Case or Queen? & A few other questions..

Robert_Phelps

Robert_Phelps

Joined
Nov 29, 2005
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475
I have exactly $50 to buy a knife and pay for shipping. (So, I have about 43 dollars to buy a knife..)
I think I want the wharncliff copperlock by Case, http://www.caseknifeoutlet.com/knifeImage.cfm?CartRelease=0040
but I'm concerned about the blade being thin near the tip. I'm not going to be stabbing things or prying a whole lot, but I do some whittling and also use a knife to mark a line in wood sometimes.. and don't want it to break.
I'm also considering this knife by Queen, http://www.knifecenter.com/kc_new/store_detail.html?s=QN9SBC

Which knife has the best fit and finish/walk and talk?

Do queen knives stay open pretty well? the only non-lockback I've ever used was a beat up junker, and it always wanted to close on me while I was working.

Any other suggestions? ..I like a knife with a 4" or so handle (closed length, I guess), because I have large hands.

Man, if only I had $400, then I could just be like, bam, sabenza, and be done with it :)
 
I own several new Case and Queen knives, and of the two Queen almost always has the better fit and finish and Walk and Talk IMHO.

Of the two knife you are looking at, I would easily take the Queen first. As for them staying open, Queen's tend to have good strong backsprings so that should be a problem as long as you practise normal slip-joint safety.

BTW if you do much Whittling, have you considered the Queen Whittler pattern?

http://www.cumberlandknifeworks.com...ce.cgi?product=cherry_smooth&keywords=&next=9

It's a tad shorter closed than the Stockman, 3 1/2 instead of 4 inches.

Check the Queen Smooth Black Cherry knives at http://www.cumberlandknifeworks.com I think you'll find they are a little cheaper than the other place you linked to.

Happy hunting!
 
The Last Confederate said:
As for them staying open, Queen's tend to have good strong backsprings so that should be a problem as long as you practise normal slip-joint safety.
Click to expand...

I think he meant "shouldn't" be a problem. ;)
 
Blue_Dragon said:
Thanks a bunch! :D I really wanted the whittler in cocobolo, but it was too much at that one site.
Click to expand...

http://www.cumberlandknifeworks.com/cgi-bin/store/commerce.cgi?product=cocobolo&keywords=&next=9

Bill's gott'em at Cumberland Knifeworks for 50.85 total, S&H included dig up your couch cushions for that extra .85! :D:D:D

I just got a Cattle King in the Cocobolo and it's REALLY nice looking. I don't even normally go for wood handles on slipjoints, but the Cocobolo gives the knife a real "old school" look.

Of course in about 3 weeks or so, you might be able to get one in Bird's Eye Maple!:D
 
I've got a whittler and congress in cocobolo, and the wood really looks nice. They're both great users too. I think you'll like the D2.

As for springs, all of the springs on these knives are plenty strong, especially the double spring on the whittler main blade, which is extra strong.

Definitely buy from Bill Horn at Cumberland -- he has the best prices and best customer service. He's a great guy!
 
Get the Queen. I'll also say Cumberland has great prices and service. I just got 3 from Bill
 
I always carry a Queen #9 stockman, I have it in both cocobolo and CSB, so I think you can see where I am going with this...

The D2 is great stuff. Great snap on the blades, too. I have yet to see a weak spring on a Queen.

The whittler is a nice pattern, I have been tempted by it. Just remember that it is 3.5" closed, and the stockman is 4" closed. And Cumberland sells the cocobolo stockman for $2 less than the cocobolo whittler.
 
lambertiana said:
I always carry a Queen #9 stockman, I have it in both cocobolo and CSB, so I think you can see where I am going with this...

The D2 is great stuff. Great snap on the blades, too. I have yet to see a weak spring on a Queen.

The whittler is a nice pattern, I have been tempted by it. Just remember that it is 3.5" closed, and the stockman is 4" closed. And Cumberland sells the cocobolo stockman for $2 less than the cocobolo whittler.
Click to expand...
That's because the whittler requires more labor/fitting to work correctly.
 
I also have Queen & Case knives. More Case though - sowbelly, cheetah, trapper(s), fixed blade(s), large saddlehorn :D . Queen/S&M - #13 Gunstock :D :D , bird knife, & trapper. Aestetically, I like the blade finish on the Case knives, but, as far as, walk & talk, I like the Queen knives because they have a half stop. You really can't go wrong with either brand.
 
I bought the case copperlock and gave it as a present. It was an excellent knife with fit and finish as good as most queen and better than some. The tip on the copperlock is strong enough for scoring wood. I'd buy the case over the trapper because it's a lockback, real carbon steel (queen is a semistainless) and a real slim pocket carry much slimmer than the queen. In my experience (4 queen and 5 case in 3 years) the quality is similar. Also case puts an angle on the knife that's easier to sharpen, plus the case CV is overall easier to sharpen than queen d2.
 
Until this point, where slipjoints are concerned, I've only been exposed to 1095 (& other oldschool carbon steels) and Case CV. I recently picked up a Queen in D2, and I've been using it with the factory edge. Just last night, I sharpened it for the first time (:)).
I found that I don't agree with everyone's opinion that D2 is substantially more difficult to sharpen than CV or 1095. I had no trouble putting a wicked sharp edge on this baby. She didn't quite scream "I'll take whatever kind of edge you want to give me, big boy, and I'll take it long and hard" like the Case CV does, but it was certainly not tough to sharpen. What I find "tough" to sharpen is my Buck 112. It's not difficult to remove metal (that's easy), it's just impossible to get a good, sharp, working edge onto the thing. :jerkit:
When I finished, I compared the edge to a CV trapper I had sharpened a couple days prior (and not yet used again). I didn't notice much difference in the sharpness (I sharpen by hand, and I'm very precise, so I know the edges were at the same angle), although the Queen may have been a tad sharper. They both shave hair off my arm, but the edge on the Queen scares the hair first, so it jumps off by itself. :D

In this case, I'd say get the Queen. You won't be disappointed. It is imperative, however, that at some point you also get a Case with CV. Really, in order to ever be happy, you need both... So which do ya want first??

Peace.

Edit: Try one of these, too. Made in Germany (just as good as US made), carbon steel, 4" handle, nice red bone scales instead of Delrin.
 
Here's my Queen Cocobolo:

49346983.jpg


49346987.jpg


a few more images if you're interested:
http://www.pbase.com/gary777/queen_cocobolo_canoe_knife
 
Those are some nice pics, Gary!
Your queen canoe has better F&F than my recently acquired one does... I fear I should have asked the dealer to pick me a winner, but I assumed he/she would. Don't misunderstand, it's tight, strong springs, no blade play... But there are a couple tiny gaps (between one liner and the backspring on one end). Oh, well, that makes it a definite user, and doesn't affect the performance, or the quality in my opinion.

Peace.
 
Nice pix Gary! Those pix do exemplify what's wrong with the factory edge on Queen's D2s. When you consider that the blade shown is 3/32 to 1/8" thick at the spine and then look how shallow that edge bevel is, you know that ain't right. To employ a phrase. It's tough to me to get that sucker laid down a little and then back up to a nice shaving edge.
 
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