Should I get a Trail Boss

C

Cyblade

Joined
Aug 16, 2001
Messages
1,221
I'm looking for a simple sheath knife as a beater/loaner that doesnt cost alot and can hold a decent edge and take some abuse. SMKW has them for 12.99 and I was thinking about buying a couple to stash here and there. Will the 440c blades hold up ???? Hows the heat treat on the new stuff ???? I dont know much about schrade anymore the last schrade I bought was for my dad about 20+ years ago.
 
I have several of the 140OT trailboss knives that I bought cheap, and this is exactly what I use them for. I used one to process deer a few years ago and it worked fine. Two of them reside on the window sill in my kitchen for the wife to use, and the son in law to borow for deer and the big catfish he brings in.

Just be sure they are Imperial Schrade U.S.A. knives, not the new Taylor Schrade Chinese knives. I have no idea of the quality of those.

Michael
 
I'm sure it's the new taylor ones cause smoky mountain sold out before the change over. I should've bought them before but never got around to it.
 
You can still buy the real deal NIB for $30 or less including shipping. Don't overlook the 141OT and 142OT while you are shopping for the U.S. made ones. If you really want a cheap chinese knife, then buy those from SMKW. I won't.
 
Cyblade, its a matter of personal preference, but if I was going to get one of the Schrade "green handle" knives as a user, I would personally lean more toward the 142OT rather than the 140OT. The 142OT is a clip point like the 140OT; but it is somewhat shorter. I find the shorter blade more useful. Just depends on what you are most likely to use it for and personal preference. You can still find some of the U.S.A. made versions of this knives at a few on-line stores for about what the Chinese knifes sell for. I find you can buy the U.S.A. made versions of these "green handle" knives from a wholesaler cheaper than you can off eBay. I own several of the "green handle" models and have used them. I have had good experience with the stainless on these U.S.A. models taking and holding an edge; but, there's still nothing like carbon steel. The only thing I don't like about these knives is that, for me at least, the handle shape makes it difficult to properly "index" the point and belly of the blade. Most of my fixed blade knife use is skinning and quartering big game and large domestic animals. I see a lot of guys doing this with a "fist" grip on the handle and a few doing it with their thumb on the blade. Physiologically, the best skinning grip for most people, once the get used to it, is with the index finger on top of the blade, with the index finger "pointing to the the point of the blade and the index finger pad directly aligned with the belly of the blade. This is what makes the Old Timer fixed blades with the Delrin handles so great (152OT, 154OT, 1580t, 160OT, 165OT, etc.); The arched shape and scale thickness causes the handle to rest high in the crease that seperates the two halves of your palm and aligns with your index finger. If you look at a diagram of the nerves of the hand you'll see why your index finger is your "index" finger. For me personally, the Delrin handle Old Timer fixed blades feel like an extension of my hand and the green handle knives feel like sex with a condom on ... it just ain't the same. That said, for the money, the U.S.A. made knives are still a great value if you find them at a reasonable price. Have you considered buying one of the older Schrade fixed blades in "user" condition. They are still cheaper than anything out there apples for apples.
 
Come again Barry??? " Old Timers feel like an extension of your hand and the green handles feel like sex with a condom on".......this forum teaches me things that just keep me coming...back mate....I agree the green handle Old Timer series are the most undervalued yet useful users you can have cos I dont mind actually using them..I feel like I'm abusing my LB7's and LB 1 and LB5 when I use them cos they aint makin 'em anymore. Hoo Roo
 
Larry, they're not making the green handle U.S.A. knives any more either. I've got some of the green handle U.S.A. knives NIB. Even though they are so cheap, I always cringe when I think about making another one a user. Who knows what it may be worth in the future? What I usually do on something that is relatively cheap like the green handles that might be collectible in the future is buy two. I denote one as a collectible and one as a user. I am probably different than most of the other guys in the forum in that I prefer to buy a user version of the older knives rather than a MIB or NIB (although in my favorite patterns I do have at least one MIB). One of my main reasons for buying and collecting different knives is to use them and expand my understanding of how different handles (shape and material) and blades (shape and steel) affect the usability of the knife. I read an old Codger thread off the Camillus forum where he was in an all out war with some guys on what constituted knife abuse. These guys were splitting logs by driving knives through them and expecting the broken blades to be covered under warranty. I figure if the activity I am undertaking will damage my knife I am probably using the wrong tool.
 
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