Case Teardrop issues

solphilos

solphilos

Joined
Oct 17, 2009
Messages
1,076
So I decided to take another chance on Case and buy this beautiful knife. I could not resist it's good looks, and now I'm regretting that decision.

Although the knife is a work of art aesthetically, the construction is quite poor. I've read about weak springs with this particular knife but was not expecting it to be this bad.
The blades open too easily and don't quite snap closed. I can also open the blades to any angle and they will stay in place, definitely no risk if slicing the fingers with this one.

Is this even worth sending back to the factory? Is this even a flaw or just Case standard quality?

I know some of the advice I will get is to buy GEC instead, and although I would without hesitation I had to save for a while just to buy this Case.
It was knives of Chinese manufacture that made me fall in love with traditional American patterns, and its sad that the such an iconic American company cannot even come close to those standards.
 
The Case teardrops look nice to me. Although I don't have any of them I do like the way they look. I have owned several other Case knives and have not had issues with the blades opening too easily and def not closing well. Yours might just have an issue with the spring. Maybe you could drop by a store that carries the same knife and compare a bit. Can you post a pic of the knife? I'd like to see it.
 
I will gladly post pics of the knife perhaps at lunch break when I have time to find another image host. Apparently photo bucket wants my money.

The knife is gorgeous, I've always had a love for jacks and this one is an ideal design for me, except the actual function of this particular one which I'm not sure is a design flaw or it's just a lemon.
 
sometimes you need to flush a traditional to get that snap.

I have had a couple recently that had really weak actions (one light pull, one medium) and after a good rinse, blow out and oil they snap like champs! The light pull may not be so bad if you have a good smooth action

ETA: do these have half stops?
 
I thought the same thing, so I gave it a good cleaning and oiling and although it helped a bit the action is still very poor. I still have to manually guide the blade to the full open position.
It does have half stops.
 
I would see if the dealer can provide a replacement first unless you want to keep that exact knife. Sounds like you really like the looks of it.
 
Railsplitter said:
I would see if the dealer can provide a replacement first unless you want to keep that exact knife. Sounds like you really like the looks of it.
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I think that's going to be my next step. Its more the design in general I like, not this particular specimen. Actually, the "dark red" scales are much more of a light cherry that fades out to pink. Still not a bad looker though.
 
I don't know if it is a design flaw on that particular knife, but I doubt they would design a knife with blades that don't snap. Based on a similar experience I had with case, I would send it back, if you can't get a good one from the dealer. I had a swayback jack and the secondary blade was good, but the main blade had no snap open or closed. It was annoying enough that I basically didn't use it. I couldn't return it because I got the chestnut cv and it was the last one they had. Finally I decided to send it to case and told them it didn't have any snap. They replaced the spring and now it is perfect.

At the same time I sent back a stockman that I got new about 20 years ago and used pretty regularly, but a couple springs on that became very weak also, to the point where I didn't use the knife anymore. They replaced those springs and it is good as new. It also had a cracked scale and a little bit of bone missing and they replaced the scale. They did it all free of charge on both knives. It took 6 or 8 weeks, but the service was top notch. Good luck.
 
That's good to hear, Sacto. I wasn't sure if Case could or would do anything about poor snap outside of replacing the knife.
 
Sorry to hear about the problem with your teardrop solphilos. I always thought that Caes's rendition was one of the most attractive patterns available. I have one in ebony and one in bonestag. I just pulled them out to double check after your post. They are what I would want in w&t and f&f. The pull is maybe a soft '5' but otherwise is fine. Case is known for excellent CS. I would contact them and see where it goes.
 
Thanks Sacto that's really informative and helpful. If the dealer won't replace it (which I'm sure they will based on reputation) its good to know that Case will likely take care of it.
 
Yes. I wasn't sure what they would do, but I wasn't using either knife so I figured it was worth a shot. I think as long as they still make the pattern they will replace parts. Since it has been fixed, the swayback has been in my pocket a lot more. It's a great little knife.
 
joeradza said:
Sorry to hear about the problem with your teardrop solphilos. I always thought that Caes's rendition was one of the most attractive patterns available. I have one in ebony and one in bonestag. I just pulled them out to double check after your post. They are what I would want in w&t and f&f. The pull is maybe a soft '5' but otherwise is fine. Case is known for excellent CS. I would contact them and see where it goes.
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So at least the soft pull seems to be normal with the Teardrop. I can live with that, its just too bad that the spring gets weaker when it approaches the full open position.
This is also the first Case I got with really good edge bevels. Shaving sharp and evenly executed, so I'm nervous about taking another gamble and sending this one back. I might get a near perfect knife but may have to pay someone to reprofile the edge, again.
 
Sacto said:
Yes. I wasn't sure what they would do, but I wasn't using either knife so I figured it was worth a shot. I think as long as they still make the pattern they will replace parts. Since it has been fixed, the swayback has been in my pocket a lot more. It's a great little knife.
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That knife was a close second on my list. What a good looking and practical design. I love Case's styles, just wish they would get they're quality control in order.
 
When I bought my Teardrop this past Christmas (with some funds provided as a gift), I looked at two different ones. One of them had a soft/weak pull on both blades. The other, however, had good snap on both the master and pen blades. That's the one I bought, of course! I would return it to Case and ask for a replacement with good snap...they do exist!

Regards,
Ron
 
I'm on board with sending it back to Case. I've gotten a few that had pretty bad issues and instead of returning them where I got them for a replacement, I sent them right off to Case. They take a while to get back, but when they get fixed, they're perfect or pretty darn close. On one trapper I got, I sent it back for blade play and being way off center. The problems I sent it in for were resolved and they also put a fantastic edge on both blades, which I didn't ask for but it was a nice touch....
 
rwc53 said:
When I bought my Teardrop this past Christmas (with some funds provided as a gift), I looked at two different ones. One of them had a soft/weak pull on both blades. The other, however, had good snap on both the master and pen blades. That's the one I bought, of course! I would return it to Case and ask for a replacement with good snap...they do exist!

Regards,
Ron
Click to expand...
That's comforting to know, because I'd like to get one of those! So, if an Alox Pioneer
has a pull of 5, how would you rate your Teardrop?
By that standard mine is about a 3.
 
I assume this is the Tony Bose teardrop jack?

I have one in ebony (and Tony Bose's signature laser etched on the blade). I was disappointed when I bought it because it had a lot of blade wiggle. Some whacks with a rubber mallet fixed that, and the pivot is tight now, yet still retains all the snap it had before. And it does snap. In all positions. Physically and audibly. Pull on mine I'd rate about a 4. Definitely lighter than most, but not weak. It's maybe a slight tad stiffer from half-stop to open than closed to half-stop, which helps with the "walk" part of "walk and talk".

All in all, I'm very happy with the knife. I wouldn't mind if the pull was stiffer, but being a "dressy" knife, I feel it's appropriate for it to be a bit lighter.

If you're not happy with yours, definitely send it in. Send it back if you're disappointed with the scales, send it to Case if all you want is the action fixed. A few years back I got a "dark red" bone Case and was disappointed in the dull salmon color it actually had. Most real-life pictures I've seen with this bone have been the same. However, that's the only option (that I can find, at least) with 2 blades in CV steel except for bonestag and whancliffe main, so you might be stuck with the not-so-dark dark red.
 
Planterz said:
it does snap. In all positions. Physically and audibly. Pull on mine I'd rate about a 4. Definitely lighter than most, but not weak. It's maybe a slight tad stiffer from half-stop to open than closed to half-stop
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This accurately describes my one Case Teardrop Jack for the main blade. It is a soft pull but not quite too soft. Close though. A little lighter than I prefer, but not affecting function. The pen blade is fine.
 
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