western/coleman

[delmas2nd]

have been looking at a knife and was wondering if Schrade made these also. it is a Western L66 fixed blade. the stamping on the blade looks like Schrade stamping reading, WESTERN, U.S.A. L66,H. the handle is leather and the butt is a bird's head. the paper sheath that protected the blade has Coleman Western on it.

 

[tongueriver]

Your knife is Western as owned by Coleman, leather, pattern 66, made 1984. In the Walden years, Schrade made the 147L, which looks about the same, but without the patented bifurcated tang construction of the Western. Both companies also made Delrin-handled versions. Before Coleman bought Western there were some bone-handled versions, and the Black Beauties, which had alternating black and aluminum discs stacked on the tang. They started the pattern just before WWII, and there were even a few stag and various celluloid versions. Schrade made one for Sears with a red and white striped handle. There were experiments with Wonda Edge serrations. Etc., etc., etc. One of the all-time classic hunting knife blade grinds. The Schrade 147 was dropped and in 1973 the 49r series began with the 497L and 497S. The very earliest of these used up some 147 blades.

 

[delmas2nd]

thank you very much for the information. that is why this forum is absolutely the best there is. i didn't recall Schrade making any knives for Western, but it seems they made knives for everyone so thought i would ask.

 

[zzyzzogeton]

Coleman bought Western in 1984, so yours would have been one of the first ones made under the Coleman label. It was a lot faster and cheaper to simply print blade sleeves to indicate it as a "Coleman" knife. The first boxes would have taken a while to go through the design decision/approval/printing process. Plus they would have wanted to use up the boxes they had in inventory.

The Coleman period knives were made in the same factory (Longmont, CO opened 1977) as the Western made Western knives.