Case/Bose Back Pocket

S

Sidehill Gouger

Joined
Dec 29, 2007
Messages
2,261
Anyone else had any experience with this model? I bought two, one as a Xmas gift for a friend with his initials on the bolster, the other for my own use. The gift knife was delivered about a week before my own knife and had acceptable fit and finish, walk and talk. I naturally had reasonable hopes for the next knife but the second one has zero walk and talk and crap for an edge. The average Rough Rider is miles ahead of it.

Case really needs to get over their "Beanie Baby" instant collectible kick and concentrate on making first class working tools if they expect to survive much longer.
 
Sidehill, i can hear the disappointment in your words. Most of us have also had this experience and it is a bad feeling.
Send it back with a note stating you expect better.
That's one thing the Rough Riders have shown us, if a $10 knife can be right on over 95% of the time, then it really is unacceptable for much more expensive knives to be so 'hit or miss'.
By returning it you do all of us a favor. if every unsatisfactory knife was returned, Case would be forced to improve their quality and quality control.
roland
 
I handled a Back Pocket in the store last week. It had a mushy action, zero walk and talk. Very disappointing as I had been anticipating the delivery of this knife. That being said I have some Case knives that are excellent.
 
I've been very happy with mine. Fit and the finish is good. Came from the factory sharp. Perfect walk and talk.

 
Thanks for posting. I was going to cruise the forum for a few minutes, then go order one. It looks like a nice knife, but I think I'll wait until they have the issues sorted out.
 
I havent personally found that problem with Case knives and hate to hear of it.Perhaps its due to being a new model,although their is really no acceptable excuse.It is a gorgeous knife.
 
The Case Back Pocket knives I have handled have all been excellent in F&F. The pattern just does not appeal to me ergonomically. The thinness of the knife combined with the large width of the slabs feels awkward. Kind of like gripping the wrong end of a spoon or spatula. I always feel like my hand is creeping toward the blade. Just not my cup of tea
 
Like I said, the first one was OK but the second one wasn't. I'm just lucky the good one is the one I bought as a gift as I would never give the second one to a friend.
 
Case has improved from years past in my opinion, but can still be hit or miss. I'd rather be able to visually/physically inspect before buying. Edge profile was way off on my SBJ. On my CV Sodbuster Jr. I had someone who was able to check it out for me at a store near them & it is perfect.
 
I have an ebony one of these on the way, it should arrive this afternoon. I'll let y'all know how it is when it arrives. I have been looking forward to this knife for several months, have high expectations for it. My experience with Case has been overwhelmingly positive. I'm just hoping the ebony is nice, dark & even. If it looks like Duckman1's knife above, I'll be thrilled!

I'm curious to see how similar the backpocket is to GEC's single blade #23 take on the Remington 1123 pattern. I'll put up a side by side image of a GEC #23 and the backpocket when it arrives. The blade profiles and the contours of the handles are slightly different, but both patterns seem to be interpretations of the classic Remington bullet pattern. Which is super cool!
 
I picked one up at Shepherd Hills this evening (dark molasses bone) and I'm in love with it. Unfortunately I'm out of town for the night or I would post a picture. Walk and talk and fit and finish are both good, and it feels great in hand!
 
Last week I journeyed to a Case distributor as he told me on the phone he had several of the Back Pockets and if I came in we could go through what he had. He opened the first one and did not even show it to me, back in the wrapper and box it went. To his credit he did not put it back in stock. Opened up two more and they were somewhat disappointing as well. These were all 1st Run. Do not know if that means anything or not. I preferred not to get a 1st Run as I am not fond of the blade etching. I will be off to visit again later this week as the ebony standard production ones are due in. I hope for the best as I love the BP pattern and own a number of them.
 
ptradeco said:
He opened the first one and did not even show it to me, back in the wrapper and box it went.
Click to expand...

Must've been a real lemon for that to happen.

I think it's cool to have a Case/Bose knife that's not several hundred dollars but some of these reports give me pause.


-- Nate
 
I don't think it is a "first run" problem. I live near a Case gold dealer so I have the opportunity to inspect every knife I buy. All across their line, no matter the pattern or how many years it has been manufactured I have handled excellent samples, mediocre samples, and some crappy samples. The excellent samples are more prevalent and the crappy ones are rare.
 
Just part of the hand made thing. If the person on the line doesn't know how the knife is going to be a poor example.

I've never had much luck with Case and was quite surprised they were held in high regard on this fourm. I still remember buying my first Case and having the guy take one out fo the box and the sides fell off of it. I found fair example and bought one and ne never did hold an edge. I'm not sure why Case insist on producing knive blades with Rockell numbers well below cheep kitchen knives. I gave my Case knives away and never gave them another thought.

Buck makes a much better knife with better blades for a third of the price. They are also in process of bringing back all models to the USA. That said the Bucks I purchased that are made over seas are made much better than Case. I'm a bit surprised Tony Bose would risk his name by joining up with them. He should insist on a CNC made product for his line.
 
My wife was asking for Christmas give ideas, so I directed her to an online site that has some stock of the dark Molasses bone version. Now I'm wondering if that might have been a mistake.

Editted to add: Based on Kerry's comments, which was already stirring in the back of my mind, I don't think it a mistake because Case is a reputable company with great CS, so in the unlikely event that there is an issue, it will undoubtedly be taken care of in short order.

cultivateitnow said:
I'm a bit surprised Tony Bose would risk his name by joining up with them. He should insist on a CNC made product for his line.
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Respectfully, I must disagree. Even if Case's quality were to degrade to the point that they closed the doors, I don't think it'd tarnish Tony's name even the slightest. Everyone knows his affiliation with them is from a design and advisement role, so his wait list will be just as long irrespective of what Case does.

Personally, I and many others feel he is doing us all a favor by working with Case. It gives everyone a chance to own a Bose designed knife, which goes a long way in helping deal with the pain of not owning an original:D
 
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JC in SC said:
My wife was asking for Christmas give ideas, so I directed her to an online site that has some stock of the dark Molasses bone version. Now I'm wondering if that might have been a mistake.



Respectfully, I must disagree. Even if Case's quality were to degrade to the point that they closed the doors, I don't think it'd tarnish Tony's name even the slightest. Everyone knows his affiliation with them is from a design and advisement role, so his wait list will be just as long irrespective of what Case does.

Personally, I and many others feel he is doing us all a favor by working with Case. It gives everyone a chance to own a Bose designed knife, which goes a long way in helping deal with the pain of not owning an original:D
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Well said. :thumbup:

As far as the possible mistake is concerned, Case has great customer service, as most are aware of, and will likely back you up if you find a problem with one of their knives.
 
I've had my Backpocket for a couple days now. I wanted to carry and use it a little bit before I commented. It is a very cool knife. The fit and finish on mine is superb. Out of box sharpness was good. The grinds are even, the swedge is symmetrical and crisp. The backspring is flush in all three positions. The blade is perfectly centered. The pins are perfectly round, flat and flush. The shield is perfectly fitted. The ebony is dark, even and rich, the lanyard tube is very nicely executed. There are no gaps anywhere. The only, tiny issue with this knife was that there was a little bit of polishing compound in the pivot, so the action was gritty at first. After being cleaned out, it is nice and smooth. Pull is about a 5 or a 6, right where I like it.

Casebackpocket.jpg


As I promised above, here is a side-by-side image with a GEC #23- albeit a terrible one. The bolsters on the Case are fine, what you see in the image above is just a fingerprint. :o The knives are fairly similar, both being single-bladed, Remington-style, 4 5/8" trappers. But they vary significantly in the details. The Case is thinner and lighter. The GEC has a flat-ended joint, while the Case does not. The swedge on the GEC is ground to a harsh point which can catch on your hand when the knife is closed, the swedge on the Case transitions smoothly. The nail nick on the GEC is positioned directly above the finger swell in the handle, so that it is hard to get to. The nail nick on the Case is positioned properly, so that it is easy to use. The Case has a lanyard tube, the GEC does not. The GEC has domed pins, the Case has flush pins. The blade profiles are different- with the GEC having a sodbuster flavor, the Case has a pronounced clip. The GEC has more belly, the Case is more sexy.

I like both knives. The Case is certainly a worthy pattern. I don't understand why it isn't being better received. My one concern with the pattern is that the scales seem a bit thin. I would personally like to see them a bit beefier, but the knife overall seems plenty stout. Blade and liner thickness is identical to the GEC #23, which is considered a super heavy-duty knife. The Case is certainly easier to use than the GEC, as it is much, much more comfortable to get open.

As for Case's quality "deteriorating", I do not believe that to be the case (no pun intended) AT ALL. My backpocket is made to the same level of fit & finish as my Swayback Jack, which has the reputation of being a superbly finished knife. I find current production Cases to be favorably comparable to any other current production knives on the market, period. This includes GEC, which I like, collect, and own many of.
 
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cultivateitnow said:
Just part of the hand made thing. If the person on the line doesn't know how the knife is going to be a poor example.

I've never had much luck with Case and was quite surprised they were held in high regard on this fourm. I still remember buying my first Case and having the guy take one out fo the box and the sides fell off of it. I found fair example and bought one and ne never did hold an edge. I'm not sure why Case insist on producing knive blades with Rockell numbers well below cheep kitchen knives. I gave my Case knives away and never gave them another thought.

Buck makes a much better knife with better blades for a third of the price. They are also in process of bringing back all models to the USA. That said the Bucks I purchased that are made over seas are made much better than Case. I'm a bit surprised Tony Bose would risk his name by joining up with them. He should insist on a CNC made product for his line.
Click to expand...

Anyone can "drop a bomb" in a forum without evidence so it would be nice to have some facts or details that back up such claims.

Just for giggles, Tony Rc tested some of Case CV swayback gents he has had around the shop and more recently the CV copperlock that I just modified. The swayback gents consistently Rc in the 57-59 range and the CV copperlock was Rc60. RC56-57 is common on the TruSharp steel which is known to be a good range for people that arent as as skilled at sharpening stuff like we are. Does anybody have a problem with those numbers?
 
KnifeHead said:
Anyone can "drop a bomb" in a forum without evidence so it would be nice to have some facts or details that back up such claims.

Just for giggles, Tony Rc tested some of Case CV swayback gents he has had around the shop and more recently the CV copperlock that I just modified. The swayback gents consistently Rc in the 57-59 range and the CV copperlock was Rc60. RC56-57 is common on the TruSharp steel which is known to be a good range for people that arent as as skilled at sharpening stuff like we are. Does anybody have a problem with those numbers?
Click to expand...

Don't let it get to you, Kerry. Haters gonna hate. Facts which contradict previously drawn conclusions are conveniently discarded.
 
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