Schrade SCHF10 - Hits the Mark on Thrift, Function & Fun!

About a year ago, I stumbled across the Schrade Extreme Survival Knife - SCHF9 and was amazed by the quality and usefulness of this knife for the money. Its stout build, thoughtful design and outrageously low price (for what you get) about blew my mind and apparently the minds of many others... Although the SCHF9 is a pretty amazing knife... there were 3 small issues that some had with it. First, the handle is a bit thick for those with smaller hands - like me. Next, the blade is a bit long for some tastes... and finally... the blade steel was not stainless steel. So when I saw that the new Extreme Survival Knife - SCHF10 addressed all of these issues... I knew I had to get one, and give it a try. ________ The Schrade Extreme Survival Knife SCHF10 is a fixed blade, full tang, 100% fine edge knife that comes with a ballistic nylon sheath.

The knife measures about 10 1/2 inches (or 27 centimeters) from tip to butt... and weighs about 14 1/4 ounces (or 404 grams)... so the SCHF10 is about 1 1/2 inches (or 4 centimeters) shorter than the SCHF9 and about 2 ounces (or 56 grams) lighter.

The Blade - Now let’s talk more about the blade... The SCHF10 has a fine edge, which means that there are no serrations on this knife. The length of the edge is about 5.3 inches (or 13.5 centimeters) compared to the SCHF9 at around 6 inches or (15 centimeters) in length.  So all in all, the actual edge length of the SCHF10 is not all that much shorter than the SCHF9... although the blade of the SCHF9 looks a lot longer due to the large choil cutout. The SCHF10 is a nice medium-sized knife with an edge that is a good bit longer that the Bear Grylls Ultimate Pro knife and just a bit longer then the Ka-Bar Becker BK-2. This blade is covered in a durable and attractive, dark black coating that has held up very well in our tests.  

Blade Steel - The Extreme Survival SCHF9 is made out of 1095 High Carbon Steel. It’s a hard, tough steel that makes a great survival knife. But it’s not stainless... so it will rust if not cared for well. So Schrade responded to those who wanted an affordable stainless steel survival knife similar to the SCHF9 by making the SCHF10 out of 8Cr13MoV, high carbon stainless steel... 8Cr13MoV is similar to 440B and AUS-8 in critical areas of strength, hardness, corrosion resistance and edge retention. So it’s a good choice for a survival knife in this price range and rivals the steel used in many knives costing twice as much.  And there's a LOT of steel on this blade.

Blade Thickness... In fact, the thickness of this blade is about 1/4 inch (or 6.3 millimeters)... and is actually thicker than the steel used on the larger SCHF9. Full

Tang Tough... Like the SCHF9... the SCHF10 is full tang construction... which means the blade steel runs the full length of the knife, from tip to butt. Full tang is considered by most experts as the toughest, strongest and most rugged way to build a knife. AND this tang is beastly... there are no weight reducing cutouts or anything like that underneath the handle slabs... just two holes for the handle bolts to go through and a lanyard hole toward the butt.  So I can’t even imagine what you would have to do to snap this blade...

Blade Design - The Extreme Survival SCHF10 is a drop point blade, which means the spine side of the blade tip drops to meet the edge side at the point. Drop point blades are a good choice for utility survival knives because they form a strong and useful point that is suitable for a wide range of tasks. And this knife is nearly 1 1/2 inches (or 3.8 centimeters) wide... from edge to spine... at the widest part, which is a bit wider than even the larger SCHF9. Now the edge of this knife is curved for the entire length... with a concave edge toward the handle which has a convex curve as we approach the tip.  The concave portion of the blade can give a little more cutting power than a straight blade but makes sharpening with a stone more than a little tricky. There is a bit of a belly toward the tip of the blade which helps with tasks like chopping. I took it out to my back 40 to test out its chopping capabilities and the knife did really well considering the tree was bursting with sap and a little oversized for the tool. Meaning: I’d take a hatchet or an axe any day!  But you can chop a tree if this is the only tool you have... Just make sure you wear gloves... I was a dork and forgot mine... and blood-blistered hands are no fun and can be a real problem in a survival situation.

Blade Sharpness - Out of the box... this knife came pretty sharp... and through our testing this knife held a nice edge and easily cut, sliced, skinned and chopped stuff.  

The Grip - On the spine side of the blade you will find what is called 'jimping'. Jimping is usually a series of notches in the blade steel or handle that helps provide additional grip. There are 3 sets of jimping on this handle.  One set on the back of the blade for your thumb or forefinger. Another set on the top of the handle and an additional set on the bottom side of the handle.

Ergonomic Handle - The handle of this knife curves nicely on the top and bottom with some wonderful finger cut outs to fit my hand really well. It has textured and contoured Micarta handle slabs that attach to the knife tang with two hex bolts. Micarta is known as a tough material and mine proved this by surviving a lot of torture.  Now the SCHF10 handle is hard compared to SCHF9... but is actually about as grippy because of the multi-directional notch pattern on the SCHF10 handle slabs. These grips are tough yet do a good job channeling water and sweat and make it pretty easy to keep a hold of this knife. One more cool thing about this handle: It CAN be easily removed and replaced with your own custom creation or you can take a shot at wrapping the handle in paracord to increase the usefulness of his knife in a survival situation.  On the butt end of this knife we have a lanyard hole. But no official pommel. But since the tang is exposed... I found it pretty easy to break and smash things with the butt of this knife.  

Knife Balance - The knife is well balance with the center of gravity right around where my forefinger wraps around the handle... So even though this is not a light knife... it does not feel heavy either and because of the balance is very maneuverable in my hand.

What!? A Knife-Throwing Knife? Although the SCHF10 is NOT designed to be a throwing knife... its balance, point, and handle make it throwable... I went out and played around throwing this knife with my SOG throwing knives that are much lighter... Practical knife throwing is all about being able to throw just about any knife that you have on you if need be... SO the SCHF10 is certainly throwable with some practice. What a blast!!!  

Now One Last Thing About this Knife... You’ve probably noticed that the Extreme Survival SCHF10 is one sharp looking knife... The quality black coating, the NEWLY designed and stamped Schrade logo, the attractive Micarta handle and a nice false edge bevel on top of the blade toward the point, that gives it the appearance of a fighting knife... ALL caught my eye.  So... when the UPS Guy dropped off this knife, I just about immediately took it into the studio and shot a photo to post on our Ultimate Survival Tips Facebook page. But best of all, this knife isn’t just a good looker... it’s also functional, practical and affordable.

The Sheath - Now if the SCHF10 is an exceptional knife... the sheath is a pretty average by comparison. The sheath is made out of black ballistic nylon with what seems to be good stitching all around. The knife sheath is reinforced and stiff so the knife should not poke thorough it any time soon.  This sheath is made to receive the knife mainly for right-hand belt carry, but the knife can be put into the sheath for left-hand carry... it just won’t seat the whole way due to the angled lip of the sheath that matches the angle of the grip. The knife is held in the sheath with a Velcro closure strap which is about as good as the strap on the Bear Grylls Ultimate PRO sheath.  But you will need to secure the handle with this strap every time you carry this knife or it’s going to fall out sooner or later since the knife wiggles around in the sheath loosely when not strapped in tight. This sheath is designed for belt carry ONLY and doesn’t have any MOLLE straps on the back like the sheath of the SCHF9 does. But you CAN use this sheath with just about any belt... military or otherwise up to about 3 inches in width. Then, on the front of the sheath, you'll find a small pouch that can fit a small sharpener, a magnesium block with fire steel, a small multi-tool or pocket knife, a survival guide and some other survival essentials... so that’s handy. Still, the sheath IS functional but pretty average and nothing to get real excited about.

Owner Comments - Owners comment on this knife’s beastly construction, good looks, overall usefulness, and the pretty good quality stainless steel that makes the knife suitable for use in any weather or climate. Most knock the sheath but overlook its shortcomings because of their happiness with the knife.  

Our Rating - We rate the Schrade Extreme Survival Knife at 4.5 out of 5 stars in the sub $50 price category for its stout, rugged build, ridiculously thick quarter inch stainless steel, for how solid and comfortable it is in the hand, its well thought-out, functional and attractive design and its overall performance in the field. We take off half a star for its very average nylon sheath and because the concave portion of the edge is a bit challenging to sharpen, especially if you want to use a stone... although this curve does increase the knife's cutting ability in many situations.

So Who’s this Blade for?  The Schrade Extreme Survival knife is a well thought-out, stout and pretty darn good knife that would make a great gift as well as capable primary or secondary survival knife; it’s a good choice for camping, backpacking, hunting, day hikes, bug out bags, emergency kits, bushcraft, and for just about anyone who wants a ridiculously low priced, nearly indestructible knife that looks as good on your shelf... as it does on your belt.  ____________ For a larger, equally stout and affordable survival knife... check out my review of the Schrade Extreme Survival SCHF9. If you want more of a survival package, a bit better blade steel and like Bear Grylls, check out my review of the Bear Grylls Ultimate PRO knife... And for an equally beastly blade that’s a bit more pricey, but a perennial favorite among bushcrafters... check out the Ka-Bar Becker BK-2.