Politics aside, are the Chinese Schrades really that awful in quality? I would love to get the Old Timer liner lock gunstock trapper that I remember my best friend carrying when we were kids, just for nostalgia's sake. I don't want to waste time and money on total crap though.
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Taylor Cutlery...Was: Just how bad are the current Schrades?
- Thread starter Foilist
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The ORIGINALS can be picked up at that auction site they are there quite regularly that would be my suggestion! Corse that answer is quite lopsided as I am a SCHRADEAHOLIC 
just not into cirades:thumbdn: the older USA models IMHO are unbeatable in quality and functionality:thumbup: and MOST of the Old Timers are 1095:thumbup: High carbon steel Great stuff!!!! thats my .02 FWIW.
just not into cirades:thumbdn: the older USA models IMHO are unbeatable in quality and functionality:thumbup: and MOST of the Old Timers are 1095:thumbup: High carbon steel Great stuff!!!! thats my .02 FWIW.
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They run the whole gamut in my experience.
I've seen some that were really bad, and some that were great.
My advice, is buy them first hand if at all possible, instead of online, so you can actually inspect the knife.
I've seen some that were really bad, and some that were great.
My advice, is buy them first hand if at all possible, instead of online, so you can actually inspect the knife.
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- Feb 28, 2002
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Current Schrades exhibit the same mediocre quality that characterizes all Taylor Cutlery Brands. Some are okay, and some suck. I bought the new Schrade OTF and was seriously not impressed; it's a fragile, poorly made toy.
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I've got a current Schrade 3 Old Timer Lockback in what's allegedly Buffalo scales.It didn't cost too much (fortunately)but it's not too good frankly
Rather fragile,some cracks around the pins and a bit of blade wobble, it's OK but no more.Sharp though. Can't judge on just one example but I'd like to know what the US made equivalent is like but they are fetching a high price these days&I'm not sure they are worth it either
Rather fragile,some cracks around the pins and a bit of blade wobble, it's OK but no more.Sharp though. Can't judge on just one example but I'd like to know what the US made equivalent is like but they are fetching a high price these days&I'm not sure they are worth it either
- Joined
- Jan 21, 2008
- Messages
- 1,102
I've got a current Schrade 3 Old Timer Lockback in what's allegedly Buffalo scales.It didn't cost too much (fortunately)but it's not too good frankly
Rather fragile,some cracks around the pins and a bit of blade wobble, it's OK but no more.Sharp though. Can't judge on just one example but I'd like to know what the US made equivalent is like but they are fetching a high price these days&I'm not sure they are worth it either
Well I will dispute weeather or not they are worth the $
! The prices do seem higher but I believe that to be indicative of the FACT that NO MORE USA originals will be produced in the same Spirit of the OLD COMPANY :grumpy: ,and the useabilty, personally I would rather spend a few more $"s on somthing that will be fuctional and not have to worry about it
. Now that being said I doen't collect for the money I collect For THE value of AMERICANA that has been FOREVER lost with the demise of the beloved Imperial Schrade Corp.:thumbup::thumbdn:
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I meant that the current high prices for US made 3OTs reflect their scarcity rather than their top line qualities,they were a reasonably priced workingman's knife,in my book.I have seen prices of 75USD for them and consider this to be steep for what they were/are.
I have some of the newer Schrade Old-Timer and Uncle Henry fixed blades. Not much difference in quality except the China stainless steel is probably 440 if new and 420 if older than a year. The sheaths are not as good as the old Schrade USA sheaths but made the same and probably just as functional. The are, and always have been, hardware store grade knives. About the only thing different is they cost about $30 less now.
Thnaks - I'll look out for an original one. I'm sure the US Schrades are better, I was just curious about whether or not the Chinese ones were decent, mediocre, or junk. It sounds like they run the gamut, and I should cherry pick in person rather than use the internet. I was curious becaue it would be a cheap way to try some, but it's not worth it if they are awful.
I like USA Schrades and in no way advocate buying the Chinese Schrade stamped knives . But....
Foilist, In my part of our state Tractor Supply carries the Chinese knives in a display,and the 194ot is one of them. You should be able to handle several and decide wether it is worth it to you.
. But....Foilist, In my part of our state Tractor Supply carries the Chinese knives in a display,and the 194ot is one of them. You should be able to handle several and decide wether it is worth it to you.
I recently picked up on flea bay, three sets of knives made in China for Remington, no doubt probably same factory (I think, same person ordering). They were the prototypes sent in for evaluation before large order of Rems were place. Now you would think that the Chinese would have sent the pick of the litter, I have six knives with about 32 total dollars invested, two peanuts, two mini trappers and two sowbellys' and they do run the gamut of fit and finish, one peanut had a .0002 gap in one end of the liners, the others were tight, nice snap. First China made I have ever had. I would say they are worth what I paid, but not much more.
Just my .02 and know it is not worth much more.
Jim
Just my .02 and know it is not worth much more.
Jim
I will agree with the members who said that the quality that can be expected from the Chinese imported knives is highly variable. Generally speaking, the factories in China are capable of making knives at whatever quality and price point a buyer wishes to purchase. Of course labor and energy there is far less costly than it is here in the States, so that plays a role in lower wholesale prices. As does lack of employee benefits, no unions, and no EPA to deal with. This is how imported copies of Schrade knife patterns can be retailed today, 2008, for the same price Schrade retailed the originals at in 1978.
When the first of Taylor's copies arrived in 2005, I examined and reviewed several patterns of fixed and folders. I was dismayed at the quality of fit and finish as well as function. I admit that as an American Schrade collector, I was (and am) prejudiced against the imported copies and I cannot see how that could not have influenced my reviews somewhat. I did, at that time suggest that I expected the quality to improve from those first production pieces. It would surprise me if this were not now the case.
Schrade is no longer a manufacturer's branding, IMHO. It is now a merchant's nostalgia mark. But... if you are looking only at initial purchase price on a new knife which will see only light to moderate use and are willing to put aside politics, the Taylor Schrade branded Chinese knives might be just the ticket for you.
Otherwise, as others have suggested, the originals are still quite available new in the box and at what are really reasonable prices considering original MSRP vs. the rate of inflation (devaluing of the dollar) over the past ten years or so.
As a side note, Taylor has begun having some knives made by manufacturers stateside, and has (if I understand correctly) established assembly cells in their warehouse facility in Kingsport, Tennessee to assemble some knives from purchased parts. Great Eastern seems to be one source being used to make some Schrade branded slipjoints.
I might at this point, in all fairness, take the time to briefly explain some of the collector bias and anomosity toward Taylor Brands LLC and their Schrade branded knives. When importing of these knives first began, collectors (and would-be-investors) were snapping up Schrade knives at a fevered pitch, often unaware that they were buying imported copies until it was too late. Packaging was closely copied from original Schrade packaging right down to the American flags on the boxes and clam packs. Sellers on eBay were quick to take advantage of this and made a killing from sales of mis-represented merchandise. Few and far between were the collectors who did not, at some point, fall for the hype, poor pictures, and mis-listings that sellers took advantage of. Quite naturally, TBLLC took the brunt of the criticism while collectors spent time expressing their angst and detailing the visual differences in packaging, construction and markings to aid each other in not becoming another "mark" of sellers with less than honest representations of the TBLLC knives. While TBLLC did reap a lot of profit from this windfall, today I seriously doubt that was their intent (misrepresentation). As with any merchant selling knives with nostalgia marks, they were merely trying to take advantage of the "spill-over" effect of the increased demand for knives with the Schrade makings.
I don't own any of the newer Schrade branded Taylor knives at this point, so I cannot speak of their quality. My focus in collecting and user knives is on the real Schrades made by Imperial Schrade and the predecessor companies, Imperial, Ulster, Kingston, Schrade Cut. Co., Schrade Walden, and Camillus. There are still a lot of good buys out there in the lesser known marks of these companies.
Codger
When the first of Taylor's copies arrived in 2005, I examined and reviewed several patterns of fixed and folders. I was dismayed at the quality of fit and finish as well as function. I admit that as an American Schrade collector, I was (and am) prejudiced against the imported copies and I cannot see how that could not have influenced my reviews somewhat. I did, at that time suggest that I expected the quality to improve from those first production pieces. It would surprise me if this were not now the case.
Schrade is no longer a manufacturer's branding, IMHO. It is now a merchant's nostalgia mark. But... if you are looking only at initial purchase price on a new knife which will see only light to moderate use and are willing to put aside politics, the Taylor Schrade branded Chinese knives might be just the ticket for you.
Otherwise, as others have suggested, the originals are still quite available new in the box and at what are really reasonable prices considering original MSRP vs. the rate of inflation (devaluing of the dollar) over the past ten years or so.
As a side note, Taylor has begun having some knives made by manufacturers stateside, and has (if I understand correctly) established assembly cells in their warehouse facility in Kingsport, Tennessee to assemble some knives from purchased parts. Great Eastern seems to be one source being used to make some Schrade branded slipjoints.
I might at this point, in all fairness, take the time to briefly explain some of the collector bias and anomosity toward Taylor Brands LLC and their Schrade branded knives. When importing of these knives first began, collectors (and would-be-investors) were snapping up Schrade knives at a fevered pitch, often unaware that they were buying imported copies until it was too late. Packaging was closely copied from original Schrade packaging right down to the American flags on the boxes and clam packs. Sellers on eBay were quick to take advantage of this and made a killing from sales of mis-represented merchandise. Few and far between were the collectors who did not, at some point, fall for the hype, poor pictures, and mis-listings that sellers took advantage of. Quite naturally, TBLLC took the brunt of the criticism while collectors spent time expressing their angst and detailing the visual differences in packaging, construction and markings to aid each other in not becoming another "mark" of sellers with less than honest representations of the TBLLC knives. While TBLLC did reap a lot of profit from this windfall, today I seriously doubt that was their intent (misrepresentation). As with any merchant selling knives with nostalgia marks, they were merely trying to take advantage of the "spill-over" effect of the increased demand for knives with the Schrade makings.
I don't own any of the newer Schrade branded Taylor knives at this point, so I cannot speak of their quality. My focus in collecting and user knives is on the real Schrades made by Imperial Schrade and the predecessor companies, Imperial, Ulster, Kingston, Schrade Cut. Co., Schrade Walden, and Camillus. There are still a lot of good buys out there in the lesser known marks of these companies.
Codger
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- Apr 3, 2004
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I'll have to disagree on the intent, Codger. Shortly after Taylor bought the remnants of Schrade, I found several clampacks at my local hardware store. They were the same models that store always carried- the 33OT, the 8OT and the 94OT- and the clampacks were identical down to font and the US flag mark. The sole difference was an 8-point "Made in China Taylor Brands LLC" on the back, buried under the UPC in the corner. Duplicating the original packaging that closely tells me it was wholly intentional.
I've been stuck by a modern remake on EBay. Seller listed a 125OT, new in box, "USA made" Schrade. What I got was one of the first runs of Taylor Schrades, with poor fit and finish, and missing the trademark lock. Said seller has over a 99.5% feedback rating, with over 20,000 buyers. I returned it promptly for a refund, but they still are using "USA made" in the ads.
At the very least, Taylor made it easy for their resellers to misrepresent the new Schrades. I would argue that was wholly their intent.
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- Apr 9, 2006
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Wouldn't that be the point of buying the brand? If they didn't want to trade on the Schrade name they wouldn't buy it and the patterns...
If the would use a better steel I would be tempted to buy a couple, maybe a Sharpfinger in 440c or AUS-8...