My New Favorite Knife

r redden

r redden

Joined
May 23, 2015
Messages
4,161
I have Been buying knives a long time and am very active on the traditional forum. I have gone through the tacticool folders, midtechs and Customs. For the last 8 or 9 months I have gone back to my roots and have only been buying traditional knives. I have over the years acquired some very nice knives CRK's GEC's Case/Bose Colabs and so on. Along the way I have also come to own a lot of older knives Imperials, Camillus, Colonial and on and on with lots and lots of Case,, Buck and rhe such. I have had a lot of Schrades but for what ever reason have never paid them much attention. I've given a lot away ad kept only a few as I said I just didn't really give them much thought, UNTIL YESTERDAY. I walked into the little outdoor store a friend of mine owns. He deals in used traditional knives and fixed blades so as usual I gravitated torward the display that houses them and spotted a green lockback. It was in really good condition so I gave him my $20 stuck it in my pocket and headed home. When I got home I took it from my pocket and started to check it out. And suddenly I realized that this was the knife I've been looking for all these years. I pulled out my sharpening stones and in no time it took an edge reminiscent of the razors used in barbershops of days gone by. Ergs were perfect and the green color on that 50t was just beautiful against the polished brass bolster on this bearheaded knife. This knife thrilled me like no other I have ever purchased so needless to say I need more of them. I would like to know if there is any way to date them, is new old stock available, does the + nark on the tang indicate stainless. What kind of stainless did they use were they available in carbon and if so what kind. Where I is a good place to buy them and if it's not a member dealer please PM me. I guess I'm about to do some reading and go on a buying spree.
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The only Schrade Knives I presently have.
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do a search of this forum for the 5OT and it will give you loads of information. first off yes the + generally means stainless. there is a way of dating them generally via the tang stamp but this basically is decades in time frame. also check out this site and it will give you the beginning of the 5OT when it was first offered for sale. look at the catalogs. some do have photos also on that site are photos of different knives to further wet your appetite. http://www.collectors-of-schrades-r.us/index.html (hint the 5OT makes its first appearance in 1987. )
welcome to our addiction. my favorite knife is the LB7 but i love all lock backs which the 5OT is one. check out the LB5 which is close in size to the 5OT but has a different blade shape.
 
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Your knife is a 5OTG. G for green handle as opposed to the standard 5OT, (in which the OT stands for Old Timer), and is brown in color. They did come in carbon and stainless blades. They were produced from 1991 to 2003 with stainless starting in 1993. The + in Schrade + stands for stainless. They are fairly common on ebay and usually bring $40 and up for NIB. It's a favorite of mine also. You may want to do a search for 55OTG too. It is the same knife with a thumb stud for one hand opening, a little more rare being made from 2002 to 2003. Have fun!
 
I have a lot of knife that look much the same as a 5OT
[I do not have a photo of my 3OTs or 5OTs]
The Green 55OT and 53OT are the same knife with a stud to open them.
The Blue Bone Set, had a 5OT with nice Peach Seed Bone handles.
Schrade also made a 5UH and a bigger 55UH.
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These smaller 53OT are hard to find. I got ten of them back in 2005.
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I have ten of these 5UHs, but only one of the larger 55UHs.

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I like the small 3OTs and have six of the early ones in Brown Boxes.
This is some Wood Ducks and a Green Duck 5OT... Ken.
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delmas2nd said:
on the 55OTG the blade only has an edge on one side, what is this called?
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Sounds like you are describing a chisel grind. I only have one chisel grind on a neck knife I had member Charlie Mike make for me but it is not a true chisel as it has a secondary bevel.
 
Nice score I've been looking for a pristine TG for not what they sell for on eBay for two years now, lol. Makes no sense as I normally don't blink, but it's the thrill of the hunt. Going to find my golden unicorn eventually. I get hot and heavy searching after Christmas in hopes of finding buyers sleeping, but the knife nuts seem to always be on the hunt.

@Isaac read above^
 
Thanks to all for the helpful info. Just goes to show no matter how long you are in this hobby or how many knives you own you can always find something "new" that you love.

koldgold said:
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This display is absolutely gorgeous Koldgold! :thumbup:
 
koldgold said:
What is the Yellow knife, I have not seen one of them. Ken.
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It is a newer Schrade import stockman pattern I bought a while back to check out the quality. I found it to be of about the same quality of a Rough Rider which
IMO is quite good.
 
Another variation is the 55UH which is a 2002 special order by Walmart. It has a liner lock and lanyard hole.
The 5OT Bruin, 3OT Bearhead 100th Anniversary and a factory stag handled 5OT.

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5OTG carbon
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5OTG stainless
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5OTG John Deere SFO
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5OT black
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Saddlebum said:
Another variation is the 55UH which is a 2002 special order by Walmart. It has a liner lock and lanyard hole.
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99.9% of the 55UHs also have a crack from the lanyard hold.

I note: No one has mentioned the smaller 53OT, that were shown in the 2004 Schrade price list.
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The 2003 Blue Peach-stone Bone 5OT, is the best 5OT I have seen. Ken
 
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koldgold said:
99.9% of the 55UHs also have a crack from the lanyard hold.
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Funny you should mention that. My personal experience is 50%. But I've only owned 2. My first one bought at Walmart was great. 2nd one bought on ebay has the crack, though it came with box and nylon sheath, here as the store bought one was clampacked.
 
koldgold said:
I would say, all of the 5OT, 55OT and 53OT with the brass bolster; all have stainless blades.
All Schrade stainless blades were not stamped "Schrade+" ... Ken
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Imo not all are stainless. My non + marked blade has developed a patina and has a totally different
feel when using or sharpening. Not to mention appearance.
Also, magnetic attraction is stronger with the non + model than with the three + marked blades.
[I have a new old stock LL Bean 5OT+ model also, not shown.]
I'm not 100% on it being carbon but the non plus marked one exhibits different characteristics than the others.
Harold
 
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