Customer Reviews

Schrade Old Timer Game Muskrat Knife Two-Blade Folding

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Though this knife looks and feels good, it is not authentic!
The Schrade Company was located in Ellenville NY and all knives were manufactured at the Ellenville facility.
The knife sold here is a Chinese replication. As I understand, after the Shrade Co. went out of business, collectors began to seek out the remaining stock of knives in circulation and the price of these knives increased accordingly.
Be warned! This is not authentic Schrade!!!

There are actually some really good Chinese knives available. Many have newer Chinese steel which is actually superior to the cheapest offerings from US brands.

This knife is not one of those. I have sharpened mine several times, and it just doesn't hold up.

What really stinks is that the price of these Chinese versions isn't much less than what the old US-made knives sold for. You hardly get any savings for buying a lower-quality knife manufactured with cheaper labor.

Now I'll admit that I didn't buy this exact Schrade Muskrat,but I did buy the Schrade Muskrat 77OTB model which had Black Buffalo Horn handles.I think the china re-makes do have some improvements over the originals considering the offerings in various handle materials.I can't think of how many times someone has said that Schrade USA should start offering different handle colors such as black delrin or bone and at least with the acquisition by Taylor Cutlery someone listened.The blades on the imported Schrade Muskrat are better all around:the blades are thicker,have a nice grind,and thier still easy to sharpen.The initial blade doesn't have any lettering which i never desired on the originals.The blades on the original Schrade Muskrat were sharp but also thin,if you dropped your knife on a rock expect more than just the tip to break,the imported version has superior clip-points compared to the originals...thick as a whittler blade.The handle assembly is why the newer Muskrat loses a star,I barely noticed it but one of the handles isn't perfectly shaped flush with the brass liner,you can see a tiny sliver of brass where the handle should be.I don't know about the re-makes but the 3 pins for the handles are cut flush with the handles and it looks nice.Beyond that it's a slipjoint knife:it never fails as a cutting tool,despite the minor factory flaw it's well made,and despite the controversary people are just pushing buttons.To be frank Old Timer and Uncle Henry slipjoints sat on shelves collecting dust because of the uprise of the modern knife industry as I recall back in the late 90's,people just quit buying them except for a replacement.The reviewer 'Steve Mabry' has an negative outlook and has failed to mention that Schrade USA did the same thing to an american knife manufacturer.In 1986 Schrade obtained ownership of thier main competitor in the cutlery business Imperial knives,discontinued thier product line,and ressurected the brand manufactured out of Ireland.Schrade turned Imperial knives turned into a flea market brand with such products as Imperial Apex knives and Imperial Tradesman knives.Thier craftsmanship was not something I've seen on any china-made slipjoint.For instance I have an old Irish-made Imperial stockman:it's has green delrin handles which are held with a single center pin(not 3)If I'm lucky there's an adhesive to hold the handles intact but there's obviously gaps between the handle and liner throughout indicating the handle isn't fixed flat against the brass liner.The nickel silver backsprings aren't machined to be flush with the handle,you can literally feel the backsprings.The blades were okay but not as nice as thier american-made owner.As I mentioned a slipjoint knife will last a long time but Schrade USA literally dragged Imperial knives through the mud and over a field of broken glass.It's karmatic in the sense that Schrade is now china-made considering what they did to Imperial Knives,the only difference is Taylor Cutlery didn't turn Schrade into junk...The Schrade Muskrat is what it is:a cheap slipknot knife that lacks a little in craftsmanship from the original but with better blades,read into it however.

My Grampa asked for this exact knife for Christmas saying that he's had the very same one for 5 years and that it's as sharp as the day he got it. Now, he's a farmer, and an outdoor guy, and a Mr. Fix-it so any pocket knife of his sees more action than most others. When I asked why he needed a second one I was told that it is such a good knife, he'd like to have one as a back up in case he ever loses his.

Schrade is now selling a China made knife, like most all the other knife companys. If you want American made it is going to cost you more, because wages are a lot higher in American compared with China. A lot of people feel the workmanship and quality of a China made knife is better then the American made. They do make a 440 blade now so the quality of the blade itself has improved in China. The factory is a long ways off and there has been some quality control problems. Schrade offers a 100% lifetime warranty, and they are the first to want to know if there is a problem with one of their knives so they can correct it. They are one of the very few knife companys that are there to talk to their customers. You can call them on the phone or email them and you will get a fast replay.

We had a great experience ordering from Amazon and this company. The produce arrived in excellent time and was in perfect condition. We received updates about the order's status to help us know when to expect it.