Thank you Mike. I'm glad you like the knife, the 42 is a tweaked version of a knife I designed for myself. Tweaked to work better for mass production over the hand made other versions. The goal was to get more thought out, better functioning blades with better ergonomics into the lower end of the knife market, where many companies seemed to have stopped considering such things. I really wanted micarta to start with, but it is not an available option in Taiwan and I wasn't willing to have my designs made in China just to get the micarta handle scales. Joe does excellent work. He still makes scales for my other designs but he passed all the hand made scales side of his business to Kevin at GKC Outfitters who does great work as well. I have sets of scales from both. The 55 I'm carrying right now to study another design I'm working on has Kevin's scales on them but looking and feeling I can't tell the difference. Joe taught him well. The coating is the same teflon coating they used on the SCHF9 I designed for them ten years ago.
really great design! i think theres definatly a market for functional lower cost knives, as mora has proven. moras main problems, although i do like them alot, is they are too thin, too short and not full tang. this knife solves all those problems while not going overboard as many outdoor / survival knives do. Verry frustrating to see so many weard, flashy designs on the market that arent practical at all. also good job getting sharade to put out a decent knife lol, i cant remember the name of the sharde i bought some years ago but i dont think ive ever handled such an uncomfortable knife. the only thing id change on this design is adding a bit of palm swell instead of the concave section, and making the plunge line straight across instead of swept up, the swept shoulder can get in the way of some close carving and sharpening. but again excelent desingn and the price is right
@@shonuffisthemaster Thank you. Yeah the plunge was supposed to be different. Radiused like my Tibo design by TOPS. I'd rather it had been straight than like that as well...If I could I'd post a picture of the actual drawing of it.
@@tigerpisces5506 Who the hell are you getting scales from? I was only paying about $40 a set last year. That said, even when I buy ESEE I have to buy the after market scales most of the time. I leave my ESEE 4D CP stock because I carry it for covert work, and like the tin profile under my shirt. But for field use I use after market scales by Joe Snarski of LMF Knives who also makes scales for the Schrades.
@@bgriffin4712 i see. guess thats what you have to deal with when doing a colaberation. shrade prolly thought it looked better but arent experienced enough to reckognise the downsides.
Love your mods. I have a lot of Schrade knives and am impressed with their quality. I don't fault people who spend tons on big name knives I just don't have their money. I was doing bushcraft before it had a name. Us Mc 1964-1968. Stay fit.
What I like about your channel is that your not afraid to review knives made out of the country. These days there is ALOT of knife prejudice, both in the steel used, and where its made from. I mean lets face it a few years ago if you told people you had a Gerber Knife with 420HC you got laughed at. Now with the Prodigy and the Strongarm people respect Gerber American made knifes alot more. Thank you for keeping an open mind and bringing some good affordable options to your channel.
+Bluegrass Survival you are welcome. It's no secret I like my Gerber prodigy! I like a nice custom blade with a high end steel as much as the next guy but not everyone can afford those. I love finding those affordable, hidden gems of the knife world.
I really like the 42 and 42D, IMO they are the best that they have right now. Schrade has really stepped up the past few years and are making some good knives. Those handle scales and sheathes are awesome too...
I have a Schrade SCHF26 survival knife and I love it and have it as my belt carry knife when going camping. As a primary knife and cutting tool I am satisfied with it. I love the blade on that knife and the sheath which came with it.
Great video as always, Mike! When I saw pics of your sheaths for these knives up on Gary's FB pages a while ago, I knew I had to have that setup for my Mora Bushcraft Black. I had recently picked the Mora up for a whopping deal of $20 at a local gun/knife show, and was brainstorming ideas for a kydex sheath for it when I saw this setup. I messaged Gary and was like, "I want the exact same setup as Mike's 42/42D sheath" haha. The only changes I made to it were to have it lefty (I know I could have just switched it myself, but why the heck not? Lol.), and to make the ferro rod holder sized for a Schrade ferro rod as I already had one from my SCHF37. Gary even threw in a detachable vertical carry belt loop for free, because he's awesome. :)
I love my 42. I have the LMF scales for it and they are perfect. I could use a good kydex sheath for it, and I love C2G's work. A winner all the way around.
I had a couple of schrades big knives but unfortunately they were stolen. They seemed like some decent rugged use knives. I miss the old-school old timer knives out of carbon steel. I've still got a couple of them and while I have a lot of modern blades I find myself using the old timers when it's time to get some work done. Your customs turned out nice, good job!
Just found your channel great content on these two wonderful knives. Keep up the good work. Love the schrades for the money you can't beat the quality.
Those knives are very nice. Love the scales upgrade, no question that was needed. I prefer the recurve,. In fact I have the SCHF9, myself. Handle was too small so I did a full paracord wrap and now it’s fine. I like that quarter inch thickness, too, to give that little extra security. Thanks for showing, good video.
Awesome knife. I love it. I have the recurve version. Blued it. Got LMF scales. I got my sheath from grizzly outdoors and I love it as well. In my opinion the SCHF42 is the best budget blade on the market. It will definitely hold its own when compared to much more expensive knives. (The Mora Bushcraft Black is right there with it depending on what you like.) I can't say enough good things about this knife. It's been my go-to knife for 2 years now.
Fantastic knife made even better! You lost me a little with the plastic over leather sheath (just personal preference), but regardless I love what you did with this awesome affordable blade. Fantastic video and thanks for sharing how much can be done with a knife like this to fit anyone's needs. Great job, new sub!
Blue Mountain Bushcraft and Outdoors I didn`t contact them. The hassel of shipping it to america, waiting for them to fix it and ship it back here isn`t worth my time and energy, and frankly some of the problems I had with it are probably not fixable as they were with the fit and finish on the knife. I did a review on it. Handles not fitted properly, coating came off after the first serious use, bevel wasn`t straight, all kinda stuff. If the knives from Schrade were as cheap here as they are in america I wouldn`t have minded too much and just fixed the issues myself (which I might still do), but I paid 70$ for it, and the issues are just not acceptable for that price, so I gave them a bad rating. You guys (meaning the Gauntlet people) seem to really like Schrade, so maybe I just had the bad luck of the draw. I am still planning to get a Jessica-X so that will probably be my second attempt at a Schrade knife. I might do what you did and strip the coating, put a patina on it and make some mircata handles for the SCHF55, maybe I`ll like it more then xD
Very good review and you really did do a nice make over on the knifes both look just great. I have the schf 42D coming this wed am looking forward to using it may put new handles on it. Tks
Joe is not making scales for the Schrade knives anymore but has a link to the guy that does on his sight ... ordering a set soon. Good review.. now on to the sheath...lol
Comments from an "old timer"/former dealer. Your description of the knife and the modifications are accurate. There is always someone touting some other knife that they might own as "superior". Yeah, Esse. When I wanted a horizontal kydex sheath and better scales, wow did the price go up! So if I reviewed the enhanced Esse knife, someone would comment that one should buy a Fallkniven forest knife instead. One size does not fit all. People tend to be focused on "what is the best knife". I would ask a customer about carry location, physical infirmities, knife skills, age, family size, occupation, and how the knife was intended to be used. Example. The F1 knife has a small or thin grip. Why? Because it was designed to be a survival knife in cold Sweden. People wear gloves! Someone reviewed it in the middle of the summer in his video and complained about the knife. You have to think about all the factors. The knife is great as an all around, non urban knife. The modifications, although not necessary, are well thought out and the next level.
+bd C thank you for the insightful comments. You are right, at the end of the day, knives are tools. You use different tools for different jobs and if you can modify your knife to make it your own better yet.
Awesome build brother, I can't wait for their release on the schf56L micarta Kydex version. I have a feeling they will be a big hit even more than the 42's mainly because you will get a rig that needs no upgrades. BUT still making it your own is fun and it gives small business folks a chance to make their name known also it's nicd to have a unique blade;)
+Airik1111 personally, I like these much better better than the 56l but I have no doubt that they will sell very well. I really enjoyed the process of customizing them.
+Blue Mountain Bushcraft and Outdoors Totally agree with ya, the 42 is better knife design. I personally would have liked to have seen them do a micarta grip out of the box, they are a great company but some decisions they make are just plain weird sometimes;)
small knives like that is perfect to carry scout crossdraw, As you know i carry it that way myself Michael:) Soon i hope Gary have time for me to build a new sheat for my Prodigy
I had assumed the new coating was more of an anodisation type or steel treatment rather than powder coating. But it can be removed with paint stripper? Guess it's just another baked on coating
I'm getting this in my knives EDC gear. If you don't mind where did you get the new handles from?. Please get back to me when you can. Thank you sir.👊👍
Mike, I’ve been debating on stripping my SCHF42D. What if i were to acid etch via hot vinegar instead of blue-ing it? Which in your opinion would be a smarter option? -Zack (Thanks for the response!)
Gday mate. Really enjoy your videos. I am from Australia, and I was wondering about your picture of the 3 sisters rock formation from the Blue Mountains National Park just west of Sydney. What is the connection to your channel name?
Actually, there is no connection. The mountain range near my house is called the Blue Mountains and is what my channel is named for. When I had the channel logo designed the gentleman doing the work provided a logo with that background and I loved it! I had no idea that those mountains were in Australia. Visiting there is on my bucket list though. It looks like an amazing country.
+Blue Mountain Bushcraft and Outdoors Yes it certainly is. Whilst not as internationally famous as Kakadu, Ayers Rock or the Great Barrier Reef, the Blue Mountains are pretty spectacular. They are part of the Great Dividing Range - a mountain range that runs almost the entire length of the Eastern States of Australia. I've spent much time hiking, and camping through them. some of the best scenery we have to offer. You have to see this place... Google it for some amazing pics.
Hey Mike. Great video, thanks mate. Questions for you about the sheath and please bare in mind that although I don't really like Kydex, it's too "plasticky" for me, I prefer leather,. But each to their own, eh! I can at least appreciate the work someone has put into their design and final product. Right. This sheath was specifically made to be worn horizontal, yes? So why are the drainage holes in a place that will, once the knife is inserted into the sheath and worn on the belt, end up right at the top?? This isn't a criticism, purely a question as I don't follow the ins and outs of Kydex design work and don't understand why certain things may well be done in a certain way or why. The other thing that struck me as odd about the drainage points is that when you look at how the knife is worn, the drainage holes come out facing against the wearer. Not out into the open air where vapour can much more easily be whisked away as any ,moisture / vapour comes out of the sheath. With it coming out next to the wearer, assuming the water will run uphill for you (placement of holes), you run the risk of forming a slight wet / damp patch on the clothing. Retaining the water near the drainage holes which will allow water / vapour both in and out of the sheath. Once again, this is purely a question out of lack of understanding of that product. The knife and scales.... What a gorgeous job you have made of them, Mike!! I really like the look of those scales and looking at the bluing on the blade, I can see how much you must have liked working with he knife too. General moan to manufacturers.... Jimping... Why, if a knife manufacturer has to put this stuff on their knives do they assume that we all have thumb pads made of rhino hide?? Look at a knurled piece of metal. It doesn't have anywhere near that depth of metal removal, but it grips enough for the job. Surely something similarly "gentle" yet effective can be put atop the spine of a knife for field use?? Keep up the excellent work Mike. As always, was a pleasure spending this time with you mate . ATB, Andy.
+MrTatts64 well, I can't speak for Gary, but I think this sheath was originally designed as a vertical belt carry sheath. Hence the placement of the drain holes. Honestly, I don't see it as an issue. If that sheath is full of water while mounted on my belt I'm likely already soaked!! Well done jimping can be useful but that stuff is hard to find. This jimping, after being filed on a bit, is actually quite decent. And for what the knife costs and what I ended up with, I'm ok with that.
I had similar thought after writing my comment Mike. About the hole placement that is. Just something which really got into my head at the time and was chewing away at me like a hungry dog on a bone. Might be something for Gary to think about though, just spacing a couple of more / other holes along where the blades edge will sit when mounted horizontally. As for the jimping, it wasn't a complaint about your knife at all as opposed to a dig at the knife manufacturers. Which is where I wish they would use the knives themselves for a week or so and for something a little more testing than letter opening ;) I'm sure they would ease up on the depth and harshness of some of that stuff. I suppose in all fairness, I would have to admit that they actually got the jimping about right on this blade. It's not sold as a "customise / build your own knife" sort of item, is it. It's sold to be used As Is. Like you pointed out, with that blades original coating, the jimping was fine and it was only after stripping the coating off that it became an issue. I still dont like the aggressive stuff though ;) All in all I would still like to buy one of these for myself, but after placing my order for a rosewood scaled PTK from young Mr Hunnicut, I made myself a promise. No more knives to be bought this year!! There are only so many knives a person actually "needs", after all...
I wish Scrhade would offer the micarta scales as an upgrade. They are almost able to compete with the top selling blades but they continue to put crappy scales on the otherwise awesome knives
Hey Mike, I gotta question... What knife do you find yourself reaching for the most when going out. I dont have many knives anymore I actually sold most of mine after watching yours and Magnus Andersons vids on the Prodigy. I used it exclusively for a few months and realized I don't need a bunch of knives. I only have 3 blades the Prodigy, Mora Pro Robust and Condor Bushlore. Anyways I know you collect and review & have a ton of knives, so I wonder if you reach for the Prodigy more than most. I myself plan on getting the Strongarm, WITH serrations of course;) IMHO there is no reason to make life difficult when the Gerber Prodigy and Strongarm can make things easier in the woods.
+Airik1111 I presume you are speaking primarily about fixed blades so I'll restrict myself to those. The one knife that is almost always with me, no matter what I might be testing at the time, is my Skookum Bush Tool. I just love that knife. Between that and the Prodigy I could sell off most of my other blades and not miss them much. But what fun would that be??
for any newbies getting into " bushcraft " I would highly reccomend staying away from recurves.... NOT easy to sharpen.. stick with straight edge....JMO best luck... great video
Now those knives are really good. Out of the factory, the blades are not bad, the scheats are cheaps et the andles in plastic like neopren are really bad. The final price for this transformation is maybe a bit high for this quality of knives but a good idéa. I have 4 Schrade and one need a new sheat and handel, 2 others needs only new sheats, the last is allready good with original kydex (SCHF59)
ESEE blades are outstanding but I find most of them would benefit from upgraded scales. I think the C2GFab sheath is superior to ESEEs stock sheaths. I don't know about the heat treat. The heat treat on these knives is on par with the ESEEs I've owned.
I have an ESEE 6 that I love. Yes, you can get one and sheath for about the total of what Blue Mtn spent after customizing his. The pluses for the ESEE 6 is an extra blade choil that allows you to choke up on the knife for doing fine work; and not having to do the customizing. The minus is the blade coating that comes on it that Blue Mtn accurately described as "truck bed coating"...I'd call it "truck bed coating light" but still not nearly as nice as his blueing job. I've read that the Rowen heat treat on their 1095 blades for the ESEE knives is outstanding. However, I've never seen anyone do a factual, scientific comparison between them and other high quality heat treated 1095 blades.
I've seen some ESSE 6 blades get snapped while battoning. A good heat treat is important, but honestly there is only so much that can be done in that department. ESSE Knives are notorious for having a blunt spine, and that "truck bed coating" as you refered to it. I'm not hating on ESSE though, I own the 5 and enjoy it alot, but I wish they would sharpen the spine and switch to a ceramic coating. My only other gripe about ESSE is they are not known to listen to their customers.
I've been using my ESEE 6 pretty hard now, for many different things, including batoning, the past few months. The more I use it the more I like it. It's actually handier for lots of uses than I thought it would be. However, as you said, the coating and dull spine I believe ESEE could easily improve upon and are the only 2 things I mildly don't care for.
just got the 42d and was verry impressed by the initial quality, fit and finish, especially compared to some other knives i have verry much regretted buying from schrade. not sure how you can say sharpening recurves is easy, its pretty much inpossible when using a flat stone, which is what the majority of people who want a decent edge use. there seems to be a trend with buying a cheap knife and then spending a bunch of money on coustom scales, sheath, etc. lol, i dont really get this. id say if you want to make some scales and a sheath to coustomize it, no problem it can be a rewarding project, but to spend probably more than you did on the knife (almost always the case when talking about a mora for example) i just dont understand the justificstion.
Say Heah, Yeah I like what you did to those knives. I also like that style especially the straight bedfellows. Infact I might be taking my Modified Rodent 6 which I had thin down at their Custom Shop, I also had the top guard taken off, now it L@@Ks like a Ratmandu on steroids. Yeah, it came out fantastic. I also have tge Ratmandu and a Rodent 5. The problem I have with them is which one to take with me. The Ratmandu is a 5 1/4"+ blade the Rodent 5 is a 5 1/2"+ and the Modde Rodent 6 is a 6"+ Yeah, I generally use any one of them in my Basic Trio Carries. Depending on the weather, I usually will add a Hatchet and Saw, I also like to carry a neck knife also. I carry those tools because I have them. But in mild weather I might go with a Summer Long Knife instead of a Hatchet. You did good.,,. p
I was really amazed when schrade send that 42 it reminded me of the bhk pathfinder after 6 months of working with it I'm still L amazed its a production knife now working with Ontario they are putting it some great stuff to I subbed great channel brother if you gat a chance view mine look up bushcraft woodsman the shooting what a blade well all the best stay safe ....tom
I understand the fun in customizing but for the money you could have bought a knife with the right handle scales and sheath etc. and without that jimping. For me that jimping is the reason to be very critical about Schrade. It also tells me they DON'T listen to customers because everybody hates that jimping.
Great video. What I don’t understand, is buying a budget friendly knife with decent steel, trashing the sheath and handle scales, upgrading those for another 40$ per scale/40$ per kydex. Now you’re looking at a 120$ knife? Why not save yourself a boatload of time and effort, and purchase an Esee, or an Ontario Rat? Both of which, come scaled in micarta, sheathed in kydex...not to mention, you don’t have to strip those puppies, and you don’t have to say “Shchrade” out loud to your friends.
Thank you Mike. I'm glad you like the knife, the 42 is a tweaked version of a knife I designed for myself. Tweaked to work better for mass production over the hand made other versions. The goal was to get more thought out, better functioning blades with better ergonomics into the lower end of the knife market, where many companies seemed to have stopped considering such things. I really wanted micarta to start with, but it is not an available option in Taiwan and I wasn't willing to have my designs made in China just to get the micarta handle scales. Joe does excellent work. He still makes scales for my other designs but he passed all the hand made scales side of his business to Kevin at GKC Outfitters who does great work as well. I have sets of scales from both. The 55 I'm carrying right now to study another design I'm working on has Kevin's scales on them but looking and feeling I can't tell the difference. Joe taught him well. The coating is the same teflon coating they used on the SCHF9 I designed for them ten years ago.
really great design! i think theres definatly a market for functional lower cost knives, as mora has proven. moras main problems, although i do like them alot, is they are too thin, too short and not full tang. this knife solves all those problems while not going overboard as many outdoor / survival knives do. Verry frustrating to see so many weard, flashy designs on the market that arent practical at all.
also good job getting sharade to put out a decent knife lol, i cant remember the name of the sharde i bought some years ago but i dont think ive ever handled such an uncomfortable knife.
the only thing id change on this design is adding a bit of palm swell instead of the concave section, and making the plunge line straight across instead of swept up, the swept shoulder can get in the way of some close carving and sharpening.
but again excelent desingn and the price is right
I can get anyone listed to
Custom Scales unless I pay $175 ea. I might as well bought Essee or Tops knives.,
@@shonuffisthemaster Thank you. Yeah the plunge was supposed to be different. Radiused like my Tibo design by TOPS. I'd rather it had been straight than like that as well...If I could I'd post a picture of the actual drawing of it.
@@tigerpisces5506 Who the hell are you getting scales from? I was only paying about $40 a set last year. That said, even when I buy ESEE I have to buy the after market scales most of the time. I leave my ESEE 4D CP stock because I carry it for covert work, and like the tin profile under my shirt. But for field use I use after market scales by Joe Snarski of LMF Knives who also makes scales for the Schrades.
@@bgriffin4712 i see. guess thats what you have to deal with when doing a colaberation. shrade prolly thought it looked better but arent experienced enough to reckognise the downsides.
Love your mods. I have a lot of Schrade knives and am impressed with their quality. I don't fault people who spend tons on big name knives I just don't have their money. I was doing bushcraft before it had a name. Us Mc 1964-1968. Stay fit.
+Daniel Cross thanks. These knives are great because you can do your mods a little bit at a time.
What I like about your channel is that your not afraid to review knives made out of the country. These days there is ALOT of knife prejudice, both in the steel used, and where its made from. I mean lets face it a few years ago if you told people you had a Gerber Knife with 420HC you got laughed at. Now with the Prodigy and the Strongarm people respect Gerber American made knifes alot more. Thank you for keeping an open mind and bringing some good affordable options to your channel.
+Bluegrass Survival you are welcome. It's no secret I like my Gerber prodigy! I like a nice custom blade with a high end steel as much as the next guy but not everyone can afford those. I love finding those affordable, hidden gems of the knife world.
I really like the 42 and 42D, IMO they are the best that they have right now. Schrade has really stepped up the past few years and are making some good knives. Those handle scales and sheathes are awesome too...
+Skills2Survive I agree. These knives are outstanding. The availability of things to modify and personalize them makes them all that much better.
Excellent video. One of the best, if not the best, of any I've seen for a knife review. I am now a subscriber.
+Rick C that's some high praise. Thank you Rick. I'm really glad you enjoyed it.
LOVE the work you've done on these Mike! Beauty and function - can't beat that with a stick.
+Charles Collier think you. These make great building blocks for customizing.
I have a Schrade SCHF26 survival knife and I love it and have it as my belt carry knife when going camping. As a primary knife and cutting tool I am satisfied with it. I love the blade on that knife and the sheath which came with it.
Very well done video about 2 knives I find very interesting. Thank you for the contacts to customize the scales and sheath. Thank You Mike!
Great video as always, Mike!
When I saw pics of your sheaths for these knives up on Gary's FB pages a while ago, I knew I had to have that setup for my Mora Bushcraft Black.
I had recently picked the Mora up for a whopping deal of $20 at a local gun/knife show, and was brainstorming ideas for a kydex sheath for it when I saw this setup. I messaged Gary and was like, "I want the exact same setup as Mike's 42/42D sheath" haha.
The only changes I made to it were to have it lefty (I know I could have just switched it myself, but why the heck not? Lol.), and to make the ferro rod holder sized for a Schrade ferro rod as I already had one from my SCHF37. Gary even threw in a detachable vertical carry belt loop for free, because he's awesome. :)
Gary and Joe are incredible craftsmen! I have products from both and they are of the highest quality for sure!
I agree completely.
Thanks Dan
Blue Mountain Bushcraft and Outdoors Do you have any new craftsmen that can make scales,
Brian also designed the Schf9 and Schf55
+PrioritySurvival yes he did and I have them both.
Nice scales
Nice to see what you did to the knives after a few months of use..
+Mario Knife Making thank you. I like to tinker and these blades are perfect for that.
Thanks Mike for the kind words. It's my goal to not ever send you a sheath that you can't go "man this is better than the last"
+Gary Lawson I look forward to putting that to the test.
Really nice mods you did with both knives they look great
+Jeff Buzzard thank you. I'm pretty happy with how they turned out.
I love my 42. I have the LMF scales for it and they are perfect. I could use a good kydex sheath for it, and I love C2G's work. A winner all the way around.
+JediJunkie247 give Gary a call after Blade show. He can set you up.
Thanks. I may just do that.
I love the sheath. I may have to get both the scales and the sheath.
+Wheels gone Wild I think you would be very happy with both.
Love the channel you have answered a lot of the questions I have had about products, knives and small stoves.
I had a couple of schrades big knives but unfortunately they were stolen. They seemed like some decent rugged use knives. I miss the old-school old timer knives out of carbon steel. I've still got a couple of them and while I have a lot of modern blades I find myself using the old timers when it's time to get some work done.
Your customs turned out nice, good job!
Just found your channel great content on these two wonderful knives. Keep up the good work. Love the schrades for the money you can't beat the quality.
Those knives are very nice. Love the scales upgrade, no question that was needed. I prefer the recurve,. In fact I have the SCHF9, myself. Handle was too small so I did a full paracord wrap and now it’s fine. I like that quarter inch thickness, too, to give that little extra security.
Thanks for showing, good video.
Awesome knife. I love it. I have the recurve version. Blued it. Got LMF scales. I got my sheath from grizzly outdoors and I love it as well. In my opinion the SCHF42 is the best budget blade on the market. It will definitely hold its own when compared to much more expensive knives. (The Mora Bushcraft Black is right there with it depending on what you like.) I can't say enough good things about this knife. It's been my go-to knife for 2 years now.
+Ben Turner I agree. These knives are simply outstanding. Some of Schrades stuff is pretty mediocre but not these.
thanks for your time and info, that is just what I wanted for my 42 just was not sure how to do it. Really enjoy your video. THANKS you J
+Jerry Runyan that's excellent! I'm glad I could be of some help.
Fantastic knife made even better! You lost me a little with the plastic over leather sheath (just personal preference), but regardless I love what you did with this awesome affordable blade. Fantastic video and thanks for sharing how much can be done with a knife like this to fit anyone's needs. Great job, new sub!
+Rick Falk thanks Rick. The stock sheath is quite serviceable but I like my C2Gfab Kydex for this setup. I’m glad you enjoyed the video.
I had a bad experience with the SCHF55 so I am currently cooled off towards Schrade xD Love what you did with the knives though. Great Video, Mike :)
Thats not good. Schrade backs their stuff 100% though. I hope they took care of your problem.
Blue Mountain Bushcraft and Outdoors
I didn`t contact them. The hassel of shipping it to america, waiting for them to fix it and ship it back here isn`t worth my time and energy, and frankly some of the problems I had with it are probably not fixable as they were with the fit and finish on the knife. I did a review on it. Handles not fitted properly, coating came off after the first serious use, bevel wasn`t straight, all kinda stuff. If the knives from Schrade were as cheap here as they are in america I wouldn`t have minded too much and just fixed the issues myself (which I might still do), but I paid 70$ for it, and the issues are just not acceptable for that price, so I gave them a bad rating. You guys (meaning the Gauntlet people) seem to really like Schrade, so maybe I just had the bad luck of the draw. I am still planning to get a Jessica-X so that will probably be my second attempt at a Schrade knife. I might do what you did and strip the coating, put a patina on it and make some mircata handles for the SCHF55, maybe I`ll like it more then xD
Very good review and you really did do a nice make over on the knifes both look just great. I have the schf 42D coming this wed am looking forward to using it may put new handles on it. Tks
+Rick AB. Thank you. I think you will need really happy with the blade.
what model schrade is that shorter knife you showed?
Take a look at the SCHF55.
bishop2355 schf42d
Joe is not making scales for the Schrade knives anymore but has a link to the guy that does on his sight ... ordering a set soon. Good review.. now on to the sheath...lol
He's not? I wonder why?
Don't know.. GKC Outfitters has all of his tooling for the Schrades and is making them now..
Comments from an "old timer"/former dealer. Your description of the knife and the modifications are accurate. There is always someone touting some other knife that they might own as "superior". Yeah, Esse. When I wanted a horizontal kydex sheath and better scales, wow did the price go up! So if I reviewed the enhanced Esse knife, someone would comment that one should buy a Fallkniven forest knife instead.
One size does not fit all. People tend to be focused on "what is the best knife". I would ask a customer about carry location, physical infirmities, knife skills, age, family size, occupation, and how the knife was intended to be used. Example. The F1 knife has a small or thin grip. Why? Because it was designed to be a survival knife in cold Sweden. People wear gloves! Someone reviewed it in the middle of the summer in his video and complained about the knife. You have to think about all the factors. The knife is great as an all around, non urban knife. The modifications, although not necessary, are well thought out and the next level.
+bd C thank you for the insightful comments. You are right, at the end of the day, knives are tools. You use different tools for different jobs and if you can modify your knife to make it your own better yet.
Awesome build brother, I can't wait for their release on the schf56L micarta Kydex version. I have a feeling they will be a big hit even more than the 42's mainly because you will get a rig that needs no upgrades. BUT still making it your own is fun and it gives small business folks a chance to make their name known also it's nicd to have a unique blade;)
+Airik1111 personally, I like these much better better than the 56l but I have no doubt that they will sell very well. I really enjoyed the process of customizing them.
+Blue Mountain Bushcraft and Outdoors Totally agree with ya, the 42 is better knife design. I personally would have liked to have seen them do a micarta grip out of the box, they are a great company but some decisions they make are just plain weird sometimes;)
I'm very impressed with this setup... was wondering what you used to strip the factory costing off the blade.
I think it was a spray on stripper from E-Z Strip.
I would love to get my hands on one of these... when my finances allow I will.... probably the 42 because I love recurves.
Excellent choice!
small knives like that is perfect to carry scout crossdraw, As you know i carry it that way myself Michael:) Soon i hope Gary have time for me to build a new sheat for my Prodigy
I'm sure he will after Blade Show. You will love it Magnus!
Nice video. In my opinion the SCHF42D is just a reground SCHF42. There is still a bit of recurve on the blade near the handle, just my thoughts.
What coating do you apply if it’s worn out on the blade?
Awesome job great makers just ordered 55 with lmf scales and c2g sheath
+Roland Silva that sounds like a perfect combination!
Made in the U.S.A! I ALSO own lmf and a c2g fab dex. Top notch, no question!
LMF and C2G are superior quality for sure.
Thanks Ralph!
How did the blade hold up after 6 years?
I had assumed the new coating was more of an anodisation type or steel treatment rather than powder coating. But it can be removed with paint stripper? Guess it's just another baked on coating
+Adam Smith its cold bluing.
I'm getting this in my knives EDC gear. If you don't mind where did you get the new handles from?. Please get back to me when you can. Thank you sir.👊👍
great. review love my 42 d does he do white grivory I believe it's called
+kabaruser do you mean the antique ivory micarta? I'm sure he could get that. It would look pretty sharp!
Love the mods n Review! Specifically the kydex sheath, would love one made for Condor kephart n nessmuck I own. Thanks dr Dave
Where and how can I order micarta handle? Is there any shop?
Great vid !
Thanks Simon.
that's a sweet sheath my friend!
+coolkid survival thank you. Gary does great work.
Mike, I’ve been debating on stripping my SCHF42D. What if i were to acid etch via hot vinegar instead of blue-ing it? Which in your opinion would be a smarter option? -Zack (Thanks for the response!)
I don’t see why you couldn’t do that. I’ll bet it would turn out pretty cool.
Excellent show thanks again
+Alan Flint thank you Alan:
right on...looks good.
+StandsWithABeer thanks.
Gday mate. Really enjoy your videos. I am from Australia, and I was wondering about your picture of the 3 sisters rock formation from the Blue Mountains National Park just west of Sydney. What is the connection to your channel name?
Actually, there is no connection. The mountain range near my house is called the Blue Mountains and is what my channel is named for. When I had the channel logo designed the gentleman doing the work provided a logo with that background and I loved it! I had no idea that those mountains were in Australia. Visiting there is on my bucket list though. It looks like an amazing country.
+Blue Mountain Bushcraft and Outdoors
Yes it certainly is. Whilst not as internationally famous as Kakadu, Ayers Rock or the Great Barrier Reef, the Blue Mountains are pretty spectacular. They are part of the Great Dividing Range - a mountain range that runs almost the entire length of the Eastern States of Australia. I've spent much time hiking, and camping through them. some of the best scenery we have to offer. You have to see this place... Google it for some amazing pics.
Both great knives, although I prefer the 42. Nice video man.
+Punisheroutdoors Official the 42 is pretty awesome after the edge is thinned out a bit.
Can i get contact info for who made the sheath please?
Www.c2gfab.com
Hey Mike. Great video, thanks mate.
Questions for you about the sheath and please bare in mind that although I don't really like Kydex, it's too "plasticky" for me, I prefer leather,. But each to their own, eh! I can at least appreciate the work someone has put into their design and final product.
Right. This sheath was specifically made to be worn horizontal, yes? So why are the drainage holes in a place that will, once the knife is inserted into the sheath and worn on the belt, end up right at the top?? This isn't a criticism, purely a question as I don't follow the ins and outs of Kydex design work and don't understand why certain things may well be done in a certain way or why. The other thing that struck me as odd about the drainage points is that when you look at how the knife is worn, the drainage holes come out facing against the wearer. Not out into the open air where vapour can much more easily be whisked away as any ,moisture / vapour comes out of the sheath. With it coming out next to the wearer, assuming the water will run uphill for you (placement of holes), you run the risk of forming a slight wet / damp patch on the clothing. Retaining the water near the drainage holes which will allow water / vapour both in and out of the sheath. Once again, this is purely a question out of lack of understanding of that product.
The knife and scales....
What a gorgeous job you have made of them, Mike!! I really like the look of those scales and looking at the bluing on the blade, I can see how much you must have liked working with he knife too.
General moan to manufacturers....
Jimping... Why, if a knife manufacturer has to put this stuff on their knives do they assume that we all have thumb pads made of rhino hide?? Look at a knurled piece of metal. It doesn't have anywhere near that depth of metal removal, but it grips enough for the job. Surely something similarly "gentle" yet effective can be put atop the spine of a knife for field use??
Keep up the excellent work Mike. As always, was a pleasure spending this time with you mate . ATB, Andy.
+MrTatts64 well, I can't speak for Gary, but I think this sheath was originally designed as a vertical belt carry sheath. Hence the placement of the drain holes. Honestly, I don't see it as an issue. If that sheath is full of water while mounted on my belt I'm likely already soaked!!
Well done jimping can be useful but that stuff is hard to find. This jimping, after being filed on a bit, is actually quite decent. And for what the knife costs and what I ended up with, I'm ok with that.
I had similar thought after writing my comment Mike. About the hole placement that is. Just something which really got into my head at the time and was chewing away at me like a hungry dog on a bone. Might be something for Gary to think about though, just spacing a couple of more / other holes along where the blades edge will sit when mounted horizontally.
As for the jimping, it wasn't a complaint about your knife at all as opposed to a dig at the knife manufacturers. Which is where I wish they would use the knives themselves for a week or so and for something a little more testing than letter opening ;) I'm sure they would ease up on the depth and harshness of some of that stuff. I suppose in all fairness, I would have to admit that they actually got the jimping about right on this blade. It's not sold as a "customise / build your own knife" sort of item, is it. It's sold to be used As Is. Like you pointed out, with that blades original coating, the jimping was fine and it was only after stripping the coating off that it became an issue. I still dont like the aggressive stuff though ;)
All in all I would still like to buy one of these for myself, but after placing my order for a rosewood scaled PTK from young Mr Hunnicut, I made myself a promise. No more knives to be bought this year!! There are only so many knives a person actually "needs", after all...
I wish Scrhade would offer the micarta scales as an upgrade. They are almost able to compete with the top selling blades but they continue to put crappy scales on the otherwise awesome knives
+brianminkc fortunately the aftermarket is there to accommodate those needs.
Hey Mike, I gotta question...
What knife do you find yourself reaching for the most when going out. I dont have many knives anymore I actually sold most of mine after watching yours and Magnus Andersons vids on the Prodigy. I used it exclusively for a few months and realized I don't need a bunch of knives. I only have 3 blades the Prodigy, Mora Pro Robust and Condor Bushlore. Anyways I know you collect and review & have a ton of knives, so I wonder if you reach for the Prodigy more than most. I myself plan on getting the Strongarm, WITH serrations of course;) IMHO there is no reason to make life difficult when the Gerber Prodigy and Strongarm can make things easier in the woods.
+Airik1111 I presume you are speaking primarily about fixed blades so I'll restrict myself to those. The one knife that is almost always with me, no matter what I might be testing at the time, is my Skookum Bush Tool. I just love that knife. Between that and the Prodigy I could sell off most of my other blades and not miss them much. But what fun would that be??
Don't much like the recurve but do like the 42D
you did a good review, knives are super nice
Great review
great video sir
Thank you Steve.
for any newbies getting into
" bushcraft " I would highly reccomend staying away from recurves.... NOT easy to sharpen.. stick with straight edge....JMO
best luck... great video
Nice review as usual!! >;) What oil do you use to maintain these blades?
+Charles Larson I'll usually use Ballistol.
Now those knives are really good.
Out of the factory, the blades are not bad, the scheats are cheaps et the andles in plastic like neopren are really bad.
The final price for this transformation is maybe a bit high for this quality of knives but a good idéa.
I have 4 Schrade and one need a new sheat and handel, 2 others needs only new sheats, the last is allready good with original kydex (SCHF59)
Very nice!!
+SUFFICIENT SURVIVAL thank you for watching!
Very nice video, but for this price you can buy a ESEE knife ready to use, with better heat treat and performance, do you agree? Tks!
ESEE blades are outstanding but I find most of them would benefit from upgraded scales. I think the C2GFab sheath is superior to ESEEs stock sheaths. I don't know about the heat treat. The heat treat on these knives is on par with the ESEEs I've owned.
I have an ESEE 6 that I love. Yes, you can get one and sheath for about the total of what Blue Mtn spent after customizing his. The pluses for the ESEE 6 is an extra blade choil that allows you to choke up on the knife for doing fine work; and not having to do the customizing. The minus is the blade coating that comes on it that Blue Mtn accurately described as "truck bed coating"...I'd call it "truck bed coating light" but still not nearly as nice as his blueing job. I've read that the Rowen heat treat on their 1095 blades for the ESEE knives is outstanding. However, I've never seen anyone do a factual, scientific comparison between them and other high quality heat treated 1095 blades.
I've seen some ESSE 6 blades get snapped while battoning. A good heat treat is important, but honestly there is only so much that can be done in that department. ESSE Knives are notorious for having a blunt spine, and that "truck bed coating" as you refered to it. I'm not hating on ESSE though, I own the 5 and enjoy it alot, but I wish they would sharpen the spine and switch to a ceramic coating. My only other gripe about ESSE is they are not known to listen to their customers.
I've been using my ESEE 6 pretty hard now, for many different things, including batoning, the past few months. The more I use it the more I like it. It's actually handier for lots of uses than I thought it would be. However, as you said, the coating and dull spine I believe ESEE could easily improve upon and are the only 2 things I mildly don't care for.
Wha Wha Wha
just got the 42d and was verry impressed by the initial quality, fit and finish, especially compared to some other knives i have verry much regretted buying from schrade.
not sure how you can say sharpening recurves is easy, its pretty much inpossible when using a flat stone, which is what the majority of people who want a decent edge use.
there seems to be a trend with buying a cheap knife and then spending a bunch of money on coustom scales, sheath, etc. lol, i dont really get this. id say if you want to make some scales and a sheath to coustomize it, no problem it can be a rewarding project, but to spend probably more than you did on the knife (almost always the case when talking about a mora for example) i just dont understand the justificstion.
Say Heah, Yeah I like what you did to those knives. I also like that style especially the straight bedfellows. Infact I might be taking my Modified Rodent 6 which I had thin down at their Custom Shop, I also had the top guard taken off, now it L@@Ks like a Ratmandu on steroids. Yeah, it came out fantastic. I also have tge Ratmandu and a Rodent 5. The problem I have with them is which one to take with me. The Ratmandu is a 5 1/4"+ blade the Rodent 5 is a 5 1/2"+ and the Modde Rodent 6 is a 6"+ Yeah, I generally use any one of them in my Basic Trio Carries. Depending on the weather, I usually will add a Hatchet and Saw, I also like to carry a neck knife also. I carry those tools because I have them. But in mild weather I might go with a Summer Long Knife instead of a Hatchet. You did good.,,. p
How do I put drill bow holes on my CIMA-1 handle.? They are marcarta handles
ชอบ มากเลย
LMF isn't making scales for the Schrade knives any longer.
No. But I’m pretty sure he can point you in the direction of someone who is.
All 3 of my 42s were terrible....
Uneven plunge & edge grinds, crazy thick behind the edge, not even close to custom knives.
I was really amazed when schrade send that 42 it reminded me of the bhk pathfinder after 6 months of working with it I'm still
L amazed its a production knife now working with Ontario they are putting it some great stuff to I subbed great channel brother if you gat a chance view mine look up bushcraft woodsman the shooting what a blade well all the best stay safe ....tom
+kabaruser thanks Tom! I'll look it up.
I understand the fun in customizing but for the money you could have bought a knife with the right handle scales and sheath etc. and without that jimping.
For me that jimping is the reason to be very critical about Schrade. It also tells me they DON'T listen to customers because everybody hates that jimping.
Great video. What I don’t understand, is buying a budget friendly knife with decent steel, trashing the sheath and handle scales, upgrading those for another 40$ per scale/40$ per kydex. Now you’re looking at a 120$ knife? Why not save yourself a boatload of time and effort, and purchase an Esee, or an Ontario Rat? Both of which, come scaled in micarta, sheathed in kydex...not to mention, you don’t have to strip those puppies, and you don’t have to say “Shchrade” out loud to your friends.
All valid points. However, some folks only have the money available spread out over time and some folks just like to customize their gear.
You’re absolutely right. I personally own the shcrade 56lm and I love it, I stripped the coating and everything. Either way, great video
I'll keep my Esee 6
+Eldridge Young thanks for the comment!
LOL I'll keep my Fallkniven A1, but I'll take a Schrade 42 as well! Always room for another knife! :)
You won't get anymore performance, other than what you can span with a slightly longer blade.
those cross draw sheaths make me cringe hope you never have to pull out your knife when watering the grass if you know what I mean
+Adrian Griffin I try to keep my hose rolled up when using the knife. Lol!!!
They are only difficult for a retard like you.
Nice mods, but for about the same amount of money, I think I'd rather buy an ESEE-6.
YAWN and NOPE
schrade nekem is van kiváló edc kés
It kills me that a person will buy a knife and then change every thing about it. LOL
+mrouterrim different strokes.