2022 Case Vault - Small Swell Center Jack

Well, heard someone come up the stairs to the landing for my apartment, then go back down again. Didn't see anyone through the viewer, so opened the door and the delivery guy had dropped a package. Didn't even knock on the door.

Anywhos. Both arrived. Late, but earlier than the updated delivery date.
original.jpg


Initial impressions. (Engage picky OCD twitch machine...)

F&F. Not perfect, but better than more than a few Case I've tried. Slight daylight gapping between frame and springs. Initial run over the knives with my fingers find nothing grabbing skin, no proud pins or shields. A few spots on the handle material/ bolster transitions could have spent a few more seconds on the buffer - not really sharp but not a smooth transition. Blades on the Patriot Kirinite have no play, the main blade is centered, the pen is slightly off center. Blades on the Yellow have no play, the main blade is just barely off center, the pen is off center not quite touching the liner. Blades on both knives have rough edges and will need a little touchup.

W&T. Pull is weaker than my Medium Jacks, but smooth. Half-stops are weaker than other Case knives I have, and the snap into open is a little weak. I have a couple other Case knives that improved with clean & lube plus use. Hopefully these will as well. Closing snaps are firm but not anywhere near a Gator snap.

Size. Larger than a Peanut, smaller than a medium Jack. For me and my hands/ fingers, larger enough than a Peanut to be "not fumbly". Here's a shot of the two with a Peanut, Medium Jack, Barlow, and Tear Drop. Bottoms are close to lined up, in case anyone (like me) does better with visual comparisons than reading measurements.
original.jpg


Overall, I like them more than I thought I might. So far. As with most of my knives, time with handling and use will really tell the tale. Another odd (IMHO, for me) shape that works better than it looks, like the Tear Drops are (again IMHO, for me).
 
Any idea when the micarta might be coming? I’d prefer carbon but I don’t mind SS for work, I’m debating between the red bone or pocket worn grey bone, I’m leaning towards Grey but I usually go for brighter colors on traditionals!
 
AdamFuzzyballs said:
Any idea when the micarta might be coming? I’d prefer carbon but I don’t mind SS for work, I’m debating between the red bone or pocket worn grey bone, I’m leaning towards Grey but I usually go for brighter colors on traditionals!
Click to expand...
Of the current selections I am thinking the red or pocket worklife grey…but agree, the gray is not a fun as a bright colored bone.
 
This one arrived today... the red bone in carbon steel. This is a nice knife. It's about a quarter inch shorter than the half whittler, which is one of my favorites, but the main blade is actually larger than the half whit's. Fit and finish is really nice, with the only flaw I found being a hairline gap at one of the backsprings. This doesn't bother me, but it does bother some folks, so there it is. The action is a touch "slow" in closing, but I think that will disappear with a flush of the joints. The edge grind is a little swoopy close to the tang, which I plan to straighten out.
The red is a little lighter than I expected, especially at the bolsters.
This feels very nice in hand, and I look forward to carrying it some, to see if it can nudge out the half whit as a top watch pocket choice... time will tell the tale...

swell center mark.jpg
swell center pile.jpg
swell center spine.jpg
swell center blade compare.jpg
swell center mark open.jpg
swell center tang stamp.jpg
 
Mine should be here Wednesday.
I hope the bone is darker than that because it's a little too bright, but I'll know when I get it I suppose.

I have generally had pretty good luck with Case, maybe that's because I don't worry as much and am not as picky ?

Not that I just ignore true major issues, but maybe it's a karma kinda thing where I end up with good luck because I'm complaining about their knives ?
 
Fwiw, my copperhead vault knife is the same color red, not exactly “dark red bone”, more of a fluorescent candy red to me. But I like it!
 
I have a couple of other Case knives with the same shade of red... I don't mind it at all... it's a nice shade. I just find it odd that Case calls it "dark red"....

much like my wondering about a reddish-brown knife being named "hemlock green"..... 🤣
 
Hickory n steel said:
Mine should be here Wednesday.
I hope the bone is darker than that because it's a little too bright, but I'll know when I get it I suppose.

I have generally had pretty good luck with Case, maybe that's because I don't worry as much and am not as picky ?

Not that I just ignore true major issues, but maybe it's a karma kinda thing where I end up with good luck because I'm complaining about their knives ?
Click to expand...
As I had mentioned previously somewhere, this may be the first knife I attempt to dye... add a little "dark" to the red. I wouldn't mind if it came out a dull brick color. Either way, it won't affect the use of the knife... I wish Case would make one in stag and CS like their "Rancher" series.... they could call it the "Coca Cola Cowboy" knife.... I don't think Mel Tillis would mind, as long as they paid royalties... :cool:
 
hornetguy said:
As I had mentioned previously somewhere, this may be the first knife I attempt to dye... add a little "dark" to the red. I wouldn't mind if it came out a dull brick color. Either way, it won't affect the use of the knife... I wish Case would make one in stag and CS like their "Rancher" series.... they could call it the "Coca Cola Cowboy" knife.... I don't think Mel Tillis would mind, as long as they paid royalties... :cool:
Click to expand...
That would be cool.

But in their blade show video the guy says " soda bottle " when mentioning what people tend to call the pattern, because obviously they can't use the name.


I thought about possibly dying mine too, it's actually at the post office already so I'll know in a couple hours when the mail gets put out how mine looks.

If it's anything like my first 08 I can be happy enough with it.
20211222_105158.jpg
 
I'm pretty pleased with mine.
Aside from the grind on the secondary the F&F came pretty good.
20220419_114551.jpg
20220419_114614.jpg
20220419_125156.jpg
If the secondary was ground better and or a regular pen blade instead of like a mid length spear blade I would have left it, but I decided to turn it into a sheeps foot.
It still needs a little work, but it's gonna be a great knife when I'm done.
 

Attachments

  • 20220419_125156.jpg
    20220419_125156.jpg
    771.1 KB · Views: 6
I've got a couple of these on order, now it's just the waiting game until they come in! My salesman said they've had to severely cut back on patterns and handle materials on their entire product line. And the catalog is so much smaller than last year. 😢
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top