Schrade-Waldens now

[contender]

In the previous post about Schrade knives, I mentioned having a bunch. Well, I dug out some of mine. I have more, but they are buried in some other stuff, and harder to get to. Here are a few more interesting ones. All are Schrade=Waldens, and a few are harder to find.

 

[TinStarFirearms]

I look for the older Schrades every time I go into a new knife store. Simply wonderful.

Andrew

 

[Tradhunter]

Contender,
I have a couple like yours. That fixed blade at the 1o'clock position with the red looking washers at the guard and pommel. I have one just like it and man it has some good steel in it. Nice collection for sure.

 

[contender]

Tradhunter,it's funny you mention that one knife. The pics make it look a bit better than it actually is. However, that one I found,,, UNDERWATER while scuba diving. The blade is black, and has pits all around it. But, it's a Schrade Walden, and you are right, the steel in them is excellent.

If y'all look closely at the orange pocketknife, with one blade & a hook blade. It's a military issue paratrooper knife. The blade is "spring assisted" so that a trooper can get it out & operate it one handed. I have only ever seen two of them.

The all red handled one was found in a junk box at a yard sale. It had paint & stuff caked & dried all over the blade. Abused, but still very servicable one cleaned.

The ones I always seem to gravitate to for deer skinning are the 3 larger 3 bladed folders. They hold an edge, the sharpen quickly, and they work on a deer like it was nothing.

The two larger sheath knives are basically new, never used or sharpened.

 

[Three50seven]

Very nice collection Contender! btw, when did they switch from Schrade-Walden to just Schrade?

I actually picked up a couple at the gun show this weekend... 8)

I payed $32 for the pair, and both came with sheaths as well!

 

[contender]

The company was bought out in 1983, and the name change happened in 1985. The steel was changed as well, and I started going after the Walden marked ones to use.

 

[Three50seven]

Ahh, I see. I have a 150T Deerslayer and one of the orange handled paratrooper knives (which I need to get pics of) that are marked Schrade-Walden, all the rest are marked Schrade. Thanks for the info

 

[xtratoy]

The Schrade's being sold now are made in China and made by Taylor from what I could tell by looking at some while Christmas shopping. Definitely worth watching for the older knives!

 

[Three50seven]

Yep, they are a division of Taylor Brands. Been that way for 5 years or so I think.

 

[contender]

I've got a few of the older Schrades, (after Walden.) I rarely look at them now, due to the changes in steel. However, several years ago, I was in a K-Mart, and they had a Schrade+ model 1420T (a green molded handle, blade shape similar to the "Sharpfinger,) that was on clearance for $6. I bought one. As it turns out, it's quite good. It's a stainless steel blade, yet it sharpens fairly easily. For $6 I got a very good deal.

 

[Three50seven]

all of the un-walden schrades i have hold a pretty good edge, especially those that aren't stainless. i clean all the ducks and geess i shoot using an uncle henry sharpfinger that i got new in the late nineties.

 

[Three50seven]

Contender-
I was looking around and found this PDF from Schrade that gives a very thorough history: http://www.collectors-of-schrades-r.us/articles/Schrade%20History.pdf

I'm not trying to tell you that what you told me was wrong concerning the Schrade-Walden/Schrade name change, but this is what they say:

"In 1974, the use of the "Schrade-Walden" stamp
on products was discontinued, and since that time,
Schrade has manufactured using the "Schrade" and
"Schrade+" tang stamps"

Sounds like maybe the name change occured in '74 instead of '85?

 

[Tradhunter]

Three50seven, Nice gun show score.
Contender, I have a paratrooper knife as well. However, mine is a camillus and probably not worth as much as yours. It is in mint condition and I have it stowed away.
I like knives more than i do guns. Which is saying something because I really like guns. Knives just strike something different in me, especially the old ones. Thanks for the pics guys.

 

[Three50seven]

I love guns, but I can buy more knives

 

[contender]

I stand corrected. I was thinking it was earlier than what I found, but I didn't look deep enough. I did a quick search, and got bad info. I think 1974 would be correct, as it seems I've been after them about that long. Thanks for correcting me.

 

[Ferdinand]

I moved to Pine Bush NY in 1978. It was my understanding that the Schrade plant in Walden had burned down. A neighbor had several blanks reportedly recovered from the sight. I've seen a couple of those orange automatics designed for parachute cutting too. I have one Schrade knife left that was made in Ellenville. Those seemed to be of good quality by my standards. Schrade fell into the commodity category with Buck and others. Once that occurred, the name won no price premium. Production costs in Ellenville were relatively high compared to their compeititors and it was all over at that point.

Schrade is Schrade in name only now. Not at all what it used to be in terms of product, IMHO.

 

[Three50seven]

I stand corrected. I was thinking it was earlier than what I found, but I didn't look deep enough. I did a quick search, and got bad info. I think 1974 would be correct, as it seems I've been after them about that long. Thanks for correcting me.

There was another buyout that occurred in '83 I think it said, so you weren't completely wrong

 

[Three50seven]

Just found this and figured I would share. Just struck me as funny :lol:

 

[Anthony Williams]

Very nice collection of Schrades pictured, thank you. I started buying Schrade folders (pocket knives) back in 1970's. I thought they were of extremely good quality. And the prices for them were very reasonable. But by the 1990's I noticed the quality of some of Shrade's folding knives just wasn't as good as those I had purchased back in the 70's. These days, I understand Shrade Knives are made in China. So I went out on a limb, in a manner of speaking, and purchased a new Schrade model # 1940T, which is a single lock blade folder, about 4" when closed. Fit and finish was quite good, almost on par with the Schrades of the 1970's. Of course, I would have preferred that my new Shrade would have been made here in America, but it was not. Was I pleased with my purchase of this new knife? Very much so. The old quality that I once experienced with Schrade knives seemed to be present again, at least in the model I recently purchased.

A.W.

 

[Three50seven]

I don't have any of the foreign-built Schrades, so I can't say anything about them, but I have noticed that to look at one in the package, you have to study it pretty hard or look to see where it was made to tell the difference. It's too bad that they had to sell out and move overseas, but it is good to know that they aren't total crap either :lol:

 

[Rick Courtright]

It's too bad that they had to sell out and move overseas, but it is good to know that they aren't total crap either :lol:

Hi,

There was some chatter on a couple of knife forums when Taylor first took over and went to China that the steel they were using was pretty bad. Lately I've seen a fair number of good comments, so maybe Taylor figured they shouldn't ruin a formerly good name by putting it on junk and made whatever changes were necessary?

I dunno... all my remaining Schrades are "post-Walden" and "pre-Taylor," and there are still enough reasonably priced knives w/ "Made in USA" stamped on them that I haven't been tempted to try their Chinese stuff...

Rick C

 

[LAH]

I'll add this to the thread

 

[Three50seven]

Very nice LAH, I have a scrimshaw of the same model from '81.

 

[LAH]

Very nice LAH, I have a scrimshaw of the same model from '81.

That one has been by "deer knife" for a long time.

 

[LAH]

Another of the "deer knife"

 

[Three50seven]

I use a sharpfinger for pretty much all my game cleaning duties. it's just the right size for everything!

 

[LAH]

IMHO the sharpfinger & lil' finger to two of the great designs out there today.

 

[Three50seven]

IMHO the sharpfinger & lil' finger to two of the great designs out there today.

+100

 

[americal]

Like the knives Ty they have a good old look--- like to see the rest It would be fun to see them in the classifieds 8) I would buy one just because it came out of your collection--and I"m serious :!:

 

[contender]

Actually, I have considered selling a few of my "Waldens" in my batch,