Been due for another Case knife, so a Hobo came home with me...

PocketKnifeJimmy

PocketKnifeJimmy

Joined
Aug 4, 2013
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No, silly... though t'is the season, I did not bring home a homeless person... I brought home a brand new Case made Hobo knife. Been wanting one for a while. Every time I have a chance, I pass on it to get something else. This time, I walked into my Case dealer (a big hunting/fishing chain store located about 25-30 miles away from me), and fondled it until it's quality and my facination with it, got the best of me. The price was $79.99 plus tax. I'm sure that I could have saved a little by buying it online, but nothing beats being able to carefully inspect it and instant gratification :) Anyhow, I really am impressed with it's overall f&f... simply a work of art... everything just seems right. I know it would be useless to many, if not most, of you good folks here. I mean, it would not likely fit anyone's edc knife... but what a gizmo, and my collection will accept it very well. They don't sell too many of these things at the store I got it from. The date on the box was 2007... and the guy handing it to me out of the display case, told me that he had not been asked to take it out to see it in the many months he'd worked there. He seemed amazed when I took it apart... probably thinking I broke the darn thing when he seen it seperated into three pieces, lol! ;) Anyhow... I will share some intimate photos here of this knife, for those that may be curious as to this Case pattern folding knife :)

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Nice. I have an old Colonial Hobo but it only bends, it doesn't break.
 
These currently produced Case hobos are based on their trapper frame. One thing I noticed about this Hobo, is that other than it's bolsters, pins, and handle scale material, the entire knife is made of stainless steel (no brass liners/frame scales). I would love to see pics of the early 1900's Case hobos... if anyone here has such specimens... please share your pics :)

Here is a picture I found online of an early 1900's Case Hobo. The takedown seems to be basically the same idea as used today. The spoon on the old one is obviously more useful than today's version, but the overall execution in quality of today's version, would likely have found approval by the old timers of the Case company. I'm kind'a surprised these have not been discontinued by Case, just because I would guess that they are one of their poorest sellers (but my guesses have been wrong before) :)

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You wonder why I'm a hobo and sleep in the ditch
Well it's not because I'm lazy, I just don't want to be rich.
Now I could be a banker if I wanted to be,
But the thought of an iron cage is too suggestive to me.
Now I could be a broker without the slightest excuse... But look at 1929 and tell me what's the use.
~A hobo poem

The Hobo... truly an American experience, a chapter in American history... an American thing.
 
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I can almost hear some of you saying... "Jimmy purchased this bulky Case knife as a collectible, a novelty... so he does not have to worry about it being a fat knife... Only us edc knife folks would have concerns about such things."...
Well, it being on the "fat" side of things, it does cause me some difficulty as well (even as a novelty/collectible). You may ask "How?"... Well, I can't place her in any of my displays with the shield scale side facing up. The display glass tops would not be able to close without hitting the knife. So, you see... it being fat, even gives me some trouble. But, hey... where there is a will, there is a way....

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LOL! ;)

Now, if laying her on her back would not have worked, my next step would have been to break her down to her three pieces and displayed her in that form (but it sure would have hogged alot of my display case) :)

The Case Hobo...
The hobo resembles a regular Trapper pocket knife when closed, but actually houses a knife, fork, spoon, and bottle opener. The original Case Hobo knives were released in the early 1900′s through 1940. They stopped producing this line in 1940, but re-introduced it in 1983.
 
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Both Hobo's are nice pieces of practicle cutlery. Here's a hobo with a Boy Scout shield. F&F is perfect.
 
Nice! I imagine just about any boyscout would surely be thrilled to receive a Hobo knife... the BS emblem would make it even cooler! Nice bone scales on that knife :)
 
Jimmy, If you can't fit that hobo knife in a display, you'll have to buy a pair of suspenders and drop it in your pocket.;-)
 
I've bought Hobo's for both my sons, the older son got one like yours Jimmy, my younger son has a newer BSA tan Caliber handled version. I've been asking for one for Christmas this year, and a big box from an online knife dealer came addressed to my wife about a week ago....fingers crossed!

I borrowed my older son's when I was doing Scoutmaster outdoor training, had it in a pouch on my belt. It received a lot of use camping :thumbup: though I sliced my thumb good when I was cleaning it after supper one night :eek:

Z
 
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