schrade advice needed

R

rprocter

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i have 100 or so knives; about 1/2 gathered during my first 55 years and 1/2 purposely collected in the last 5. i have only 1 schrade, a sharpfinger which has helped me field dress at least 20 deer. (i hade a 2 bladed one for 35 or so yrs. but lost it in the garden 2 yrs. ago). i would like to acquire a couple of Schrades.
i have read a lot of the FAQ here, but it has left me even more confused as to what the "real" schrades are.
i would like to but a couple on ebay that are excellent representatives of Schrades good workmanship. i prefer folders, 4 in. or more, 1 or 2 blades, lockbacks o.k. too. i would really appreciate it if the folks here familiar with Schrade could suggest a few models and years i could search for, as well as how to identify the "real mcCoy". it does not have to fit the preferences i gave, if it is a knife you really like, i would like to hear about it.
a brief explanation of Schrade/Walden/Taylor "whose who" would help too.
looking forward to learning about Schrade, roland
 
The basics; If it dosent say usa on the tang of the blade it is a real good sign that its china junk. If it says hand made its probablly a fake. If it has dessert wood handles or something really out of the ordinary it might be a fake. If it says on the tang schrade, usa, and probablly a number and or model it is good to go. It sounds like you might be in the market for a Schrade 8ot it is a 3 blade stockman very good knife and can usually be picked up for around $30.00. Uncle henry has some options too may cost you a little more cause most of thoes blades are stainless. Im sure some of the pros will come in here and give ya some more details.-good luck -Joel
 
Hi rp, so your thinking about putting a few Schrades in the corral. I have been hanging here less than a year and have gathered just enough information to buy off of ebay without getting stuck with a Chinese import. I think the key is in the USA stamping and type of packaging/box. There are a few old threads in this forum that describe the types and years of boxes. I personally like the Uncle Henry line of knives and would recommend picking up a few examples to see what you think. The 897UH and 285UH would be my first two choices, just to see what you think. Schrades quality, fit/finish and steel is as good as any Case or Remington I own. It really is amazing that a factory that mass produced, could hold quality in check as well as they did. I'm sure others will chime in here to further your education. Good Luck. Dave
 
i would like "real" Schrades, meaning those made in the Schrade factory, not the 2004 and newer made in USA at SMKW. so, how do i differentiate between these ? if what i am saying is all wrong, please let me know. thanks
 
As stated above, if it does not say USA on the tang, it is Chi-Com.
If the Ebay auction does not say, "made in USA" it may be Chi-Com, ask the seller if it is.
If it comes in a box of this color, it is Chi-Com. Even with the US flag, it is still made in China. I hope this helped.
5168_1_b.JPG
 
As far as SMKW goes, they sell a lot of Schrade-Waldens. If the ad says a new Schrade-Walden, it may be a knife made after the closing. Other than that, you will have to wait on the experts here.
A good way to tell, is to check the box color, if it is the new box,
dc_1_b.JPG

old blue striped box,
e3_1.JPG

or the older brown box,
d06b_1.JPG

you should be safe.
 
yes, very helpful. now as i carefully read (and between the lines too; i.e. what is not said) the ebay ads, i think i now can tell which are likely to be pre 2004 (and now, esp. if there is a box).
would still like to hear more about which are your favorite Schrade folders.
thanks again, roland
 
Roland,
You're looking for big folders? "4 in. or more, 1 or 2 blades, lockbacks o.k. too" I would start with the old 1960s/70s folding hunters - 127UH, the 125OT Mustang, the 227UH and the 225OT. Check out the LB7, the 7OT, 6OT, from the 80s and 90s - see if any of them grab you...

My personal favorite is the 4-pin LB7. Not a smart choice (it's too damn heavy to carry), but then I never was a 100% rational guy.

Good luck.
Kevin
 
well, i just bought a 4 pin LB7 with it's sheath (or is case the correct term here ?). won't be here for some time (Canada customs), but it looks to be in v. good shape; maybe it will have bolster numbers ? is it the older ones that do not have these numbers ?
 
thanks, i had read that and more, but my question is: were all 4 pin LB7's (1978 (or'77, i've seen both) to 1990) serialized ? i think i read somewhere that the first ones were not serialized. any info on this ?
 
Some knives continued to be assembled with four pins after serialization ended. There was a problem with the Delrin gapping which did not happen with the standard stabilized (Fibron) wood. I still cannot say definately the date serialization ended, except that the highest serial I have seen was BB56321

Were the very first LB7's serialized? I was not there. However I have a very early four pin numbered 0326.



The first LB7's were produced and shipped in late 1977, and appeared for the first time in the 1978 catalogs and advertisements.

This ad was dated July 1978.

Michael
 
Ya cant stop with just the LB7's.
Here are a few others.
OT-UH0009a.jpg

TTYL
Larry
 
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