Just Curious

William Schrade

William Schrade

Knifemaker / Craftsman / Service Provider
Joined
Jul 30, 2012
Messages
609
I know this forum is for pre 2004 knives and those after are treated like a rebellious step child but I'm just curious.

Where has Schrade been since Smith and Wesson bought them. I was at the Blade Show last June and they were nowhere to be found.

After spending $85,000,000 for a brand you would think they would be at one of the biggest trade shows in the world.
 
William Schrade said:
I know this forum is for pre 2004 knives and those after are treated like a rebellious step child but I'm just curious.

Where has Schrade been since Smith and Wesson bought them. I was at the Blade Show last June and they were nowhere to be found.

After spending $85,000,000 for a brand you would think they would be at one of the biggest trade shows in the world.
Click to expand...

I've never heard that version of the of the sale. What is your source for S&W buying this "brand" ?
As far as I know, the company was dissolved and the "intellectual property" was bought by Taylor Brands LLC.
 
Chinese made crappp by any other name remains Chinese made crapp....subject Chinese made Stainless Steel to sea/salt water and you will understand...we send them our good Australian steel and they use their metal magic...to create crapp....that was always the attraction of US made Schrade...you generally knew what you were getting..functional/consistant and and it didn't have built in obsolence….which saw you having to make repeat purchases..Chinese made bladeware must be one of the least fulfilling for Chinese made collectors,..the crapp is only surpassed by their """leather sheaths"""...which has the properties of cardboard in the presence of moisture/water....looks are only surface deep..ugliness goes through to the core....not for me by any name....Hoo Roo
 
Upstream said:
I've never heard that version of the of the sale. What is your source for S&W buying this "brand" ?
As far as I know, the company was dissolved and the "intellectual property" was bought by Taylor Brands LLC.
Click to expand...

There was an article in Blade magazine a while back. Stuart Taylor pain $2.5ml for the name and sold it for $85ml 13 years later.
The Schrade division was the only profitable one under the Smith & Wesson umbrella.
 
Well that's interesting, thanks for the update. Maybe S&W will start producing some of the old patterns back here in the states.
 
Just to balance the record, I think the new Chinese made Schrades are well worth their money. This summer I bought an 858OTB (Old Timer Bone) and took it deer hunting this fall. Gutted a whitetail with it. Not the heaviest test of a knife, but it took and held a good edge, snapped open and shut like it should, the bone looks nice and the sawcut jigging was no-slip. No problems with staining, either, even though it was soaked in blood for some time. It isn't necessary to denigrate something to appreciate something else.

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What was this question posted for.

BATTENFELD TECHNOLOGIES. INC [B.T.I.] is the new owner of the Old Timer name.
It is important to remember, Schrade closed down in 2004 and B.T.I. paid US$85m, for Taylor Brands; not Schrade.

It is quite obvious B.T.I. liked the Taylor Brand, and the name Old Timer.

The knives Schrade had made in China, pre 2003 were very well made knives.

B.T.I. could start to make the Schrade Old Timers, in the U.S.A. again.
We must remember, the Good Old Day's have long been gone, let's see were B.T.I. take the Old Timer name... Ken.

This is a Knife made in China for Schrade, for their 100th Anniversary.
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I just love Fairy Tales; they always end well.
I like the one about "Stuart [Steward]Taylor pain [paid] $2.5ml for the name and sold it for $85ml 13 years later."
Now that is a very happy ending! However, like all Fairy Tales, it is not true.
 
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Taylor paid 2.5 mil for the intellectual property of Imperial Schrade. It then became property of TBLLC, along with quite a few other marks which he already owned (or licensed like S&W). The company which bought TBLLC, TBI, now owns all of the TBLLC intellectual property and the LLC itself. As to what became of the products Taylor was making in China, I have not seen a flood of new production, so I'm not sure if TBI has resumed production of those marks and designs or not. I do see TBLLC Sharpfingers for as little as $6 in quantity. And oodles of empty sheaths for sale.

Perhaps you could contact Taylor Brands and ask. I believe Stuart's son still works there. I think his name is Morgan, but I may be wrong on that.
 
Hi OLD Mate Codger, I hope you had a good Christmas.
Did T.B.L.L.C ever make knives or tools in the U.S.A. ?
Were were the Smith & Wesson knives made ?

Morgan Taylor, President of Taylor Brands, said in a press release:

“We are proud that the company my family founded in 1975 has grown to become a leading and highly regarded knife and tool provider. We look forward to achieving our next level of growth and continuing to serve our loyal customers as part of Smith & Wesson and with the benefit of Battenfeld Technologies’ extensive distribution network and product development processes.”
 
koldgold said:
Hi OLD Mate Codger, I hope you had a good Christmas.
Did T.B.L.L.C ever make knives or tools in the U.S.A. ?
Were were the Smith & Wesson knives made ?

Morgan Taylor, President of Taylor Brands, said in a press release:

“We are proud that the company my family founded in 1975 has grown to become a leading and highly regarded knife and tool provider. We look forward to achieving our next level of growth and continuing to serve our loyal customers as part of Smith & Wesson and with the benefit of Battenfeld Technologies’ extensive distribution network and product development processes.”
Click to expand...
To my knowledge, Taylor Brands was never a manufactirer of knives and tools, but rather a merchant who hired makers to make products for them which they then marketed. Yes, a few Taylor knives were contracted for with U.S. makers, but I don't remember which or when. Evidently the TBLLC organization of contracting and importing knives and tools will continue under Battenfield ownership. I still see no mention of a factory being built and cutlers being hired. FYI, the old Schrade building in Ellenville, the Channelmaster plant, has been razed to the slab and the owner of the slab and land it sits on is looking for buyers.
 
Taylor used these cutlers occasionally, all U.S. makers: GEC, Utica, Camillus, and Bear and Son. Camillus of course was joined at the hip with Schrade BEFORE the bankruptcy. Predictably, GECs were/are perhaps more desirable than the others as post-bankruptcy collectibles. The Bear and Son knives are easy to recognize; they all have glued-on handles (no pins). The others can be a little tricky to provenance (If we can use 'gift' as a verb, then may I use provenance as a verb? lol).
 
Yes, but with new ownership. After the close down in 2007, they were bought by Acme United in 2009 and reopened. They are much bigger into tactical stuff now.
 
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