Can't find a good Case knife

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Lefty923

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Not that they aren't good. I just can't really find one to my taste.

All of these were ordered online.

Recently I bought a couple Peanuts. One for my grandson and one for me. It was just too small for me do to anything with. So I ordered a Trapper and Canoe. The Trapper was ok, but still a bit one the small side. The Canoe had a proud spring on the pen blade in the closed position, felt it was better to just return it. Might revisit that one again some day. So I ordered a Sodbuster Jr in Chestnut, great looking knife but the blade was very off center. I had a chance to handle some Case knives at a local Sportsmans Warehouse, and the blade centering was all over the place. I'd say 8 out of 10 were very off, granted they may not have rubbed the liners, but that's just me. My Sodbuster Jr./black in stainless is dead center.

I'm pretty OCD about all my knives, but every GEC I own is dead center and pretty much flawless. I guess that's like comparing Fuji Apples to Red Delicious.

Maybe I need to order from a dealer who will hand pick one for me. ;)
 
I don't get too excited over blade centering, especially on traditionals. But if a single blade knife has blade rub, that's a defect in my book. Blade centering is problematic with multi-blade knives. Most of the Stockman and Congress pattern knives I own of all brands have some degree of blades rubbing each other due to the crinking of the blades to nest in the handle. The one GEC I own with two blades has pretty significant blade rub. After using the knives for a while, they get scratched up anyway--not an issue for me.

I've had good luck with Case knives. They don't cost a fortune and function perfectly in most instances. They have a pretty good warranty if something goes wrong.
 
I have found Case knives to be "hit or miss" for me as well. I don't mind an off-center blade, as long as it doesn't rub the liners, and minor blade play. However proud springs and significant blade wobble do bother me. I really like Case knives and I don't expect the same quality as a GEC or Canal Street, but I am a bit cautious about purchasing. I only purchase those I can handle in-person or from a dealer that will inspect for proud springs and wobble. YMMV.............
 
I have 9 Case, only the Teardrop is off centered (others are Sodbusters). Not an issue for me.

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Lefty923 said:
I'm pretty OCD about all my knives, but every GEC I own is dead center and pretty much flawless.
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If everything has to be perfect for you to be satisfied, I would pay the GEC price and go with those. Getting that level of perfection is why you are paying the GEC price.

Blade centering for me is a non-issue. I find the current Case knives that I own to be equal to or in some cases far better in fit and finish than the Schrade and Camillus knives I grew up with. Not every one is perfect, but several are perfect and all are quite usable.
 
I'm only OCD until they get broken in. After that it's all good. I just like them pretty from the start.
 
All my case knives are off center, all my gec are dead nuts center. But my favorite knife of all time is the Case/Bose lanny clip collab.
 
I really like this one; vintage large CASE sodbuster from the 60's. Locks up like a vault, 1/8" spine, carbon steel.....awesome!! Got it off the bay several months ago.





 
Lefty923 said:
I'm pretty OCD about all my knives
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I can relate.
Get you a Case Swayback Jack. Best regular production knife they make IMO.
If you don't like the f&f of those, you're probably not going to find any Case knives you can live with.
 
It seems like there's a topic about the quality of Case knives once a week or so. I haven't had problems with mine. The last half dozen or so have been about the same quality level as the knives that I've gotten from GEC. They've all been sowbellies though.

No company is perfect. Even GEC has sent out knives with problems. Recently, someone even received one from GEC with a cracked handle. That's a pretty noticeable flaw. And their production numbers are so small that it's somewhat surprising that something that extreme could slip through. But people make mistakes.

I actually find myself in a similar situation with GEC. When I like a pattern, I often find that I have to pick the handle material that I dislike the least rather than the one that I like the most. Although there are lots of patterns, handle materials, and shields that I do like, they're rarely all on the same knife. And when it does happen, it usually sells out fast... sometimes faster than I can order. Then all that's left are the unpopular handle materials that I didn't like. They seem to like putting hot dog or cloud shields on a lot of knives instead of more pattern appropriate shields. I'm also not a fan of the pinched or slanted bolsters on a lot of the Northfields. I would prefer more pattern appropriate and historically appropriate embellishments.

For example, I didn't like any of the choices of handles/shields on the Dixie stockman. I ended up buying the Osage orange wood since I disliked it the least. I actually wanted jigged bone but I didn't like either option. It was a similar situation with the Calf Roper as well. If they had put crest or federal shields on those knives, more of them would have been appealing. They did choose a more appropriate shield and a nice jigged bone for their 2015 Bladeforums Knife proposal. Maybe Charlie guided them like he does on the SFOs. But GEC marches to their own drum for their regular production runs.

Also, I was all excited about the beer scouts. They already knew that everyone loved the "scouts" from the 2014 Rendezvous. All they needed to do was to make more. But they ruined it for me with the large shield and "BS" etch. Luckily some of the SFOs suited my tastes. But I also wanted other handle options with a normal "scout" shield.

Those compromises aren't always easy to make when spending $90-150 on a knife.
 
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Try to find a Case knife that appeals to you, whose model number starts with TB. These are truly a cut above their standard production fare, in fit and finish.
 
I just received a couple of Case Limited Edition Sodbuster Jrs that, at first glance, appear off center. One is just a hair away from rubbing the liner. But when I looked closer, the grind at the tip is way off to one side on both. The rest of the blade sits where it should in the closed position. Since they're LE, and I seem to have gotten the last two, I'll just keep one and give one to a family member. Plus, I was fully aware before I ordered them that chances were very high of the quality being less than perfect.

And, FWIW, the only GEC I own (Bullnose) has an off center blade.
 
I couldn't agree more with supratentorial above on the recent "Beer Scout Knife." The SFO options were far better.

As for Case, I recently bought a single-blade sowbelly, removed it from the box, and placed it in a knife roll. Two weeks later, I took the knife roll off the shelf, opened it up to the sowbelly intent on carrying it that day, and the shield fell off in my hand. Upon inspection, I'm pretty sure the thing was made of plastic.

More recently, I bought a CV peanut. It arrived with zero blade snap and a badly off-centered blade that rubbed on one side. I contacted Case, and they told me that blade snap and centering were "not part of their quality control" and if that's what I was looking for, I should buy a custom knife.

I'll add, however, that I also bought a Case CV mini-trapper this past year that was excellent in every respect.
 
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Daddyo16 said:
...And, FWIW, the only GEC I own (Bullnose) has an off center blade.
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Should be an easy fix if you decide to send it in. I've also noticed that GEC doesn't always bury the tips of the blades.

long----pull said:
...The SFO options were far better...
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For upholding the highest standards in cap lifting, you have been pre approved for membership in the Gun Scout Club and Soda Scout Club. Your membership materials and bumper sticker are in the mail. :)

long----pull said:
As for Case, I recently bought a single-blade sowbelly, removed it from the box, and placed it in a knife roll. Two weeks later, I took the knife roll off the shelf, opened it up to the sowbelly intent on carrying it that day, and the shield fell off in my hand. Upon inspection, I'm pretty sure the thing was made of plastic.
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I think the shields are described as nickel silver.... though I haven't read anything about the branded versions like the Carhartt. Mine seem to be metal. They are just glued, not pinned. So far I haven't lost any Case shields and I often carry them loose in a pocket with change and keys. If one pops off and I don't lose it, I'd just glue it back on. It's a shame that it happened to your knife without any use. They must not have applied enough of the epoxy.
 
I've only got a few Case knives, but the ones I have (bought online) have all been quite satisfactory in quality, etc. I know it can be hit and miss though.

My favorites are at both ends of the spectrum: the Peanut and #6375 Large Stockman :thumbup:
 
Ive ordered several G.E.C. Knives that did not have centered blades and some had Some nice liner gap and even scratched up or dinged bosters. Here lately most of the case knves ive received have been great. But I do have a store online that handpicks them for me. Ive said it before, I have had just as good of luck with Case as ive had with G.E.C.
 
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