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Schrade

Schrade Frontier SCHF52 Review

by Josh Wussow Leave a Comment

Sometimes, you just need a big, dumb knife. Thus was the rationale behind my purchase of the Schrade Frontier SCHF52, a tool designed “with extreme wilderness survival situations in mind.” While I don’t consider myself an extreme sort of guy, I do certainly enjoy both the wilderness and the thought of surviving.

Schrade SCHF52 Review
Buy the Schrade SCHF52 at BladeHQ

Buy on Amazon

I tested this full-tang terror over a few blustery days in New Mexico, tackling fallen trees and dry timber on the banks of the San Juan River. It was, like many of the best things in life, a truly surprising experience. Let’s dive in.

General Dimensions and Blade Details

As always, we begin with some stats. This is one of the larger offerings in Schrade’s Frontier line, with a reach of 13-inches overall. Seven of these make up the coated blade, with 6.25-inches worth of sharpened surface. The handle adds another five, with the downward sweep of the pommel rounding out its foot-plus length. As expected on a survival-minded knife, the blade stock is wide across the shoulders – 0.23-inches, to be exact. The grip is fairly substantial, with 0.83-inches of girth where the rubber meets the palm. All told, your $30-$36 buys just over a pound of drop-point, hollow ground 1095 steel. That’s a heck of a lot of tool for not a lot of money.

Schrade SCHF52

Here’s something you’ll hear echoed a few times throughout this review: I did not expect the SCHF52 to slice worth a damn. I figured chopping, cleaving, and other brute force tasks would be the Frontier’s forte. But the first time I swiped its edge across a branch, I was shocked to see a long, thick strip of wood go flying through the air. The hollow grind bit deep beneath the bark, leaving a flattened swath of wood in its wake. I did this over and over until I’d completely stripped a foot-long stick. Then I picked up another and did it again.

Schrade SCHF52 Making Feather Sticks

Once this initial delight wore off, I set to testing the tasks for which the Frontier was ostensibly designed. As expected, its substantial weight and durable steel make it an excellent chopper. The heft of the blade and security of its rubber grip allows you to generate impressive force on the swing, and the edge bites hard into fallen timber. The hollow grind also proved to be surprisingly durable. After bashing through a log or two, I was still able to generate some pretty fine wood shavings.

Schrade SCHF52 Chopping

Next up was every internet troll’s favorite use for an outdoor blade – Batoning. While I generally avoid this with smaller blades, the SCHF52 is built for these sorts of tasks. So, driving it through a three-foot length of dead timber should be no problem, right?

Schrade SCHF52 Batoning

Right.

So, what can’t the 52 do? Well, it’s not going to be the greatest asset when it comes to food prep. The hollow grind will do better than others, but the overall thickness isn’t terribly helpful at the cutting board. And, as you can see, the blade coating will rub off when driven through slabs of wood. But overall, the performance of this sub-$40 knife blew me away. I expected it to be good, but not this good.

Handle and Ergonomics

The overall ergos on the SCHF52 are excellent. The texturing on its rubber cladding locks into the palm, inspiring confidence through a variety of uses. The pistol-grip style forward finger choil is excellent for delicate maneuvering, and the downward curve of the pommel fits well against the heel of my hand. You can even use this area for increased chopping leverage, wrapping your ring and middle fingers against its gentle hook. This allows for a bit more force on the swing, though the impact can be rough on gloveless hands.

Schrade SCHF52 Making Fire

Speaking of rough, the lone sore spot here is the jimping just aft of the upper blade guard. It works fine during light carving work, but it bites at the webbing of my thumb during heavy use. It’s not the end of the world, but I’d recommend wearing gloves for impact tasks.

Schrade SCHF52 Blade Wear

In addition to my rubber model, Schrade offers the Frontier 52 in Micarta, as well. Personally, I think the slightly spongy texture of the rubber is better suited to impact tasks, while being more attractive to my particular eye.

Schrade SCHF52 Chopping

Sheath

Sheaths tend to be the weakest point on most budget fixed blades. Happily, I found Schrade’s sheath to be markedly better than expected. The nylon strap and body hold the knife securely, with a surprisingly comfortable ride for such a hefty blade. The knife slides in and out effortlessly, once you find the narrow slot in the integrated plastic sleeve. This takes a bit of attention, so be careful until you’ve developed a feel for it.

Schrade SCHF52 with a Strop and a Sheath

The biggest weakness I see here comes from the belt loop. It’s secured by what amounts to two pieces of folded over Velcro, pressed together around the pass-through. I think anyone who’s ever had a long-term pack, pouch, or pair of shoes with this sort of closure can see where this is going. Eventually, those sticky surfaces attract dust, fabric, and all sorts of material to their tiny claws. This limits the lifespan of the material, especially on what I consider to be a hard-use tool. If you’re looking to the Frontier as long-term companion, you may want to fuse these strips together somehow.

Schrade SCHF52 Sheath Liner

Other than this one issue, however, the sheath appears to be up to snuff. Even the little leg-loop at the bottom works well despite, as my wife and her friend put it, looking “really silly.” They’re right – Walking around with a boot lace tied around your thigh does look kinda dumb. But in the wild (or your own back yard) who really cares?

Schrade SCHF52 Sheath

Let’s quickly touch on the included ferro rod and sharpening stone. In truth, I expected both of these add-ons to be junk. And while I was half right (the included striker steel is garbage), I was able to make fire using the ferro rod and the back of the blade. The spark output isn’t massive, but it was enough to catch the dry tinder I pulled from the side of a fallen tree. The rod is pretty thin, though, so don’t expect it to last for more than a handful of trips.

Schrade SCHF52 Velcro Belt Loop

As to the sharpening stone, I haven’t had occasion to test it. The 1095 held its edge quite well, and a quick visit to the strop set it back to hair-shaving sharp. While it may not generate the polished edge of a bench stone, I have no doubt it’ll be serviceable in the field.

Schrade SCHF52 Review – Final Thoughts

This is a knife I expected to like from the get-go. It wasn’t, however, one I expected to love. But from the first slice across its very first twig, I really fell for this blade. It’s a simple, straightforward, and eminently capable design, backed with materials that walk the line between durability and disposability like no tool I’ve ever tested.

Schrade SCHF52 vs. Steel Will Roamer

What I mean is this – I’m confident that the 1095 can hammer through a log. But, should it fail, I also know that I’m only out $30. This sort of confidence is very liberating, allowing you to focus on the fun of your outdoor adventures without babying the blade. I even brought along my Steel Will R300 Roamer for comparison, a D2-bladed knife costing twice as much. And you know what? I think I actually prefer the Schrade.

Overall, the SCHF52 gets an unqualified recommendation from me. It plays the part of the big, dumb knife to perfection, while packing just enough smarts to keep things interesting. At this price point (or even twice that), you’d be hard pressed to do any better.

Schrade SCHF52 Frontier 13in High Carbon Steel Fixed Blade Knife with 7in Drop Point Blade and TPE Handle
Schrade SCHF52 Frontier 13in High Carbon Steel Fixed Blade Knife with 7in Drop Point Blade and TPE Handle
  • DIMENSIONS: Blade length: 7in (17.9cm), overall length: 13in (33cm), weight: 1lb
$40.35
Buy on Amazon

Editor: I recommend purchasing the Schrade SCHF52 at Amazon or BladeHQ. Please consider that buying anything through any of the links on this website helps support BladeReviews.com, and keeps the site going. As always, any and all support is greatly appreciated. Thank you very much.

Filed Under: Camp Knives, Fixed Blade Knives, Schrade, Survival Knives Tagged With: 1095

Schrade 735RPB Mariner’s Knife

by Dan Jackson 2 Comments

Last Updated: August 14, 2019Schrade 735RPB Mariner’s Knife I would land on my desk.

Schrade 735RPB Mariner's Knife Review

Buy on Amazon

A Brief History of the Mariner’s Knife

The Mariner or “Sailor’s Knife” often refers to a [Read more…] about Schrade 735RPB Mariner’s Knife

Filed Under: Folding Knives, Schrade

Schrade Old Timer – 160OT Mountain Lion

by Dan Jackson 1 Comment

I’ve been in a bit of a fixed blade mood lately so today I am taking a look at the Schrade 160OT Mountain Lion. This is small to medium sized skinning / hunting knife with a 4.3″ blade and an overall length of 9.3″. This knife has a weight of 6.9oz and comes with a thick leather sheath.

Schrade Old Timer: 160OT Mountain Lion

This knife is of full tang construction (meaning the knife is one continuous piece of steel with the handle bolted on to either side) so it is quite strong. The upswept blade shape lends itself to skinning. The 160OT has [Read more…] about Schrade Old Timer – 160OT Mountain Lion

Filed Under: Fixed Blade Knives, Schrade

Schrade XT2B: X-Timer Drop Point Knife 9 1/2″ Fixed Blade

by Dan Jackson 5 Comments

Last Updated: August 30, 2019
Today I am taking a look at the Schrade X-Timer 9 1/2″ Fixed Blade Knife. This is my first review of a knife in the X-Timer Series and I am very excited about this line because I think they provide a lot of knife for the money.

Schrade X-Timer XT2B

Dimensions

The Schrade XT2B, is a large fixed blade hunting / camp knife. We are looking at a total length of 9 1/8″ with a 4.2″ long blade and a blade thickness of approximately .15″ (exactly 3.8mm according to my Croatian friend, Tihomir, who measured the knife for me, his thoughts on the XT2B can be found below). The knife weighs right around 10-11 ounces.

Blade and Steel

This knife is made of 440C stainless steel. 440C is is a good tool steel and appropriate for this knife, which is mainly designed for hunting and camping tasks. This is a full tang knife, so it is very simple and strong. The XT2B has a drop point blade finished with a black teflon coating. The knife has a hollow saber ground edge which came very sharp out of the box. This kind of knife favors slicing over chopping, for a more chopping focused knife I would consider the Schrade XT1B which is an excellent chopper with a similar look and feel to the XT2B.

Handle

My first thought about the handle was, “This handle is really comfortable.” It’s made of Taylor’s proprietary material: Sure Grip Thermoplastic Rubber (TPR) which is some kind of fancy engineered rubber. Whatever it is, it molds well to the hand. Its very ergonomic and makes for a solid grip both bare handed and with gloves. Both the finger choil and thumb ramp have extra ribbing for added slip resistance. For even more security there is a brass lined lanyard hole at the end of the butt.

Schrade XT2B with Sheath

Sheath

The sheath on this knife is honestly nothing special. It’s a simple cordura sheath with a fold over button snap. I like this style of sheath as it makes the knife very easy to draw. It has a lanyard hole at the tip, and belt loop. It does the job but as with most of these kinds of sheaths I’m not sure how well it will hold up. Luckily it’s easy to find a sheath for this kind of knife at a swap meet or surplus store.

Final Thoughts

For a medium sized fixed blade knife well below the $20 price point, the XT2B is a great buy. This is a great tool to carry while hiking, hunting or camping. Pluses to me are the incredibly solid full tang construction, the comfortable handle and the nice sharp edge. I think if the knife has a weakness it’s going to be in the sheath, but only time will tell.

Schrade SCHF51M Frontier 10.9in Steel Full Tang Fixed Blade Knife with 5.1in Drop Point Blade and Micarta Handle for Outdoor Survival, Camping and EDC
Schrade SCHF51M Frontier 10.9in Steel Full Tang Fixed Blade Knife with 5.1in Drop Point Blade and Micarta Handle for Outdoor Survival, Camping and EDC
  • DIMENSIONS: 10.9 inch (27.6 cm) overall length with a blade length of 5.1 inches (12.8 cm) and a weight of 14.6 ounces
  • DURABLE: Blade is made of reliable 1095 High Carbon Steel with a micarta handle
  • DEPENDABLE: Quick and easy access with the convenient black, polyester belt sheath making it ideal for everyday carry
  • SECURE: Have confidence that the blade will not slip with the security of the finger guard
  • BE PREPARED: Knife features a full tang design, ferro rod, sharpening stone and lanyard hole
$54.26
Buy on Amazon

Tihomir’s Review

I was contacted by Tihomir from Croatia a few weeks back about the XT2B. He had some questions, and ultimately between me and the guys at Taylor we were able to figure it out. He ended up ordering the knife and I invited him to give me his impressions when he got it. Here are his words:

Dear Dan,

Today I recived my Shrade X-Timer knife. This is a very nice knife. It has very nice ergonomicly shaped handle with very good grip,with or witouth gloves. The blade feels wery strong,and it is very sharp (exact thickness of the
blade is 3.4mm). Although the sheath is very simple and cheap it holds the knife very good. My conclusion is that this is a wery good knive for those people like me that need a good and reliable knive and dont need a fancy sheath that raises
the price of the knife.

cheers,

Tihomir

Thanks again for the nice review, Tihomir. As always if y’all have any questions or a review of your own feel free to contact me or post a comment. I always enjoy corresponding with fellow fans.

Filed Under: Fixed Blade Knives, Schrade

Schrade SMEDB/SMEDY California Issue Knife

by Dan Jackson 3 Comments

The Schrade SMEDB California Issue is often referred to as a large version of the Schrade SCALY a very popular small folding knife that can be easily converted in to a “California Legal” automatic knife.

Schrade SMEDB

Model Name / Nomenclature

It took a little digging around before this really clicked for me but I am fairly certain that SCALY stands for Schrade California Legal, Yellow. SMEDB simply stands for Schrade Medium Black. SMEDY indicates that the handle scales are yellow.

Dimensions, Blade Steel and Specifications

The SMEDB has a 2.5 inch drop point blade with a 3.5 inch handle. At a mere 2.3 ounces, this is a nice every day carry (EDC) option. The knife is made of 440C, a go too steel for Schrade with good durability and edge retention. The SMEDB is a sized knife with a 440C drop point blade with a plain edge and a either a mirror polished finish or a black teflon coating depending on if you get the SMEDY or SMEDB. Schrade does a good job of putting an edge on this blade from the factory however I hit it with a few laps on my fine ceramic stone and a leather strop to get it hair popping sharp. It holds an edge very well.

Schrade SMEDY

Handle

The handle is made out of T6061 aluminum with a black or yellow delrin inserts. The handle is thick and slightly bowed giving it a nice feel in the hand. The pillar style construction of the handle makes it very easy to clean and I like the look of it a lot. A large aluminum push button is a prominent feature on the handle. You have to push the button to release the blade.

Automatic Capable

Ok so a lot of buzz around this knife is that it is an automatic. Well, its often advertised as an automatic, but when it gets to your door it probably won’t be an automatic. That’s due to the various legalities surrounding automatic knives in the US (assuming you are buying this in the States). Generally speaking, you will have to buy a spring for this knife to convert it into an automatic. Depending on where you live that could make the knife illegal so do some research before making the decision. The nice thing is, if you want to make this knife an automatic it is an extremely easy conversion. You can buy a coil spring on ebay (some online merchants carry them too) open up the knife, and the spring drops right in – everything is pre-drilled and ready to go.

Safety

An important feature of this knife (especially if you decide to do an auto conversion) is the safety on top of the handle. It’s a solid sliding lock safety that will keep the knife closed and prevent it from accidentally deploying. If you read my Schrade SCALY review you would know that this safety is a feature we may see disappearing from non-Benchmade automatic knives due to an ongoing lawsuit. If you are interested in this knife, I would buy it now rather than later so you get one with this important safety feature.

Limited Availability

In addition to the safety lock being in danger of disappearing it appears that the entire knife might be going the way of the dinosaur as well. I’ve heard rumors that Schrade is discontinuing these knives. If this is a knife you are interested in, get it while the getting is good.

[easyazon-block asin=”B00181R7KQ” align=”center”]

Filed Under: Automatic Knives, EDC Knives, Schrade

Schrade Extreme Survival Assisted OTF

by Dan Jackson 9 Comments

I was at a gun show outside New Orleans when I first saw the Schrade Extreme Survival Assisted Out The Front (OTF). I think I said something like “Dang that is COOL” when I first shot the blade out the front of the knife. 5 minutes and $35 later the OTF was heading home with me.

Buy on Amazon

I’ll be the first to admit that sometimes I buy knives just because I plain think they are cool. Despite getting tons of “abuse” opening envelopes and the occasional cardboard box, this little assisted opening number by Schrade was definitely in the cool category. I never intended to use it hard, and I never have. You know what? That’s OK. In fact, I think it’s more than OK to buy a knife because it’s cool. A lot of enjoyment I get out of collecting knives is simply playing around with them. It’s safe to say I’ve had plenty of time to play with this one, and now it’s time to get to work and write a review.

Dimensions, Steel and Blades

This knife is actually a pretty good size for a EDC blade. It has a 3″ blade with a 4″ handle. At 4.8 ounces it might be a little on the heavy side, but this isn’t your typical folder and the weight seems justified.

The blade is made out of Krupp 4116 stainless steel. 4116 is a bit of a departure from what Scrhade uses for a lot of their knives (440C stainless steel). 4116 is fine grained German steel made by the TyssenKrupp Company. This kind of steel is often used as a surgical steel and is known for it’s corrosion resistance, hardness and edge retention. I’ve found it to be a better at edge retention than 440C and it is a very hard steel. This is a high quality steel more than adequate for the basic tasks I’ve thrown at the Schrade OTF.

This knife comes in a variety of blade shapes. I chose the plain tanto edge for mine, but I’ve noticed it carried in a drop point configuration as well as partially serrated options. The blade is nice and sharp and comes with a gun metal gray aluminum nitride coating which gives the knife a nice tactical look to it.

Schrade Extreme Survival OTF

The Assisted Mechanism

The way this knife works, is that there is a thumbslide at the base of the handle that you push forward on. When you push it forward a little the spring engages and assists the knife open. I wouldn’t call this a “hair trigger” it does involve a little force to get it going. Once it does engage the knife snaps open very quickly. Keep in mind this knife is different from a full on automatic knife in that the assisted knife is legal to carry in many states. (The main functional difference between the 2 types of knives is that an assisted knife requires a little more work on your part to get it open, an automatic knife opens at the touch of the button and is illegal to carry in most states).

The spring mechanism on this knife is very nice. It shoots the blade out very quickly with a nice satisfying click and then it locks up tightly. With this kind of knife you will get a little blade play due to the nature of the design, but it’s really not bad with this Schrade. If you are anything like me, the assisted open will provide hours of entertainment during those long conference calls and times spent daydreaming at your desk.

Dual Safeties

One concern with a spring assisted knife is accidentally opening it. This is a really sharp knife so you do not want that to happen. Thankfully Schrade put some time into designing the two safeties on this knife. The first safety is located on the side of the handle and it locks the knife open or closed. The second safety is a thumb safety that will lock the blade open. You definitely want to take advantage of the safety features of this knife.

Aluminum Handle

The handle on this knife is made of 1061 machined aircraft aluminum anodized a matte black. It’s got a light texturing on the sides and a little bit of light jimping on the base and thumb ramp. It’s an angular shaped handle, not particularly comfortable, but solid and reassuring. Schrade did carve out something of a finger groove to make the handle a little more ergonomic. All in all it’s a solidly made handle.

Schrade OTF Handle Detail

Glass Breaker and Pocket Clip

A black glass breaker is set into the butt of this knife. It’s actually a pretty good sized breaker for a smaller knife(as you can see in the picture above). In a pinch this would have no problem breaking glass although ideally I would have something bigger.

There is a pocket clip on this knife. It’s made of steel with a semi-glossy black finish. It rides pretty low in the pocket which is good for concealment. This clip only works for tip down carry, which in this case makes sense due to the way you would draw it. All in all I would say this is a nice clip with good placement.

Schrade Extreme Survival Assisted OTF Review – Bottom Line

This is a fun knife that I like to keep around the house and take out with me occasionally. For an EDC blade I would go with something a little more practical; a more conventional liner, lockback or frame lock knife depending on what I feel like carrying that day. Also, I wouldn’t recommend this knife for self defense. I know a lot of people like the idea of using it for that purpose because it is an assisted knife. Really, I would much rather have a bigger knife in that kind of situation. The bottom line is that this is a very well made knife that has been a lot of fun owning.

Out The Front, Black Aluminum Handle, Black Tanto Bl, Plain
Out The Front, Black Aluminum Handle, Black Tanto Bl, Plain
Buy on Amazon

The best place for more reviews from people who have owned the knife is on Amazon. Click here see what the reviewers on Amazon have to say about the Schrade OTF.

Filed Under: Assisted and Automatic Knives, EDC Knives, Schrade

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