All About Pocket Knives

Does this knife go by a specific name? It has SS 700 on the blade for stainless steel I assume.

Richie

Looks like a Melon Tester/Sausage knife to me. They're called by both names though it's been my experience that Melon Tester is the more common name.

I've seen reference to Schrade calling them a "Sampler" or "Melon Sampler" also.

WB

WB is correct. Melon Sampler is another name for them.

Back before the invention of electric lights when I was a kid, old Jasper Brown would sit at the side of Illinois State Route #1 just north east of Carmi Illinois with his team of mules and a wagon load of watermelons for sale. Common practice was to ask him to "plug" a watermelon so you could taste it before you bought it. He would cut a pyramid shaped "plug" out of the watermelon and there would be your "taste". I don't recall anyone ever turning down the melon after tasting it. Old Jasper had some fine melons.

About 2 months ago somebody posted something about Melon testers, several were posted and I remember posting a picture of one I've had for many years. It must not have been in the Schrade discussion.
Treefarmer

jerryd6818 wrote: Old Jasper had some fine melons.

I'll bet she did!

Thanks, I knew I had seen the knife called something somewhere, and melon tester was it. It has some advertising on it, maybe the guy sold melons. I especially enjoyed the little story. My grandpa used to thump the melons. Having watermelon was a real treat as a kid.

Richie

Richie wrote: My grandpa used to thump the melons.
Richie

Thumping melons to see if they are good and ripe is a real art. The deeper the sound, the riper the melon. But plugging them is the for sure way to tell if they're ripe but they won't do that anymore so thumping it is.

In 1971 I turned 16 and Dad let me take time from my chores on the farm to get a paying job so I could buy a car. I went to work at Renfro Gardens in Spokane. They sold in season produce, garden supplies and rented mowers, tiller, power rakes.. Scott Renfro gave me a Schrade Walden SS105 for cutting samples of melon, peaches, pears and such for the customers. It was the longest pocket knife I had ever seen. In the back there was a walk in cooler where there was usually a water melon cut in half for the employees. I sure put that 105 to work in there on hot summer days. The store shut down about first snow and would re-open to sell Christmas trees. That was a cold, wet job showing those trees and tying them on cars but not long after Christmas I bought a '64 Chevy Belair for $350. I worked there until '73 when I turned 18 and joined the Navy. Sure wish I still had that Chevy, and the ss105. I believe minimum wage was $1.65 then. Ortho Difolantan / Paraquat causes Parkinson Disease. In the 70's the U.S. government sprayed it on Mexican marijuana which when smoked ,mostly in the U.S., caused all types of respiratory problems