- Joined
- Mar 2, 2017
- Messages
- 91
I bought a Schrade some months back, and after the sheath literally split in half in my hands, the damn thing has not even left my desk drawer.
WARNING: Schrade bait and switch...RIPOFF ALERT
- Thread starter JohnnyBlades
- Start date
- Joined
- Apr 4, 2007
- Messages
- 8,578
Imho schrade did the same thibg with its balisong but in a much shrter time frame. It seemed a few select youtubers got impeccable examples with great grinds and fit and finish while the people who went out and bought them based on those reviews got a lump of crap in a similar shape.
- Joined
- May 6, 2016
- Messages
- 662
When I first got into fixed blades I really liked Schrade. They were inexpensive, reliable hard use blades. However, after taking a break from fixed blades lately I come to realize they have more in common with a pry bar then a cutting tool. They generally run really thick with poor edge geometry. Can you baton with them? Absolutely! Slice stuff? Not really. Taylor's QC was never anything to brag about, all Schrade's I own have minor problems, but nothing that prevents it from being slammed through some wood. If it is gong even lower I won't be buying anything from them.
They still are a saber grind. A saber grind is a grind where the primary bevel starts approximately in the middle of the blade. The difference I believe you're looking for is a flat grind vs hollow grind.
- Joined
- May 18, 2005
- Messages
- 22,965
LOL, I stand corrected. I thought it was stupid when they licensed their name to be slapped on garbage knives. Now they are doing the slapping? Could have improved their name(s).
- Joined
- Jun 5, 2012
- Messages
- 28,212
Yea it is an odd world we live in. If anything it speaks volumes about s&w that they allow their name to put on some of the worst knives made. The message is clear to me, they only care about $. Which seems to go hand in hand with what they did to chris tanner.
- Joined
- Apr 4, 2007
- Messages
- 8,578
Hmm. In that video he talks about how they tried to make it a hollow grind in the beginning. I wonder if they made a bunch and had to sit on them and when S&W got control of their own knives again they just released whatever stock they had. If they did this knowingly its just sad.
- Joined
- Jul 28, 2016
- Messages
- 595
I am not surprised the quality of Schrade has slipped since being acquired by American Outdoor Brands the parent company of S&W. There idea of quality control for there new revolvers is ship every one and if the customer finds something wrong then they will address it. Very disappointing for such a great company to fall to this new low. I am still a fanboy of there older revolvers.
- Joined
- Nov 20, 2005
- Messages
- 19,385
I have never seriously considered buying a Taylor Brands (Schrade) or one made through the new S&W subsidiary. Taylor definitely worked toward improving the brand as time went on, but any time a new owner takes over, things are likely to change. I think Taylor did good selling off the brand for 85 million. You can make a lot of money out sourcing manufacturing to China and selling here (for now).
Unfortunate but true. My S&W and Schrade folders that were sold under the Taylor were rather well made for their <$20 pricetag. The Schrade lineup even had a remarkably large selection of modern folders with blade lengths between 2.5 - 3.1", many of which were made with 9cr18mov steel.
All these changed after S&W (or rather, BTI Tools) acquired Taylor; the single most remarkable change was the sudden discontinuation of most of the 2.5 - 3.1" folders under the Schrade line, and the addition of modern (but fugly-looking) folders to the Imperial line with 3cr13 steel.
I hope it is just a transition phase; I don't believe BTI Tools will be suddenly cancelling all of Taylor's contracts with the Chinese factories currently making their knives. We probably won't know which factories in China are responsible for making the S&W or Schrade knives, but the ones producing the folders are still doing a decent job and it will be a sad day if BTI Tools ends their partnership with those factories.
For now, i'll stay with Gerber. At least they have a sizable lineup of modern folders with 2.5 - 3.1" blade lengths.
Hard for me to evaluate what's going on. Certainly, I can feel bad for the designer who was looking for a knife that is a pry bar. He had a purpose in mind. Going from a low saber flat grind to a low saber hollow grind would reduce tip strength, but also improve tip penetration and slicing. What you do want: A tip that can perform routine cutting duties or a tip that can cut a hole in a car hood?
- Joined
- Sep 5, 2016
- Messages
- 62
I have an Schrade "Little Ricky" that has a hollow grind, and I have definitely put it through tip tests close to what Chris does in the video many times. Maybe not with a stump, but I've stabbed it into trees and yanked it out probably a hundred times. I'm thinking that while the grind may be a part of the problem, there is more going on here. Although they use different steel than the Jess X, several other Schrade big blades(the Leroy, the Jethro, the Little Ricky) have used a hollow grind and tested very well in the past. The ease with which Chris destroys so many of these blades tells me Schrade is cutting corners significantly. Time and more testing will tell, but I'm not buying for the foreseeable future.
Last edited:
- Joined
- Jun 6, 2017
- Messages
- 3,351
I just am going to add every Schrade I have had has felt cheap and proven to be as cheap as it felt blades chipped terribly and handles broke/cracked easily.
- Joined
- Sep 5, 2016
- Messages
- 62
Have you seen the Jess X? No one buys that blade for "routine cutting duties". Thats what a pocket knife is for. This is why the design change is so counterintuitive. Also, I have the original model, it gets sharp as hell and cuts just fine with a flat grind. Calling it a pry bar is a gross hyperbole.
- Joined
- Jun 9, 2011
- Messages
- 26,486
i dont know in fairness. the designer guy was testing it like a prybar. beating concrete curbs, prying with the tip in a stump, much like a prybar.
- Joined
- Apr 4, 2007
- Messages
- 8,578
Its actually pretty simple. The guy designed the knife and wanted that specific grind for strength. He was very adamant with the company that he didn't want a hollow grind. They produced the knife his way for two years and every run sold out quickly. After Schrade was acquired by S&W they changed it to a hollow grind without his consent after several reviewers did extreme testing on the knife and couldn't get it to fail. Now the new batch with hollow grinds seems to be very brittle and cant handle anything the original could. So much so the designer is questioning the actual steel or at the very least the heat treatment. Point being he designed that knife to do what it did and now it wont do that or even come close.
- Joined
- Apr 4, 2007
- Messages
- 8,578
But in fairness the original could take that abuse. The new one cannot. He probably wouldn't have had as big of a problem with it if the new one could survive the beating. Now the original did get damaged. But it didn't fail. These new ones seem pretty crappy in comparison. I totally see why he is miffed.i dont know in fairness. the designer guy was testing it like a prybar. beating concrete curbs, prying with the tip in a stump, much like a prybar.