Brand · Knives & Tools
An Old Timer knife is usually one of two things: a fixed-blade hunting knife with a sawcut handle and a leather sheath, like the Sharpfinger, or a traditional pocket knife like the three-blade Senior. Around those sit lockbacks, a few modern folders and the rubber-handled Trail Boss hunters. Rule of thumb: pick fixed or folding first, then the size, then the steel. (The model numbers end in OT, which I read as 'old timer' and my grandson reads as 'overtime'. We're both a little right.)
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On this site, Old Timer covers two types: fixed-blade knives and folding knives. Inside those, the grid above sorts into a handful of families:
The grid changes as listings come and go, so I'll write about the families, not this week's count.
Most specs in the grid come from the Amazon listings, and the grid marks those values. Where the maker's page adds something, I say so. Where neither says, you'll see a dash. In shop class, a dash on the cut list beat a guess every time.
The Sharpfinger is the knife most people mean when they say "an Old Timer knife." The maker's page calls it a full-tang fixed blade with a clip point skinner blade, sawcut handle slabs with a lanyard hole, and a brown leather belt sheath. Its listed blade is 3.3 inches, about 7.1 inches overall.
The grid has several versions:
The maker calls it a skinner blade, and it's small on purpose: skinning is careful work close to the hide. The skinning knife page covers that shape across brands.
The orange version is worth a second look for one plain reason: knives get set down in leaves. Blaze orange is easier to find than brown sawcut on brown leaves. (November leaves are the same color as most knife handles. That's not a coincidence I can prove, but I have my suspicions.)
This is the older-looking side of the fixed-blade grid. The listings describe high carbon stainless blades, black or brown sawcut handles and leather sheaths. They step up in size like a set of wrenches:
A gut hook is the notch on the spine you use to open the hide without cutting into what's under it. A clip point has the back of the blade cut away near the tip for a thinner point. The long ones, the Woodsman, Mountain Lion and Deerslayer, are camp knives as much as field-dressing knives. The hunting knife page has the across-brand view, and the boot knife page covers the 162OT's type.
A bowie-and-small-knife combo in the grid lists stainless steel, full tangs and sawcut handles, and little else.
The second fixed-blade group trades wood and leather for rubber and molded sheaths:
Danny asked if the Trail Boss came with a trail. He's been told it comes with a sheath, and he should be grateful.
The Trail Boss trio is the closest thing in the lineup to a matched kit: one handle, one length, three blades.
The Heritage Series 169OT lists a 5-inch drop point in D2 steel, a full tang, a laminate wood handle and a leather sheath. The maker's page for the 169OTH adds nickel silver bolsters and pommel and a gray laminate wood handle. D2 is a tool steel; it's the one steel in the Old Timer grid that isn't sold as "high carbon stainless," so read the care notes below.
A slip joint has no lock. A back spring holds the blade open and closed. Every one of these opens with a nail nick, the small groove you catch with a thumbnail. The patterns, by size:
The Senior is the big three-blade knife of the family. The clip blade does the detail work, the sheepsfoot (a straight edge with a rounded back) does clean straight cuts, and the spey (a short, rounded blade) does the rest. The grid has it in sawcut, wood (8OTW), bone (8OTB) and yellow (8OTY) handles. Same knife, four suits.
The Scout and Workmate titles name four blades but not which four, so check the photos before you assume there's a can opener in there.
A trapper has two long blades that hinge at the same end. The 96OT Bearhead Trapper lists two blades and tweezers in its title, about 7.4 inches overall. The 69OT Premium Trapper lists a 3.3-inch clip point and the same overall length. Trappers are long in the pocket and easy to hold in a gloved hand. The pocket knife page covers trapper, stockman and other patterns across brands.
A lockback holds the blade open with a bar along the back of the handle; you press the bar to close it. The Old Timer lockbacks:
The 5OT Bruin Heritage is the Heritage version of the Bruin: a lockback with a D2 drop point and a laminate wood handle. There's also a Heritage Clip Point folder in D2 with a wood handle, about 5.7 inches overall.
The 900OT Assisted Opening lists a 2.9-inch drop point, a liner lock, a wood handle and a pocket clip. The Ti-Nitride Spring Assisted lists a 3-inch drop point and a wood handle. Assisted means a spring finishes the opening once you start it. They're the lineup's everyday carry knives.
If the knife's main job is the deer, start with the fixed blades. If the job is everything else, start with the folders. Plenty of hunters carry one of each and stop arguing about it.
The short skinners, around 3 to 4 inches, are for field dressing and skinning. The 5-inch-plus knives are camp knives for rope, kindling and the cutting board. For a pocket knife, the overall length matters more than the blade: under 5 inches vanishes in a pocket, around 7 inches fills a hand in gloves.
My one opinion on this page: a short skinner does more for a first-time deer hunter than a long knife. Here's the reason you can check: the work around a deer is mostly short, controlled cuts near the hide, and a short blade keeps the tip where your eyes are. Penn State's advice for field dressing also asks for a clean knife and rubber gloves, and recommends carrying sanitary wipes to clean knives in the field.
The Old Timer grid splits into three steel groups:
Stainless resists rust with ordinary care. D2 and 1095 want drying and oiling after a wet day. That's the trade.
The classic hunters list leather sheaths. The Trail Boss lists a molded sheath. The modern folders use pocket clips. A knife that fights your harness strap gets taken off and left on the truck seat, so try the sheath on your hunting belt first.
AKTI's maintenance advice fits this whole lineup:
Sawcut grooves give grip and also hold whatever you cut. After field dressing, wash and dry the knife and handle, and let a leather sheath dry slowly, away from the stove. Penn State recommends cleaning residues from knives and equipment and then sanitizing them with a chlorine bleach solution.
Cut away from your body. On a slip joint or lockback, keep your fingers out of the blade's closing path; AKTI warns the spring can snap a released blade shut. A knife isn't a pry bar.
Knife carry rules vary by state and city. Check your state's rules before you carry one. Some knives may not ship to every address; Amazon shows that at checkout.
"Schrade Old Timer" is a common search, and some Amazon titles still pair the two names. American Outdoor Brands lists Old Timer and Schrade as separate brands, each linked to its own site. Old Timer's own story page says the brand was founded in 1958 and describes knives built for working people first and outdoorsmen after. One Sharpfinger listing carries the Schrade brand on Amazon, so it shows up in the Schrade grid, but its title names it an Old Timer. The Schrade brand page covers Schrade's own lineup, which on this site is mostly modern fixed blades.
Both make traditional pocket knives and hunting knives. On this site the difference is in the mix:
Case says on its own site that it's based in Bradford, Pennsylvania, with knifemaking history going back to 1889. The Case brand page has its lineup.
Verified from the maker and its parent company:
Wipe it, dry it, oil it, and put it back in the same pocket. That's how a knife gets old enough to earn the name.
What can be checked is in the listings and on the maker's site. Most Old Timer knives in the grid name high carbon stainless steel; a few name D2, 7Cr17MoV or 1095. The fixed blades list full tangs and leather or molded sheaths. The maker offers a lifetime Generational Warranty for the original owner. Whether one suits you depends on the job, so pick the type and size first.
They're separate brands today. American Outdoor Brands lists Old Timer and Schrade as two brands on its own site, each with its own website. Some Amazon titles still say Schrade Old Timer, and one Sharpfinger listing carries the Schrade brand on Amazon. Old Timer's own story page dates the brand to 1958 and doesn't go into the Schrade name.
American Outdoor Brands lists Old Timer among its brands and links to the Old Timer site, theoldtimer.com, which also carries the AOB logo. The maker's site sells the knives directly and holds the warranty terms and product registration.
Some are. The maker's page for the 152OTG Sharpfinger, part of its Generational Series, says it's made in the U.S.A. Most other listings in the grid don't state where the knife is made, so read the listing of the exact model before you count on it.
The maker calls it the Generational Warranty: coverage for the lifetime of the product, for the original owner only, not transferable. It excludes ordinary wear, corrosion, misuse, accidents, cosmetic damage and knives not bought new from Old Timer or an authorized retailer. Read the current terms on the maker's site before you count on coverage.
The traditional patterns, the Senior, Middleman, Junior, Pal and the trappers, are slip-joint knives for pocket chores: twine, feed sacks, whittling, apples. They open with a nail nick and close under a back spring, with no lock. For heavier work, look at the lockbacks or the fixed blades. Check your state's rules before you carry one.
