Question on 55OTG spring tension

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philw

Joined
Dec 2, 2004
Messages
139
I aquired a 55OTG and was curious about the backspring tension. This one has no snap at all and just enough tension to keep the blade from falling open. The low spring tension lets it open easily but I wish it had a hair more to give it a more positive closed feel. Is this spring tension normal for this model?
What's up with the chisel grind? Anyone have any idea how long these were in production?
 
The 5OT was introduced in 1987 and last made in 1998. The 5OTG was introduced in 1991 and replaced by the 55OTG in 2002. The 55OTG was made in 2002 and 2003.

If you bought the knife recently, there is a good chance it is a second, or even pulled from Schrade's reject bins. The rejects were sold along with the other finished work and work in progress, and are unmarked as to their garbage can heritage, and are flooding the market now. Last retail price was $43.95, so if you got it cheap and are just going to display it as a "type", you got a deal. If you bought it to use, you loose. I don't know of a way to fix a lazy spring. I would think that it would require parts and labor better spent on another knife.

It is sad that the rejects are being marketed as Schrades now. Yes, Schrade quality slipped the last few years, but not as bad as the stuff they rejected up to the bitter end. Check the provenence of knives you buy now which could have been made this century. If it just came from a distributor, chances are it may be a reject.

Codger
 
I paid $19 for it which included shipping so I'm not overly troubled. I really liked the idea of the thumbstud with linerlock. I bought it because it seemed to be such an oddball compared to most of the OT series and thought it would be a good representation of what Schrade was trying toward the end. I think it would have been even better had they put a pocket clip on it and used the standard blade grind.
It must have been a poor sell since they only made it 2 years.
Good advice, Codger. I think I will stay away from anymore late model US Schrades unless I can handle them.
 
I recently bought a 55OTG also. My blade has great 'snap' and the lock is secure. But...

The action is very rough and the knife is difficult to open one-handed. A drop of 3-in-One oil helped a little. The worst, the brass finish on the rear bolster has been ground away, obviously during manufacture, perhaps to smooth an uneven joint. Luckily it's on the backside and won't distract from the knife's intended purpose in a pattern display.

A batch of unmarked Factory Seconds would explain your knife and mine. Only I'd consider them Factory Thirds, with structural/operational defects instead of minor cosmetic flaws.

Best Wishes,
Bob
 
I own several outright rejects myself. I knew what they were when I bought them. Some had a poor grind. Some had a mismatched handle. Depending on when they were tossed during production, they may be missing a shield, final grind, pin setting, or other operation. Some are just blade blanks with grind problems. Most I have no intention of using.

I look at them as orphan children with defects. Or as an archeologist would look at the refuse pile of a lost civilization, finding treasure in a broken arrowhead or pottery schard. The blanks give me a perspective on how the knives were processed, and the chance to make a Schrade-Codger if I so choose.

For the most part, when I want a pristine knife, it is one that was discontinued from the seventies through 2000, so it is not hard to find old dealer stock, or someone breaking up a collection, or setteling an estate. In any case, I do not collect them for their monetary value. There is nothing wrong with doing that, but I just collect what interests me. And that includes used knives in my favorite patterns. I can clean them, polish them, and restore them to excellent used, sometimes even near mint condition for display, or just use them as is without feeling any guilt. And there are some great deals out there on the less than mint stuff. Way below the last MSRP on the later stuff, and below estimated market value on the vintage.


Codger...rambling and effusing unsolicited opinions about inconsequential minutia again. :rolleyes:
 
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