Recent opinions on newer Schrade.

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Only objection I have is that they're all made of stainless steel now, even the Old Timers, which seems fundamentally wrong. It's created a market for the US-made Old Timers that older men remember and yearn for.
 
I have a Toughtool from the early-mid 90s. Within the last two years, I bought a new Toughtool from the Chinese incarnation of Schrade. My one from the 90s that has seen about 17 years of daily use is actually still tighter than the chinese one was right out of the box. Things that were supposed to lock didn't, finish was poor, grinding was way off. It was just a train wreck of a knife right out of the box.
The USA ones were MUCH MUCH better, at least for the Toughtool. I don't have experience with the other models.
 
Bought two Schrade doctors folding knives a couple years ago. They were total junk and rattled both folded and opened. Springs were weak and gave no "snap" when opening or closing. I had to use a hammer to bang on one knife pivot to get it solid enough so it wouldn't rattle anymore. Didn't bother with the 2nd one... not that I will carry either.

Rough Rider at 1/5 to 1/10th the price are much better quality.
 
I have a newer schrade I got for free with an order from CDNN. I have beat it up and cut a lot of cardboard with it, the thing is still razor sharp. It's very flimsy compared to some of my other knives, but I can't complain about the steel holding an edge.
 
Crap.
Case and US made Buck are much better.
Rough Rider is much better, even though Chinese.
I have 2 Rough Rider Barlows that are very nice for the money, and a RR scout knife that ain't half bad, either.

You can still find US made Schrades, if you haunt flea markets, pawn shops and yard sales.
 
Knives from China are a strange breed. I'll go through a spell of buying knives and recently purchased a couple from China. On was an axis-type lock called a Ganzo G704 and I was pleasantly surprised at the quality. The other was I believe a Boker Magnum and also rather nice. In the past, I haven't has such luck with Chinese knives.

I've read Chinese knives are still very much hit-or-miss, depending on the "brand". I've read both good and bad concerning Schrade.
 
I've bought four of the import Schrade slip joint knives in the past. Quality was inconsistent on two and good on the other two.
No more.

I consider the Opinels to be a great buy and actually fall slightly lower in that price range. The originals with wood handles can still be had in carbon steel and the handles are fun to mod.

For just a little more money the U.S. made Buck knives are a great choice.
 
Have a couple of the newer Schrade autos. Made in Taiwan. They are of good quality for the price. Shaving sharp out of the box and fit and finish are good. Already lost one and wasn't too upset about since they are relatively cheap. Would have been inconsolable had I lost one of my Microtechs.
 
I just can't bring myself to spend $50 on a Chinese Schrade when a comparable design (with better materials) from Ontario costs less and is US-made. I will say that I bought a Schrade XT2B off Amazon that turned out to be Chinese, and later tracked down the original American version later on. Identical appearance, weight and feel between the two, so the consistency is there in those areas, but I don't know if durability will be similar in the long run.

Incidentally, I've seen the same knives sold under different brand names, both American and imported, and wonder if United Cutlery was actually making them rather than Schrade.
 
Have a couple of the newer Schrade autos. Made in Taiwan. They are of good quality for the price. Shaving sharp out of the box and fit and finish are good.
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Taiwan seems to be producing some really good knives for export. I think that Spyderco even contracts a mfg there to make a couple of their knives. OTOH, I've never seen a knife from mainland China that was worth spit. I'm sure they must be capable of making better knives, but the importers only go to them for cheap junk. The fact that Schrade and Marbles are now made in China is a crime against humanity. :fire:
 
Bought a Schrade auto, great price, piece of junk. Broke after about ten openings. Sent it back to BladeHQ, and they sent me another one. Same deal, broke quickly, only I held it past the return by date. And I had another one in the box, not used, but also late to return.

To their credit, BladeHQ took them back anyway, and exchanged them at my request for an SOG Twitch II. Schrade, garbage knives, Blade HQ, great customer service.
 
I have a little Schrade lock blade that really holds an edge. I use it to cut plastic straps & after months of daily (mon-fri) use, it still slices paper as well as much more expensives knives.
 
The French made knives, like Opinel and the Douk-Douk, are very good knives.
The Swedish Mora knives are also very good knives.
 
I was lucky enough to pick up an older Sharpfinger at a good price on a traditional archery forum last year. It has a nice patina and the sheath is in good shape. Can't beat the older ones that is for sure...
 
Much better off to buy the old ones, even if you pay a few $$'s more. I'm not a huge fan of them, but I still have some NIB and I'm sure there are lots more out there if you went looking for them. ebay always seems to have plenty of the old ones for a tolerable price.

Or, look at Buck (most of their line is US made) or Case.

I just don't like carrying a china made knife. Have some which are rather nice, but it just bothers me too much when I can have a US made version which, even if the same, I just enjoy carrying more.
 
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