History: Schrade

Tools

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Background

The Schrade Cutlery Company was founded in 1904 in Walden, New York. It's history is closely associated with fellow New York-based Ulster Knife Company and Rhode Island-based Imperial Knife Company. In the early 1980's the three firms were combined into one facility in Ellenville, New York and rechristened the Imperial Schrade Corporation.

By the late 1990's over 600 employees were producing Schrade's famous Tough Tool line of multitools, in addition to fixed blade and folding knives by the millions. Meanwhile, a plant in Listowel, Ireland was manufacturing the Tradesman, Apex, and Imperial product lines.

A few years later, on July 30, 2004, the giant cutlery firm closed it's doors forever, citing overseas competition and rising labor costs as the reason. Schrade was exactly 100 years old at the time.

Links

• (Taylor Brands) Schrade website
• Collectors of Schrades R Us website

Photographs from the Schrade factory floor

Blade grinding at the turn of the century

Note the use of overhead jack-shafts and flat canvas belts to drive

machinery before the onset of electrical motor drives

Early dust vacuum system is evident in the polishing department, 1940's

Assembling ST1 Tough Tools, early 2000's

The finished product