Schrade SCHF42 - Followup review.

[Ankerson]

After doing various tasks with the knife over the past week off and on.

Here are some quick photos with captions.

After splitting up some seasoned hardwood as one would in the field to make some fuzzy sticks. The stuff is very hard and had some knots in it.

Whittled it making a fuzzy stick, it cut fine and as you can see can make some finer cuts if need be.

Did some prying with it as it might see some prying use, it held up fine with no problems.

Cut some 3/4" thick heavy duty cardboard to show the utility use.



Conclusions

The knife did fine in the various tasks that I did with it over the past week. It's a heavier use knife so it's not really a slicer, but can still do some finer work if needed.

It held an edge fine and still would slice paper after and 1095 will be pretty easy to maintain in the field with a simple stone if needed.

I like the design, somewhat thicker than I would personally like, but it makes since due to the intended customer base and uses.

 

[Mistwalker]

Thank you for the feedback Jim, I appreciate you taking the time to check it out from a knowledgeable perspective that is hard to find in the you tube reviewers. I also really appreciate you keeping it in the context of reasonable expectations of the design as I knew you would.

You are right of course, it is not going to slice as well as a knife could, the custom versions I am having made for myself are thinner steel, and will have thinner grinds behind the secondary bevel. The bevel that we went with on this one was meant to be more in line with the uses of their target market. They nailed the profile I wanted, even if they didn't have the tooling to do the grind I drew out. They also pretty well nailed the handle contours I wanted, athough the fit and finish isn't as tight as I would like. So far they have done a decent job with their heat treat on their 1095. I watched how well they did on the first design I did for them for several years before designing more. If you foresee a use for this knife for you as a beater, as I know it isn't your prefered style of knife, I'd be happy to send you a set of the micarta scales for it so you can see and feel it the way I drew it. Joe does an excellent job with the fit and finish of the micarta. I went with green with orange liners for the one I am testing, and my wife went with blue burlap micarta from Shade Tree for hers. I guess she only wanted one to show her support for my work. Lol, her edc rotation consists of a Fiddleback Bushboot, a T.M. Hunt Magua, a small Breeden that I designed and had made for her years ago, and a small Spartan. Picturing her wearing something this large evokes comical images in my mind, but I love her all the more for wanting to support my work.

After all the previous discussions on Phil's wonderful knives, I think you may have just sent your usual audience into sort of a state of shock lol, but your effort here is much appreciated by me. Now that you have seen the mass produced version, I'll have to get your opinion on one of the hand made versions later this year or early next year.

Once again thank you. Finding people who can test things and remain objective these days is not an easy thing to do.

 

[Mistwalker]

Here are some pics of the micarta, Joe has other color options available

 

[Ferahgo]

Great review. I now have another blade to add to my potential buy list.

 

[Ankerson]

Thank you for the feedback Jim, I appreciate you taking the time to check it out from a knowledgeable perspective that is hard to find in the you tube reviewers. I also really appreciate you keeping it in the context of reasonable expectations of the design as I knew you would.

You are right of course, it is not going to slice as well as a knife could, the custom versions I am having made for myself are thinner steel, and will have thinner grinds behind the secondary bevel. The bevel that we went with on this one was meant to be more in line with the uses of their target market. They nailed the profile I wanted, even if they didn't have the tooling to do the grind I drew out. They also pretty well nailed the handle contours I wanted, athough the fit and finish isn't as tight as I would like. So far they have done a decent job with their heat treat on their 1095. I watched how well they did on the first design I did for them for several years before designing more. If you foresee a use for this knife for you as a beater, as I know it isn't your prefered style of knife, I'd be happy to send you a set of the micarta scales for it so you can see and feel it the way I drew it. Joe does an excellent job with the fit and finish of the micarta. I went with green with orange liners for the one I am testing, and my wife went with blue burlap micarta from Shade Tree for hers. I guess she only wanted one to show her support for my work. Lol, her edc rotation consists of a Fiddleback Bushboot, a T.M. Hunt Magua, a small Breeden that I designed and had made for her years ago, and a small Spartan. Picturing her wearing something this large evokes comical images in my mind, but I love her all the more for wanting to support my work.

After all the previous discussions on Phil's wonderful knives, I think you may have just sent your usual audience into sort of a state of shock lol, but your effort here is much appreciated by me. Now that you have seen the mass produced version, I'll have to get your opinion on one of the hand made versions later this year or early next year.

Once again thank you. Finding people who can test things and remain objective these days is not an easy thing to do.

Brian,

Thanks for letting me test it, it is a nice knife and I do like the design, was actually really well thought out and it shows. :thumbup:

I try and stay objective when I do reviews or should I say honest.

My own personal likes and or dislikes really don't matter when I test a knife, I test them based on what they are designed for and if they do what they are supposed to do that's awesome.

Yes, you can send the scales anytime, I plan on keeping this one because I like it.

Looking forward to seeing more of your designs in the future for sure. :thumbup:

Jim

 

[Mistwalker]

Thank you sir, I appreciate that. We think a lot alike in that, and have similar views. Ok man, sure thing I'll stick them in the post on Monday. I have a few more designs coming out his year by a couple of different knife companies/makers, and in talks with others...so next year could be interesting

 

[Ankerson]

Thank you sir, I appreciate that. We think a lot alike in that, and have similar views. Ok man, sure thing I'll stick them in the post on Monday. I have a few more designs coming out his year by a couple of different knife companies/makers, and in talks with others...so next year could be interesting

Looking forward to it.

 

[buckfynn]

Thanks for the review on the SCHF42. It is my personal preference that I do not care for recurved blades. I have been waiting for the SCHF42D which has a straight blade but they seem to be rare as hens teeth ATM.

 

[Mistwalker]

Thanks for the review on the SCHF42. It is my personal preference that I do not care for recurved blades. I have been waiting for the SCHF42D which has a straight blade but they seem to be rare as hens teeth ATM.

Yes, we get that some people feel this way. The 42 was one I designed for specific attributes that I personally prefer and areas that I frequent. The straight blade version is coming though. The tooling has been sorted out, and prototype knives and sheaths have been made, it uses the same shape handle scales but comes in brown instead of black, and it is in production now. Should be available around October.

 

[buckfynn]

Yes, we get that some people feel this way. The 42 was one I designed for specific attributes that I personally prefer and areas that I frequent. The straight blade version is coming though. The tooling has been sorted out, and prototype knives and sheaths have been made, it uses the same shape handle scales but comes in brown instead of black, and it is in production now. Should be available around October.

Thanks for the update on when the SCHF42D is scheduled for availability. I am very much looking forward to purchasing one and trying it out.

And by no means was I being critical of the design of your SCHF42. It just is not for me.

Joe sure did a great job on the micarta scales, very pretty.

 

[Quiet]

I have absolutely no need for this knife, but knowing that Mist designed it....gah. I'm going to have to get one.

 

[Mistwalker]

Thanks for the update on when the SCHF42D is scheduled for availability. I am very much looking forward to purchasing one and trying it out.

And by no means was I being critical of the design of your SCHF42. It just is not for me.

Joe sure did a great job on the micarta scales, very pretty.

No problem man, and yeah no worries there. It's as always different strokes for different folks, we like what we like and there's nothing wrong with that either way I think Joe does a fantastic job with the scales. I've bought about 8 sets so far and all have had the same great fit and finish.

I have absolutely no need for this knife, but knowing that Mist designed it....gah. I'm going to have to get one.

Wow, gee thanks man. I hope somehow it serves you well in some purpose

 

[ocnLogan]

Ankerson, thanks for the follow up review. Excellent work as always.

And mistwalker, you are one of the people that drew me to bladeforums. I read your review on the kabar mk1, which then lead me to snowballing into Beckers, etc. So thank you for your excellent reviews, and the knowledge you've shared over the years.

I am curious about a few things though. You mention they didn't have the tooling to make it as you'd drawn it. Care to elaborate what would have been different? Also, I see you mention that you prefer the recurve, again, I'm simply curious. So far I've found I prefer straight edges, but my experience level is vastly lower than yours, so I'm open to learning .

Anyway, this is the first of the new schrades that appeals to me. The others are all too thick, with low grinds, and strange jimping. This has a more reasonable thickness, ffg, and a handle that actually looks comfortable. I must say, that the 42D looks somewhat like a Becker BK16 scaled up a bit (which I mean as a complement).

Thanks again .

 

[338375]

Thank you for the feedback Jim, I appreciate you taking the time to check it out from a knowledgeable perspective that is hard to find in the you tube reviewers. I also really appreciate you keeping it in the context of reasonable expectations of the design as I knew you would.

You are right of course, it is not going to slice as well as a knife could, the custom versions I am having made for myself are thinner steel, and will have thinner grinds behind the secondary bevel. The bevel that we went with on this one was meant to be more in line with the uses of their target market. They nailed the profile I wanted, even if they didn't have the tooling to do the grind I drew out. They also pretty well nailed the handle contours I wanted, athough the fit and finish isn't as tight as I would like. So far they have done a decent job with their heat treat on their 1095. I watched how well they did on the first design I did for them for several years before designing more. If you foresee a use for this knife for you as a beater, as I know it isn't your prefered style of knife, I'd be happy to send you a set of the micarta scales for it so you can see and feel it the way I drew it. Joe does an excellent job with the fit and finish of the micarta. I went with green with orange liners for the one I am testing, and my wife went with blue burlap micarta from Shade Tree for hers. I guess she only wanted one to show her support for my work. Lol, her edc rotation consists of a Fiddleback Bushboot, a T.M. Hunt Magua, a small Breeden that I designed and had made for her years ago, and a small Spartan. Picturing her wearing something this large evokes comical images in my mind, but I love her all the more for wanting to support my work.

After all the previous discussions on Phil's wonderful knives, I think you may have just sent your usual audience into sort of a state of shock lol, but your effort here is much appreciated by me. Now that you have seen the mass produced version, I'll have to get your opinion on one of the hand made versions later this year or early next year.

Once again thank you. Finding people who can test things and remain objective these days is not an easy thing to do.

I like Jim's reviews, but quite honestly I almost passed up looking at this one knowing that it didn't involve an old original Schrade... I haven't given the new Schrades a second look, but after a quick look, I noticed 1095 and had to look closer

I've owned quite a few originals and still have 8 in various models. I love their old 1095. Schrade did a great job on it. I always thought if you could take an old Schrade blade and put it in a Case frame with nice bone scales, it would be incredible...

Anyway, I apologize if I missed it somewhere, but can you give me a brief rundown on how this knife came to be, and who is making them ? I didn't think we would ever see a new Schrade in 1095 again. Any chance of coming out with a version that is about 7 1/2 inches OAL with a drop point ? I know, my choice in knives is considered boring by some Sorry for getting a little off track guys...

 

[Mistwalker]

And mistwalker, you are one of the people that are me to bladeforums. I read your review on the kabar mk1, which then lead me to snowballing into beckers, etc. So thank you for your excellent reviews, and the knowledge you've shared over the years.

I am curious about a few things though. You mention they didn't have the tooling to make it as you'd drawn it. Care to elaborate what would have been different? Also, I see you mention that you prefer the recurve, again, I'm simply curious. So far I've found I prefer straight edges, but my experience level is vastly lower than yours, so I'm open to learning .

Anyway, this is the first of the new schrades that appeals to me. The others are all too thick, with low grinds, and strange jimping. This has a more reasonable thickness, ffg, and a handle that actually looks comfortable. I must say, that the 42D looks somewhat like a Becker BK16 scaled up a bit (which I mean as a complement).

Thanks again .

Thank you, I'm glad you enjoy the reviews. In my drawing it had a different shape plunge line, and the grind wasn't quite full height. I have some tweaked customs being made that will be more like how I drew this one to start with. As for the recurve I live in the south, and have spent a lot of time in the semi tropics. I find the recurve works better on that type vegetation better for me personally, and well as coming into play when tired and fatigued. I can see that about the 42D and I'll take that as a compliment. I love Ethan to death, and I gave him one of the first 200 42s that came out at the spring Becker Gathering.

I like Jim's reviews, but quite honestly I almost passed up looking at this one knowing that it didn't involve an old original Schrade... I haven't given the new Schrades a second look, but after a quick look, I noticed 1095 and had to look closer

I've owned quite a few originals and still have 8 in various models. I love their old 1095. Schrade did a great job on it. I always thought if you could take an old Schrade blade and put it in a Case frame with nice bone scales, it would be incredible...

Anyway, I apologize if I missed it somewhere, but can you give me a brief rundown on how this knife came to be, and who is making them ? I didn't think we would ever see a new Schrade in 1095 again. Any chance of coming out with a version that is about 7 1/2 inches OAL with a drop point ? I know, my choice in knives is considered boring by some Sorry for getting a little off track guys...

I've owned quite a few of the older ones myself. A 165OT Woodsman was the knife I carried for years during some of my earliest wilderness studies and experiments in the Chattahoochee River Valley back in the 70s and 80s. I loved their old 1095.

It was actually an email I wrote to Morgan Taylor talking about those days that led to me designing the Schrade SCHF9 for them back in 2009. That was the first 1095 they had used in a long time, and I was adamant enough about it to forego more designs till we had seen how that one did, just to get it in 1095. Taiwan isn't the US of course, but so far they have typically done a great job with the 1095 over the last 6 years. So this year I have 3 new designs in 1095 coming out with them and we are discussing others for next year. I think you may like the SCHF55. It is about 7-1/2 over all and like a scaled down version of the SCHF42D. It will be 3/16 thick also due to their handle mounting method. I had hoped for 5/32 but that wouldn't work well with their handle attachment system. It's in production now, and should be out in December.

 

[338375]

I've owned quite a few of the older ones myself. A 165OT Woodsman was the knife I carried for years during some of my earliest wilderness studies and experiments in the Chattahoochee River Valley back in the 70s and 80s. I loved their old 1095.

It was actually an email I wrote to Morgan Taylor talking about those days that led to me designing the Schrade SCHF9 for them back in 2009. That was the first 1095 they had used in a long time, and I was adamant enough about it to forego more designs till we had seen how that one did, just to get it in 1095. Taiwan isn't the US of course, but so far they have typically done a great job with the 1095 over the last 6 years. So this year I have 3 new designs in 1095 coming out with them and we are discussing others for next year. I think you may like the SCHF55. It is about 7-1/2 over all and like a scaled down version of the SCHF42D. It will be 3/16 thick also due to their handle mounting method. I had hoped for 5/32 but that wouldn't work well with their handle attachment system. It's in production now, and should be out in December.

Thanks for the explanation. That is very cool you were able to bring back one of the attributes that made the originals so good. I know a lot of people think 1095 is outdated garbage steel, but I don't agree with that. Of course it is very important that the HT is done correctly, but that holds true with any steel...

I'm a little nostalgic about the old U.S made Schrades, and prefer as many things come from the U.S that I possibly can, but the reality is, that really limits ones choices.

I have two Spyderco knives that were both made in Taiwan, and the workmanship on both is very nice. Actually nicer than most of my beloved Benchmades.
I will keep an eye out for the SCHF55 later this year. It sounds like it might fit into my usual parameters nicely.

 

[Ankerson]

UPDATE.

Got the Micarta scales, awesome, they make a rather large difference IMO. I believe to get the most of this model and to use it as the designer intended they are a must. :thumbup:

 

[Mistwalker]

Thanks Jim. I thought you might like it better this way, I know I do. It was a part of the design from the beginning for me. I think a lot of companies fail to see how the handle material, and finish of it, actually play a role in the functionality of any given design, and how it does play a large part in determining whether or not a knife functions in the manner the designer intended.

 

[ocnLogan]

Thank you, I'm glad you enjoy the reviews. In my drawing it had a different shape plunge line, and the grind wasn't quite full height. I have some tweaked customs being made that will be more like how I drew this one to start with. As for the recurve I live in the south, and have spent a lot of time in the semi tropics. I find the recurve works better on that type vegetation better for me personally, and well as coming into play when tired and fatigued. I can see that about the 42D and I'll take that as a compliment. I love Ethan to death, and I gave him one of the first 200 42s that came out at the spring Becker Gathering.

Thanks for answering the question. I've always been the inquisitive type .

Its interesting you wanted it a saber grind initially, and I guess so far I've mostly associated recurves with larger machete type objects. And someday I'll make it to one of the gatherings, they sound like a truly unique experience.

Thanks again, and I look forward to seeing the 42D when it comes out.

 

[Mistwalker]

Thank you, I'm glad you enjoy the reviews. In my drawing it had a different shape plunge line, and the grind wasn't quite full height. I have some tweaked customs being made that will be more like how I drew this one to start with. As for the recurve I live in the south, and have spent a lot of time in the semi tropics. I find the recurve works better on that type vegetation better for me personally, and well as coming into play when tired and fatigued. I can see that about the 42D and I'll take that as a compliment. I love Ethan to death, and I gave him one of the first 200 42s that came out at the spring Becker Gathering.

Thanks for answering the question. I've always been the inquisitive type .

Its interesting you wanted it a saber grind initially, and I guess so far I've mostly associated recurves with larger machete type objects. And someday I'll make it to one of the gatherings, they sound like a truly unique experience.

Thanks again, and I look forward to seeing the 42D when it comes out.

It was actually a very high saber grind as originally drawn. But with such a large part of the Schrade market having a fondness for liking their knife spines to throw sparks, I thought I'd give them something that really throws sparks .