Older Schrade - like 25+ years ago: can certainly be good.
stuff newer than that? Likely not very good.
Older Schrade - like 25+ years ago: can certainly be good.
stuff newer than that? Likely not very good.
Take a look at Ebay and see if you can find one that is at least 25 years old. Back then, they were made to last a lifetime and are more than worth the search. I have an LB8 and a couple of fixed blade ones that are older than that and still going strong. You can't go wrong with any of them that were made during that time. So far as buying a new one today, they are fair at best. You can get a much better quality blade for about the same price with a Gerber, KaBar, or Kershaw. JMHO.
Wal-Mart killed the brand.
They negotiated a buy price that cut the company to the bone,
Then they made orders in the millions so the company *Thought* they would make money.
The problem was, they expected Schrade/Old Timer to store the product until it was needed, so the company would up having to build/buy space, further cutting any profit margin.
When the company failed, Wal-Mart cancelled the order then used a third party to buy up stock for pennies on the dollar.
The company name was eventually sold to a China manufacturer...
This isn't the first American company Wal-Mart sunk the same way.
I'm a big fan of my old Old Timers, Schrade, etc.
The new ones are just like every other China made knife on the market, China still can't make or heat treat steel.
Wal-Mart killed the brand.
They negotiated a buy price that cut the company to the bone,
Then they made orders in the millions so the company *Thought* they would make money.
The problem was, they expected Schrade/Old Timer to store the product until it was needed, so the company would up having to build/buy space, further cutting any profit margin.
When the company failed, Wal-Mart cancelled the order then used a third party to buy up stock for pennies on the dollar.
The company name was eventually sold to a China manufacturer...
This isn't the first American company Wal-Mart sunk the same way.
I'm a big fan of my old Old Timers, Schrade, etc.
The new ones are just like every other China made knife on the market, China still can't make or heat treat steel.
Interesting fact...I did not know that this happened. Would explain why you never see ESEE or any other high quality brand at Walmart.
I've seen both Kershaw, Spyderco, and Leatherman at Walmart.
Not higher end Kershaws or Spydercos - but they're being sold. And I'd take a Walmart Kershaw or Spyderco over just about anything else from Walmart any day of the week.
I wager a bet that those are Chinese made lower quality versions of their higher end knives and are made specifically just for Walmart
I can guarantee that they're chinese-made.
But they're the same chinese-made knives that you can guy online from any number of vendors.
I'd still trust a Chinese-made Kershaw or Spyderco than I would anything from Schrade.