Case Back Pocket - experience so far?

F

freezergeezer

Joined
Oct 29, 1999
Messages
539
Hi all

I'm drooling over the Case Back Pocket.
OK, it's not a wonder steel or even CV, but living on the coast I'm beginning to rethink my EDC rotation due to the constant rust & damp wars involving the ones wating their turn at being carried & used. (The equipment I work on tends to take around 5-10 years to look 30-60 years old!)
So, if you have one, what do you think of it please?
 
I don't own one ...yet. it's definitely on my list.

Just a note, you probably already know this, but figured I'd point it out. Sounds like you do some heavier work. The blade on this one is a slicer, on the thin side, like most slip joint blades. Not good for digging, prying, etc, but it's great for cutting. Just making that point in case it applies.

Case_Knives_CA97184_TB_BP_1st_Run_Ebony.jpg
 
I have one, and have been using it for a couple weeks. It is a nice knife, fit & finish is superb, and it does a great job of cutting things. My one concern with the knife is that the liners and scales seem a bit thin for being carried in a back pocket, without being held vertically somehow, either by being placed next to a wallet or some other means. The reason I say this is that after being carried in my back pocket horizontally, the blade is no longer centered, and it looks like slight gaps might be forming between the liners and spring. I am a big dude, 220 lbs plus, so sitting on the knife is definitely causing it to flex from side to side. Smaller folks might be able to carry the knife in their back pocket and sit on it all day long with no problems, but I don't think it's a good idea for bigger guys.

While obviously the knife was designed to be carried in a back pocket, I don't think it was necessarily designed to be sat on. At least not horizontally, by heavy people. That one issue aside, the knife is great. Looks great. The ebony is beautiful. It feels nice in the hand, has a great blade profile, cuts really well, and seems to hold an edge just fine. It is very slim and light, especially for a knife with such a big blade, and a lanyard tube to boot.
 
I really like mine.It carries better with a lanyard attached.It kinda keeps it positioned to the side for me so im not sitting quite right on it.I was going to customize it with stag or something,but its too nice,at least for now.One thing i may do is polish a little off one side of the scale and liner so i can access the nail nick a little easier.Also,it is very slim and light.It carries well in your front pocket also.
IMG_0213-5.jpg
 
I'm sort of in the same situation as Andy. I don't carry a wallet in my back pocket, so it rides horizontally instead of vertical. Nevertheless, I haven't had any issues with distortion like Andy has experienced. I have the dark Molasses bone version, but I don't suspect that to have any impact one way or the other.

Overall, I've been very pleased with it. The thing that suprised me was, upon first opening the box, how big this thing is. I hadn't thought of 4 5/8" as being that big until I had it in hand. The thickness is very slim, but so far I'm liking it.
 
On the "other" forum, a guy named 2xTap posted that it's 7/16" thick at the center pin (which is where you'll most often get a thicker measurement, not at the bolster/slab interface).
By comparison, my Queen MM is 9/16" thick at the center pin.
 
Using a set of calipers, the absolute maximum thickness I could find on mine was 0.425". It would be interesting to know how this varies from the bone to the ebony.
 
Thanks a lot guys. :)
Kingsqueak, I'm an air conditioning technician, so my knives do get some mildly hard work like the odd cable tie (I think you call them zip ties?), occasional plaster board, etc. Mostly though it's edge wear from things like Armaflex foam pipe insulation which has a high carbon content so tends to dull blades very, very fast! Can be a good strop though. ;)
I get the distinct impression that in America you use knives much more, & harder, than we in the U.K. or Oz do. I've never managed to wear out a knife yet, except for joints on real cheapies.

Slightly off the topic, but relevant to why the back pocket appeals to me is that I find for single blade knives I prefer a larger knife as:
I have large hands,
It has a broad range of uses (food prep for e.g.). Yes, I know with thought a small knife can do a LOT more than you'd think. But I'm not always a good thinker!
Some of my favourite single blade knives are the Klaas Sodbuster, Lagouiles, UKPK, Opinel no. 7, a Nontron about the same size as the Opinel, a Buck 110 clone - basically they're all knives that fill my hand nicely & seem to work well for me.

I cut, I don't pry etc. Although I do whittle the odd spoon, fork, hearth board for a bow drill, etc.
I don't get the thick slab of steel with an edge ground on type knives. Although there are some I find aesthetically pleasing so would add to my collection if I had the funds.
 
I really liked the looks of this knife so I ordered one the other day. Like the others have said, it is very thin for a knife of this size and I can certainly see whereas sitting on it may not be a good practice.

My antique bone version mic'ed at .425 inches. For comparision, my worm bone S&M version of the Mountain Man pattern is .535 at its widest point. The blade and back spring stock are much thinner on the back pocket than a mountain man. The blade profile is thinner (from spine to cutting edge) than anticipated as well. Not quite as substantial a knife as I thought it would be.

However, I am pleased with the fit and finish for a production knife at this price point. Great choice if you need a lengthier blade for lite duty work.
 
Anyone have any pictures from the top or bottom to illustrate the spine and handle thickness?
 
I got mine two days ago. It's my first Case knife. First impressions:

- nicely finished, no unacceptable gaps, well polished and very good looking swedges.
- it's LONG the pictures don't really do justice to how bit it is since people rarely do comparison shots.
- it's very thin and because of that very lightweight.
- the blade near the tip came the dullest I've seen on a knife so far. The rest was well done...but the tip is going to take more than a few passes on a sharpmaker.

All in all a nice knife but the dull portion of the blade kind of pisses me off.
 
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