# Schrade knives, how is the quality?



## Flying Crane

Does anyone have an opinion on the overall quality of schrade knives?  I believe they have been around for a good long time, are they good quality for the price?

I spotted a knife in a knife shop, i admit that I have absolutely no need for it, but it caught my eye.

It's a big fixed-blade, probably 5 or 6 inches long and rather wide, hollow-ground, with full tang visible around the entire outline of the handle.  Blade is quite thick, definitely more so than a ka-bar for example, could probably use it as a pry bar if need be.  It's heavy, due to blade thickness.

Comes with a soft sheath built around a hard lining for the blade, with pouch for whetstone, lanyards and tiedown straps for the leg.  I don't care much for that, but the knife itself is nice.

Priced at $82.00.

Any thoughts?  Is schrade a good, trusted company?


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## Danny T

Schrade makes some good knives and some not so good...
Many of their fixed blades are of 8Cr13MoV Stainless which is very similar to AUS 8 stainless.
Some of their heavier blades are of 1095 Carbon Steel which is a more robust steel for a survival or camp knife. Sharpens easily and maintains its edge well. 
8Cr13MoV isn't as strong but is a good steel but I wouldn't attempt to use it as a prybar. I find it doesn't retain its edge as well as 1095.


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## drop bear

yeah they are good. I have the schf.


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## Flatfish

I think for $82 you can find something better. I follow some of the knife boards and the overall opinion seems to be that the quality has gone down since they farmed manufacturing out to China. That is second hand opinion though.....


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## Flying Crane

Thanks guys, I've been doing a bit of google-fu and apparently the company closed and sold the name to Taylor Brands LLC who apparently manufactures under a number of brands, including Smith &Wesson, Old Timer, and some others, and do their work in china.  I've also seen some reviews of 1095 steel for knives, with some mixed opinions, some quite strongly against its use as a knife steel.

So I'm leaning away from it.  It's too bad when an old, established name brand takes on a new, deteriorated identity.

At any rate, if I am going to put money down for something, I want to feel confident that the quality is good.  I also recognize that for under a hundred bucks, you will not get premium quality, and if I spent a thousand dollars for a high end knife, I would be afraid to use it for fear of damage or losing it.  A knife is a tool, and if used it will get worn or damaged or lost some day, so decide at what price point do you want to shop, and be willing to accept those risks along with it.

But for 80-100, maybe some better materials might be available?  I dunno, maybe for under a hundred bucks, a heavy blade made from 1095 might be reasonable?


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## drop bear

you can get thousands of good knive for that money. You can get them for under a hundred in Australia. And we generally pay a lot for knives.

What do you want the knife to do?

I dont use 1095 because I live in a rainforest by the sea and hi carbon melts here. Otherwise It will work fine.


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## Brian R. VanCise

Benchmade has very good quality at fairly reasonable prices.


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## Dirty Dog

Brian R. VanCise said:


> Benchmade has very good quality at fairly reasonable prices.



Agreed. Benchmade is the Corvette of the knife world. I've got several and love them all. My favorite is the Auto-Stryker.


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## drop bear

benchmade (probably bushcraft knife) for under a hundred though?

And by the way OP. Start with a cheap knife. for example you could get a benchmade bushcrafter. Great knife at mabye $300.






or you cou,d get a condor bushlore that will do basically everything the benchmade will do for $60.






Now the benchmade is nicer. Better fit and finish. Mabye a better factory edge. But durability wise. No difference.

Now your issue will be is a 4 inch bushcrafter the right kind of knife? because if it is not then a thousand dollar knife made of mythril will not be the right pick.


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## Flatfish

Also check out ESEE, a bit over $100 but generally get rave reviews from the knife knurds


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## Flatfish

or you could make your own.....


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## Flying Crane

Flatfish said:


> or you could make your own.....


I like ththe idea, but not in a position to do so right now.  Nice work!


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## Juany118

Flying Crane said:


> Does anyone have an opinion on the overall quality of schrade knives?  I believe they have been around for a good long time, are they good quality for the price?
> 
> I spotted a knife in a knife shop, i admit that I have absolutely no need for it, but it caught my eye.
> 
> It's a big fixed-blade, probably 5 or 6 inches long and rather wide, hollow-ground, with full tang visible around the entire outline of the handle.  Blade is quite thick, definitely more so than a ka-bar for example, could probably use it as a pry bar if need be.  It's heavy, due to blade thickness.
> 
> Comes with a soft sheath built around a hard lining for the blade, with pouch for whetstone, lanyards and tiedown straps for the leg.  I don't care much for that, but the knife itself is nice.
> 
> Priced at $82.00.
> 
> Any thoughts?  Is schrade a good, trusted company?



What are you looking to use the knife for?  Self defense, camp blade, utility, all of the above?  Some companies do most (if not all) of their knives well, others do a real good job with one purpose but then not so much with another.


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## KangTsai

Just avoid Smith and Wesson knives.


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## Juany118

KangTsai said:


> Just avoid Smith and Wesson knives.


They make one good knife.  I have a rescue knife with spring loaded window break, saw/seat belt cutter and flat head screwdriver tip that has lasted me 19 years.  However don't know anyone but a first responder who would look at that and say "I need that."


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## jks9199

Check Spyderco's Byrd line.  They're a bit cheaper than the regular line, but still good quality.   Prices are reasonable. 

Sent from my SM-G920V using Tapatalk


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## Flying Crane

Juany118 said:


> What are you looking to use the knife for?  Self defense, camp blade, utility, all of the above?  Some companies do most (if not all) of their knives well, others do a real good job with one purpose but then not so much with another.


Honestly, I have no need or immediate use for it.  It just caught my eye.  The shop owner was presenting it as a "hunting" knife and I guess it could be that.  It could also be a fighting knife, it's a fairly large fixed blade.   But I do like knives and swords and tomahawks and such, just a personal interest.

If I strapped it to my leg, I suspect I might start to fit Bill Mattox's description in his thread on tactical pens.  I've got the beard, I can get away with wearing an Australian style cowboy hat, but don't have a 4x4 or an AR15 and don't wear BDUs or Doc. martins or tattoos, but it's a progressional thing...


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## Flying Crane

Dirty Dog said:


> Agreed. Benchmade is the Corvette of the knife world. I've got several and love them all. My favorite is the Auto-Stryker.


Any thoughts on Gerber, as a company and overall quality?


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## Dirty Dog

Flying Crane said:


> Any thoughts on Gerber, as a company and overall quality?



I think Gerber makes a decent knife for the price. They're relatively inexpensive, take and hold a reasonable edge, and if I lose one I wouldn't feel bad.

I do have a fondness for the Benchmade, but if I were to lose one, I'd be unhappy, due to their cost.
In situations where losing a blade is a real possibility I'd be less likely to carry an expensive one. 
For example, when I'm diving.Things fall out of pouches, or get dropped. If I'm 300 feet down, get a little narced, and drop a knife chasing it down would be idiotic. There are lots of dive knives available, and some are pretty pricey. Personally, I carry a cheapo. My favorite solution is to buy a box of cheap steak knives (like, WalMart cheap...) and grind the tips off.


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## Flying Crane

Dirty Dog said:


> I think Gerber makes a decent knife for the price. They're relatively inexpensive, take and hold a reasonable edge, and if I lose one I wouldn't feel bad.
> 
> I do have a fondness for the Benchmade, but if I were to lose one, I'd be unhappy, due to their cost.
> In situations where losing a blade is a real possibility I'd be less likely to carry an expensive one.
> For example, when I'm diving.Things fall out of pouches, or get dropped. If I'm 300 feet down, get a little narced, and drop a knife chasing it down would be idiotic. There are lots of dive knives available, and some are pretty pricey. Personally, I carry a cheapo. My favorite solution is to buy a box of cheap steak knives (like, WalMart cheap...) and grind the tips off.


Very good points, all the way around.  Thx for the feedback.


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## drop bear

Flying Crane said:


> Any thoughts on Gerber, as a company and overall quality?



Strongarm good.
LMF too heavy. 

Bear grills pretty crap.


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## Charlemagne

Brian R. VanCise said:


> Benchmade has very good quality at fairly reasonable prices.



I like Benchmade as well, but they never seem to fit my hand well for some reason.


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## Charlemagne

To the OP, what are you looking to do with it, if anything?


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## Flying Crane

Charlemagne said:


> To the OP, what are you looking to do with it, if anything?


Not really anything, it just caught my eye in the shop.


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## Charlemagne

Flying Crane said:


> Not really anything, it just caught my eye in the shop.



If you aren't in love with it, and you have questions on the quality, why bother?  It's quite obviously your call, but I'd probably pass in your shoes.


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## drop bear

Charlemagne said:


> If you aren't in love with it, and you have questions on the quality, why bother?  It's quite obviously your call, but I'd probably pass in your shoes.



I just tell people it is a boy thing.  It is kind of cool to own a honking big knife for when the zombies come.

Kabar becker bk 10?


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## Dirty Dog

Flatfish said:


> or you could make your own.....



I'm a big fan of making your own, but it's not terribly practical for most people.


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## Flying Crane

Charlemagne said:


> If you aren't in love with it, and you have questions on the quality, why bother?  It's quite obviously your call, but I'd probably pass in your shoes.


Yup, that's pretty much where I am at this point.


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## Dirty Dog

Flying Crane said:


> Honestly, I have no need or immediate use for it.  It just caught my eye.  The shop owner was presenting it as a "hunting" knife and I guess it could be that.  It could also be a fighting knife, it's a fairly large fixed blade.   But I do like knives and swords and tomahawks and such, just a personal interest.



Here's a guide I've always found useful for the hunting vs fighting knife in this style.
If the point is in line for a thrust, it's a fighting knife. 

If it's above the thrust-line, it's a hunter.

If it's below, it's just stupid.

This is key, because as messy as slashes are, thrusts are far, far more deadly.


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## Charlemagne

drop bear said:


> I just tell people it is a boy thing.



I don't disagree, but why not just wait and use the 80 bucks to get something you are sure you like rather than some random knife you are wishy washy on?  I own several knives and have a matched set on the way, so I am on board with that for sure, but I hate the idea of spending the money on a knife that I am pretty sure I am not going to like.  I have done that once, and it is sitting in a bag somewhere collecting dust.  Waste of money.


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## drop bear

Charlemagne said:


> I don't disagree, but why not just wait and use the 80 bucks to get something you are sure you like rather than some random knife you are wishy washy on?  I own several knives and have a matched set on the way, so I am on board with that for sure, but I hate the idea of spending the money on a knife that I am pretty sure I am not going to like.  I have done that once, and it is sitting in a bag somewhere collecting dust.  Waste of money.



Yeah.  Been there myself. On the plus side people are making good quality fun knives for not that much at the moment. So if i buy a knife based on fun it isn't as bad a deal as it could have been.

But then i bought the rambo knife as a kid.
Condor primitive bush knife.


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## Dirty Dog

drop bear said:


> Yeah.  Been there myself. On the plus side people are making good quality fun knives for not that much at the moment. So if i buy a knife based on fun it isn't as bad a deal as it could have been.
> 
> But then i bought the rambo knife as a kid.
> Condor primitive bush knife.



I don't know what the intended purpose of a "bush knife" is, but this picture seems to be an example of what I referred to in an earlier post as "just stupid" - the point is (or appears to be in this picture) too low, which makes it off-line for a thrust, and shortens the belly of the blade, which makes it less effective as a skinner/hunting knife.


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## Flying Crane

I've been looking thru the Benchmade options, definitely some nice pieces there, also in a higher price range overall.  For a well made, strong, high quality knife, I think their price range makes sense.  Definitely not a throwaway piece, tho, would not wish to lose one, at $160 - $230 range.

To go higher than that, once you get into the $300 - $1000 and up, that just becomes more of a collector piece in my opinion, and not something i would ever be likely to use for fear of losing or damaging it.


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## drop bear

Dirty Dog said:


> I don't know what the intended purpose of a "bush knife" is, but this picture seems to be an example of what I referred to in an earlier post as "just stupid" - the point is (or appears to be in this picture) too low, which makes it off-line for a thrust, and shortens the belly of the blade, which makes it less effective as a skinner/hunting knife.



a guy called mat graham designed it as an all purpose bush knife. I think it leans more towards wood processing than skinning. It has some fun concepts.

The tip is designed to make divets for a fire drill.

but it is kind of a barong shape. Or a seax depending on where you hale from.







ontario rat 5.


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## Flying Crane

Anyone have any thoughts on Columbia River Knife and Tool?  My mother-in-law gave me a small folder as a xmas gift, it seems nice but was unexpected.  I don't know anything about the company.


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## Dirty Dog

They're another good for the price, daily carry type of knife. I've got a couple of theirs, and I keep one in my toolbox.


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## Danny T

Dirty Dog said:


> This is key, because as messy as slashes are, thrusts are far, far more deadly.


^^^^^ THIS!!


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## Danny T

Dirty Dog said:


> I don't know what the intended purpose of a "bush knife" is, but this picture seems to be an example of what I referred to in an earlier post as "just stupid" - the point is (or appears to be in this picture) too low, which makes it off-line for a thrust, and shortens the belly of the blade, which makes it less effective as a skinner/hunting knife.


Makes a good camp knife. Good chopper, wood processing/feathering, is light weight and sharpens easily.
It really depends on what is the tools major job.


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## Danny T

Flying Crane said:


> Anyone have any thoughts on Columbia River Knife and Tool?  My mother-in-law gave me a small folder as a xmas gift, it seems nice but was unexpected.  I don't know anything about the company.


Overall their products are good. Relative low cost for what you get.


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## Charlemagne

Flying Crane said:


> Anyone have any thoughts on Columbia River Knife and Tool?  My mother-in-law gave me a small folder as a xmas gift, it seems nice but was unexpected.  I don't know anything about the company.



Nothing wrong with them from what I have seen, but to be fair, I don't have a ton of personal experience.  I'm more of a Spyderco guy when it comes to folders.


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## drop bear

Charlemagne said:


> Nothing wrong with them from what I have seen, but to be fair, I don't have a ton of personal experience.  I'm more of a Spyderco guy when it comes to folders.



They do a lot of slim handle jobs.  So if you wanted a knife you could use as a kubotan then they are more of a go.  Also more tacticool. Got flippers and pressure point bits and stuff like that. The spyderco does a better job of being a knife.


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## Brian R. VanCise

CRKT is okay.  Decent price, decent knife...


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## Edward Cullen

Dirty Dog said:


> Agreed. Benchmade is the Corvette of the knife world. I've got several and love them all. My favorite is the Auto-Stryker.


X3 Agreed.  Benchmade is the Corvette of the knife world


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## Juany118

Danny T said:


> Schrade makes some good knives and some not so good...
> Many of their fixed blades are of 8Cr13MoV Stainless which is very similar to AUS 8 stainless.
> Some of their heavier blades are of 1095 Carbon Steel which is a more robust steel for a survival or camp knife. Sharpens easily and maintains its edge well.
> 8Cr13MoV isn't as strong but is a good steel but I wouldn't attempt to use it as a prybar. I find it doesn't retain its edge as well as 1095.



A little late to the party but...

The main thing I like about that steel though is for survival/camp work.  1095 can rust pretty darn fast and, in PA, it can be both really humid and wet at times.  Not having to bring some mineral oil along to preserve the blade is a bonus for me, especially in terms of packing my "go bag".  In other climates I would likely go with 1095 or 5160, for the reasons you noted.  To address the lower strength though (between the 8CR... and the 1095) Schrade does make the blades a little thicker.  I have a SCHF10 which is a little thicker that the SCHF9 I assume for just that reason, as well as being a little wider from the edge of the belly to the spine.  Dang can that thing chop for a sub-6 inch edge blade thanks to that recurve edge.


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## Danny T

As to humidity and moisture...I'm in South Louisiana where we get over 4 feet of rain a year and when humidity is in the 80's it's a dry day. Most of my fixed blades are 1095 or 5160. Having a good patina on the blade greatly increases the protection of the blade. If one attempts to keep the blade clean, polished and shiny I agree maintaining the blade becomes a concern.

The SCHF10 does an excellent job chopping for a 5" blade.


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## drop bear

For humidity and moisture. Victorianox is the go.


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## Danny T

drop bear said:


> For humidity and moisture. Victorianox is the go.


Why is the 1.4110 steel used by Victorianox only used in small blade pocket knives or kitchen knives and not in larger camp type blades?


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## drop bear

Danny T said:


> Why is the 1.4110 steel used by Victorianox is only used in small blade pocket knives or kitchen knives and not in larger camp type blades?



a bit soft mabye?


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## Danny T

drop bear said:


> a bit soft mabye?


yep, not strong enough to hold up. So I use 1095. Strong, holds an edge, easily resharpens, and with a good patina doesn't rust.


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## drop bear

Danny T said:


> yep, not strong enough to hold up. So I use 1095. Strong, holds an edge, easily resharpens, and with a good patina doesn't rust.



Depends what you want. I pretty much use stainless. Victorianox for the kayack. Or for food. 





Gerber strong arm or falkniven for a fixed blade. Which I basically never use now anyway.

But the falkniven is some magic stainless (laminated VG10) and the gerber is a basic 420.

Both work fine.


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## Juany118

Danny T said:


> As to humidity and moisture...I'm in South Louisiana where we get over 4 feet of rain a year and when humidity is in the 80's it's a dry day. Most of my fixed blades are 1095 or 5160. Having a good patina on the blade greatly increases the protection of the blade. If one attempts to keep the blade clean, polished and shiny I agree maintaining the blade becomes a concern.
> 
> The SCHF10 does an excellent job chopping for a 5" blade.



I will admit my next blade purchase is likely going to be High Carbon.  I am eyeing the Kbar Kukri Machete and the Condor Heavy duty machete.  I really like the K-tact but it's a bit more pricey.


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## Juany118

Juany118 said:


> I will admit my next blade purchase is likely going to be High Carbon.  I am eyeing the Kbar Kukri Machete and the Condor Heavy duty machete.  I really like the K-tact but it's a bit more pricey.



Correction Condor Heavy duty Kukri.  I like them as survival/camp knives, they are so damn flexible.


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## Gerry Seymour

Dirty Dog said:


> In situations where losing a blade is a real possibility I'd be less likely to carry an expensive one.


For me (as @AngryHobbit can attest), that's pretty much all situations. I love nice pens, and have found some nice-ish ones under $20, so I don't feel bad when they decide to run away from home. Same thing for pocket knives.


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## Juany118

gpseymour said:


> For me (as @AngryHobbit can attest), that's pretty much all situations. I love nice pens, and have found some nice-ish ones under $20, so I don't feel bad when they decide to run away from home. Same thing for pocket knives.



I think that is my main reason for loving Schrade.  Their knives are solid as all heck and I have "monkey rolled" down a slope more than once where gear could have been lost.  I would LOVE for camping/survival a Tom Brown tracker but if I lost a $200+ knife under those circumstances I would be screaming inside.


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## drop bear

gpseymour said:


> For me (as @AngryHobbit can attest), that's pretty much all situations. I love nice pens, and have found some nice-ish ones under $20, so I don't feel bad when they decide to run away from home. Same thing for pocket knives.



best pen by the way.


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## Gerry Seymour

drop bear said:


> best pen by the way.


They aren't pretty enough, DB. I require they write well and look nice to me. I'm kinda low-budget pen snobby.


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## Juany118

gpseymour said:


> They aren't pretty enough, DB. I require they write well and look nice to me. I'm kinda low-budget pen snobby.



Lol, my girlfriend is a total peacenik but wrote with this pen I carry and wanted it as a Christmas present because...not expensive, writes smooth as heck and has good weight in the hand.  Nothing to do with what we talk about lol


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## Anarax

Flying Crane said:


> Does anyone have an opinion on the overall quality of schrade knives?  I believe they have been around for a good long time, are they good quality for the price?
> 
> I spotted a knife in a knife shop, i admit that I have absolutely no need for it, but it caught my eye.
> 
> It's a big fixed-blade, probably 5 or 6 inches long and rather wide, hollow-ground, with full tang visible around the entire outline of the handle.  Blade is quite thick, definitely more so than a ka-bar for example, could probably use it as a pry bar if need be.  It's heavy, due to blade thickness.
> 
> Comes with a soft sheath built around a hard lining for the blade, with pouch for whetstone, lanyards and tiedown straps for the leg.  I don't care much for that, but the knife itself is nice.
> 
> Priced at $82.00.
> 
> Any thoughts?  Is schrade a good, trusted company?



From what I've heard they are a good company. You might want to checkout Cold Steel as well. I've bought knives and swords from them and haven't been disappointed yet.


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## Dirty Dog

gpseymour said:


> For me (as @AngryHobbit can attest), that's pretty much all situations. I love nice pens, and have found some nice-ish ones under $20, so I don't feel bad when they decide to run away from home. Same thing for pocket knives.



I know divers who carry some really nice titanium blades. Not me. If I drop one, or it falls out of the sheath, it might be 3000' down. Or in the muck on the floor of a cave. Either way, I'm not finding it. I buy a $6 packet of steak knives and grind off the points.


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## Gerry Seymour

Dirty Dog said:


> I know divers who carry some really nice titanium blades. Not me. If I drop one, or it falls out of the sheath, it might be 3000' down. Or in the muck on the floor of a cave. Either way, I'm not finding it. I buy a $6 packet of steak knives and grind off the points.


Mine wasn't quite that cheap. Somewhere I still have the stainless dive knife I carried - it was probably the equivalent of $25, accounting for inflation since the early '80's.


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## Juany118

Anarax said:


> From what I've heard they are a good company. You might want to checkout Cold Steel as well. I've bought knives and swords from them and haven't been disappointed yet.



I think with Cold Steel it depends on the purpose and construction.  Their steel is decent but I know two people who got the Cold Steel Kukri Machete for camp work/Bushcraft.  After use chopping/batoning the handles came loose.  The tang apparently doesn't consistently fit tightly in the handle, which is held on basically with just epoxy.  They didn't fall off but they both started rattling.


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## AngryHobbit

gpseymour said:


> For me (as @AngryHobbit can attest), that's pretty much all situations. I love nice pens, and have found some nice-ish ones under $20, so I don't feel bad when they decide to run away from home. Same thing for pocket knives.


Besides, you have a bunch of miniature screwdrivers you can use for stabbing purposes.


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## Gerry Seymour

AngryHobbit said:


> Besides, you have a bunch of miniature screwdrivers you can use for stabbing purposes.


I have oh-so-many miniature screwdrivers. Passels of them.


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## AngryHobbit

gpseymour said:


> I have oh-so-many miniature screwdrivers. Passels of them.


Including some you can hang on your keychain or stick into your wallet. Not that I would ever enable this particular addiction.


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## Anarax

Juany118 said:


> I think with Cold Steel it depends on the purpose and construction.  Their steel is decent but I know two people who got the Cold Steel Kukri Machete for camp work/Bushcraft.  After use chopping/batoning the handles came loose.  The tang apparently doesn't consistently fit tightly in the handle, which is held on basically with just epoxy.  They didn't fall off but they both started rattling.



Cold steel definitely does some products better than they do others. Folders, small to moderate size fixed blades and swords are what they do best. My ti-lite folder I've had for 7 years and my bastard sword for 5, haven't failed me yet. It's always good to research the individual product model before purchasing.


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