Case quality control?

[Buzzbait]

I have a lot of Case knives. The only things that I'm truly picky about are walk and talk, and blade play. Case is very hit of miss on both accounts, and from what I can tell, they have been for quite a long time. I have a bunch of Case knives from the last 3 or 4 years. They're not too bad on walk and talk, but a fair amount of blade play issues, even on single blade folders.

My Case's from around 2000 are a total mess. Blade play like crazy and horrible walk and talk.

I recently acquired three 6445R scouts from the mid 70's. They have a little bit of misc blade play, which is not unusual in a 4 blade knife. But the walk and talk is all over the place on the main blades. One has excellent action. One has almost no walk, due to a skewed pivot pin hole. One is somewhere in the middle.

As far as the bone goes, it's definitely an issue. I've successful dyed GEC knives to suit my taste, with very little effort. But my Case knives resist dye in the worst possible way. I can soak those knives in dye for hours, with very little change in color. I no longer buy bone covered Case knives anymore, sight unseen.

 

[jakeman]

I really wanted to collect some case traditional patterns but I don't believe their price is worth it. He'll I've had rough rider and sanranmu knives that give you more bang for the buck. Case thinks just because they are case people will buy regardless.

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[brownshoe]

I have never bought a Case that I needed to send back out of the box and I buy one or two a year since 2005. The only thing I fixed out of the box was a rare wire edge on <$40 knives. I like giving them as presents. You can get them at B&M stores as last minute treats . To me, Case/Bose line is as good as most customs and better than many. Case has different levels of price/quality.

I like their patterns much better GEC. I have yet to find a design/price combo from them that trips my trigger.

Not being able to readily take a home dye job could mean its stabilized, which could be a good thing. I bought a custom slipjoint in September and the maker proudly told me he sourced the bone himself from Texas cows, jigged it by hand, but sent it to Culpepper for a professional dye and stabilization treatment. The color was not fancy, just brown.

 

[toppygray82]

I must be the luckiest guy around because of the dozen or so Case knives I own every one is the equal of any production traditional knife made. The only difference is the covers are of a lower cost.

Received this case sowbelly, there is a gap between liners and bone.

Thought about selling it, but i will send it to Case.

I will keep you updated.

Maybe i am too picky.

Feedbacks are welcome.

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[Will Power]

Mmmh, I would certainly dislike that shoddy gap between bone and liner. It's a recent knife? Or has it shrunk back in dry atmosphere?. Blade play in a single is not welcome either....

 

[toppygray82]

Mmmh, I would certainly dislike that shoddy gap between bone and liner. It's a recent knife? Or has it shrunk back in dry atmosphere?. Blade play in a single is not welcome either....

Recent

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[supratentorial]

I've also had a lot of good experiences buying Case knives and in particular I buy a lot of sowbellies from Case (and other makers). I haven't gotten one with a gap like you showed. It is not acceptable. But it is also not representative of my experience.

Definitely send it back.

 

[toppygray82]

Recent

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Recent, actually i have two of sowbellies, the one shown and another one that would have been perfect if there was not any blade play and if it was centered.



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[supratentorial]

Recent, actually i have two of sowbellies, the one shown and another one that would have been perfect if there was not any blade play and if it was centered.



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Blade play is a real issue. I'm not sure that I would say off centered is an issue. That's the way they are made. I think that Case uses the same offset blades for single and three blade sowbellies. So it will be off center because the blades are offset. As long as it's not touching the liners, it shouldn't be a problem.

In addition to the many sowbellies that I've bought from Case over the years, I gave several away to friends as Christmas gifts this year. And my recent experience was very good. I ordered them blindly off the internet from a reputable dealer and looked over each one before wrapping them up. No problems. I think you've just had bad luck.


A few older photos

 

[mightyzaa]

bought two case knives online back to back. both cv. chestnut medium stockman. very minor gaps. not bad. super sharp out of the box. no burr edge. very happy. got the amber texas jack yesterday. super sharp and no gaps, but the clip has a very slight crook in it. about a half inch from the tip. strange. plus the amber has a pinkish cast near the bolsters. good cutters for work. and toppygray82, that bone is terrible, but blade wobble is no good. you ain't being picky at all. by the way, if a blade wobbles when new, with normal use, can it get worse? could it possibly fail during use? where the knife actually falls apart?

 

[joeradza]

Definitely not too picky. That gap is unacceptable. Sometimes it's just a matter of numbers. If one out of a hundred is a lemon we probably think that's ok. But for Case that could be 100 out of 10,000. Now it sounds bad. Plus it's probably harder to check 10,000 than 100. I'm not sure I have the answer. I do know that Case will make good on a problem.

 

[toppygray82]

Thank you guys, i love case knives and the sowbelly pattern is just perfect.


I will send it to case, this knife is too pretty


Off it goes.

I know case will fine tune it.
No questions asked , problem,..





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[TinyDog]

Jakeman,

Case still produces quality knives for the most part..... The issue is when Pocket knife collecting started `Mid 60's` or so, things have changed. Prior Case knives were real tools and needed to perform real work, not necessarily today...

The fundamentals that have changed IMHO are:

1) The loss of skilled Cutlers, not bashing but comparing to the old days when Case were the best was when there was no automation, or near none, cutlers saw nearly every piece that went out the door. As the technical marvels came to play, the bulk of the knives cannot ever be the same. Automation will never replace the same even as it's best. Think about the few `hand built cars` manufactured Globally today, there is a reason for it.

2) Next up, Profit! Yes All businesses are about profit but not the way they are today)-: Today we sell almost everything for profit, Not only goods that are tangible like knives, but visions of grandeur... Not the way it use to be. One has to give this some thought... Case is not excluded with their knives.

3) Lastly, is what I call targeting.... Case marketing does a lot of work to find their buyers today, understands what is profitable, and produces what the business needs to appease the consumer. Colors,Scales, combinations within, On and on...... One might say that is a good thing, Yes.. But all the different flavors and the same create even more complexity in the big picture, automation or not! Quality will suffer.

In Conclusion: This is far from a rant, many reputable producers today of quality knives do the same(Targeting), that is a fact. However any Cutlery company that still exists today from the past, at least in the US, Case and few others are only as good as their product produced. And that can be challenging to say the least....

Finally, My post here is just that, an Opinion. However, When buys a Knife with a name of Case or any other long standing US made cutler today, it does not mean you will not get quality, just beware that perfection from years gone by may NOT be just that...

Best Regards, Tiny D Send your blade back I am sure Case will make it Right!

 

[joeradza]

Tiny, the only real disagreement I have is point one. Automation will outdo hand made any day of the week when we are talking volume. There is no maker that can produce in volume. SAK has it down to a science. On a one to one basis, yes, you're correct. But we're talking about 10,000's of knives a week. Case probably produces more knives in a week than most custom makers combined in their lives. Big difference.

 

[toppygray82]

Jakeman,

Case still produces quality knives for the most part..... The issue is when Pocket knife collecting started `Mid 60's` or so, things have changed. Prior Case knives were real tools and needed to perform real work, not necessarily today...

The fundamentals that have changed IMHO are:

1) The loss of skilled Cutlers, not bashing but comparing to the old days when Case were the best was when there was no automation, or near none, cutlers saw nearly every piece that went out the door. As the technical marvels came to play, the bulk of the knives cannot ever be the same. Automation will never replace the same even as it's best. Think about the few `hand built cars` manufactured Globally today, there is a reason for it.

2) Next up, Profit! Yes All businesses are about profit but not the way they are today)-: Today we sell almost everything for profit, Not only goods that are tangible like knives, but visions of grandeur... Not the way it use to be. One has to give this some thought... Case is not excluded with their knives.

3) Lastly, is what I call targeting.... Case marketing does a lot of work to find their buyers today, understands what is profitable, and produces what the business needs to appease the consumer. Colors,Scales, combinations within, On and on...... One might say that is a good thing, Yes.. But all the different flavors and the same create even more complexity in the big picture, automation or not! Quality will suffer.

In Conclusion: This is far from a rant, many reputable producers today of quality knives do the same(Targeting), that is a fact. However any Cutlery company that still exists today from the past, at least in the US, Case and few others are only as good as their product produced. And that can be challenging to say the least....

Finally, My post here is just that, an Opinion. However, When buys a Knife with a name of Case or any other long standing US made cutler today, it does not mean you will not get quality, just beware that perfection from years gone by may NOT be just that...

Best Regards, Tiny D Send your blade back I am sure Case will make it Right!

Yes cutlery industry and cutlery workers from the past made tools, and took many things into consideration when producing a fine piece of cutlery : pride, skills, effort , aesthetic and quality.

Not saying current workers do not.

Is just different now in my opinion.


I love case and support case knives for their rich history and the fact they are still in business, sometimes is hard to stay in business due to competition, lost of interest from collectors etc

Often companies set out to overflow the market with their products and that is when quality becomes an issue.





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[AShearer]

Received this case sowbelly, there is a gap between liners and bone.

Thought about selling it, but i will send it to Case.

I will keep you updated.

Maybe i am too picky.

Feedbacks are welcome

 

[Jeff_R]

Hi AShearer,

Edit: My bad; I didn't read AShearer's reply carefully - should have addressed my reply to toppygray82.

Yeah that looks like pretty bad warpage of the pile side scale. Did you buy it new? If so, if I were you I'd take it back to the seller or send it to Case to get it fixed or replaced.

Jeff

 

[AShearer]

Hi AShearer,

Yeah that looks like pretty bad warpage of the pile side scale. Did you buy it new? If so, if I were you I'd take it back to the seller or send it to Case to get it fixed or replaced.

Jeff

Mistaken identity. I screwed up trying to reply. Not my knife! Sorry.


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[toppygray82]

Hi AShearer,

Edit: My bad; I didn't read AShearer's reply carefully - should have addressed my reply to toppygray82.

Yeah that looks like pretty bad warpage of the pile side scale. Did you buy it new? If so, if I were you I'd take it back to the seller or send it to Case to get it fixed or replaced.

Jeff

I have different sowbellies and recenly discovered this problem on this one.

I always use mineral oil and lemon oil on my natural handle scales to help with moisture . I dont think the gap on the knife is a bone shrinkage due to dry environment.




I will send it to case.

My experience with case repair department has been good, i sent a tony bose zulu spear that had the same problem, they fix it in no time and send it back to me, same with two other knives

I usually sell the faulty case knives at a loss.

I had several case knives that should have stay at the factory or should have been marked as second and priced accordingly.

I still love case.

But from experience is always a good idea to ask questions or handle the knife before buying.

I willl post pictures of the knife once i get it back from case..








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[deltaboy]

I got 3 Cases and they all been fine but I know that even the best QC can miss some things.