Case Teardrop Advice/Opinions

5K Qs

5K Qs

Gold Member
Joined
Jul 20, 2014
Messages
15,226
I'm interested in ordering a Case teardrop, but would appreciate any advice, opinions, experiences, and/or reviews that others are willing to offer.

Do you recommend the 1-blade or the 2-blade version? If 1-blade, wharncliffe or spearpoint? Does the 2-blade come in anything other than spear/pen? CV or Tru-sharp? Is this a "gentleman's knife" or is it a sturdy all-purpose knife? Lots of covers available - just a matter of taste?

I'm currently leaning toward the chestnut jigged bone CV wharncliffe model simply because I have several knives from that series and like them a lot. But I'd like to hear the opinions of fellow forumites. Thanks!

- GT
 
GT, I don't have one but I do know that it was patterned after the old quill knives that were used to sharpen pens --the original pen knives. Tony's pattern has a longer blade than the oldies. My impression was that Case's tear drop would be an alternative to other present day pen knives but I have never seen one except in photos. So I will also be learning more about them as others reply to the topic.
 
Since you have a Swayback Jack, maybe a couple pictures will help.
Case teardrop and swayback 1.jpg Case teardrop and swayback 2.jpg
Mine is in Bonestag, and so is maybe a bit thicker than the normal jigged bone would be. I would have preferred chestnut bone, but this was the only one I found that was two-bladed, wharncliffe, CV.
 
Gary, I bought my girlfriend a single SS spear blade teardrop in that pink/purple cotton candy bone. It’s got good fit and finish, good snap on the blade and came with a pretty good edge.

It’s not a pattern that I’d be interested in having though, and mainly it’s because of the proportions. Not just with the handle, but the blade also since it’s quite slim in height. It’s certainly a gentleman/office type knife to me.
 
I've only got the single blade spear. It's an elegant knife, suitable for light tasks like opening mail, trimming nails, etc. Not really a working knife, IMO, even in CV. Think of it as a pen knife, but with a handle that's long enough to grab with a full hand. My single spear in ebony is very slim. I'm not particularly interested in a 2 blade, as the thickness contradicts the slim elegance I like the single blade for.
 
Gary here is a link to an older thread on this subject. It even contains a video and some posts from Tony in there. Most of the photos have suffered the dreaded PS plague, however there are still several available to view. Post #166 by Pmew has a nice photo comparison between the 2 Blade teardrop and the 15 Boys Knife. I have two examples. They are both Tru Sharp and both two Blade Spear / Pen combos. I have to admit I really like the fit and function on my examples. Like most of the case knives that bear the “TB” in their model number they are some of the best that Case puts through their doors. I also have to admit that both of mine have been reserved for dress carry. What we refer to down here in the south as “Sunday go to meeting”. I have handled a Chestnut CV Wharncliffe model and I liked it. I also saw one in CV Damascus that looked very nice. Good luck with your decision my friend. :)
 
I picked this one up at the Case/Zippo Store in Bradford awhile back. I haven't carried it much but I think it's a great knife. The build is excellent, no blade play, nice half stop and flush in all positions. It's not really made to be pinched open. It's a nice slim carry and although it looks dainty, I'm sure it will handle most reasonable pocket knife tasks.
Here it is with a Peanut for comparison.
t5y0Xie.jpg

9FnHOi8.jpg
 
I have one. 2-bladed spear point version. Well made. Softer pulls than most of my other Case knives. Not quite too soft, but close. Decent walk/talk otherwise.

Nothing really wrong with the knife but it just never really did anything for me. That main blade is like a longer pen blade. I don't really care for the slightly rounded zulu spear point. Maybe the Wharncliffe version would be better, but it was not a choice at the time I bought it (through the exchange here, actually).

So - if you like the looks and size, it'll probably cut the things you need to cut, though it's more on the gentlemen's knife side of the spectrum.
 
Got a 2 blade PW Red Bone spear point.. Like every thing about it!! W&T is a little soft but that's ok.. Like how it fits in my hand.. I got LG hands and don't think its too small.. Put a good edge on both blades and it cuts real nice.. Over all.. 10pts!!!;) John
 
I gave my son a CV Chestnut wharncliffe single blade for his birthday. The chestnut bone on his is very light in color. Case did not put a lot of blade in that frame, it's pretty short.
 
My experience: I had 3 of these knives - 2 blade Jack in Redbone but gave it away. Very nicely finished, wraparound spring is a fine touch but I actually found the knife oddly bulky for a knife with very small blades. Single blade stainless Amber Bone, this is Barehead and has 4 pins with a Spear blade. Once again, F&F is top no question, the Amber Bone is very attractive and there is much to like with this knife. Recently got a cv Chestnut Bone Wharncliffe single blade, F&F is also highly impressive, even good snap and the Chestnut Bone is a pretty handle choice. I like the Wharncliffe better than the Spear as it looks more suited to the frame and has a great pointy tip, the Spear doesn't. However, it's endcappped and 3 pins and that is not as pleasing as the Barehead version, having a very pointed candle tip I like the look of it more without the rear bolster, 4 pins is superior too.

These knives have limited use it's certainly true, as Jake pointed out they are a kind of Quill knife. So, the blade is quite small compared to the frame length, they do feel good in the hand though. I use my Wharncliffe to cut garlic in cooking...works admirably, I could use it for cuttings in the garden or opening light envelopes but that's about it. Pipe smokers might like it for bowl scraping I suppose...I don't write with a quill so that's out. Well made indeed, decorative and interesting but it is not that practical, plenty of small knives are but somehow not this one. Nice for the collection but not much of an EDC really.

What I would like to do is to take the Wharncliffe blade out of a Mini Trapper and have it put in the Amber Bone Barehead, that would give you a longer and broader blade I still think it would get in the frame. But I suspect this would be a difficult and costly operation so that's out....

jgoryrX.jpg
 
I don't think the blade is noticeably shorter than the one on the Swayback, it just look like it in the longer handle. It's certainly big enough to sharpen pencils, open mail, peel fruit, etc.

Case wharncliffes.jpg
 
I agree with all said above. I had one single blade that I gave to my daughter, even in the ostrich leather sheath she is hardly larger than a lipstick tube (the knife, not the daughter).
The second I still have is a gift from @Will, the two blade pocket worn red. This is the kind of knife you take and forget until you need it, she is totally unobstrusive in the pocket.
Teardrops.jpg
 
I don't have the teardrop, but my experience from the swayback is that I thought I would like the single blade better, but I believe I prefer the two-blade version slightly more. It fills the hand a bit better. I also think I slightly prefer the bareheaded version to the one with two bolsters and from the pictures that preference would carry over to the teardrop. I really like the Wharncliffe blade and the chestnut jigged bone CV is really nice. I think 6.5 bonestag and SS would be really sweet too (you can get a 2018 bareheaded with spear blade in that setup!). Some say the blade seems short for the handle, but I've read that Tony says he designed it that way on purpose. Have fun shopping!
 
5K Qs said:
I'm interested in ordering a Case teardrop, but would appreciate any advice, opinions, experiences, and/or reviews that others are willing to offer.

Do you recommend the 1-blade or the 2-blade version? If 1-blade, wharncliffe or spearpoint? Does the 2-blade come in anything other than spear/pen? CV or Tru-sharp? Is this a "gentleman's knife" or is it a sturdy all-purpose knife? Lots of covers available - just a matter of taste?

I'm currently leaning toward the chestnut jigged bone CV wharncliffe model simply because I have several knives from that series and like them a lot. But I'd like to hear the opinions of fellow forumites. Thanks!

- GT
Click to expand...

I think they make that knife with a Damascus blade, and, while I have no experience with the pattern, I do have experience with case steel (as do you). I recommend the Damascus they use if you have the opportunity to get it. Sharpens really nice and send like it'll cut longer than the other stuff.
 
I was given a two bladed teardrop by a student earlier this year. It is a red jigged bone with stippling on the bolsters (or jigging, or some sort of fancy dimples). Both blades are spears. The F&F are good, the blades are sharp, and the walk and talk is softer and quieter, but not disappointing. It is a gentleman's knife rather than a study all-purpose knife, from what I can tell. It is very pretty though, and fully functional. I think whatever one you get you'll be pleased with it.
 
Thanks for all the informative, helpful input!! :thumbsup::thumbsup:
Special thanks to:
r8shell r8shell for the pics comparing her tear drop to Swayback Jack and others. (Also for photo proof that once upon a time, 2-blade models with a wharncliffe main did exist. I don't think that there are any current models in that configuration.)
Half/Stop Half/Stop for the link to a relevant and informative old thread. I searched for old threads, but apparently missed (or ignored) that one, Ron.
Peregrin Peregrin for the pics comparing his tear drop to a peanut.
supratentorial supratentorial for the link to the Tony Bose video.
Will Power Will Power for describing his extensive experiences with the pattern, including his opinion on barreled vs endcap, and his (and Jolipapa Jolipapa 's) pics of some great-looking examples.

Despite all your replies, I still haven't made a final decision on what to order. :rolleyes: Maybe I'll procrastinate on the tear drop decision and buy a Tribal Lock I saw on sale now.

- GT
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top