Schrade Extreme Survival SCHF4

Status
Not open for further replies.
Mistwalker

Mistwalker

Gold Member
Joined
Dec 22, 2007
Messages
19,017
Schrade gave me a knife to check out, it's another in the Schrade Extreme Survival line.

This is the SCHF4, and it has a 6.75 inch Tanto blade of CR7 steel (which I am unfamiliar with) which has a 2.75 inch section of very sharp serrations and it has a hard plastic coated Aluminum handle.

PICT0180.jpg



It comes in a hard plastic sheath which is held in a nylon webbing harness by the use of a snap closure mounted on the back of the hard sheath and front of the webbing and a hook and loop fastener on the wide primary sheath retaining strap near the top, and has a snap closure on a narrower secondary retainer near the bottom.

sheathinharness.jpg


sheathandharness.jpg



The sheath is M.O.L.L.E. compatible and offers a various carry options.

backofsheath.jpg



Out of the box just checking the knife and sheath out I personally think it would be better if the main sheath retaining strap used snap closures on the outside as that would be more secure and I think it would be better if the working end of the straps faced the opposite direction (to the rear) as facing forward it is much more likely to get pulled open by vines and brush. Also I see one issue with the knife retaining strap. While it does have a snap closure it is positioned in such away as to allow the knife to be partially drawn while snapped closed. This wouldn’t be much of an issue in most instances however if the knife were carried in an inverted position on a M.O.L.L.E. vest or on the shoulder strap of an L.C.E. the knife will work it’s way down exposing 1.5 inches of very sharp serrations, that could cause a nasty little wound that would be better avoided. This part can be easily fixed by cutting the thread holding the strap and moving the retainer down and inch and a half and sewing it back on.

PICT0243.jpg



As for the knife it’s self it feels very solid and is VERY sharp. It handles cutting braided cord like it is just thread and it easily and cleanly slices through webbing with either edge, or the primary and secondary points.

cuttingwebbing.jpg


cutwebbing.jpg


It has a good balance point.

Balancepoint.jpg



The handle is mildly textured and grooved to enhance the grip and is easier to keep a grip on than I first expected after feeling the hardness, though we'll see later on in the summer how it does with sweaty hands. It does have a nice swell on the end of the pommel which helps keep a good grip when chopping. And it has good temperature properties so far, warms up quick in the hand. It also has a screw in one side but removing the screw I wasn't able to pull or tap (did not try to hammer it off) the handle off so I'm not sure what's up with that.

PICT0251.jpg


The serrations are very sharp and easily cut through this 1/4 inch plywood like a small saw.

sharpserrationssawing.jpg
 
It handles chopping pretty well, and made quick work of chopping through these hardwood limbs.

PICT0244.jpg


PICT0245.jpg


Chopping.jpg



And splitting them was no problem at all

PICT0248.jpg


PICT0247.jpg


PICT0249.jpg


With no damage to the blade or even the finish, and no loosening of the handle at all

nodamagetospine.jpg



And it did pretty well on penetration with multiple plunges through this ¼ inch plywood with only very minor, only a few thousandths of an inch, tip failure.

through25plywood.jpg


PICT0252.jpg



And after all that it’s still shaving sharp.

PICT0206.jpg


Other than some issues I have with the sheath, it's a decent knife, especially if you wiegh in that it goes for around $37.00 on line and about $50.00 retail. I think it’ll be a good knife to add to the user group. I'll see how it holds up over time.
 
From the pictures it looks like most of the cutting you did was with any portion of the edge except the section from the secondary point to halfway down the non-serrated portion -- which is exactly the part of the edge you used to demonstrate that it was "still" shaving sharp.
 
I tried to crop them down a bit more and actually, if you look at the coating worn off of the edge...why it's coated after sharpening I'm not sure...you can see the only part I really didn't use much is almost an inch of it starting just behind the secondary point, and that inch wasn't the area I shaved my arm with afterward.

Answer-1.jpg


Answer-2.jpg


Answer-3.jpg


PICT0206.jpg


This is what it looked like out of the box.

PICT0177.jpg
 
Thanks for the review! I was wondering what this one was like...I find the tanto tip a little bit of an odd choice for a survival knife design though. Taylor is starting to do some interesting stuff, though I still have very mixed feelings about them.
 
That's an strange design for a "survival" knife- with a tanto point, serrations, and large top guard. It looks more like a fighter than a dedicated survival knife. Though that's what the KaBar is, I suppose. Thanks for the review, but that thing just screams "mall ninja" to me. If they ditch the serrations, the top guard and the tanto point, that might be a decent knife- it seems tough enough.
 
As I said, from the pictures, the portion of the edge you used to demonstrate that it is "still" shaving sharp appears to be least-used portion of the cutting edge.

I don't think it's realistic to expect any knife to be "shaving sharp" after it is used to cut wood extensively. I would question any claim that such a knife retained such an edge after it was used in such a way.

Also, and here I'm being picky, "Schrade" did not send you a knife. "Schrade" does not exist. Taylor Brands, LLC, sent you a knife that happens to bear the Schrade name, to which Taylor purchased the rights after the demise of this beloved American knife company.
 
This is pretty tame compared to the last round of fisticuffs over review standards, the underlying intent of the actual review, and vetting the integrity of the reviewer.

I have my popcorn ready guys....

Robert
 
moonwilson said:
That's an strange design for a "survival" knife- with a tanto point, serrations, and large top guard. It looks more like a fighter than a dedicated survival knife. Though that's what the KaBar is, I suppose. Thanks for the review, but that thing just screams "mall ninja" to me. If they ditch the serrations, the top guard and the tanto point, that might be a decent knife- it seems tough enough.
Click to expand...

In my opinion a tanto is only good on the field of battle...I hate trying to skin with one.

I can deal with a small top guard but I don't really like a tall one like this as it makes it hard to do detail work..then again with these serrations one won't be doing much detail work.

Sharp Phil said:
As I said, from the pictures, the portion of the edge you used to demonstrate that it is "still" shaving sharp appears to be least-used portion of the cutting edge.

I don't think it's realistic to expect any knife to be "shaving sharp" after it is used to cut wood extensively. I would question any claim that such a knife retained such an edge after it was used in such a way.

Also, and here I'm being picky, "Schrade" did not send you a knife. "Schrade" does not exist. Taylor Brands, LLC, sent you a knife that happens to bear the Schrade name, to which Taylor purchased the rights after the demise of this beloved American knife company.
Click to expand...

Lol, I didn't clear a forest with it, I just chopped a few seasoned hardwood limbs in two to see if the edge would handle it or if it would roll or dull quickly as I am unfamiliar with CR7 steel. I have never been a fan of stainless steel. I would question any knife that didn't still have an edge after so little use.

and I just shaved more of what little hair is left on my arm with the area that did most of the chopping. No it isn't as a razor, but still pretty darn sharp.

PICT0259.jpg


Ok..Taylor Brands. And not to sound sarcastic, because my old carbon steel Woodsman and Deerslayer were two of my all-time favorite knives, but does suicide really fall under the term demise?
 
midnight flyer said:
This is pretty tame compared to the last round of fisticuffs over review standards, the underlying intent of the actual review, and vetting the integrity of the reviewer.

I have my popcorn ready guys....

Robert
Click to expand...

The intent is to get some honest feedback without all the name calling...so far so good.
 
midnight flyer said:
This is pretty tame compared to the last round of fisticuffs over review standards, the underlying intent of the actual review, and vetting the integrity of the reviewer.

I have my popcorn ready guys....

Robert
Click to expand...

Mistwalker came right out and said that Schrade (okay Phil, Taylor) sent him the knife he's reviewing. He clearly has an arrangement with the manufacturer where they send him knives, and he reviews them here. There's nothing wrong with that. I believe the hubub in the thread you refer to stemmed Mistwalker not clearly communicating this arrangement in his OP. Now that everyone knows about how he is getting these knives, I think it should be okay.

He has these knives, he tests them, and he tells us what he thinks about them. Folks can take his posts however they like. I hope this thread doesn't devolve into a childish flame war. Let's keep it about the knives.
 
It wasn't that he wasn't clear about it; it was that he told an elaborate story about buying the knife reviewed, without stating that he had received several knives from Taylor for evaluation. This had the appearance of a deliberate deception, and was the source of most of the rancor in the previous thread.

...but does suicide really fall under the term demise?
Click to expand...

Only according to any commonly accepted definition of the terms involved.
 
Sharp Phil said:
It wasn't that he wasn't clear about it; it was that he told an elaborate story about buying the knife reviewed, without stating that he had received several knives from Taylor for evaluation. This had the appearance of a deliberate deception, and was the source of most of the rancor in the previous thread.
Click to expand...

Hey, I said I was sorry about slipping on the text when I copy pasted from another forum which is geared toward survival. I got caught up editing the amount of photos and slipped on the text. then posted in reverse order screwing up the time line.

http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php?p=6510293#post6510293

I posted in the skills area first because that is my primary area of interest...I am a wilderness skills instructor. I learn from my mistakes.
 
Sharp Phil said:
Only according to any commonly accepted definition of the terms involved.
Click to expand...

I think what mistwalker is saying is that the term "demise" and "suicide" have different connotations that are separate from the literal definition of the word. Demise is a general term, true, but allows for Schrade to be viewed as though it were the victim of an outside source, as opposed to "suicide" which has far more indication of the party responsible for said demise.;)

PatriotDan: thanks for the links. Too bad Taylor can't come up with something original. :(
 
Sharp Phil said:
Do you make your living as a wilderness skills instructor? Or is this supplemental?
Click to expand...

Supplemental...for now anyway, I make more money on my mostly unusual construction projects...bars and dens, custom unique cabinetry, panic rooms, vaults, space conversions and such. I started in the carpentry field 25 years ago. I do wilderness skills mostly on weekends. Mostly scout troupes but small private groups also. I hope to do more with it once my wife finishes school. Why?
 
If MW put that knife through what he says he did and it held up as good as an expensive production/custom, then I'm sold. Doesn't bother me in the least if he has an arrangement to test Taylor's stuff.
All that says to me to is that they're willing to have somebody beat the hell out of their stuff in order to make a better product.

Coghlan's Law: Anything else is always something better.

I don't like most of Taylor's stuff--point of fact, 98% of it--but I will admit that the last two knives MW has tested and talked about have impressed me.

If Taylor can make a good knife at a good price, for people who want to learn survival/bushcraft and have a dependable knife...then I'm all for it.

Thanks for review MW. Keep 'em comin'. I'm definitely considering that hollow handled knife of theirs, thanks to you.

BTW: just how good a pal are you with them at Taylor? Any influence on materials, shape, grind, etc...?


ETA:
I just looked at those pictures...is there a reason that Taylor is imitating these knives (the other an obvious imitation of CRK's hollow handled knife)? Just trying to make a more affordable version? Ripping off completely? Have they even said why?
 
Last edited:
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top