Case or Canal St.

O

Oregon Knife Guy

Joined
Mar 27, 2009
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336
Hey guys, I am looking for a pocket knife for EDC that I can use in the bush for whittling and preping food or just cutting every day items. This wont just be used in the woods, but for everyday use.
I have always liked Case, as it was the knife my grandpa carried for years. But it seems like Canal St Cutlery is a solid knife maker?
I like the stockman.
Any thoughts on the subject?
 
After Schrade went out of business, the name was bought and the knives are no longer made in the old factory by the former knifemakers.

Some of those knifemakers got together and formed Canal Street Cutlery. Good knives.

A stockman is always a good bet for a multipurpose knife.
 
I carry a Case Sow Belly but the 4" Stockman is a good knife with better length for limited use in food prep and the Canal Street knives do look nice and seem to have good steel, 440C.
 
I have several Case knives, but I've also handled many Canal St.too. IMO, you'll be hard pressed to notice any difference in they way they are put together, and usability.
The Case '75 (large stockman) is my fav.....well, one of them...:thumbup:
 
My recent experience, while the construction of each is very solid, the Canal Street blade edges are finished much better than Case. As a trade-off, the Case are much less expensive and are offered in a larger selection of materials and patterns. If you're not bothered by potentially needing to touch up the Case edge before using, then I wouldn't hesitate to recommend either one.

Good Luck!
 
when i started on this quest too the traditional guys were big on GEC. Everyone said they had the best fit and finish for a pocket knife going so i went with that and i've been very happy. Their 1095 is amazing stuff. Never tried the 440C

Here is a large sampling of their stuff to browse through
http://collectorknives.net/greateastern.html
 
I haven't tried a Canal Street, but they get good reviews. I have tried Case over the years, and for the last 10 years, as far as slipjoints go, I have carried Case. Some of there stuff from the late 80's and 90's was not the best work, but the past 10 or so years have seen an upswing. I carry a black G-10 Humpback Whittler that absolutely takes care of most of my knife needs.......though it doesn't stop me from carrying a second folder:D. Case uses stainless sttel in the majority of their knives, but do have several in carbon steel called CV steel. Many folks like the carbon steel. I like and find that the ss works out well for me.
 
Greetings.....:)

You just cannot go wrong with a nice Case 75......

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Schatt & Morgan (Queen) also make a beautiful stockman.....

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Come and visit us at the "Traditional" forum were all us slippie geeks hang out:o
 
Thanks guys. I am curious what you guys think of the Tru-Sharp surgical stainless steel blades at 54-57 R. Does it hold an edge? I know it is a high carbon stainless, but I would like to have a knife that can hold an edge... What steels do you guys like?
 
Oregon Knife Guy said:
Thanks guys. I am curious what you guys think of the Tru-Sharp surgical stainless steel blades at 54-57 R. Does it hold an edge? I know it is a high carbon stainless, but I would like to have a knife that can hold an edge... What steels do you guys like?
Click to expand...

I'm also a fan of Case knives. I've never seen (from Case, anyway) the actual hardness spec of their Tru-Sharp Surgical Stainless blades. But, in my experience, I don't have any complaints about this steel. It takes a great edge that's easy to maintain. All I've ever needed to use for mine is (occasionally) a few very light passes on a small Spyderco 'Double Stuff' ceramic stone (medium/fine) and/or stropping on leather w/compound (the vast majority of the time). I've reprofiled my Case large stockman using my Lansky sharpener, and have a nice, high polish on all three blades. They're extremely sharp, and since reprofiling, I can see the justification for the 'Surgical' stainless description. They're scalpel sharp. I've been using this knife for relatively light duty (opening envelopes & packages, cutting zip-ties, etc.), and it's holding it's edge very well.
 
AG Russell has the rockwell posted on his site. I found a large stockman CV for about the same price as the medium stockman with the stainless... I am between a rock and a hard place...
 
Oregon Knife Guy said:
AG Russell has the rockwell posted on his site. I found a large stockman CV for about the same price as the medium stockman with the stainless... I am between a rock and a hard place...
Click to expand...

I don't think you can go wrong either way. I've been tempted to buy the large CV stockman myself, but money's a little too tight lately. The only possible downside to the CV is that it is carbon steel. Might need a little more attention on keeping it clean, dry & oiled, especially if you're thinking about using it for food prep. If you're accustomed to using & maintaining carbon steel knives in the kitchen, that may not be a big deal anyway. That aside, the CV steel from case has a great reputation.

And, the large stockman is actually quite large (4.25"). Some people initially like 'em, but then decide it's a little too big for comfortable pocket carry (I'm NOT one of those people, by the way; I love to carry mine :p). So, that may or may not be a factor to consider.

The one other thing that I'd consider is, Case often will discontinue certain patterns & combinations. The combination of the CV steel in the large 75 pattern stockman may not be around forever, so if it were me, I'd probably grab the CV stockman first, just in case it goes away sometime down the road... ;)
 
I happen to prefer the 3-7/8 or 4 inch stockman pattern, with round bolsters. In the Case, this would be the 47 pattern. Hasn't been made recently in CV, but the few Tru-sharp stainless I've had recently have been RAZOR sharp, as in scary to handle!

Another one to consider would be the #9 Queen, in D2 steel. Nearly as stainless as Case's Tru-sharp, but considerably harder and better edge holding (although harder to sharpen). Available in amber carved stag bone and new for 2010, zebrawood.
 
IIRC Canal Street currently offers a Stockman in 440C.
440C will hold an edge better than Case CV and far better than Case Tru-Sharp.

I have both Case knives and a Canal street. The fit and finish on the Canal street is quite a bit better.
 
Both Case and Canal Street make good knives. 440C is an excellent steel for knife blades and you can only get that with C.S. but not Case.
also Canal Street Cutlery is a small operation of former Schrade people dedicated to keeping up high standards in USA made cutlery.
get a Canal Street knife. they deserve our support and you will have an excellent knife that will last you a lifetime.
roland
 
IMO, the Case Large (Jumbo) Stockman is perfect as an all purpose pocket knife.

I have two, one in CV and the other in stainless, I've never even used the CV version because the stainless is fine. The three blades offer a nice variety and their size is perfect for most chores. I carry it mostly in the pocket , but if you buy a Case leather trapper belt pouch, the jumbo stockman fits too.

If you look around the web you can usually find an Amber Bone jumbo stockman for less than $60.
 
I picked up a Canal Street Splitback Whittler in Buffalo Horn recently for a song. For the money, it is the best knife I own (hope my wife doesn't hear that). I also have a Canal Street Basham Stockman, and it is a great knife (though not as nice as the Whittler). I don't know much about the story of Canal Street, but I sure can recommend their knives.
 
I prefer the Tru Sharp blades simply because they are stainless. The black G-10 models are from a group called "Working Man's" knives, and as such, they have a satin finish and the swedges are more clearly defined as oppossed to the mirror polish finish.

The working man's name may not be the right one and it may be that all the black G-10 models are finished this way. Whichever, I really like the way it is done.

I find that the ss blades hold their edge just fine and remain sharp with a few passes on my Sharpmaker at the end of a hard-use day.
 
Not trying to hijack here...and those are two solid knifemakers.

But have you tried anything from GEC?

They exude quality.

Absolutely love them.:thumbup:
 
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