Schrade Bush Blade

Absintheur

Absintheur

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Jan 31, 2008
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This is a case of shutting the barn door after the horse has already gotten out.

I order a Schrade Bush Blade today. I owned an Al-Mar Pathfinder years ago and still don't know why I sold it...other than greed :p ...but I have missed that big brute. Now Schrade is making an exact copy in 440C for under 35 bucks. I really do prefer non-stainless blades but have heard good things about 440C, most notably it is only slightly less preferable than ATS-34.

What are your opinions of 440C, would love to hear from some of the Smithies out there...

oh yea....here's the toy...

ZapSnap_965.png
 
Schrade went out of business. The trademark is now owned by Taylor Cutlery and used for knives imported from China. They're not really 440C either. Sorry.... :(
 
Its 8CrMov13 I think.
Pretty much anything out of china marked 440c is that.

Doesnt say anything about the knife though, I have heard some good reviews on it.
 
i have a schrade extreme bto1 and it's 440A and it takes a good edge,but doesnt hold it like 1095.
 
Brigade Quartermaster used to sell that knife. I broke mine doing light chopping. I was left holding a handle and had to go find the blade. I replaced it with an Ontario Survival Bowie, which I still have. I don't know who made mine, but it was a Brigade Quartermaster exclusive. I hope the Al Mar version was better. Good luck with your Schrade. It is a pretty knife.
 
I have a couple of friends who own and run a largish machining company, they said it would be no problem to test the steel and determine what it is made of without damaging the knife other than a slight mark.

I have learned that "Made in China" does not mean, necessarily, junk. I will give it a work out after it arrives, I have some yard work I would normally use my Woodsman's Pal for including the chopping of some thicker saplings and branch trimming. I will post a report letting ya'll know how it performs.
 
It won't compare to your Al Mar,that's sure.The sheath looks thin and cheesey,but for $30.00,you can't go too far wrong i guess.Let us know.
 
I thought the same about the sheath but I already decided if I like it I would make a kydex for it. As far as it comparing to the Al-Mar...if it holds an edge and cuts well that is all I ask. I was a dealer for years and know that a good chunk of money often goes for the name on the knife...lol.
 
I ordered one from Brigade Quartermasters and received it yesterday. I used it to trim some limbs this afternoon and the edge bent in several places. It is evidently made of some pretty soft steel. It is a nice looking knife and has a good feel to it, but I wouldn't recommend it to anyone.
 
macgregor22 said:
Its 8CrMov13 I think. Pretty much anything out of china marked 440c is that.
Click to expand...

What's the difference, or maybe a better question would be what are the similarities?

Why would a blade be marked one way (440C) and actually be made of something different (8CrMov13)?

thx - cpr
 
My Smith & Wessons are supposedly 440C (they are from china; not sure what that means according to macgregor22).

It's OK, I guess. I really don't have anything to compare it to. I was cutting some boxes today. I cut about 4 boxes on all 4 corners, so about 16 cuts. The knife was still cutting just fine, although it wasn't sharp enough to "catch" my fingernails after the session.
 
Absintheur said:
I have a couple of friends who own and run a largish machining company, they said it would be no problem to test the steel and determine what it is made of without damaging the knife other than a slight mark.

I have learned that "Made in China" does not mean, necessarily, junk. I will give it a work out after it arrives, I have some yard work I would normally use my Woodsman's Pal for including the chopping of some thicker saplings and branch trimming. I will post a report letting ya'll know how it performs.
Click to expand...

They will be able to tell you whether or not it is stainless.
They will be able to tell you the Rockwell hardness.

They will not be able to identify the specific alloy.
 
Last edited:
orca8589 said:
What's the difference, or maybe a better question would be what are the similarities?

Why would a blade be marked one way (440C) and actually be made of something different (8CrMov13)?

thx - cpr
Click to expand...

Two questions. Two answers.
The similarities are that you will get a high carbon stainless cutlery grade alloy. The difference will be that it will not perform as well as true 440C. The good part is that the Chinese are partly correct: the alloys they use are good enough for what most folks do with a knife. The bad part is that people think they are using 440C and assume that the performance they are getting is the performance of 440C, when actually it is the performance of an alloy with less carbon. So they get the impression that 440C does not perform as well as it really does.

It has been my company's experience with having parts made in China that the Chinese are more into meeting the intent of a contract, rather than the details. If the contract is for 440C, and they think their native alloy is as good, they will use the native alloy, even if it is not 440C. They will not notify the contracting company of the change, because they consider it to be insignificant. It is a difference in culture.
 
Thanks for the info, knarfeng. I understand what you're saying 100%. The hardware distributor I worked for had a line made in China, and we had to be VERY specific about certain issues with them, things like the rollers on drawer slides had to be nylon, not just any plastic; rails had to be epoxy coated, not just painted, etc. Our liaison with their company told me that they weren't trying to shortcut our product, but they just didn't assign the same importance to these details as we do in this country.

It didn't occur to me that they would carry that same attitude over into every industry, but it does make sense. Just another one of those things that make you go "hmmmmmmm. . . "

That's what I love about these forums. Great place to find these things out.

thx - cpr
 
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