Case Tony Bose Collabs pic and discussion thread.

I was wondering how folks felt regarding the Wilfred, I have a well known weakness for lockbacks, and I’ve seen plenty of feed back on the Whittlers but not this model, outside of WV’s experience (definitely put up after photos:)).
Also, if anyone knows Tony and has :D influence, something with an awl would just be tremendous. I see he does a nice little HJ:rolleyes: from time to time ;)
Beautiful knives everyone!
Thanks, Neal
 
As far as the Wilfred lockback goes, here is my experience. Ordered an Ebony, returned the Ebony as it possessed just about the worst hafting job I had seen on a knife. There was actually a large, scalloped area where the bolsters met the covers. It was so bad that the bolsters appeared tapered from above. It was replaced with a bone stag model that is very nice except for the bone being very light. I just dyed it brown and it is now much more my taste. Locks up solid with zero play, pretty loose when unlocked and closing though.

Some hit & miss with these knives but when you get a good one, it is very good indeed.
 
I have a Yukon Jack, AK Hunter, Norfolk and Tribal Spear. All but the Yukon are in ebony and bought on-line. All were fine as received. But then, I don't expect perfection from a factory knife. I don't expect perfection from any human made product. Some of y'all expect custom quality from a production knife. You're lucky Case is accommodating and almost makes it.

I buy custom knives as well, and at shows I've seen more custom knives with problems than I've ever seen "bad" Case/Bose knives outed on this forum. Per the Wilfred lockback, it runs about $350. I bought a custom lockback with mammoth tooth covers for $475. It's not as perfect as my Case Bose knives. But hey, it's beautiful covers and mirror polished blade and works as intended. No complaints, it's a human-made product. Why buy knives for perfection? I know I'm not perfect :)

Most pictures I've seen of "flaws" in a Case/Bose collaboration are in the eye of the beholder. Although you paid a lot of money, it's still a production knife. They are made in runs of 1000 every year. Has any maker of "perfect" traditional folders even approached a 1000 slipjoint knives in their career? Maybe Reese Bose may reach that goal soon :) Oh wait, I know, Rough Riders are almost perfect so for 20x$ more Case should be perfect...

I've had to get custom knives repaired, and that's not always easy. Makers quit, die and sometimes do a bad job fixing the problem. I had one problem with my AK Hunter. I use it in the kitchen and on a hot July day it sat in water for about an hour and a crack developed in the ebony cover. Case took care of it for free. It's been fine ever since.

Oh, I guess I had a problem with the Tribal Spear, it had a white streak in the ebony. Someone on this forum rejected theirs because of the "bad ebony" since it wasn't all black. Ebony is not always all black. It's a natural product. My family (who gave it to me) thought it looked better than all black. It has since mellowed due to the oils in my hand.

I use every one of my Case/Bose collaborations. Do you? My Tribal Spear is in my pocket right now; a perfect companion to my Benchmade AutoStryker in my jacket pocket :)
 
Way to go. I met Tony at a show and he showed me the old rebladed knife that was the inspiration for the Wilford Works model. It was never a safe queen :)
 
brownshoe said:
I have a Yukon Jack, AK Hunter, Norfolk and Tribal Spear. All but the Yukon are in ebony and bought on-line. All were fine as received. But then, I don't expect perfection from a factory knife. I don't expect perfection from any human made product. Some of y'all expect custom quality from a production knife. You're lucky Case is accommodating and almost makes it.

I buy custom knives as well, and at shows I've seen more custom knives with problems than I've ever seen "bad" Case/Bose knives outed on this forum. Per the Wilfred lockback, it runs about $350. I bought a custom lockback with mammoth tooth covers for $475. It's not as perfect as my Case Bose knives. But hey, it's beautiful covers and mirror polished blade and works as intended. No complaints, it's a human-made product. Why buy knives for perfection? I know I'm not perfect :)

Most pictures I've seen of "flaws" in a Case/Bose collaboration are in the eye of the beholder. Although you paid a lot of money, it's still a production knife. They are made in runs of 1000 every year. Has any maker of "perfect" traditional folders even approached a 1000 slipjoint knives in their career? Maybe Reese Bose may reach that goal soon :) Oh wait, I know, Rough Riders are almost perfect so for 20x$ more Case should be perfect...

I've had to get custom knives repaired, and that's not always easy. Makers quit, die and sometimes do a bad job fixing the problem. I had one problem with my AK Hunter. I use it in the kitchen and on a hot July day it sat in water for about an hour and a crack developed in the ebony cover. Case took care of it for free. It's been fine ever since.

Oh, I guess I had a problem with the Tribal Spear, it had a white streak in the ebony. Someone on this forum rejected theirs because of the "bad ebony" since it wasn't all black. Ebony is not always all black. It's a natural product. My family (who gave it to me) thought it looked better than all black. It has since mellowed due to the oils in my hand.

I use every one of my Case/Bose collaborations. Do you? My Tribal Spear is in my pocket right now; a perfect companion to my Benchmade AutoStryker in my jacket pocket :)
Click to expand...
blade play and other fit and finish issues are pretty serious and should not of left the factory. I don’t feel “lucky” that case “almost” gets it right.

None of us could care less if you have got an auto stryker in your pocket... this isn’t general, we are not looking to upgrade our crkt with a cool tanto auto.

As far as there being a correlation between using a knife and having it leave the factory with issues I’m scratching my head over. My buddy tells me I don’t “use” my knife because I won’t scrape grout out between tiles. Tells me he wouldn’t own a knife he couldn’t “use”.
 
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I would agree with the case bose knives being top notch as far as quality! Also if you run into one that is not right case will fix or replace it .
I bought a couple custom knives that were three to four times the cost of a case bose and both customs had major issues . Both of them were flawless in fit and finish but the walk and talk was non existent and both had side to side play . I returned both custom knives and put the case bose back in my pocket.
 
A few things that aren't often talked about but definitely should be (they are a very big deal) are...

1 These knives are cut from Tony's pattern by Wire EDM. They are not punched out using dies.
2 These knives have bushings and mill relieved liners. I can state from experience that the movement of the blades has remained exceptionally smooth even after 14 years of use (muskrat), 10 years of use (Norfolk), etc.

I don't know of any other production knife made this way.

Case-Bose-2013-WharncliffeTrapper-proto2.jpg
 
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supratentorial said:
A few things that aren't often talked about but definitely should be (they are a very big deal) are...

1 These knives are cut from Tony's pattern by Wire EDM. They are not punched out using dies.
2 These knives have bushings and mill relieved liners. I can state from experience that the movement of the blades has remained exceptionally smooth even after 14 years of use (muskrat), 10 years of use (Norfolk), etc.

I don't know of any other production knife made this way.
Click to expand...

I'm glad you brought this up as I was gonna ask. The annual collabs do have bushings eh?
 
willard0341 said:
My buddy tells me I don’t “use” my knife because I won’t scrape grout out between tiles. Tells me he wouldn’t own a knife he couldn’t “use”.
Click to expand...
See now, if he was truly your buddy you would buy him the proper tool for scraping grout so that way when he needs to cut something his edge won't be all jacked up from misusing his knife. Just think how much closer you would be because then you could teach him the joys of how to properly use a good pocket knife. :p
 
Signalprick said:
I'm glad you brought this up as I was gonna ask. The annual collabs do have bushings eh?
Click to expand...

I know for certain that all of mine have bushings. You can definitely tell when using the knives. I'm not sure about the first ones from 18-19 years ago. I vaguely remember a conversation about the earliest examples but don't remember it well enough.

However here's a nice but brief post about the knives from Tony:
Tony Bose said:
The collaboration knives are much higher quality and limited numbers. They are deep cryo heat treated ATS34 and all stainless frames and bolsters with pined on shields after the 2nd year. Most of them have a bushing in the pivot and they are made to be work horses. I know several people that carry and use them. They will preform. All of these are made in the proto shop by 3 men. I have went there and helped them get started on the lockback whittler. All the parts are EDM wire cut from prototypes that I make so what they end up with is very close to what I send them. Try one, you'll like it.
Click to expand...
 
Well, 1000-1100 knives is limited but not that 'limited' in actual fact. True, they are cut out using computer technology, not stamped out and that's why I feel they should be assembled with extra care. Or limit the numbers more to ensure attention to detail. People pay 300-500 Dollars for these knives that use this impressive technology and are designed by a knife maker with impressive pedigree, so I think that it is reasonable to expect comparable standards of excellence in assembly. This might also ensure an appreciation of prices second hand. Certain complaints about these knives should be also looked at rationally and not by dismissing them as nit-picking or claiming that some customs, costing even more, are of inferior build. That is no answer at all. As Jamie observed, when you get a good one it's good, but at this price it should nearly always be the norm.
 
supratentorial supratentorial they are built with a lot of custom knife features.

We see only a smattering of the collaboration knives that are owned here on the forum, based on the number posted. These knives use steels that are not the easiest to grind (the swedges are pretty nice) or fit. Other manufacturers don't seem to be inclined to use 154 CM, mill relieve liners, or put a bushing in a pivot. Most can't make a lock back that doesn't have some up and down blade play or properly center a blade. They are expensive but seem to sell out every year. Somebody's buying them and keeping them.
 
I think Case should do a video showing the steps in making these knives. Would be great for those who are just learning about knives but would also be great for long time collectors. I know that I'd enjoy seeing the grinds and swedges put on these blades. They are so absolutely perfect that they must be made by machine. Since the plunge, grinds and swedges seem to be almost an exact reproduction of Tony's prototype, I have wondered if they were also done with wire EDM. Would be fun to see them do it.

ZzaUQK7.jpg
 
supratentorial said:
I think Case should do a video showing the steps in making these knives. Would be great for those who are just learning about knives but would also be great for long time collectors. I know that I'd enjoy seeing the grinds and swedges put on these blades. They are so absolutely perfect that they must be made by machine. Since the plunge, grinds and swedges seem to be almost an exact reproduction of Tony's prototype, I have wondered if they were also done with wire EDM. Would be fun to see them do it.

ZzaUQK7.jpg
Click to expand...
Gorgeous shot of a beautiful knife!
 
brownshoe said:
I have a Yukon Jack, AK Hunter, Norfolk and Tribal Spear. All but the Yukon are in ebony and bought on-line. All were fine as received. But then, I don't expect perfection from a factory knife. I don't expect perfection from any human made product. Some of y'all expect custom quality from a production knife. You're lucky Case is accommodating and almost makes it.

I buy custom knives as well, and at shows I've seen more custom knives with problems than I've ever seen "bad" Case/Bose knives outed on this forum. Per the Wilfred lockback, it runs about $350. I bought a custom lockback with mammoth tooth covers for $475. It's not as perfect as my Case Bose knives. But hey, it's beautiful covers and mirror polished blade and works as intended. No complaints, it's a human-made product. Why buy knives for perfection? I know I'm not perfect :)

Most pictures I've seen of "flaws" in a Case/Bose collaboration are in the eye of the beholder. Although you paid a lot of money, it's still a production knife. They are made in runs of 1000 every year. Has any maker of "perfect" traditional folders even approached a 1000 slipjoint knives in their career? Maybe Reese Bose may reach that goal soon :) Oh wait, I know, Rough Riders are almost perfect so for 20x$ more Case should be perfect...

I've had to get custom knives repaired, and that's not always easy. Makers quit, die and sometimes do a bad job fixing the problem. I had one problem with my AK Hunter. I use it in the kitchen and on a hot July day it sat in water for about an hour and a crack developed in the ebony cover. Case took care of it for free. It's been fine ever since.

Oh, I guess I had a problem with the Tribal Spear, it had a white streak in the ebony. Someone on this forum rejected theirs because of the "bad ebony" since it wasn't all black. Ebony is not always all black. It's a natural product. My family (who gave it to me) thought it looked better than all black. It has since mellowed due to the oils in my hand.

I use every one of my Case/Bose collaborations. Do you? My Tribal Spear is in my pocket right now; a perfect companion to my Benchmade AutoStryker in my jacket pocket :)
Click to expand...
T.A.DAVISON is on Folder - #1606!
 
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