Everyone knows about Case knives and everyone knows about the Titanic. I would like to start a discussion or conversation on whats going on with Case these days, and I'd like to provide a theory and comparison.
The Titanic was obviously a passenger liner, and like all ships it had an engine. The titanic had several floors, the bottom of which was occupied by the propulsion system in which the engine was fueled by a furnace where several workers tirelessly shoveled coal into the fire day and night. It was hot, muggy, dirty exhausting work. It just so happens that on this same floor was where the poorest class of people were. They occupied cramped, noisy, dirty quarters, often two or more families sharing the same tiny room with no amenities and the worst food. Conversely, the top floor was inhabited by the creme dela creme; the rich, the famous. They got luxurious spacious rooms, were catered the best food, and they expected it to be the best of the best.
Now you're wondering what Titanic has anything to do with Case knives? Well, Case production (for reasons i shall theorize later) has taken the same mindset as the Titanic. They cater to the "poor" and the "rich," with no middle class. Most people (as well as I) start small and move their way up. You don't buy a Lamborghini first and then a Pinto; you start with the Pinto first and then buy something nicer. Same thing with knives. There's always exceptions, but i have been working with case knives for a long time, the most popular low-budget knife being the Sodbuster (among others, but i will use the soddie in my example). Ive been through about 20 of these knives, and they all exhibited at least three or four of the six cardinal sins of knife-making. Wavy-uneven terrible grinds, off-center blades \ blade rub, unfinished blades and handles (not polished and or not ground backsprings and blades), gaps between the liner and handle \ gaps between liner and bolster, and finally underblading or space where tang meets backspring.
If you're thinking about test driving a cheaper knife before you pull the trigger on a more expensive one, this lack of quality will deter you from doing so. This leads one to believe that this company is simply unable to produce a quality knife, but thats just not the case (no pun intended), they are doing it on purpose. Therein lies the problem. If you didn't like the cheaper knives (bottom floor of the Titanic), you're led to believe the more expensive knives will exhibit the same problems, but the higher end of Case knives (top floor of Titanic) can be breathtaking.
Almost everyone i talked to on this site started with Case knives but moved to Great Eastern Cutlery, and this is where Case shot themselves in the foot, so to speak. They put out odious lower-budget knives, and lose profit, therefore looking to cut costs by cutting corners, and therefore producing more undesirable products. A vicious never-ending cycle. Their higher end models (although hit-and-miss) tend to be of really good quality, which just goes to show that they are capable of doing a good job, they just choose not to.
This is where GEC capitalizes; they put out a consistent product. It just so happens that their knives ARE excellent, and the customer knows his knife will be equal to every other knife they put out.
Any comments?
The Titanic was obviously a passenger liner, and like all ships it had an engine. The titanic had several floors, the bottom of which was occupied by the propulsion system in which the engine was fueled by a furnace where several workers tirelessly shoveled coal into the fire day and night. It was hot, muggy, dirty exhausting work. It just so happens that on this same floor was where the poorest class of people were. They occupied cramped, noisy, dirty quarters, often two or more families sharing the same tiny room with no amenities and the worst food. Conversely, the top floor was inhabited by the creme dela creme; the rich, the famous. They got luxurious spacious rooms, were catered the best food, and they expected it to be the best of the best.
Now you're wondering what Titanic has anything to do with Case knives? Well, Case production (for reasons i shall theorize later) has taken the same mindset as the Titanic. They cater to the "poor" and the "rich," with no middle class. Most people (as well as I) start small and move their way up. You don't buy a Lamborghini first and then a Pinto; you start with the Pinto first and then buy something nicer. Same thing with knives. There's always exceptions, but i have been working with case knives for a long time, the most popular low-budget knife being the Sodbuster (among others, but i will use the soddie in my example). Ive been through about 20 of these knives, and they all exhibited at least three or four of the six cardinal sins of knife-making. Wavy-uneven terrible grinds, off-center blades \ blade rub, unfinished blades and handles (not polished and or not ground backsprings and blades), gaps between the liner and handle \ gaps between liner and bolster, and finally underblading or space where tang meets backspring.
If you're thinking about test driving a cheaper knife before you pull the trigger on a more expensive one, this lack of quality will deter you from doing so. This leads one to believe that this company is simply unable to produce a quality knife, but thats just not the case (no pun intended), they are doing it on purpose. Therein lies the problem. If you didn't like the cheaper knives (bottom floor of the Titanic), you're led to believe the more expensive knives will exhibit the same problems, but the higher end of Case knives (top floor of Titanic) can be breathtaking.
Almost everyone i talked to on this site started with Case knives but moved to Great Eastern Cutlery, and this is where Case shot themselves in the foot, so to speak. They put out odious lower-budget knives, and lose profit, therefore looking to cut costs by cutting corners, and therefore producing more undesirable products. A vicious never-ending cycle. Their higher end models (although hit-and-miss) tend to be of really good quality, which just goes to show that they are capable of doing a good job, they just choose not to.
This is where GEC capitalizes; they put out a consistent product. It just so happens that their knives ARE excellent, and the customer knows his knife will be equal to every other knife they put out.
Any comments?
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its in the eye of the beholder
