Case Knives, Porque?

As far as the cover dye disparity goes I can see your position in that they are quite different shades. I know that with usage that dark side would mellow out though and I don't view it as much of a flaw at all. I think they look pretty good personally.

I totally agree about the cover gaps. That's just sloppy craftsmanship.

I think most people on this forum want the best for Case. I think their jigging and their blade action is generally very good. They make some of best patterns in the business. I just want them to be more consistent in their quality. I don't expect GEC levels of tightness but I also don't want something slapped together, I hate playing roulette when I buy a knife.

If Case was consistent with their dye jobs, their quality and ran their steel a bit harder, I'd own a lot more of them. That said, I love the ones I've kept.
 
What does a new Case cost vs a new GEC? Can you buy a new or vintage Case in most any model you want? Can you buy a new or vintage GEC in most any model you want? Can we possibly be comparing apples to oranges?
 
Boattale said:
What does a new Case cost vs a new GEC?
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I have around 25 Case knives and I paid about $40.00/each for most of them.
In comparison, if you're lucky enough to land a GEC at retail, it's around $100.00/each
 
Modoc ED said:
As for the sawcut pattern varying from side to side, I have a few that are like that. Here is a 6375 Large Stockman so covered. No worries for me but other's opinions may vary.

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As to the gap between the bolster and cover, perhaps I was a bit harsh in my answer but still not that big a deal to me for your particular knife.
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That would bother me, your knife goes a step beyond a mismatch.
 
I don’t see it as a competition really, or that we have to only enjoy one brand to the exclusion of others. I do own more Case than any other brand, therefore the likelihood of getting a clunker is higher based on percentage. But GEC’s sales model drives me nuts and really limits the dollars that they get from me. It is actually easier to find classic Camillus or Schrade USA built knives for me than most GEC runs and I am okay with that.
 
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Under heavy zoom, the bolster gap does look huge. I suspect that it actually measures about 0.005 inch. If it bothers you, then by all means, send it back, but if I have to put on my glasses to see the flaw, then I don't worry about it so much.
 
It's quite a bit easier to have good QC when you are turning out 500-600 knives every three weeks or so.... Case makes over a million a day, IIRC.....

I've had one or two Case knives that were not up to my standards... most of the rest have been excellent knives.
I have a GEC 54 with acrylic scales that has a bolster gap like that. Does acrylic shrink? I don't know, but this one doesn't bother me. If it gets to irritating me, I'll likely "re-handle" it.... ebony, or maybe osage. I don't expect "perfection" in much of anything I buy, especially pocket knives.
 
hornetguy said:
It's quite a bit easier to have good QC when you are turning out 500-600 knives every three weeks or so.... Case makes over a million a day, IIRC.....
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I have no doubt that they make a lot of knives, certainly an order of magnitude or two more than GEC but a million a day seems really, really high.
 
I've sold most of my Case knives now. They are ok for the price, they aren't GEC quality but i still find them better built than Rough Ryder. I have some Rough Ryder Reserve in the mail to see if they worth the extra price. Nothing wrong about Case, they are ok for the price, they are available, the f&f isn't perfect but i don't call them "collector knives" neither... they are great edc user knives, not pocket jewelry. My main "complaint" with Case knives is they don't do much new stuff... it's always the same old pattern, year after year, with some new colors (mostly acrylic...) but they are traditionnals... most of them are a little bit too small for my liking, the Case Swayback woudl be a great buy if it was the size of a GEC#47 or RR2038.
My favorite Case is the DLT Exclusive Trapper, but close second is this Smooth Bone Tribal lock!

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My 2021 forum knife has a bolster gap too which is smaller, but it's not all the way across like the Case. I've seen this issue on a lot of the forum knife pics posted here. It seems the bolsters have a slant to them on the bottom edge which doesn't match up with the covers.

This does bother me too, but overall not as bad as Case.

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