My review of the Schrade Old Timer 330T Middleman Jack pocket knife , made in America. New Old Stock Schrade Old Timer was very difficult to get a decent edge on it.
@@JohnKlahrI just went through the exact same thing with the same knife for a friend that had gotten it from his grand dad's passing. Once I finally was successful I told him to put it up and not use it as a daily carry. To many great knives out there that are much easier to sharpen. I said the same, this is not the same as the ones I had as a kid.
Moor Man's was a seed company. My dad was a salesman in the 50s and 60s for them. They sold all types of seeds to farmers. My dad had the middle third of Indiana. A farmer give him an order, they got a knife. That's a great find. I had one as a kid, don't know what happened to it. I'm 70 now. What a great memory you just gave me.
Moor Mans was a small farm feed company. I remember them from the 70's and 80's in Minnesota. Old Timers were a common give away for the Agricultural companies.
Their animal feed brand is still around. My local feed store, Hilmar Feed, is a local dealer. I just looked online. I do remember getting Moorman's brand brand when I was a kid on the dairy.
I still occasionally carry my grandfathers Old Timer 330T. I remember him using to scrap his pipe clean before reloading it back in 70's. Have never used or sharpened the little blade since receiving it in the early 00's, it sill had pipe tobacco buildup on it.
Reminds me of having one as a kid. Thought it was the coolest thing ever! Made you feel special as a kid to have a knife in your pocket when going outside to play in the woods.
My Old Timer looks like yours but is three bladed. It's over 30 years old and it went with me to survival school in the Air Force. Still have it. Best letter opener ever.
I was at Fairchild for AF SERE in Nov/Dec ‘00! They loaned us those fixed-blade AF survival knives to use out in the woods…I later bought one & it now lives in my truck. I did 21 years as a C-130 navigator in both AD & reserves; I retired in ‘20.
Good for you! I'm familiar with those AF knives. They also make a one handed push button pocket knife issued to flight crew. Big, bulky, pretty ugly, but useful.@@chriscon8463
340t Stockman, 30 years give or take ago one of my sons gave me a Schrade 3blade 340t Stockman, I still use it every day. It's still in nice shape, great knives.
_Whaaaat a throwback to my childhood as well! I really loved the USA made Schrades, used to pick one up every few months from my local farm and home store in Ohio!_
The last Old Timer I bought 1970ish, I tried to sharpen it for two days, and it got a little sharper. My grandad took it and spent three days on it, before it got actually sharp. He said the blades were the hardest he had ever seen. It took forever, but it held that edge for years with only a light touch up, with a 1000-grit diamond stone.
This story really has nothing to do with Old Timer, but is about a knife, manufacturer unknown. The last 24 years of my long career with the Postal Service I sorted flats. This was before computers, robots, and AI. After the first few weeks moving to that job I complained to maintenance that my fixed blade knife kept disappearing. I needed it to cut strings and bands off the mail. It had a 3 inch blade which was 3/4 inch wide. The maintenance man got another identical new one and chained it to my work table. It was bradded to the chain and that solved the problem. After over 2 decades of continuous use and sharpening the blade became only 1/16 inch wide like an ice pick. Over the years I received many questions and comments about my work knife. They all said they had never seen a knife so worn. As I neared the end of my career I was asked repeatedly to give up the knife by numerous coworkers upon my retirement. I replied that it belonged to the Postal Service and wasn't mine to give away. At my retirement party I kept a dry eye when saying goodbye to coworkers, some of whom were dear friends of many years, but when they presented that knife to me in a wood and glass case with the inscription "retired to it's rightful owner after 24 years of dedicated service"................well........... I am looking through tears typing this and it's been over 15 years since that day. I am looking at that knife on my wall in my study right now. I guess I can understand someone getting a little sentimental about a knife.
Thank you so much for sharing this, we would love to see a photo of this knife, if possible you could send it to my email at klahrbar@icloud.com Either way, thanks again for sharing your experience
I am 71 years old and I carried an old timer for years and years! I Graduated up to the Uncle Henry because I liked the looks better but I would say that overall that covered a period of over40 years. Overall I never had a bad knife out of any of them. They were were easy to sharpen and they held an edge really well. I had a case or two along the way but I really liked the Old Timers better. I went European once and bought a Puma and that ***would close on your fingers if you wernt't really careful. But I almost Cried when they were bought out by the Chinese. Another piece of America's Gone. I have a Chinese Old timer now. it is a good knife., But it is hard to get all sentimental about a piece of Chinese steel! I was Raised where somethings you got sentimental about and your knife was one of them.Oh my All time favorite was the large, 3 bladed Stockman, It fit my hand perfectly . The big blade for rough stuff, and the other two for the finer work.
Hello Delbert, from another sentimental knife lover. I have Westerns, Schrades, Camillus, Hammer Brand and Keen Kutter and Pal. All Good Old American brands, sadly gone now! I own imported steel ( carried SAKs over 50 yrs.) That said, I still carry and enjoy my old friends! Most of my knives are second-hand, so at least I am not supporting a foreign company! Thanks for sharing, Blsgs, gg
@@apathyboy5306 They called it Staglon. Delrin molded to look like antler. I love real stag, but to be fair; I have never seen an Uncle Henry handle crack, shrink or break! Blsgs, friend, gg
Awesome little knife. The 33 Old Timer with carbon steel blades was a sweet little 2 blade pocket knife. Yes is 33 OT not 330 T everybody makes that mistake 😂 You need honing oil on that stone.
The model my grandpa carried looked like that but only had a single clip point blade. He gave me one when I was 12 and I would give thousands of dollars to get it back from wherever it went.
I do a lot of whittling and have a 70's era three-bladed old-timer that's my favorite. At one point I misplaced it and thinking I had lost it I purchased a New Old stock American made carbon steel old timer and have had a similar experience with difficulty getting the blade Sharp. I put in a lot of work with a diamond Stone and finally got it serviceable. When I found my missing knife, it was in one of those skinny pen pockets in my Possible's bag and had slid all the way down in there in the pouch where I keep my Sharpie. Anyway I got my old life back and it just cut so much better and I was able to put a shaving Edge on it nothing flat. The older knife gets a kind of Blackish patina and the newer one gets more of a gray. Interesting to see your video, it confirmed my experience as well. Thanks for making it
My grandfather gave me his Old Timer when I was a kid back in the 70's. Still have it and carry it every day. Not sure when he bought it, but had to be near the start of the company.
I carry a 330T in my pocket every day. I’m 45yrs old and have had countless knives. The 330T is my favorite pocket knife. It performs it’s function quite well.
MoorMans was a feed company here in West Central Illinois. And mayb e beyond 😊 seems they were based around out of grain elevators and would deliver truckloads of feed to your feed bunk. So the knife shown is probably a customer appreciation gift Reminds me of the Old timers I used growing up on the farm. Good steel IMHO. Shaving sharp with an India stone.
My favorite was the 150T I used it for years. One day while opening a coke it closed on my hand. Switched to a lock blade and never looked back. I always kept my knife razor sharp.
As a kid growing up in the 60’s my dad always had Old Timer folding knives. Not sure the model but it was the 3-blade one. He had a few knives from his Army days as well, and he took care of them meticulously. Explaining that the high-carbon steel will rust with neglect but “No man lets their knife rust.” My very first knife was my Boy Scout knife. My mother didn’t think I was old enough for a knife but my father convinced her a Boy Scout is required to have a knife. “It’s time he learns.” The Boy Scout knife was a Camillus from the 70’s with the same high-carbon steel that got razor sharp and needed care to prevent rusting. Dad had a theory that if a knife doesn’t rust, it’s not quality steel and not a real knife. A theory I’ve found to be true so many decades later with all the stainless blends and “super-steels”. They all suck compared to good old carbon steel. Back when knives were precious and quality tools, they were cared for like kin and only passed down from father to son. Dad taught me everything about sharpening and caring for and respecting a really good knife. “Stainless modern knives don’t need any care and don’t get sharp anyway, so they’re toys.” My dad had a collection of very old knives but no modern ones deserved to be in that collection. He bought me a Swiss Army knife every year for my birthday. It was stainless but practical and as a kid I loved them. So much cool stuff on a Swiss Army knife! I must have had every model they made in the 70’s. But I did notice how my high carbon Boy Scout knife got spooky sharp and my Swiss Army knives just didn’t. Dad was right. Nothing beats the old carbon steel for sharpness. The trade off was it’s brittle. Everyone back then had busted the tip off their knives doing something stupid with it. And of course we’d grind the broken tip into a different shape and it was fine again. You never threw a knife away, you rolled with the punches. Dad died in 2016 and I inherited all his knives among others things, but the knives were the most personal and special things he had. American steel, German steel, Swedish steel, no junk steel in there. All perfectly honed, wrapped in oil cloth, not a spot of rust on any of them. I really miss my dad. He was the best man I’ve ever known. Sorry for the long comment. Edit: Just subscribed. I knew you’d figure out that newer “Old Timer” wasn’t anything like the steel on the real ones from way back when. Shrade started cheating on the steel in the 70’s. The good ones were American made in the 60’s. They’ve gotten much worse since then. Great video and nostalgic content. Thank you.
Awesome video!! Old Timer, the original out of NY are my favorite. I have a few pocketknives but mostly hunting knives. I have several Old Timers, Schrade, and Uncle Henry, all the same company really. That 330T is a beautiful knife and great to see NOS still around. Thanks for sharing.
Still have mine from the early 90s. Went to replace it in tbe early 2000's and found out they weren't American made anymore. Found a booth at a flea market selling American made Old Timers. I bought 5 different knives. It started an addiction. I now own triple digits of knives. No regrets.
Moorman’s is a high quality livestock feed company ! They make the best “Calf Manna”. I’ve been feeding it for 57yrs; and I have one of those knives that’s just as old.
I've got my old timer that I was given on my 7th birthday(1977), an 80T. A few years later, I bought a Uncle Henry version of it and I've carried one or the other nearly every day in my pocket. Other than a Swiss Army knife, I've never felt a need to carry any of those bigger, fancier, Tacticool knives that everybody else seems to think you can live without. I have a few of those, but never really carry them unless I'm camping or something. My OT and UH or Swiss Champ have served me well for 45+ years. And, you're right about the blade. I don't know when they did it, but before they were bought out and shipped to China, they did start using a stainless steel for their OT blades. THe UH's were always a hig carbon stainless composite of some kind, but the OT were carbon steel.
About six years ago I went down the pocket knife rabbit hole. I had Victorinox and other pocket folding knives since I was 10. Then I picked up a Camilus Stockman and a Spyderco Delica (original molded clip) at a garage sale for $3 each. So I wanted to learn more about knives and knife steels. Now I must have 50 knives, including fixed blades, most of them under $100. The Stockman is the most versatile pattern of traditional knives. However, I carry a Victorinox Huntsman everyday. I bought a Buck gift set of liner lock knives several years ago from Walmart. They resembled a Benchmade 940 with red handle scales. Unbelievably sharp, like a razor.
John, I carried a Tinker for over 20 yrs? HATED when I lost it!! The older design with the cool Phillips/nail file! Could not afford to replace at the time, but still carry used Vicky's to this day!!
My dad had the same knife when i was a kid. I always thought it was funny my old dads knife said old timmer. He passed when i was 14. I have nothing of his. I found an oldtimer knife just like his at a flea market years ago and carry it everyday.
when I was a kid growing up in Salmon Idaho, me and my buddy ran a trap line for mainly muskrats. I had a few skinning knives but my favorite was the Schrade Walden "improved muskrat" because the steel hardness was just right (on the soft side) and allowed you to quickly freshen up the edge to razor sharp with a few strokes:)
I carried a three blade one for years, I can't remember how many times it got checked at the airport with no problems, those were the good ol'days. Also used to give them as gifts back in the day when they were made in the USA and before the hi-tech craze really kicked in, if I remember well they did cost about ten bucks at big box stores in the mid 90's.
I remember growing up and the best knives to be had were at the local True Value hardware. I used to drool over all the Old Timers and Case knives, but when I got old enough to afford them I was sadly disappointed. It seemed that I had something in my skin that caused terrible corrosion! I finally found the Uncle Henry brand and that was the ticket! It didn’t matter what I did to the knife it never rusted and looked brand new! To my notion it took and retained a better edge than the others too. Besides back then they had a lost guarantee and who can beat that! I can’t really speak to any of them today because I pretty well switched to all Leathermans and don’t know how quality is now. I see Ebay has an awful lot of the older ones though for sale in like new condition.
Great vid! Brought back good memories! Younger me was partial to the 93OT ‘wrangler’ which was slightly bigger than the middleman and had a sheepsfoot secondary. Great knives. My grandfather had the Queen #2 which I think was a similar pattern to the 33OT
Wow that's a blast from the past. My father bought me that very knife from a little hardware store in Main for my birthday when I was a kid. Back then every boy had a pocket knife.
I had one of the older ones as a teenager and would even use it to shave as I grew into a young man. Recently bought a new one now that I am my 70's and I can't even get it sharp. What a shame that the quality has deteriorated to this point. I will keep working on it, but what a pathetic wow! Thanks for the video as it gave me some hope that I may still get an edge on it.
I've got the 340T three blade version, had it for more years than I can remember (at least 30yrs.)... I still use it everyday. I can get mine 'hair popping' sharp with little to no effort, I own many other knives but this one always seems to find it's way into my pocket....
The 33ot is my go-to for whittling. I've made a lot of money with it over the years selling my carvings . Knives didn't come sharpened back in the day. You had to do that or learn how. What would a lot of people today do if they still had to sharpen their own knives. They probably have to get their girlfriend to do it like they do when they need to put on a spare tire. Shameful! GOOD VIDEO. Thank you.
I've carried various pocket knives over the years. Including the Old Timer. It's in a box packed away somewhere. Knives are tools, very handy, and I've used mine a lot.
My favorite little knife was an old timer, a gift from one of my kids, 3 blade but smaller than the 3 blade you laid out. That along with a 3x electricians knife, served me well for 20 pluse years . Then i got a call while on the bench, hurried to call left little knife, oops that darn knife walked off.
Barlow was the holy grail when I was a kid in the 60s. Had an Old Timer as well. Somewhere I've got a box of pocket knives. As an adult I carried a buck 110FG (a gift) for the longest time (until I had a motorcycle accident and fell on the belt case. Really screwed up my hip for a while) Carrying a Kershaw Shuffle these days. Free knives are often the best knives....
The Old Timer is a great knife like any Schrade. I grew up with Western, Camillus and Schrade knives. I never cared for the stag on Uncle Henry or the sawcut Delrin on Old Timers. All 3 are the same build and blade steel and I collect the jigged bone Schrades. (New subscriber)
I have had a usa made sharp finger for a few decades now and it is I fantastic little knife. I have just about used the blade up from using, sharpening, and reprofiling it a couple of times over the years.
I'm a Schrade USA kind of guy. Bought my first back in the late 70s I believe? It is an LB7 Bearpaw from when they had serial numbers. Mine is #7100. I started looking into Schrade a bit more and now have a small collection of Schrade USA knives. Yeah, I have Benchmade and Spyderco as well. 😁
I bought an old timer a year or so back , thinking it was the same knife I had as a kid ,and as young man , I wore out several on the job , I used em pretty hard back in those days , they were wonderful knives took an edge like a razor ! Boy was I in for a surprise ! The new Chinese old timer was awful ! I threw it away it was so bad … Things just ain’t what they once were…
@@JohnKlahr I may try one if it’s USA made , and decent steel that last one left a bad taste in my mouth though , the only way I could open that one was with a pair of channel locks , and it was a struggle with then. I wound up using valve grinding compound on it , even then it was a struggle to open it . One useless POS .
That is unusual that it was so hard to sharpen. I have a single blade Old Timer U.S.A-made that I got for about $10 from Wal Mart and I know it’s carbon steel because the blade has had the patina on it for several years now, and it sharpens really quick.
From the responses to my video, it appears that they did have some bad ones about the time these were made. It makes me wonder if these were part of a recall and that is why someone is still selling brand new in the box 35 year old knives
Hey John, Glad to see someone else who enjoys Old Schrades! I have the stockman with the Turkish clip and Staglon handle like the one at the upper left. Uncle Henry actually! It has a famous dept. Store name etch also! Not at hand, forgot name! Thanks for sharing your sharpening tools and techniques, Blsgs, gg
Greetings , I carried a 194OT LINER LOCK for about the first half of my 35 years as an elevator tech.. first 5 years working construction ( along with a 5 inch camillus lock blade) . Then younger brother gave me a Spyderco … that Spyderco was the favorite and I still carry one everyday in retirement … Because of muscle memory that Spyderco came out in my hand ( miracle like) when I was jumped in downtown Atlanta ( in my work clothes no less). Guy did a 90 degree turn ( ran up to me with a pipe in his hand). I never pulled a knife out in self defense before. Was a year before retirement… any time I give a knife as a gift I try to give a delica or enduro … and tell folks to use it everyday … THAT. May save ur butt. I guess similar to range practice or any other self defense -practice… Great book that my swat officer ‘child’ gave me- the ‘gift of fear’ . Found out it was on the top of most self defense guru’s list. It’s an almost a spiritual book of ‘awareness’… look it up.
That reminds me of the Imperial pocket knives I had when I was a kid... They were nearly impossible to sharpen. They didn't usually outright rust, but they weren't stainless either. I likely still have my yellow handled fishing knife somewhere in my tackle box. One I got my Case XX pocket knife I never looked back. Easy to put a razor edge on and it kept it... Still in my desk drawer and still sharp. Last time I sharpened it was back in the 1970's... not that I use it much other than cleaning under my nails opening an envelope and such.
@@flyrog07 My dad was a toolmaker. I had a soft stone a carborundum and a hard Arkansas. Yes Imperials would sharpen, but just never take a keen edge like my Case or my PAL would. I could literally shave with my Case XX, if I could have grown a beard at that age. The imperials were some sort of carbon steel. The would hold their dullish edge for quite a while and they got a patina quickly, but they never really rusted and pitted like the Case or WW2 PAL knives did. They never got red rust. I actually recall an old carpenter back in the 1960's remarking that "new" knives never get dull, because they never get sharp. That said, back then, most of the knives we had as kids, were cheap and we didn't expect much. But as you brought it up, If I come across one of my old Imperial knives I'll toss them on my wachita and see what happens.
I have a couple of old well used 33OTs. One was a well used flea market find that my nephew gave me, one of those old ones where the blades have been sharpened A LOT and one is an ebay find that was obviously used but still in great shape. Great knives and I carry both of them occasionally but in my experience all the USA made Old Timers had hard steel that was difficult to sharpen. My newest on is a Mighty Mite that I bought back in the late 1980s.
My memories were ( and they are getting less clear) that the cade knives were hard to sharpen but the schrades and old timers were gravy to sharpen on the soft Arkansas stone
My dad carried an Old Timer, unfortunately we lost him back in the 90s. I just got a 34 OT off Ebay I'm gonna clean up. BTW, yours is a 33 OT. The O is a letter not a number.
You can wash your stones in the sink with hot water and soap to remove metal from the stone. I wipe down my knives with the bar oil impregnated shop towels in my tool box. The shop rags are from my chainsaws. Bar oil will keep most metal from rusting, at least it does the chains on my saws. I use Stihl saws, predominantly, and when you have 20 of them there is a lot of maintenance to keep up with.
I love these knifes, I've got the set sheath and pocket. Bought back in the 80's, don't know if they have changed metal, mine have held up really well.
I have some of the old made in USA oldtimer knives and they are awesome cutting tools. Every one of the new old timers I’ve bought that are made in china, the springs would always break. To me I Cavour a buck knife myself. Buck knives are very high quality and will absolute hold an edge. Tks
I have an Old Timer Sharpfinger. It’s sharp, 1095 carbon, and one of my edc fixed. The other is a scalpel type made from cpm-d2. Sometimes o carry both, mainly because o forget I have the scalpel style in my back pocket; I look extreme prepared or crazy, when that happens.
You mentioned oil residue taste and cleaning the blade, and it made me remember that you didnt grow up properly if that slice of apple off your dad's knife didn't have a hint of 3 in 1 seasoning and leave a blue streak on the slice.
I had the same issue with a Buck 110 my kids gave me for Christmas in the early 80's. That damn blade was impossible to sharpen with a regular sharpening stone. I've had several 110's since and not had that same issue. I don't know if it was the particular steel they used at that time, the hardening process or both but it wa a nightmare. I had a friend try sharpening it finally and he said he resorted to using a file on it because it was so hard. I wish now that I had never tried having it sharpened. I wish I had just put the knife away. I still have it but, after the file treatment, it doesn't look as nice now.
I’ve got this one, not in as nice condition as your NOS, but still has full blades but with some patina. The 1095 carbon steel shrade used on its old timers was great steel. I also own the stainless steel version made by shrade under the uncle Henry line, also made in the USA. Literally the same frame and blade, just stainless steel as shown on the tang as shrade +. I prefer putting these 3.25- 3.5 inch handled slipjoints, in my fifth pocket of my jeans. Cool video man. Those modern spydercos are def nicely made knives, nice high flat grinds on the blades, but to me, it’s all about the traditional patterns. I carry both, but just find myself wanting the slipjoints more for edc, modern folders for more hard use tasks.
Currently, 580T 3-blade Owd Tymar is my pokket knif. In storege shed is many boxis O.T. from 50's/60's/70'/80's/90's/2k & up. Thinking about having them displayed in candy dishes/ each mourner take his pik, @my funeral. That way people be glad to see me go/I'll be remembered long time!
I've got a 3 blade. I think it is a 375 that I have carried for probably 25-30 years, and also a lockblade with a leather case to carry on my belt that I bought in the early 80's and carry hunting. Two of the best knives I have.
Ellenville, NY is in the Catskill Mountains, Southwest of Woodstock, and Kingston. Shrade closed it's doors in 2006 after a workers stroke, and the company sold the name and rights to Acme United Corp., an international conglomerate with facilities in the United States, Canada, Germany, Hong Kong and China. The Old Timers are still decent, low-cost knives, but they are not the same as the ones made here in Upstate NY
I have a 8OTW. Says Old Timer on the brass inlay shield on the iron wood handle scales. Says Schrade on the tang of the main clip blade. Has a coping/sheepsfoot & a pen/spey blades. Brass liners & bolsters. Steel back springs. It's my most go to use slip joints. I've had it for probably 15 years.
The ones we had as kids were really good knives for the price. They messed up the " secret formula " somewhere along the way and everything went downhill
I carry a Shrade Old Timer. I was born in 1947. My dad, who was born in 1924 carried a Schrade as well. We pronounced shraadee or shradey, not shraad, as you do on the video (without the ee sound on the end. We lived on a cattle ranch.
I've been carrying the next sized smaller 3 blade model every day since 1991. Typically I'll have a larger pocket clip knife too, usually a CRTK M16 with a tanto point, but l ALWAYS have the Old Timer in the bottom of the pocket.
"Delron" is the name of someone in a mugshot. "Delrin® is the engineering thermoplastic industry leaders prefer for high-load mechanical applications. Delrin®, the stiffest unreinforced engineering polymer available, is the preferred choice by designers, extruders, molders and brand owner, as it allows potential cost and environmental savings." It's pretty neat stuff.
@@JohnKlahr I've got several grades of whetstones, and a Lansky kit. Depending on my mood, I'll use any or all of them. The Lansky kit works pretty well, and along with a light oil, it's about a 5 to 10 minute job, depending on how long and what I've been doing with the knife. The Scrade isn't my EDC any longer, but I keep it for sentimental value. It rests comfortably on my desk to open packages and letters.
They were good knives made for the working man ,factory workers, farmers and construction workers who sharpened them on whet rocks and 3 and 1 oil .They didn’t have fancy sharpeners and didn’t need one but could keep a razor edge . Stick the blade in a potato tonight if it’s black in the morning it’s carbon steel if not it’s stainless. I never preferred Buck because the stainless was hard for me to get an edge .
@@peterpuleo2904 his old timer may have not been tempered correctly, I’ve tempered 1095 at 62 on the Rockwell , but many old knives were anywhere from 55 to57 and were easily sharpened but did lose edge fairly quickly.I have a schatt and Morgan with 440 A ,supposedly at 59 Rockwell and it sharpens easily and holds an edge well . But I never for the likes of me could sharpen a Buck.Now that I have a belt sander I sharpen most steels with 400 grit ceramic combat abrasive belts even at 65 on the Rockwell .
@@peterpuleo2904 not done any super steels but I have made knives out of molybdenum steel power hacksaw blades grind and drilled them cold and they are 65 on the Rockwell scale, but that high speed edge will take a razor edge and not chip off
I have Schrade Uncle Henry Papa Bear from 1980 I'm pretty sure it was more expensive back then than it is now that its made in China. Good American steel. I bought it in high school.
@@JohnKlahr a little two inch long Old Timer with ALASKA etched skrimshaw style on to a imitation bone handle! Found it in a pile of stuff at a garage sale! Came from a curio shop in Nome back in the 60's!