Any love for Schrade Old Timer slipjoints made in China>?

L

lonestar1979

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Mar 2, 2014
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These knives seem to be made about same as old Usa made Schrades,and the steel is pretty good ,on par with Usa Schrade stainless or even better.(I read that on forums here).All opinions welcome.Will maybe get couple of these,and they have few interesting small fixed blades,sharpfinger,deerslayer,etc...)
 
I have two, bought out of curiosity. The first one is OK. Delrin-handled Wranger (93OT) pattern. Came relatively sharp, blade grinds are a little thicker than I like. Springs are kind of soft, but decent walk and talk. The steel is decent enough and takes a good edge. Some minor fit and finish issues. It cuts stuff. Fair value for price paid.

I decided to try one of their bone handled knives that claim to use 440C steel, so I got their medium stockman (34OTB I think). That one has some problems. In particular they didn't spin down one of the handle pins and it protrudes too far (by a fair bit) and the handle on that side has a bit of a gap. Too much trouble to fix, not worth the money or hassle to send back. If I had a pin spinner I could probably fix it. I don't. I have plenty of other, better knives so I chalk it up to education. It does make the knife unsuitable to carry and use, though.

So 50% success rate. That was enough for me. I have no interest in continuing to explore the brand. The Wrangler is fine as a beater if I ever feel like using it.
 
They're not bad for an inexpensive working slipjoint , but they're just not the same and the color of the delrin lacks the chocolate brown center and warm caramel border that the originals have.
 
I've two: a sawcut delrin barlow and a sawcut bone handled stockman. I think both are very good. Sharpen well, hold a decent edge and basically good, inexpensive knives. You don't have to sell a kidney to have a good working knife.

Rich
 
I won't bother to even look. After the ordeal with the Deerslayer with ill-fitting scales, bent blade, and poor quality, I've lost any desire to even attempt one of their folding varieties. Taylor has ruined the name, IMHO. However, if you bought one and like it, use the heck out of it and enjoy it. Something tells me that in 50 years, after Taylor sells the company to another maker and it's either brought back to the US for manufacture or quality increases to original standards, those being sold today may be worth a little bit of something.
 
I have had Walden Schrade 128OT stockman for a long time. At one time, it was my only non-SAK slipjoint. It could be a poster child for ill-made Chinese knockoffs. The shield doesn't sit flat, a couple of the pins will snag a fingernail, and a bit of daylight shines past the scales. The springs are flush only when closed. It has pretty good snap, but I have never been able to give it a very good edge, which may have as much to do with me as with the knife. The sawcut bone is about as drab as I have seen on a knife.

Nevertheless, the bar for an EDC is low, and it clears it easily. I used to carry it a bit. Not any more, now that I have some knives that actually give me some pleasure.
 
I only have one. A buffalo handled medium stockman. I would never have bought one for myself but my wife found this one in a parking lot.

F and F is not great. Gaps between the liners and scales. Granted this could be from sitting in the snow for who knows how long and the horn warping but they are certainly there. The blades lack the snap that GEC has but they are perfectly fine for me. They snap more than my Buck 301 and the pull on each blade is easily manageable. The grinds are thin and even and each blade ks shaped well. Not too thick of a spey nor too thin of a clip. They sharpen easily and in my little experience they hold it just fine.

I found mine to be a great little utility blade. It sits atop my window sill for when I need a knife for opening and envelope or picking a splinter.

In my experience it has been a great little knife and if I was less of a knife nut it would fill the role perfectly ad easily in the pocket. A good value tool. Will likely be given to someone who happens by hat doesn't know how valuable a pocket knife can be just yet.
 
I only have 2. An Imperial 4 blade Senator. Its a nice enough knife, no complaints on the blades or construction. I don't like how the pattern feels in my hand though, so don't use it very much, and carry it even less.
I'll probably gift it to my nephew/God Son for his whittlin' projects.
The second is a 4 blade Hammer Brand Canoe whittler. It is one of my favorites, and sees considerable pocket time.
I also have a couple of the China made 7OT and LB7 lock backs. Those do get carried and used. IMHO, they are all just as good as my USA made Schrades.
 
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Based on feedback from old threads, the first ones that came out some 10 years ago were pretty poor.

I have two of recent manufacture. An OT Wrangler and an Uncle Henry Rancher (small stockman). They are OK knives. Steel is decently heat treated 440A. GEC's they are not. But, fit and finish are reasonably close to that of the original Old Timers, which were not a high end line, just good working knives.

Not sure that I would say I "love" them. But I consider them decent knives, about equal in quality to the knives I grew up with in the 60's. I sometimes carry the Wrangler, because it's a great pattern in my favorite size, and nobody else currently makes one quite like it.
 
If you don't have anything better and you aren't holding them up against a much better made knife they are probably ok.

To me they will never match the warmth of an original Schrade.

But if you want an inexpensive slip joint to do small tasks with and don't expect it to do more than it should or be something it isn't, they should fill the bill.
 
This question gets asked on this forum quite often, and the consensus seems to be they are about the same quality.
 
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IMO, I like the China Made Rough Riders..... I mostly have a problem with slapping an old American name on a what is essentially a different knife.
 
Woodrow F Call said:
IMO, I like the China Made Rough Riders..... I mostly have a problem with slapping an old American name on a what is essentially a different knife.
Click to expand...

I feel the same. Something about it just seems wrong to me. Same goes for Camillus. I'd rather buy a Rough Rider or the like than a re-purposed formerly American made knife. Even if the quality is the same, at least the Rough Rider isn't pretending to be something it's not.
 
I have a small whittler. I bought it as a user. I tend to loose small pocket knives so I wanted something that would not break my heart if I lost it. The shield came unglued and disappeared. Other than that it serves it's function. It is easy to sharpen and maintains a decent edge.
 
Stepping aside what we bladephiles regard as a quality US made product and the almost unforgivable crime of "stealing" the Old Timer brand, I broke down and bought one several months ago from the Big River. I don't recall the model, it's the little bitty one with the liner-lock, 18OT? It arrived and I must say it was better than expected. Almost perfect in fact. Sharp, blade centered and strong spring. No gaps, no protruding pins. The color of course, and well noted before, is off from the original Old Timers of days past. I carry it some when I need a bitty knife in the pocket. If I lose it, it's only a few dollars gone. I grew up with the original Schrade Old Timers being available everywhere in our little town but I didn't get it at the time. Now I have several of the the "old" ones and really appreciate what they are. There is a whole generation of folks coming up now never knowing about the quality knives that were made, and will fully except the Asian version for what it is. A working knife for not much money. I doubt I'll buy another, and my experience may be unique, but they have their place in a pocket for someone who may not be able to pick up an affordable Case, or any other quality brand. I bemoan the fact that "Old Timer" as we have known it is gone. I also have a couple of Rough Riders that are actually very well made. So, who knows what 10 years from now will be available.
 
I always looked at the original Old Timers as a working knife, nothing fancy just affordable. I miss the original Old Timers but I don't blame any one but Old Timer for their demise. Company names get sold, it just happens.

Taylor Brands seems to put a better finish on their Old Timer bone models than their Delrin models.
I bought a New 80TB the bone handle version as a gift It's not a bad knife Fit and finish was better than the originals. Walk and talk was good but it is different than the original 80T.
One of the first things I noticed was the thinner blades and relief on the sheepfoot blade. Taylor could have done the other side and made the sheepsfoot straighter. The blades are thinner so it's a good slicer and 9Cr18MoV holds a good edge. Son in law has been using it for a couple years and it's holding up well.
My Old timer on the left . 80T vs 80TB
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It's very rare I carry a nut but I didn't want to use my Calillus & Old Timers any more.
My Taylor Brand 72OTB has very good fit and finish. The only complaint is the pens nail nick is way to big. Kind of odd looking.
Original 120T on top. 120T vs 72OTB
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120T vs Taylor 120T
The Taylor Brand 120T is a bit rough, center pin not as flush as it could be. There were a couple dents in the handle out of the box. Handle fit wasn't great & the shield looked used. Taylor's 7Cr17 holds an edge better than Case Steel but not as good as Old Timers carbon steel. For a user it OK.
Original on top.
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China gets neither love nor hate from me...

if you want an old timer, there are plenty of American made OTs on eBay for pretty cheap - new or used. just a few more dollars than the taylor made.
 
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