Customer Reviews

Schrade Old Timer Sharpfinger Knife Fixed Blade

5 star:		(12)
4 star:		(9)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(4)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Please note that while everyone here agrees that the original Schrade Sharpfingers are excellent knives, the company went bankrupt in 2004 and sold their name to Taylor Brands, which now uses the name on Chinese-made copies of their old design. These knives are no longer made in USA. A quality comparison might be found in the difference in going price between the original and new knives on auction websites.

used to like this knife years ago. i lost it ,bought this new one and i think they switched to a very cheap metal for the blade. i don't recommend this to anyone.

The Sharpfinger is exactly what the name says: a keen edge that feels like part of your hand. In a world of overdesigned, overwrought implements billed as "ergonomic," Schrade shows how to make a truly usable tool: You take away everything that is unnecessary and put everything that's left exactly where it belongs. To hold the Sharpfinger is to know this principle literally firsthand.

Because of the upswept blade, this knife has as much cutting edge as bulkier knives but still carries small. The raised handle configuration ensures that the hand will never slip into the blade, and the thumb-sized concavity on the blade's spine offers exceptional dexterity.

Although it seems primarily intended as a caping and skinning knife, I can't imagine a function it wouldn't serve. I've even used it in the kitchen. Meat seems to fall apart when you just wave this thing in its general direction. With its agility and its out-of-the-box sharpness, it makes a great scribing knife for woodworking. And who needs X-acto knives for modeling with this thing around? You get the idea.

Its compact size, no-nonsense yet comfortable Delrin scales, and brown leather sheath give the Sharpfinger a very low profile when carried. It looks like it belongs to somebody's Grampa, completely non-threatening, un-macho, and anti-"tactical"-- exactly the opposite of most fixed-blade sheath knives today. But don't make the mistake of dismissing it as a weapon. In fact, it is the primary carry knife of no less an authority than Marc "Animal" MacYoung, who touts it as stealthy and nearly indestructible.

And it goes for $20 or less. I think about what a Plains Indian would have given for a knife like this and am awed that I can have one for less than a really cheap pair of sneakers. It's an archetypal tool, and at this price, there's no excuse for not having at least one.

a sharp finger by Schrade old timer was my favorite knife for years and years, I used to buy them when they were 1095 steel, one of the reviews here, states that they are (still?) 1095 steel, but they are not now, they are stainless steel, possibly 440C, which is a fairly good stainless steel, although since Shcrade went out of business in the USA (they did not go bankrupt, just closed their doors, due to competition from China, about two or three American made knife companies closed in the last ten years. Schrade, sadly, had been around for a hunnered years. Anyway, back to the sharp finger, I love the pattern, I have gotten an few of the old blade blanks from Schrade USA, and put custom handle materials on them, stabilized redwood, and such. You can still find the USA made on ebay, once in a while, for a fairly reasonable price. Next time you buy a Chinese made on, think of the job shortage in the USA. I have bought one Schrade from China, an elk stag scale handled hunter. Not bad, and good fit and finish. If you google "Schrade China vs USA" you can find an article/test of a USA made folder, vs. a Chinese made folder, the fit and finish are there on the Chinese, but the quality is not, it fails sooner to stress testing.

Finally got a chance to break this knife in today and I would say that I am.... satisfied. It wouldn't be my go to knife, but it's a good knife for the price. Some things I noticed are:

Good quality sheath, although mine is almost red, not the brown shown in the picture.

Although it's Chinese made, it doesn't say so on the blade anywhere. At least I'm not reminded that it's Chinese every time I look at it.

It was shave sharp out of the box. I whittled a stick today no problem and it was still sharp enough to clean some fish. It was, however, noticeably duller after whittling a stick.

I don't like mystery steel. This is stainless steel.... that's all I know.


The snap closure gets in the way of the blade when re-sheathing and if you're not careful you can slice the strap this way; I did a few times, but not all the way through.


Overall, a good knife. You won't regret it.


Obama sucks!

love the style of knife and I have an old one just like it that was made here in the USA. The newer schrades are cheaper and cheap built. Their quality has gone down and you can even see it as compared to its older american made cousins. honestly i hope schrade burns for this. if i would have known it was chinese made i would have looked elsewhere. heck even the sheaths are not real leather anymore and the quality of them are way down. as for price vs product it is priced just right. if you want a decent knife blade with cheaper made handle and sheath this is for you. another chinese low quality former american product. what a shame

i love the knife and also how fast i recived it the only thing wrong was the sheath was cut down th side causing the blade to be exposed but other then that im ok with it

Knife came nice and sharp. Looks decent, seems to hold an edge, and is comfortable to use.

The sheath is a pain in the ass and is embarrassing because it takes forever to put the knife away.

an old favorite at a great price and the sheath is high quality as is the knife. Highly sort after frame. Great price

The original Sharp Fingers are amazing my dad has had his for around 25 years now. Unfortunaly after they went out of the biz so did the quality, but maxam makes a very close to original version. In fact when I held my maxam to my dads shrade the only diffrence was the was the grooves in the handle faced. besides the etched names of course. Holds a good edge for quite a while too.