- Joined
- Jul 10, 2013
- Messages
- 1,123
So today I got off work early and drove an hour to check out a remodeled knife shop. The owner is a nice guy. Prices a little on the high side, and he doesn't have any traditionals of higher quality than Case, but it's a nice shop especially since his remodel and expansion.
I was a little hungry for a new knife but I didn't want to spend much. I finally got the chance to look at a few barlows I've seen online, but haven't pulled the trigger on because I haven't gotten consistant reports on quality. The first few I looked at were Bear and Sons, then on to the Uticas next to those. Next to that was the case of his Schrade offings, which I simply walked past. I grew up around Uncle Henrys and Old Timers and carried both. I am still saddened about Schrade closing and view Taylor Brand as trying to keep alive a shadow. I can also hear my dad and grandfathers telling me to avoid Chinese made knives. I wish they could see the half dozen Rough Riders I have now.
The owner and I talked a bit and he showed me maybe a dozen Case knives of a few patterns, and I showed him a couple of GEC's I had on me. After spending almost an hour I decided on what I wanted. And I couldn't believe what I had choosen.
My dad and his dad carried Case knives, and I have always loved them. I now own several, a couple of which were made between 1940 and 1964 and are still in great shape. The Case I've known are not just quality working knives, but are pocket jewelery too. Men who carried them knew and demanded quality. But all those pretty Case knives I saw today were disappointing. They were all pretty at first glance, but closer inspection revealed knives with off center blades, some already showing blade rub, gaps, uneven covers, and poor dye jobs. High prices on all of them, and all the ones I looked at I would have wanted to send back to Case. These were not the Case knives my father knew and bestowed to me.
My other grandfather was a farmer who only carried Schrade, Imperials, or Colonials. He worked his knives hard and poor eyesight kept him from locating more than one he dropped. He's the one who gave me my love for Barlows. So I went check the Barlows the owner had.
The Bear and Sons had gaps, gaps, gaps. Even the shield was fitted poorly. Poor geometry on the blades too, with grinds so bad it looked like they were trying to sharpen the tang. The Uticas weren't much better. They didn't have the gaps, but they also didn't have the same thickness on covers or bolsters, and there was that sharpened tang again. The blade etching was also off and crooked. Wow. American knives didn't used to disappoint me like this. But I couldn't bring myself to pay $30 - $50 for a knife that didn't look nearly as good as a $10 - $15 Rough Rider, which the owner had none. He said his customers would not buy what they referred to as that Chinese trash. So far, all six of my RR's looked better than what I'd looked at in his shop.
So I looked at the Schrades. Not as pretty as the Case by a long shot, but the blades were more centered, bolsters were polished and shiny, fewer to no gaps, covers and bolsters same thickness. And best of all, the edge stopped at a choil. These looked almost like the Shrades before Taylor Brand. They looked well made, professionally made at a fraction of the price of what I'd looked at earlier. So I walked out of the shop with a $19 Schrade 20OT Barlow.
I know I've gotten spoiled to how well a GEC, Queen, or other high end knife is put together, but I can also appreciate a well made Chinese knife as well such as RR or Shcrade. I don't know how the Chinese steel will hold up, but I feel better about holding a knife in my hand that doesn't look like it was just cobbled together. Maybe my high end addiction has made me a bit of a knife snob. But am I really, if I can prefer a $19 Schrade over a $30 - $60 American knife?
I used to think we showed the world what quality was even when we did it cheaply. I'm glad that the folks at GEC, Queen, CSC, etc. still provide excellent quality, but it's not cheap anymore. Maybe we could learn a little from the Chinese now.
I was a little hungry for a new knife but I didn't want to spend much. I finally got the chance to look at a few barlows I've seen online, but haven't pulled the trigger on because I haven't gotten consistant reports on quality. The first few I looked at were Bear and Sons, then on to the Uticas next to those. Next to that was the case of his Schrade offings, which I simply walked past. I grew up around Uncle Henrys and Old Timers and carried both. I am still saddened about Schrade closing and view Taylor Brand as trying to keep alive a shadow. I can also hear my dad and grandfathers telling me to avoid Chinese made knives. I wish they could see the half dozen Rough Riders I have now.
The owner and I talked a bit and he showed me maybe a dozen Case knives of a few patterns, and I showed him a couple of GEC's I had on me. After spending almost an hour I decided on what I wanted. And I couldn't believe what I had choosen.
My dad and his dad carried Case knives, and I have always loved them. I now own several, a couple of which were made between 1940 and 1964 and are still in great shape. The Case I've known are not just quality working knives, but are pocket jewelery too. Men who carried them knew and demanded quality. But all those pretty Case knives I saw today were disappointing. They were all pretty at first glance, but closer inspection revealed knives with off center blades, some already showing blade rub, gaps, uneven covers, and poor dye jobs. High prices on all of them, and all the ones I looked at I would have wanted to send back to Case. These were not the Case knives my father knew and bestowed to me.
My other grandfather was a farmer who only carried Schrade, Imperials, or Colonials. He worked his knives hard and poor eyesight kept him from locating more than one he dropped. He's the one who gave me my love for Barlows. So I went check the Barlows the owner had.
The Bear and Sons had gaps, gaps, gaps. Even the shield was fitted poorly. Poor geometry on the blades too, with grinds so bad it looked like they were trying to sharpen the tang. The Uticas weren't much better. They didn't have the gaps, but they also didn't have the same thickness on covers or bolsters, and there was that sharpened tang again. The blade etching was also off and crooked. Wow. American knives didn't used to disappoint me like this. But I couldn't bring myself to pay $30 - $50 for a knife that didn't look nearly as good as a $10 - $15 Rough Rider, which the owner had none. He said his customers would not buy what they referred to as that Chinese trash. So far, all six of my RR's looked better than what I'd looked at in his shop.
So I looked at the Schrades. Not as pretty as the Case by a long shot, but the blades were more centered, bolsters were polished and shiny, fewer to no gaps, covers and bolsters same thickness. And best of all, the edge stopped at a choil. These looked almost like the Shrades before Taylor Brand. They looked well made, professionally made at a fraction of the price of what I'd looked at earlier. So I walked out of the shop with a $19 Schrade 20OT Barlow.
I know I've gotten spoiled to how well a GEC, Queen, or other high end knife is put together, but I can also appreciate a well made Chinese knife as well such as RR or Shcrade. I don't know how the Chinese steel will hold up, but I feel better about holding a knife in my hand that doesn't look like it was just cobbled together. Maybe my high end addiction has made me a bit of a knife snob. But am I really, if I can prefer a $19 Schrade over a $30 - $60 American knife?
I used to think we showed the world what quality was even when we did it cheaply. I'm glad that the folks at GEC, Queen, CSC, etc. still provide excellent quality, but it's not cheap anymore. Maybe we could learn a little from the Chinese now.
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