Case edge grinds

D

DocT

Joined
Mar 25, 2012
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Why is it that I have to reprofile every Case knife I buy? I just bought a beautiful mini copperhead and the grinds were uneven and too thick (maybe 55* inclusive but 35 on one side) . Typical. It wouldn’t cut paper well and would not shave hair at all. I’ve had a time overcoming that terrible grind and this is the way all but one Case I’ve bought has been in twenty years. Beautiful knives, especially the mini copperhead, but good grief they could do better sharpening.
Do you all have the same issues or is it me alone?
 
You are not alone. I have lots of Case knives and many of them have had this problem. Even the ones with even grinds come rough/toothy. Although that’s a whole lot easier to fix than an uneven grind. While we’re on the subject, I wish they’d figure out how to keep their blade tips pointy. Like...protecting them with a cover of some sort before tumbling them? I dunno.

All that said, I think their knives are beautiful and I carry one or two nearly every day.
 
I have noticed this, but I see it like John, they sharpen out pretty readily.
I worked on a swayback jack yesterday, beginning to straighten out the edge on the wharncliffe blade. You'd think that a straight edge would be pretty easy to grind/sharpen evenly.... but, alas.....

It's coming around, though. I didn't have time to finish it yesterday, but likely will today.

The good thing is, once you have the edge straightened out, they get really, really sharp.
 
JohnDF said:
I've never paid too much attention to it I guess.
They still seem to cut well out of the box and they sharpen easily enough.[/QUOTE

Case does it that way so that you have to spend time sharpening your new knife and getting to know it better. Get the feel of the knife, bond with it, stroke the covers, test the blade with your thumb, and greet new friends in the emergency room after you slice your thumb wide open while testing the edge with your thumb.
Click to expand...
 
I only buy vintage case knives, usually pre 1980, but definitely pre early 90s across the board. I got tired of buying knives with little attention to detail and F&F/QC issues. I'd rather buy a lottery ticket personally. A lot of die hard Case fans continue to defend them on the issues, I don't understand it personally but its their money. I like the brand just not what they have put out in some time.
 
I have a copper lock that is really nice all around. This mini copperhead is simply beautiful. But they really did a poor job on the edge.
 
Case edge grinds suck. Unless you like having a blade look like a used car lot flag string from the burrs hanging off it.

"Who buys a knife made in those kinds of numbers and expects perfection?" might be a better question to ask....
 
Modoc ED said:
Case does it that way so that you have to spend time sharpening your new knife and getting to know it better. Get the feel of the knife, bond with it, stroke the covers, test the blade with your thumb, and greet new friends in the emergency room after you slice your thumb wide open while testing the edge with your thumb.
Click to expand...
Too funny... :D:thumbsup:
 
Perhaps it's from years of using knives without any regard to F&F and CC...
I just threw them in my pocket, used them, and sharpened them when it was needed.
If I'm spending upwards of a hundred dollars or more, then it becomes a bigger deal for me.
But I buy Case knives for $25 to $35 and don't expect them to be anything other than "serviceable".

Because we need pictures, here's a Medium Stockman being put to use in the shop every day, bad grinds and all. :D
 
This is just my opinion. Case get's all the things that really matter usually right. The things you can not fix that would damage there name. The grind behind the edge and the edge is easily fixed by the buyer. Believe or not, putting a great edge on the knife is where a lot of time would be spent and require Case to raise there prices. The price of Case knives is low compared to what you get. One of the best knife values in my opinion. I like to sharpen and am really fussy about my knife edges because I am a user of knives not just a collector. Therefore, I reprofile almost all my knives to how I like them. This even includes some work on my GEC knives. I know how to sharpen so it's no big deal to do a reprofile job. Also, you only have to do it once then it's just maintenance from there.

Geoff
 
hornetguy said:
I have noticed this, but I see it like John, they sharpen out pretty readily.
I worked on a swayback jack yesterday, beginning to straighten out the edge on the wharncliffe blade. You'd think that a straight edge would be pretty easy to grind/sharpen evenly.... but, alas.....

It's coming around, though. I didn't have time to finish it yesterday, but likely will today.

The good thing is, once you have the edge straightened out, they get really, really sharp.
Click to expand...
Nice to know I'm not the only one.
I've been working on my TB61028W DAM Wharncliffe blade for a couple few days now. There is still a little light showing in the middle when checking the edge straightness on a table ... around .002 inch is my estimate. It started at around .005 inch, so I'm making some progress. :)
The edge seems a wee bit on the thick side, too. It's never felt sharp and won't cut newspaper. I'm re-profiling to Case's 10 DPS mentioned in the paperwork. (or maybe a little less. I put the blade flat on the stone, then raise the spine just enough so only the edge is in contact with the stone. It might be closer to 7 to 8 DPS.)

My old/ancient 1x4 inch Smith's diamond pocket stone is kinda sorta wore out. :(
A new, larger double sided 300/600 diamond stone (it is cheaper than a Arkansas or India stone! Howz that possible?!) should arrive in a day or two. I'm hoping a good stone will speed up the process.

I only have five Case knives. Some were sharper out of the box than the others. However, I don't know if that is due to the former owners, or Case, properly sharpening them.
I can honestly say: "All forty plus of my Rough Riders, 9 USA and offshore production 300 series, plus another 6 110's Buck folding knives, 5 Marbles, 1 Colt, 8 (Taylor/BTI) Old Timers, 1 (BTI) Uncle Henry, 1 (Taylor) Hammer Brand, 1 SARGE (BSA Barlow), and 1 Szco Rite Edge (Barlow) were sharper out of the box than all but one of the Case knives were." (I suspect that one was sharpened by the prior owner.)

So I am not accused of bashing Case, (which I'm not), I can also honestly say: "The Case edges out of the box are a little better than the factory "edge" (note quotes) that Cold Steel has on their machetes." (Case at least removes the burrs and wire edge(s). :) )
 
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JohnDF said:
Too funny... :D:thumbsup:
Click to expand...

This illustrates my thoughts perfectly. Taken a few years back when I was sharpening a Case mini-Trapper.:eek::rolleyes::)

QTVn7Wz.jpg
 
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I don't care if it's even as long as its sharp, my last case purchases haven't been all that sharp but every other aspect has been spot on.
I have to sharpen my knives eventually, so it's really not a huge deal if I gotta do it when the knife arrives.
I'd rather not have to, but am not going to return a knife because of it.
I swear some people ( mostly in the modern community ) are too picky and demanding of perfection these days.
Sure I don't wanna spend my hard earned money on defective garbage, but I'm realistic with my expectations.

Case has been getting better in general F&F, but yes their edge grinds have been a bit lacking lately.
 
So I see it isn't uncommon problem.
I just got my first Case, mini copperlock, and the factory edge was really bad. Maybe one of the worst I have ever seen. Dull, especially from tip to half with very noticeable finger grabbing burr. At least it was easy to fix with some sharpening.

I know factory edge isn't the most important because a knife will have to be sharpened by the user eventually, but it ruins first impression. Everything else was very good, no gaps, rounded corners, flush pins, nicely dyed bone, no bladeplay and centered blade. Case are expensive and very hard to find in my country, so it was a bit disappointing to see factory edge worse than 3x cheaper Rough Riders or even 5x cheaper Sanrenmu.
 
Guess I've been lucky with my Case knives. The ones I bought new were all sharp out of the box, but usually a little toothy. Received a canoe a couple of days ago, for example. Sharp but toothy. A few strokes on ceramic rods has it slicing very cleanly through paper, and yes, it shaves arm hair! I can get them (CV or SS) very sharp with my Arkansas stone, too.
 
Hickory n steel said:
I don't care if it's even as long as its sharp, my last case purchases haven't been all that sharp but every other aspect has been spot on.
I have to sharpen my knives eventually, so it's really not a huge deal if I gotta do it when the knife arrives.
I'd rather not have to, but am not going to return a knife because of it.
I swear some people ( mostly in the modern community ) are too picky and demanding of perfection these days.
Sure I don't wanna spend my hard earned money on defective garbage, but I'm realistic with my expectations.

Case has been getting better in general F&F, but yes their edge grinds have been a bit lacking lately.
Click to expand...
I agree with all of that.
 
The majority of the Case knives I've purchased have had wicked burs and hit or miss grinds... But the first thing I do with a keeper is put my own edge on it so it has never bothered me. Personally, I'll take a poorly finished edge over poor fit and finish on any other part of the knife since it's so easy to fix and will be a non-issue with usage anyways. I still find Case to be an absolutely fantastic value for what you get. I'd be a bit bummed if they improved their blade grinds and had to increase their prices to GEC levels as a result of the extra finishing time needed.
 
I guess I've been lucky too. I only buy Case knives built after 2000 :) and most were bought sight unseen off the internet. The only out of the box thing I've fixed is an edge that was a bit too toothy. Not really a problem. I've reprofiled the end 2" on some, but that's for personal preference. Case CV and stainless steel is easy to work.
 
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