AG Russell made some Premium Scouts many years ago, in both bone and stag.

If you can live with huge and a a non-standard tool configuration, GEC recently did a run of #98 Texas Camp Knives.

If you want a basic good quality scout, that doesn't meet all of your criteria, look at Delrin covered models. On the secondary market, the knives to look for are:

1. Camillus 99 - Stainless or carbon. Delrin covers.
2. Camillus-made Kabar 1152 - Delrin covers.
3. Camillus-made Boy Scout knives - Stainless or carbon. Delrin covers.
4. Camillus C4 - Stainless 5-tool design. Delrin covers
5. Camillus-made Remington R-4 - Stainless 5-tool design. Delrin covers
6. Schrade-Walden manufactured Craftsman scouts - Don't know much about them. Looks like Delrin covers.
7. Camillus-made AG Russel Premium Scout with micarta covers - Stainless. 154CM blade
8. Camillus-made Western 901 - Stainless with Delrin Covers
9. Queen-made Robeson ShurEdge - Same as a Queen 99, but with ATS-34 main blade

I am not mentioning older Imperial, Colonial and Ulster scouts, as the manufacturing processes, from what i understand, did not exactly create very sturdy knives.

Personally, I'd find a like new Kabar 1152 and be happy with an awesome knife. Have a BF member modify it with bone covers, if you like. If you really want awesome, track down a Camillus WW2 Engineer's knife. It's exactly what you're after.

Scouts are tough knives to collect, with traditional quality in mind. They were designed for kids to use, which meant they were either disposable (shell knives or Swinden key construction), or made indestructible (no natural covers and preferably stainless steel).

Kabar 1152

GEC Texas Camp knife

AG Russell Premium Scout

Queen #99

Camillus C4

Remington R-4

Western 901

Robeson ShurEdge

 

[btmccutcheon]

Boker has a really nice if not overdone scout type.

https://static.boker.de/images/zoom/110182r.jpg

 

[The Zieg]

I have a Western. It's a terrific knife. I hear the prices for these are reasonable despite their being collectable.

Zieg

 

[Will Power]

You could look for a Weidmannsheil from Germany: wood, horn, bone or stag, all carbon.

 

[ddcronk]

Boker has a really nice if not overdone scout type.

https://static.boker.de/images/zoom/110182r.jpg

Four tools only for me. The cork-screw and extra blade ruin an otherwise nice knife.

 

[ddcronk]

I'm afraid that the pickings are rather slim. If you want knives of non-Asian manufacture, the picking are super-slim. With the necessity of the traditional 4 tools, bone covers, and carbon steel blades, there's really not much. The current Queen scout will give you a D2 blade, but stainless tools. Quality is pretty spotty. But if you get a good one, you have a great knife. Note that the blade is very thinly ground, as is the screwdriver.

If you can live with stainless, AG Russell made some Premium Scouts many years ago, in both bone and stag.

If you can live with huge and a a non-standard tool configuration, GEC recently did a run of #98 Texas Camp Knives.

If you want a basic good quality scout, that doesn't meet all of your criteria, look at Delrin covered models. On the secondary market, the knives to look for are:

1. Camillus 99 - Stainless or carbon. Delrin covers.
2. Camillus-made Kabar 1152 - Delrin covers.
3. Camillus-made Boy Scout knives - Stainless or carbon. Delrin covers.
4. Camillus C4 - Stainless 5-tool design. Delrin covers
5. Camillus-made Remington R-4 - Stainless 5-tool design. Delrin covers
6. Schrade-Walden manufactured Craftsman scouts - Don't know much about them. Looks like Delrin covers.
7. Camillus-made AG Russel Premium Scout with micarta covers - Stainless. 154CM blade
8. Camillus-made Western 901 - Stainless with Delrin Covers
9. Queen-made Robeson ShurEdge - Same as a Queen 99, but with ATS-34 main blade

I am not mentioning older Imperial, Colonial and Ulster scouts, as the manufacturing processes, from what i understand, did not exactly create very sturdy knives.

Personally, I'd find a like new Kabar 1152 and be happy with an awesome knife. Have a BF member modify it with bone covers, if you like. If you really want awesome, track down a Camillus WW2 Engineer's knife. It's exactly what you're after.

Scouts are tough knives to collect, with traditional quality in mind. They were designed for kids to use, which meant they were either disposable (shell knives or Swinden key construction), or made indestructible (no natural covers and preferably stainless steel).

Thank you for this excellent and informative post!

 

[John A. Larsen]

I got a Western 901 that must have been a "Second" as Western had a line engraved thru it, but the only thing wrong was the end of the awl. A couple minutes with a diamond hone and it was squared away, and for $10 it is a great knife. John

 

[300Six]

I don't know what "Boy Scouts" are doing nowadays but I 'tossed' my carbon steel Official Scout knife in 1966 or 67 after I found an exotic (sure was at that time) red SAK Spartan in the lawn at a public swimming pool near Ottawa. Rural kids might not know squat about shaving sharp but they do gravitate towards whatever proves handy for ordinary use. That wonderful Spartan (which had no provision for toothpick or tweezers) displaced the Scout knife in fairly short order. Typically I hid away former 'goodies' but in this case never did; the Scout knife has never turned up anywhere in any of my now-become-old boxes of nostalgia. When I say it was 'tossed' it probably was.
Good luck on your quest!

 

[neal70]

Didn't realize the Robeson Shuredge had an ATS-34 blade on it. Very cool! Do you happen to know the specific years those were produced anyone? I've seen it suggested that the recent Camillus WWII replicas (all steel covers, but that can be corrected) have a 12c27 main blade. Anyone aware of the truth on that one?
Thanks, Neal

 

[Buzzbait]

Didn't realize the Robeson Shuredge had an ATS-34 blade on it. Very cool! Do you happen to know the specific years those were produced anyone?

I honestly have no idea. But I'm inclined to believe that it was a single run, as they're very hard to track down.


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[deltaboy]

Hit the WWW.

 

[deltaboy]

 

[J_Curd]

Thank you for this excellent and informative post!

Indeed.


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[btb01]

AG Russell had a "Premium Scout Knife" in 154CM a few years ago. I see them pop up on eBay and I've seen a couple on the exchange here as well - a WTB ad may get you there too.

AG Russell Premium Scout

Those AG Russell Premium Scouts are beautiful (especially the jigged bone), but they aren't easy to find. I've been trying to locate one for a while without any luck. Never actually even handled one, but they look fantastic and I've heard the quality is great!

I know Case makes a scout-pattern knife, but the blade shape is thin, like a pen-knife, and it doesn't look anything like the traditional spear-point blade on old scout knives.

The scout knife that Case currently produces is a smaller "junior scout," which explains the thinner pen-style main blade. You might keep an eye out for an older Case scout knife in a more standard size. I found this one (640045R) on the auction site a while back for a reasonable price (less than you would pay for, say, any GEC knife) in very good condition. It's a nice knife.

 

[neal70]

In fact I recently have seen the case full size Scout on the exchange, as well as the model with a small pliers on it.
Neal