I have some good news to report. I had a few extra minutes on the road today to stop at [name of very large Case dealer in Missouri] to check out a few models and handle materials that were on my list.
First was the medium stockman, the pattern I really like with the rounded bolsters, in "amber bone rancher" handles. From a distance, and in photos, the handles look plastic-y so I wanted to see them in person before buying. No worries, up close the bone has an incredible level of detail from the sawcut pattern and dye. I even like the laser "Case" logo and "USA." Fit and finish on this knife is pretty good. No blade play, appropriate spring tension, and liners/springs/scales are a near-perfect fit. The blade edge isn't quite smooth, it seems to have a burr, and the edge is slightly jagged. Not perfect, but a huge improvement over the jagged mess from a couple of years ago. I bought this one.
Second knife was a slimline stockman. I checked out one variation, the CV steel and red bone handle. Wasn't hugely fond of the red on that pattern, but it was the only one in CV. The blade was a bit loose, so I sent it back into the cabinet.
Third knife was a surprise, something that caught my eye and screamed out from the display glass. It's another medium stockman with rounded bolsters and smooth brown handles. No CV on this one, stainless only. The effect of the bone polished smooth and stained brown is stunning. No blade play whatsoever, and the blade edge is finished nicely. Naturally, I bought this one too.
I'm on the road and don't drag around my photo studio gear, so you'll have to settle for this factory pictures:
The color on mine is more of a reddish-brown, and mine are more mottled than this example. One side of mine is mottled really nicely, orange-brown and white and dark brown, that gives it a depth and level of interest way beyond seen in the factory example.
