Photos Case Peanut: are these ‘off-center’ blades?

J

Jrgn

Joined
Jan 17, 2023
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Quick question. Should these be considered ‘off center’ blades on a 2022 Case Peanut? I’m currently deciding to keep it or return it. Photo is in the link.
 
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no idea. I can't see the picture(s)

FWIW, Perfectly centered blades it rare on a production knife, regardless of the name on the tang stamp and the price point; always has been. Likely always will be.
The expectation of "centered blades" is a recent thing, Instigated by "collectors" who may or may not actually use the knife for anything but display.
TBH, prior to joining BF, I never even noticed if the blades were centered, if there were gaps between the springs or springs and liners (especially those that could only be seen if specifically looking for them using a bright light), or bolster(s) and covers, or blade rub -- so long as they did not affect the functionality of the knife; EG: A blade was rubbing against its neighbor or a liner that it was difficult to open the blade - period - or without opening the blade next to it first.

IMHO, If the blades are off center, it is a cosmetic quote/unquote "defect", so long as it does not affect functionality.
Insofar as gaps are concerned, unless they cause the blade(s) to have excessive side to side play at the bolster ... "cosmetic defect". Excessive side to side play affects functionality.

As my great grand father used to say: Expect "Perfection" ~ Expect Disappointment."

I will say "Since the blade centering on your knife bothers you enough to ask, send it back to the dealer, letting them know it isn't what you expected. "Off Centered Blades" may not be a warranty issue, depending on the severity. You'll never be happy with the knife, no matter what a bunch of guys on a forum say.


Welcome to Blade Forums and "The Porch". 😁👍
 
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afishhunter said:
As my great grand father used to say: Expect "Perfection" ~ Expect Disappointment."
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Your ggf was a wise man! For some reason I can’t get a picture uploaded/linked. But there is no “blade rub” or anything. It’s just that it is not perfectly center.
 
Jrgn said:
I can’t get a picture uploaded/linked. But there is no “blade rub” or anything. It’s just that it is not perfectly center.
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At your membership level you have to use a hosting site like Imgur.
Basic and higher can post pictures without using a hosting site.

If there isn't any blade rub, personally I wouldn't worry about it. You'll never notice the blades are slightly off when using the knife. 😇

Which Case Peanut did you get? "True Sharp" (stain less) or CS/CV (carbon steel)?

If carbon steel, are you going to let the blades patina, or keep them shiny? ("let it patina" is the easier of the two choices. Much less maintenance/work ... especially if you use it to peel or slice an apple or other fruit.)

Here's a thread showing off patinas.

Photos - Patina thread

lets see some of those users with some patina!
www.bladeforums.com www.bladeforums.com
 
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Jrgn said:
For some reason I can’t get a picture uploaded/linked.
Click to expand...

I agree with our Piscatory Predator friend that folks obsess about the most ridiculous things, including blade centering. Unless it affects the function, how would you even notice?

Here is how I post images. You do not need to be a paying member of BF or create an account with imgur for this to work:

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Paste the code you just copied directly into the body of your message and it should show up.
 
Yeah, looks like they’re off center. That’s low on my list of bug-a-boos as long as they aren’t rubbing against the liner.

I’ve got two peanuts I don’t really like. One has blades against the liner, the other one has blade rap that’s caused me to sharpen the blade down quite a bit.
 
Secondary pen is off for sure. Hard to tell on the clip. It may just be the camera angle, but it looks fairly even liner to liner from the bolster to about the last 1/4 of the blade, to starts to veer right, like the blade might have a slight bend at the tip, post heat treat.
I've seen and hard worse.
If it were mine, I wouldn't worry about it. A slightly bent blade (unintentional, like this, or intentional, AKA: "Kinked") isn't all that uncommon. I doubt it will be noticable when you use it.

You could send it back for an exchange, buy then you're taking a 60 to 70 percent chance (my guess) the replacement will be worse.
From all that has been said concerning Cases's quality control the last few years, I'd wager at least a stale donut the one you have is a "keeper".
TBH, it don't look that bad. It could be a LOT worse. You said no blade rub, too.

My vote is keep and use it. Why chance getting a worse one? I don't see anything that would keep it from being a fine user ... if one likes that size knife ... 😊👍
 
afishhunter said:
Secondary pen is off for sure. Hard to tell on the clip. It may just be the camera angle, but it looks fairly even liner to liner from the bolster to about the last 1/4 of the blade, to starts to veer right, like the blade might have a slight bend at the tip, post heat treat.
I've seen and hard worse.
If it were mine, I wouldn't worry about it. A slightly bent blade (unintentional, like this, or intentional, AKA: "Kinked") isn't all that uncommon. I doubt it will be noticable when you use it.

You could send it back for an exchange, buy then you're taking a 60 to 70 percent chance (my guess) the replacement will be worse.
From all that has been said concerning Cases's quality control the last few years, I'd wager at least a stale donut the one you have is a "keeper".
TBH, it don't look that bad. It could be a LOT worse. You said no blade rub, too.

My vote is keep and use it. Why chance getting a worse one? I don't see anything that would keep it from being a fine user ... if one likes that size knife ... 😊👍
Click to expand...

Thanks for your thorough explanation!
Could it also be that the clip blade is used in other models where it is put on the same spring with another blade opposite of it?

I know in Victorinox models like the Pioneer this phenomenon is very pronounced. The standard Pioneer has two blades on one spring. Then there is also a model called alox 1 or so, that only has the large pen blade but no other blades on it. Here you can clearly see that the pen blade was intended for the model with two blades on one spring.

Does Case also do it like this? TBH, as a European guy, I am fairly unfamiliar with Case as brand. I live in Victorinox and Opinel hardland :)
 
Well within Case's QC. Nothing about that prevents you from using the knife to cut things or displaying it. It is not a suitable candidate for return, other than to fulfill a "no questions asked" returns policy, meaning your dealer eats the cost of the transaction for a perfectly good knife.

I normally don't do super close examinations like that, but I picked up one of my favorite and most used Case knives just now to look at, and the blades are further off center than the one in your photo. I had never noticed before, and I've been carrying and using that knife for about 10 years.

If that really bothers you, then I would recommend not purchasing Case knives. Your expectations are not going to match reality.
 
Here’s a link to a YouTube video that I’ve used on several Case knives and others it’s worked every time. I’ve never tried it on a knife as small as a Peanut.
 
Ah the art of krinking...or is it crinking? 😁

I had an old IXL Wostenholm blade break off with one soft whack, trying to center the blade that was rubbing the liner. Have not been able to center couple of the Solingen made blades, no matter how many whacks, and Rough Ryders center super easily, at least on the couple I've tried.

Not long after that, I was informed by a well known knife maker that not all blades are softened near the tang. Caution should be had here as there is no way of telling whether the knives are intentionally softened near the tang.

The same maker told me that at least in older knives, off center blades have their own charm, speaks of how they were made by hand and aged with use over time.

Regardless, good luck!
 
Case actually does anneal the tangs on their blades, as documented in a 'How It's Made' video featuring their automated production process - the tang annealing step is shown starting at about 1:07 into the video linked below. They also point out it's done to allow some slight bending adjustments for fitting blades into the pocket knife.

Having said that, I personally wouldn't worry about the blade tips being slightly off-center in such a tiny knife as the peanut with very thin blades (which move, bend, flex, warp more easily) and very narrow space to fit them - even a tiny deviation from center will be more easily seen within those limitations. So long as they're not binding up or being damaged by edge impact against the liners upon closing, I don't view it as an issue. Over time and with some wear, the centering likely will continue to vary a bit anyway, as the new pivot's tightness relaxes a little bit with use. Even a brand new knife with perfect centering won't necessarily stay that way with use over time. I have a bunch of Case's folders and have never found a centering issue to be a functional problem with any of them.
 
If the centering bothers you then I would suggest returning it as it may always bother you. As many or most knife purchases are discretionary income buys I don't subscribe to the "it doesn't matter" camp. That said the centering may drift over time, especially on such a small knife.
 
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