Thoughts on the Wrangler (no, not GEC's...)

[quattromori]

Hi everybody,
just before going to sleep, I literally stumbled into a pretty interesting discovery...at least for me.
I spend my share of time on this subforum, and I've gone through every thread since I started reading it, but today I found a knife on a catalog that really really hit my eye...and that I've never seen around.
I've seen only one Schrade Old Timer in my life, this last January. The well known 34OT. I didn't buy it then because the pull was really stiff, and the price was outrageous (this was not in the US nor here), but the knife had some charm in it, especially after reading a few stories about this pattern. So today I was browsing the Schrade catalog, and found another knife that represents, more or less, my ideal pattern. The 93OT Wrangler:

Weird enough, I've never seen a picture of this knife, and it's the only production knife that I'm aware of with this pattern (a main drop and smaller secondary sheepsfoot on a serpentine frame). Still, I keep thinking that this pattern would fit me like no other (ok, maybe we can talk about a clip main, but it wouldn't change that much). A jackknife with a longer curved blade for general/food use, and a smaller straight blade for dirty tasks (opening packages and so on).
Am I the only one who wonders about this? If (for example) GEC offered this pattern on their #66 frame, would you prefer it over the clip/pen version?
I'm curious to know what you think about this. And thank you in advance for your posts.

Fausto

 

[Rsmith_77]

i've never seen this one before either
but great find, definitely got me thinking too!

:thumbup:

 

[Bigfattyt]

Looks great to me!

 

[Obsessed with Edges]

Interesting pattern. Sort of looks like the solution for the many who like a stockman, but don't find much use for a spey blade.

BTW, when I saw 'Wrangler' in the thread title, I didn't automatically think of GEC. But I did assume it was about Buck's 307 stockman (which was also known as the 'Wrangler').

 

[knarfeng]

In some ways it reminds me of the 2012 Forum knife pattern.

 

[coyote711]

Sort of looks like the solution for the many who like a stockman, but don't find much use for a spey blade.

+1 :thumbup: And another huge plus (for me anyway) is that both nail nicks are on the mark side.

Great find, Fausto! This represents my ideal pattern, too. I'd buy one from GEC in a heartbeat.

 

[jackknife]

Fausto, your not the only one who likes it. Many times I wished that Buck would have made a streamlined version of the stockman by leaving out the spey blade. In all the 25 or so years I carried my 301 Buck, I never found much use for the spey. Even today, though I love my peanut, I wish Buck would come out with a 303 cadet with just a clip and shepsfoot blade combo.I don't care if it's a side by side jack layout, or a single back spring with blades at opposite ends, just as long as it was that combination. A pattern like that would have a heck of a lot going for it. The onlything better wold have been to yank the spey blade, and replace it with a Victorinox combo tool.

I don't think that Schrade made many of that pattern, as I've only seen then in print, not in person. If I'd ever have seen and handled it, I'd likely have bought two of them. One to use, and a spare.

Carl.

 

[300Bucks]

I had them modified, the 301 is currently in hands of Buck employee, showing it around the factory office. Maybe it will float to the top......300 (actually I was hoping for a warcliff secondary blade)

 

[Rsmith_77]

I had them modified, the 301 is currently in hands of Buck employee, showing it around the factory office. Maybe it will float to the top......300 (actually I was hoping for a warcliff secondary blade)

now thats just not fair
"had them modified"? by who man? by who?

 

[coyote711]

I had them modified, the 301 is currently in hands of Buck employee, showing it around the factory office. Maybe it will float to the top......300 (actually I was hoping for a warcliff secondary blade)

Great looking knives, Craig! Thanks for the pics. I hope it floats right to the top and gets put into production. :thumbup:

 

[dannyp]

I would love to see GEC offer a version of this knife on their #66 frame. On most jack knives I prefer the pulls on the same side, but this is one where I would rather they be on opposite sides. It would allow for a full size clip and for the sheepfoot to sit as low as possible in the closed position.

 

[jackknife]

now thats just not fair
"had them modified"? by who man? by who?

Yeah, you have to talk. Don't make me send some people over there!

Carl.

 

[LKJW]

I like it!

 

[quattromori]

Glad to see I'm not alone on this...
I hope you don't shoot on the pianist but...honestly...apart from not having much use for a spey blade, nor for a third blade (of any kind), I can't help thinking that the jackknife configuration (with any blade combination) looks much more elegant and classy than the stockman or any other opposite end configuration (not that I don't like the knives 300Bucks "got modified"...I also guess we might never really know how he did...).
So far, my assumptions were right, it really seems like no other factory produces this pattern. Maybe we'll have luck with GEC (they are already offering variety on their #66 frame, so maybe one more version won't hurt...). Meanwhile, I keep looking at this knife and thinking that I'd rather have a sheepsfoot/wharncliffe instead of a pen blade on any jackknife configuration that has a clip/drop main blade...

Fausto

 

[waynorth]

I agree with Frank!
In a way, that Schrade serves every function of a wharncliffe trapper. A straight edge sheepfoot (instead of a wharncliffe), and a clip (in this case a muskrat clip), in a more streamlined package than the forum knife to come.
Looks very useful. . . . . .I'd be tempted!

 

[300Bucks]

Was not trying to mess with Fausto's thread. When the title said Wrangler, I opened up hoping to see mention of the old Buck 307 large stockman with the name Wrangler. But the two blades photos and comments are honestly thus:

Regular Buck stockman cut down to two blades. Like Carl and others, I think the spey blade and spring is empty material for me as I do not plan to remove any animal vitals in my current lifestyle. I have not found a lot of use for a spey blade, maybe for peeling the sale sticker off of a glass item.

I was politic'in to Buck to think about isssuing a two blade version of the 301 and 303 models. Triple R Knives, CA took out the spey blade and ground down the high curve of the sheepsfoot a slight amount. I could see the knife with both blades on one end also.

(Ok, Ok, for you detail guys, yes I did round of the kick on the bottom of the tang to get the top of the blades down in the well with the full nic just almost touching the liner level.)

One was sent to a 303 collector, one 301 went to Buck to be shown around by Joe Houser and I have the second 301. I was hoping if the project was received well for the future we would see Buck issue its first ever Warcliff blade in this design. I am thinking that the model number 304 would fit in the mix. Thats the truth, the whole truth.......

This is the Buck Wrangler which is just a large stockman, not a two blade design like the 930T pictured, which I like and if I find one cheap I may buy now..

300

 

[Frostyfingers]

Fausto, your not the only one who likes it. Many times I wished that Buck would have made a streamlined version of the stockman by leaving out the spey blade....I don't care if it's a side by side jack layout, or a single back spring with blades at opposite ends, just as long as it was that combination. A pattern like that would have a heck of a lot going for it.

Carl.

I made my own version of this out of a Schrade Walden 787 (muskrat). The blades were well-worn when I bought it, and I wanted some variety rather than the two long clips. I ground one of the blades into a sheepsfoot and it's my favorite carry knife now. Slim in the pocket thanks to the single spring, but with my two favorite blade shapes available.

Caleb