Case quality

leghog said:
Buy Case knives in person.
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While I agree with those who think Case’s QC has improved of late, it hasn’t quite gotten to the point where I’m willing to buy sight unseen if I don’t have to.

Fortunately, one of the largest Case dealers (not a forum sponsor) is < 10 miles from my home.
 
Because of the scarcity of Case patterns here, I have bought most Cases by mail and never was disappointed. Those I received as gifts or GAW are 1st class as well.
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I got a Case knife for Christmas bought on-line. It was perfect.

I sure hope Case's quality doesn't change since I've never had to return a Case knife for out-of-box problems. Whether I bought in person or online. I like to give US-made traditional knives as graduation presents so I've bought a few.

I guess I just have low expectations :)
 
My Case teardrop "2018 knife of the year" nominee is almost flawless. Every bit as nice as the GECs I've owned and quite a bit less money. What really impresses me is the back spring is nearly flush in the half stop position. None of my GECs were even close.

Edited for clarity.
 
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JohnDF said:
I think if anything, Case's quality is improving again.
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I totally agree !
The only real issues I've had years ago was with the color of the bone I received vs the color represented on Case's web site.

The last few I have bought, mostly large Trappers, are very pleasing.
I bought a Dark Red Bone Trapper in CV to carry all through Christmas / December. Nicely made, perfect pull and walk and talk, nicely ground and sharpened. I would have liked the Red Bone to have been even darker but at least it wasn't anemic or white on the ends like in the past.

I have bought exclusively on line.
You can always request they pull the one they are sending to you out of the box and have them be sure it meets your expectations (you need to be clear ahead of time what those expectations are).

I'll buy another Case; no problem !
Hahaha . . . I've never bought a GEC for one reason and another . . . partly because I'm not all that good at fighting over them in the trough . . . sounds like I'll wait a while longer.
Who knows maybe Case will make a Brown Jigged Bone Sunfish and a Smooth Ebony Split Spring Grinling Whittler and I won't ever buy a GEC. Those are the only two I want.
 
I buy most of my Case knives on line from a dealer in Lebanon MO. and I have been very pleased with the quality of all except one ( a CV 6347) that I have purchased since the late 90's. I have a couple from the early 90's that F&F are lacking.
While I agree we shouldn't expect GEC quality at the Case Price point we really shouldn't have to pay $100 or more for that Quality. I have several Schrade USA made knives (30OT, 98OT, 194OT, 3OT, 108OT, 72OT) all made in the 90's that rival anything put out by GEC. Granted they have Delrin scales but the F&F of the scales & springs is impeccable! And they cost about $20 each when new which converts to about what a Case knife cost today. I think the average worker just doesn't take the pride in his work that he used to!
 
I have owned a handful of newer Case knives and not one of them comes close to the fit and finish of the Case knives I have from 1998 and before. It's 2019, why can't they can't make them as good as they did 20 years ago?

After buying 3 duds with blade play, off centered blades and crappy seams between the bolsters I refuse to buy them any longer. Also they were not sharp. It's a knife. I should be able to press my thumb against the blade and get cut. I'll gladly pay double for a GEC.
 
I have no issues with Case. They make a good knife, at a decent price. Somtimes they arent quite perfect but...theyre half the price of a GEC. And GEC isnt all theyre cracked up to be from the ones Ive handled. Most Cases are very good. Some come perfect, I have an amber bone mini copperlock that I bought absolutely flawless.Then again, I have a small blue bone stockman that came out of the box pretty rough, and I picked from a few to find the best example. Overall, they are like any company trying to stay afloat in todays world. Not every knife is perfect, but they make a huge selection. And theyre American. Cut Case some slack people, theyre pretty good and theyre one of the last US companys doing things the old way, and for a good price. They make everything from delrin working knives to fancy gold inlayed collector pieces, so of course a lemon gets through occasionally. Theyre made by real humans, who make mistakes sometimes.
 
Reading this thread, new members are going to get the idea that GEC makes a crappy knife.
Both of these knives are almost perfectly executed, the GEC TC and the Case Small Coke Bottle.
I see no reason to run down GEC to justify my Case purchases, or run down Case to justify the price of a GEC.
I am thankful we have two good manufacturers of traditional knives still going strong here in the U. S. :thumbsup: :cool: :thumbsup:



Sorry for the interruption... Back to our regularly scheduled program.
 
One thing I've found that will really take alot of guesswork out is to get a Tony Bose Case pattern, such as a teardrop, sowbelly, saddlehorn trapper, tribal lock..............I'm sure there are more. The fit and finish seem to be a little bit better. Then to further improve your odds, get a Tony Bose pattern in the pocket worn. They are further buffed. The Tony Bose Case I have that are pocket worn look like a very expensive knife, but only about $10 more than a standard Case. I know some people feel the pocket worn are like cheating because the wear isn't earned, but I just think of them as basically a smooth bone knife. Biggest issue on those would probably be possibly scales that don't match up in color, one side more faded than the other. Some people would think this a flaw, but I think Case just lets this go because it sets it apart from a standard production knife where every thing is the same. Makes them a little unique.
I'm not saying a standard Case is bad either, I've had good luck buying them sight unseen and wouldn't really think twice about doing so, but in my opinion, a pocketworn Tony Bose version is just another level.
 
CVamberbonehead said:
I have no issues with Case. They make a good knife, at a decent price. Somtimes they arent quite perfect but...theyre half the price of a GEC. And GEC isnt all theyre cracked up to be from the ones Ive handled. Most Cases are very good. Some come perfect, I have an amber bone mini copperlock that I bought absolutely flawless.Then again, I have a small blue bone stockman that came out of the box pretty rough, and I picked from a few to find the best example. Overall, they are like any company trying to stay afloat in todays world. Not every knife is perfect, but they make a huge selection. And theyre American. Cut Case some slack people, theyre pretty good and theyre one of the last US companys doing things the old way, and for a good price. They make everything from delrin working knives to fancy gold inlayed collector pieces, so of course a lemon gets through occasionally. Theyre made by real humans, who make mistakes sometimes.
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Exactly. Case makes a good product. GEC makes a good product. Nothing is perfect. I find fault in every knife I've ever owned and I still enjoy them.
 
I feel as though Case has really stepped up its quality control in the last few years. I'm almost ready to start purchasing them off the Internet again, instead of searching out opportunities to hand pick them. The last few I've picked up have been nearly perfect.
 
Just to clarify my earlier statement...

Case makes good knives. If I found myself in need of a knife, I’d buy one sight unseen without hesitation.

But...

I probably won’t *need* a knife for the rest of my life. In fact, I suspect most of us here already own enough knives to perform any cutting task that we’re likely to face over the course of several lifetimes.

These days when I buy a knife I want something special. Something that’s especially shiny and pretty or something that sparks nostalgia—reminding me of the knives “real men” carried during my childhood. I want it to make me smile when I pull it out of my pocket. I don’t wear jewelry (other than a wedding ring and watch), so knives are my “bling.”

Case makes a *lot* of knives in a wide variety of patterns and blade configurations, and to expect every single one of them to be nearly flawless while maintaining affordable prices (and paying American wages) just isn’t realistic. Many of them are going to have minor “issues” that matter not a bit in terms of function. I don’t mind picking through three or four examples to find one that looks to have had a little extra time and effort applied in its assembly and finishing. Fortunately, I live in a place that provides me the opportunity to do so.

I will also say that I’ve seen an uptick in overall quality in the past few years, and that’s a good thing.
 
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