Case: Peanut vs. small stockman

4Mica

4Mica

Joined
Sep 15, 2008
Messages
110
I will be giving some of my brothers-in-law a pocket knife for Christmas. I am looking at either a Case peanut or a Case small stockman. I know many on this forum love the the peanut but does anyone have any experience with the small stockman? And if you do how would you compare it to the peanut as a small EDC for non-knifenuts?

Thanks.
 
I have a couple of each and carry both patterns regularly. To me it's personal preference : 6 of 1 and a half-dozen of the other.

The sheepsfoot blade on the stockman is marginally better for opening packages.

But if I absolutely had to choose I'd go with the peanut.

BTW welcome to bladeforums and thanks for going gold right off the bat!
 
Great gift idea.. Either will do the job nicely.
Most people don't need 3 blades to choose from to do the task, but having a knife that has 3 blades might have a little more "wow factor" for the non knife folks..
Hopefully by giving them new knives for x-mas, it just might spark an interest and get some new folks involved in our great little hobby...

P.S you might even put a little note in with the knives mentioning this great forum... :D

Almost forgot, Welcome to BF....
 
It's a very tricky thing buying something as personel as a pocket knife for somebody. You have to take in thier lifestyle, line of work, type of clothes they usually wear, and personality.

Are you talking about the real small stockman that is something like 2 7/8ths or such?
 
jackknife said:
It's a very tricky thing buying something as personel as a pocket knife for somebody. You have to take in thier lifestyle, line of work, type of clothes they usually wear, and personality.

Are you talking about the real small stockman that is something like 2 7/8ths or such?
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Yes, I am talking about a real small stockman, 2 5/8ths. I know these guys very well, one is a banker and the other runs the parts warehouse for a large paving company. Both have showed an interest in my knives in the past but I figured something smaller than what I usually carry would be better for them.

p.s. I have enjoyed reading you stories and musings, thanks for sharing them with us.
 
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4Mica said:
Yes, I am talking about a real small stockman, 2 5/8ths. I know these guys very well, one is a banker and the other runs the parts warehouse for a large paving company. Both have showed an interest in my knives in the past but I figured something smaller than what I usually carry would be better for them.

p.s. I have enjoyed reading you stories and musings, thanks for sharing them with us.
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I personally would go with the Stockman, but either would make a fine gift. Welcome to the Forums.
 
My preference is the peanut. However, that is because my job requires that I wear dress slacks and the tapered design of the peanut is not as cumbersome as a stockman. If I'm out working and using the knive somewhat roughly, I much prefer the stockman because of the better hand leverage.

Hope that helps.
 
They are both excellent, the stockman of course gives you 3 blades to choose from.

But, you might also consider the Butterbean/Small Canoe as an option or even a Barlow at 3" from Great Eastern, a small sturdy knife but more expensive than the other options.

CASE pen-knife should not be ignored either.
 
willgoy said:
They are both excellent, the stockman of course gives you 3 blades to choose from.
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I guess what I worry about with the small stockman is that three blades is too much for such a small knife. I love my medium stockman but it is too big for dress trousers. I'll will look at the pen and baby butterbeans also.
 
My vote is for the stockman. Same size,two springs, but three blades.

I love my Schrade 108OT stockman as a small knife.:thumbup:

And I don't own a peanut.
 
Another one to consider might be the new CASE Swayback with Wharncliff&pen blades. Slightly over 3" and not thick, stag or greenbone scales(maybe others?)
 
4Mica said:
Yes, I am talking about a real small stockman, 2 5/8ths. I know these guys very well, one is a banker and the other runs the parts warehouse for a large paving company. Both have showed an interest in my knives in the past but I figured something smaller than what I usually carry would be better for them.

p.s. I have enjoyed reading you stories and musings, thanks for sharing them with us.
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Either of these knives will be a very nice pocket companion to a banker or warehouse manager. Both have rounded bolsters, both are small enough to ride in dress pants or dockers easy.

The only thing I think may have a bearing, is the peanut has more main blade than the small stockman. A bit wider and maybe a tiny bit longer. My own bias is toward the peanut because it does seem to pack more blade in a small package, and the boxy handle gives me a little more grip. But I will admit I'm personally predjudiced toward the peanut.

As was mentioned, the baby butterbean also is a good knife for that role. By co-incidence, a once in a while member of our regular Friday morning breakfast club is a bank manager, and he carries a little butter bean in stag. Suit guys like small.

And you're welcome.
 
What about the small stockman for your banker as it is so small and very suit friendly.
Make sure you get the rounded bolsters x327 not the square bolsters x333, as the rounded bolsters sit better in suit trouser

And the peanut for your warehouse manager as it has more blade length for some 'real' cutting.

Case also makes 3 1/4" stockmans, would this be too large for the warehouse manager?
 
I have a couple examples of both, and I greatly prefer the small stockman. The small stockman is a very nice, and underrated Case pattern, IMO. I'm writing this all the way from Korea, and the one knife I chose to bring with me was my tangerine bone Case small stockman. It's been all the knife I've needed for the last couple weeks.

I just like the feel of the small stockman better- the three blades are nice, and I like that they don't have half stops. The half stops on the peanut are not needed.
 
jackknife said:
The only thing I think may have a bearing, is the peanut has more main blade than the small stockman. A bit wider and maybe a tiny bit longer.
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Yeah, buddy, the 'nut packs a lot of cutting into that main blade. Holding my trusty harvest orange peanut up to my Old Timer 33OT Middleman Jack (a knife I consider large enough to be a solid working knife in the real world), I noticed that the peanut's main blade is just a half a hair shorter than the Old Timer's, and the pen blades are basically the same - yet when closed, the peanut is about a half inch shorter! Meaning, you get just as much cutting power in a smaller, easier-to-carry package.
 
I’ve carried a Jr. Stockman all my life. I can’t give you a comparison, though. I’ve never owned a peanut. The small stockman handles small knife tasks very well.

That said, I also carry a jackknife for heavier work. Sometimes I need a longer blade. Often times I need a bigger handle. I can’t do power cutting—for example sharpening tent pegs or plugs for concrete forms—with such a small handle. One or two, sure. One or two hour’s worth and my hand would be hurting.

But if all you need a knife for is opening mail and sharpening pencils, a small stockman is certainly up to the task.
 
I thought I might pop in and add a couple cents worth on a crazy Korean keyboard. The main problem I have with current Peanuts- at least in the recent Tru-sharp examples I've come across- is that they are not very nicely finished. The jigging in particular, is horrendous. The jigging on the last 2 Case Peanuts I've bought is about on par with Rough Rider standards. Which is to say.... awful.

Conversely, the last small Case Stockman I've bought- the tangerine bone, has excellent jigging- the best I've ever seen on such a small knife. The F&F on the recent small stockmen I've seen is far and away superior to what I've seen on Case's recent Peanuts. The springs are better, the grinds are better, the edges are better, and perhaps most importantly (on such small knives) the nail nicks are better. The nail nicks on the most recent small stockmen I've seen are crisp and deep. The nail nicks on the most recent Peanuts I've bought are shallow and muddy. Which means that the small stockmen are easier and smoother to open, while the peanuts are somewhat of a chore.
 
4Mica said:
I guess what I worry about with the small stockman is that three blades is too much for such a small knife. I love my medium stockman but it is too big for dress trousers. I'll will look at the pen and baby butterbeans also.
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I have a dedicated use for each blade on my Jr. Stockman. The sheepsfoot is my rough work blade. Opening parcels, clearing muck from my wafflestompers, cutting cardboard, cleaning the terminals on an automotive battery. The smallest blade is always a pen, not a spay. That’s my precision point. For lack of a better term, my splinter-picker. The larger clip blade is for precise edge work. Sharpening pencils, cutting light fuzz sticks, idle carving. If I only carried this knife, the clip would be my do-everything-else blade. I could do a lot more with the clip blade if I had to, but the small handle limits its use.

When I have my tool belt on, the knife I always grab is a retractable utility knife. (I grew up calling it a sheet rock knife.) That has an inch of blade on a six inch handle. Despite the clumsy triangle shaped blade, I can do an awful lot with that knife because it has enough handle. A trapper or stockman with even a three and a half inch grip is a better tool than the small stockman, for larger jobs.
 
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