Schrade Leroy Review
Jun 15, 2018 15:25:56 GMT
Post by rjodorizzi on Jun 15, 2018 15:25:56 GMT
Big ol' chopper!
Full Disclosure: I paid full price for this item and have no association with Schrade, I bought this to give Schrade's big fixed blades a shot.
About the knife (from the manufacturer):
Blade Color Silver/Gray
Blade Edge Plain
Blade Length 10.35
Blade Material Stainless Steel (8Cr13MoV)
Handle Color Black
Handle Material TPE
Knife Type Fixed Blade
Knife Weight 23.6
Point Clip Point
Sheath Included Yes
Sheath Material Nylon
Total Length 16.49
The past year has been me trying to get back into collecting edged weapons In part of that I'm striving to review everything I buy/own. Ideally I'd like to do video, but the forum has always served me well and so I thought I'd work on more writing initially. I'm trying to put a spread of affordable options into my collection/reviews and the Schrade is certainly priced in that range, coming in at around $40-50.00 up/down depending on where you buy.
Initial thoughts: First off, is this a Benchmade? No. Is it a high end custom blade? No. Is it priced like one? No. That being said, for the range, I was uncertain of what to expect. I had an automatic pocket knife from Schrade that came loose and had a safety that straight up didn't work (dangerous.) That being said some of the other reviews I had checked out said this was a pretty solid blade. Blade came shipped in a standard manufacturer box, well packed and un-oiled. I was actually pretty impressed with the finish they used as it gave it a deep grey. It was consistent throughout and the blade seemed to be well assembled.
The Sheath: The Leroy's sheath is a kydex similar nylon affair. It feels far more rigid than kydex, albeit bulkier and more plastic feeling. That being said it's been banged around a bit and has held up fine, and holds the knife solidly in place with minimal rattle and can be turned upside down without losing the hefty blade. An additional Velcro strap serves to further hold the knife in place. The loop for belt attachment is made from the same material as the sheath itself and seems to be integral to the mold. All in all it does everything it needs to do and has a good look. Multiple attachment points exist on the sheath as well if you wanted to strap it to a bag.
The Grip: sandwiching the tang are two grippy rubber panels. They have indents, or finger grooves, that are substantial to accommodate a variety of hand shapes. That being said this grip is large, even in my meat-paws, and would likely not be particularly comfortable in a user of smaller stature, or anyone with tiny hands! The rubber stands up to water and allows a tight non slipping purchase even when wet. The texture adds further grip and is comfortable in the hand. My major gripe with the grip is the location of the jimping. It is located on the top of the grip itself rather than on the blade. To me this makes the jimping non usable as putting a thumb on it makes the whole grip feel awkward. It can be avoided but if you choke up on the blade it is likely to really dig into your hand. Not the end of the world but a curious piece of design.
The blade: 8Cr13MoV is a Chinese made steel that I've heard is comparable to AUS-8. Most reports seem to value this steel as one of the better ones for knives in the lower priced spectrum. I've found the edge to be easy to touch up and relatively durable. It doesn't have the sharpness longevity of an S30V knife but you could buy 4 of these for the price of one of those. That being said the blade has proven to be durable and the titanium coated finish has held up really nicely. I haven't put it through a TON of torture, but it has been used to chop fresh and dried pieces of wood, and hack at a few weeds around my newly planted shrubbery. Cleaning it off was easy and only a few scuff marks seem to retain on the finish. I would expect the finish to continue to hold up nicely making it a good choice for gritty outdoor work. The big detractor is the weight, at almost 2 lbs this is WAY to heavy for me to consider using as a backpack knife. It's also way larger than I would typically bring with me to the woods. Some folks like giant knives for outdoor adventures, but as I've gotten older a solid 4" fixed blade accompanied by a couple of reliable folders is typically all I take out. Other folks may find a use for a giant blade like this, but for me it goes into the collection box.
Final thoughts: A lot of folks will turn noses down at a lot of cheaper end items based on Manufacturer or based on where the item was crafted. Sometimes these opinions can be experience based and reliable, other times it is simply the name of a company that brings out vitriol. The firearms community is the place where this can be seen, in my opinion, the most, however, the sword/knife community can bring out a lot of hate without first hand experience. That being said, I had times where I couldn't afford the $1000 piece and still wanted to collect. If you want a big ol' blade that is well constructed than I can recommend the Schrade Leroy.
PROs:
Solid construction
8Cr13MoV is good for the price range
Nice grips
Resilient Finish
CONs:
Bad location of jimping
Weight weight weight
Blade size isn't necessarily one that lends it to being "camp" useful (but it is fun!)
Full Disclosure: I paid full price for this item and have no association with Schrade, I bought this to give Schrade's big fixed blades a shot.
About the knife (from the manufacturer):
Blade Color Silver/Gray
Blade Edge Plain
Blade Length 10.35
Blade Material Stainless Steel (8Cr13MoV)
Handle Color Black
Handle Material TPE
Knife Type Fixed Blade
Knife Weight 23.6
Point Clip Point
Sheath Included Yes
Sheath Material Nylon
Total Length 16.49
The past year has been me trying to get back into collecting edged weapons In part of that I'm striving to review everything I buy/own. Ideally I'd like to do video, but the forum has always served me well and so I thought I'd work on more writing initially. I'm trying to put a spread of affordable options into my collection/reviews and the Schrade is certainly priced in that range, coming in at around $40-50.00 up/down depending on where you buy.
Initial thoughts: First off, is this a Benchmade? No. Is it a high end custom blade? No. Is it priced like one? No. That being said, for the range, I was uncertain of what to expect. I had an automatic pocket knife from Schrade that came loose and had a safety that straight up didn't work (dangerous.) That being said some of the other reviews I had checked out said this was a pretty solid blade. Blade came shipped in a standard manufacturer box, well packed and un-oiled. I was actually pretty impressed with the finish they used as it gave it a deep grey. It was consistent throughout and the blade seemed to be well assembled.
The Sheath: The Leroy's sheath is a kydex similar nylon affair. It feels far more rigid than kydex, albeit bulkier and more plastic feeling. That being said it's been banged around a bit and has held up fine, and holds the knife solidly in place with minimal rattle and can be turned upside down without losing the hefty blade. An additional Velcro strap serves to further hold the knife in place. The loop for belt attachment is made from the same material as the sheath itself and seems to be integral to the mold. All in all it does everything it needs to do and has a good look. Multiple attachment points exist on the sheath as well if you wanted to strap it to a bag.
The Grip: sandwiching the tang are two grippy rubber panels. They have indents, or finger grooves, that are substantial to accommodate a variety of hand shapes. That being said this grip is large, even in my meat-paws, and would likely not be particularly comfortable in a user of smaller stature, or anyone with tiny hands! The rubber stands up to water and allows a tight non slipping purchase even when wet. The texture adds further grip and is comfortable in the hand. My major gripe with the grip is the location of the jimping. It is located on the top of the grip itself rather than on the blade. To me this makes the jimping non usable as putting a thumb on it makes the whole grip feel awkward. It can be avoided but if you choke up on the blade it is likely to really dig into your hand. Not the end of the world but a curious piece of design.
The blade: 8Cr13MoV is a Chinese made steel that I've heard is comparable to AUS-8. Most reports seem to value this steel as one of the better ones for knives in the lower priced spectrum. I've found the edge to be easy to touch up and relatively durable. It doesn't have the sharpness longevity of an S30V knife but you could buy 4 of these for the price of one of those. That being said the blade has proven to be durable and the titanium coated finish has held up really nicely. I haven't put it through a TON of torture, but it has been used to chop fresh and dried pieces of wood, and hack at a few weeds around my newly planted shrubbery. Cleaning it off was easy and only a few scuff marks seem to retain on the finish. I would expect the finish to continue to hold up nicely making it a good choice for gritty outdoor work. The big detractor is the weight, at almost 2 lbs this is WAY to heavy for me to consider using as a backpack knife. It's also way larger than I would typically bring with me to the woods. Some folks like giant knives for outdoor adventures, but as I've gotten older a solid 4" fixed blade accompanied by a couple of reliable folders is typically all I take out. Other folks may find a use for a giant blade like this, but for me it goes into the collection box.
Final thoughts: A lot of folks will turn noses down at a lot of cheaper end items based on Manufacturer or based on where the item was crafted. Sometimes these opinions can be experience based and reliable, other times it is simply the name of a company that brings out vitriol. The firearms community is the place where this can be seen, in my opinion, the most, however, the sword/knife community can bring out a lot of hate without first hand experience. That being said, I had times where I couldn't afford the $1000 piece and still wanted to collect. If you want a big ol' blade that is well constructed than I can recommend the Schrade Leroy.
PROs:
Solid construction
8Cr13MoV is good for the price range
Nice grips
Resilient Finish
CONs:
Bad location of jimping
Weight weight weight
Blade size isn't necessarily one that lends it to being "camp" useful (but it is fun!)