Schrade 175 help

[Jakeywax31]

Just recieved this knife in the mail. Thought I would ask one of you fine folks for a little help with it. Its marked Schrade + 175. Which to my research means stainless. Im assuming 440 c or 420 hc. I am familiar with the schrade scrimshaws of old but thought this one was a little unusual. Its almost like a Schrade scrimshaw commemorating Desert Storm and is beautifully made. I thought it was weird for it not to have a blade etch. Most commemorative knives have a blade etch from my research. Im not sure if this was made by someone or maybe a little run that Schrade did. I did find a couple of fixed blade desert storm knives but have not seen or heard another like this. Im sure they made thousands but like always have no Idea what I am doing in regards to finding the correct source. Being a veteran of the current war in Iraq and Afghanistan I couldnt resist. Any tid bits of information you wish to share would be greatly appreciated. Thank you.

Paul

 

[bladecollectorr]

Schrade would put whatever you wanted on a knife if you purchased a certain number. The 175 "Grafting Knife" pattern was made for many years. Your knife looks to have ivory delrin handles and the steel is most-likely 440A (in 1991) but could also be 440C or, least likely, 420HC as you mentioned. The switch to 420HC came later iirc. I wouldn't see the lack of a blade etch as strange. Some knives have them and some don't.

I don't know exact numbers for this SFO (Special Factory Order) but it could be as low as a couple hundred to a few thousand. I agree your knife is very uncommon so I lean towards low production numbers.

 

[Jakeywax31]

Schrade would put whatever you wanted on a knife if you purchased a certain number. The 175 "Grafting Knife" pattern was made for many years. Your knife looks to have ivory delrin handles and the steel is most-likely 440A (in 1991) but could also be 440C or, least likely, 420HC as you mentioned. The switch to 420HC came later iirc. I wouldn't see the lack of a blade etch as strange. Some knives have them and some don't.

I don't know exact numbers for this SFO (Special Factory Order) but it could be as low as a couple hundred to a few thousand. I agree your knife is very uncommon so I lean towards low production numbers.

Thank you for the response and information. It's a wonderful knife. Whatever steel its made from it does the job and holds a very respectable edge. It has been a regular carry for me since I recieved it.