Schrade Lightweight Research

Here is a early Firebird I picked up for about $6.00 on Ebay last summer.

ebay385.jpg
 
Nice! Can you scan the paper? i'd be interested in seeing the copyright dates, anything to help nail down just when they changed the shield cavity to comolded shields.

Michael
 
There is no copywright date on the papers just a barcode on the box with the numbers 4435601407. Based on the previous threads this is a early model maybe 1987 when you mentioned they offered the SP3 with the nylon sheath.
 
lrv said:
in the early 90's there were multi colored SFO's for the racers.
pictures later...
SC92-023.jpg


SC93-031.jpg
Click to expand...


I bought these four NIP for about $23. $5.75 each plus shipping. I believe there are still two more to the series, including another Gant. Like I said, there are still some very good deals out there in the Lightweight line.

Michael
 
As a NASCAR fan I appreciate these images of Schrade history.
BTW: Did anyone else notice that on the 3 driver display they mislabeled the clampacks in the bottom left corner. Not in the body of the ad, just down in the corner. I love finding these little gaffs.
 
Eyegor said:
As a NASCAR fan I appreciate these images of Schrade history.
BTW: Did anyone else notice that on the 3 driver display they mislabeled the clampacks in the bottom left corner. Not in the body of the ad, just down in the corner. I love finding these little gaffs.
Click to expand...

Yep! It's also interesting to see the difference between the photo samples, flyer art, and the production knives and packaging. Note how the "concept art" of the packaging differs from the production packaging on these. The first photosample of the HG2CP Gant is identical to the production package and knife.

Michael
 
I've now, for the most part, completed my set of Lightweights, the SP7 and SP8 coming recently. They were the hardest to come by since they were produced for the shortest time, and discontinued so long ago. Here is a downsized version of the Schrade Lightweight flyer so you can see the comparative sizes.



The full size flyer with readable text is posted here:
http://www.collectors-of-schrades-r.us/FLYERS/1980s/pages/SC89-81-1.htm

These are the knives in the order they appear in the flyer:

SP8 - The 5" SP8 Cougar was introduced in 1990 and had a 3 3/4" stainless guthook drop point blade. It listed in 1991 for $36.95. This model was discontinued after 1991, a short two year production. (comparable in size to the LB-9) 2 oz.

SP7 - In 1989 Schrade added the SP7 5" Turbo for $29.95. It had a 3 3/4" stainless drop point blade and listed for $29.95. This model was discontinued after 1991, a short three year production. (comparable in size to the LB-7) 2 oz.

SP3 - The second knife introduced in 1987 was the 3 3/4" SP3 Firebird. It had a stainless drop point blade and listed for $24.95. While the model number of this knife changed in1998 to SH3 in the literature and on packaging to denote an included nylon sheath, the tangstamp remained the same. It was offered through the 2004 year, a seventeen year production run. This model became a favorite for special factory orders and special editions. (comparable in size to the LB-5) 1 1/2 oz.

SP2 - The 3" SP2 Raider had a stainless drop point blade and listed for $18.95. This model was produced for fifteen years. (comparable in size to the LB-3) 3/4 oz.

SP1 - The 2 5/8" SP1 Nighthawk was one of the first two Lightweight knives introduced in 1987. It had a stainless drop point blade and the list price for them was $16.95. This model had a seventeen year production run. (comparable in size to the LB-1) 1/2 oz.

While all of these have 'footprints' comparable to the UH LB series with blades of near equal length, their weights are half or less that of the Uncle Henry knives. The LB-7, for instance weighs nearly eight ounces, half a pound compared to the 2 ounce SP7.

I still have to find the two of the three SPX knives, blackened half serrated combo blade versions of the SP1, SP2 and SP3.



Michael
 
I've never seen any schrade with the blackened blade like that, do thoes bring a higher dollar or are they still thought of as low dollar lightweights. Which if they are its probablly because of the for some reason blaaa reputation that they have for being not too collectible. ever since this lightweight thread was started I picked up a collectors set on a trade which I like a lot and just recently bought a sp3 orange and an sp2 black used but good condition on ebay for $3.95 Ever since I saw my neighbor skin a coyote with an sp3 I have a whole new found respect for them. and when I can pick up any 2 schrades in good used condition for under $5.00 I cant turn it down. -Joel
 
The SPx variants were late introductions (1999-2000), and not very successful on the market. They were however popular with a few private buyers, especially Ducks Unlimited. In fact, you will more often see them as DU issues than regular production issues. The only one of this group I have so far is the SP12X Nighthawk X. It is a production issue.



I think they were blackened and serrated to complement the new X-Timer "tactical look" series. Yes, there are other blackened Schrades.

Michael

PS- The Sp3 Firebird 100th Anniversary version in the clampack is one of the few reliably genuine (and affordable) Schrade 100th Anniversary issues avaiable today.
 
Larry (lrv) just posted a link to his site's Lightweight gallery.

Larry, are those your knives? You finally got the SP22X and didn't tell me? :D

Michael
 
Michael: You probably have this somewhere in this thread, but is the blade steel on the Lightweight Series the same SCHRADE+ in the Uncle Henry and Old Timer Lines?

Thanks, Hal
 
I believe so. When the SCHRADE+ steel composition changed on the rest of the Schrade knives, I am pretty sure it did on the Lightweights and Cliphangers as well. Most new product information sheets only state Schrade+, not 440A or later 420HC.

Michael
 
I haven't seen one, but they sure look like a good user knife you could get a solid grip with.
 
sorry to bring up an old thread but I was wondering what category the dl-2r would fall into if it would be light weight or not? and was there other knives along the lines of these. I havent experimented with this one too much yet to compare it to the sak scissors any body that has? by the way after this thread Ive been picking up some pretty interesting light weights for pretty cheap that really impressed me some different colors and such.
 
The CAPTAIN Duralens knives appeared in the catalogs concurrently with the first lightweights, 1987. There were only two of them, the DL2R and the DL2B. Red and black being the only differences that I am aware of. They fell by the wayside after 1990, so they weren't produced for too many years. In terms of sales, I don't think they were too successful. I only recall one SFO for sure, the U.S. Senate knife, but possibly there were DU issues as well. They did open the door for the briefly successful (though too broadly patterned - 12 patterns) CENTURY series of knives by Adler Messer GmbH in 1993. ISC tried to climb onto the Swiss Army Knife bandwagon. They were dropped after 1999 as Schrade put more emphasis on their Apex and Tradesman lines made in Listowel, Ireland.

Michael

 
Yes, they made a Codger edition too. Now I will probably find fifty different SFO's of the Captains. Darn you!


Michael ;)
 
I searched ebay earlier last week when I won the one that I have and I saw that one but bad news I thought there were a few others but I cant remember, I will have to do a search of ended auctions. sorry lol!!!!!
 
Even worse. I searched my photo archives and didn't find a Ducks Unlimited issue. The ones I was remembering were Centurys and Irish Schrades. O.K. Any of youse guys who have Special Factory Order Captain Duralens knives, or even just the pictures, post 'em!

Michael
 
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