Case Tony Bose Collabs pic and discussion thread.

[Will Power]

Exceptional looking Bone on that one

 

[Fixall]

I do believe that GEC dyes their ebony. Their ebony knives used to have a lot of color variation and some were quite brown, rather than black. More recently, the ebony knives are uniformly jet black and people have reported dye bleed with time and use.

I don’t mention this to distract from your expectation for the Case Bose product, I just wanted to add my observation regarding GECs ebony.

Ah, I didn’t know GEC dyed their ebony. My assumption was actually based on the fact that I personally haven’t had any bleed on me. Sounds like my ebony GECs need more pocket time, lol!

No, I don't think you're being picky at all. Clearly, there's no such thing a perfect knife and it's an absurd notion and over-used word generally. However, knives of this price range and aspiration should only rarely be going back to the manufacturer for fixes. It seems it's not that rare though, but they do make a large number of them c 600 per handle choice or so.

I'm keen on the two I have, though the Norfolk has some questionable issues. I would not buy one unless I could see good pictures or handle it in person, then OK great.

Good point about the high number made. You do get a lot of features in the knives so maybe hand selecting dark, uniform covers for all ~600 knives would just increase the cost too much. Buck had done it for years on their ebony knives before their recent announcement that they we’re going to use ebony more and be less picky about the color. I guess I just figured if they could do it, surely it could be done on such an expensive knife.

Re-reading my post, I think I came off more negative than I intended (I blame the beers after work). Overall, I am very pleased with the knife and it has a permanent home in my collection. My biggest annoyance was being told by Case that the covers absolutely should not look like they do in the picture... And then when I shipped it in, they held it for three months before shipping it back with the same covers. Covid has slowed down a lot of businesses though, so maybe I should be going easier on them.

 

[Leslie Tomville]

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I almost always agree with my friend Will Power . However, I am a big fan of the ebony Case uses on the collabs. It appears to be fairly high quality to me. I do not believe they dye it. I sure hope not. I would much rather see some color variations rather than black dye. Why bother paying for ebony if all you want is just black wood? I believe the color of ebony is simply lagniappe as we say in Louisiana, a little something extra. It is the density, strength, and durability of the wood that makes ebony so useful for knife handles.

In my opinion, the best way to buy the collabs is on the secondary market. Unlike GEC knives, the prices of the collabs seem to drop like lead after retail purchase. Also, if you buy second hand you can make all the inquiries you like about fit finish, etc. In short, you can get just what you want and avoid what you don’t. If you do that, and select well, these knives are a good value.

These two are my favorites, and the only ones I own. I have tried others, but they just didn’t feel right in the pocket. These are perfect, especially the Cattle Knife. It sits just right in the pocket, and look at those blades!

You should definitely get one JohnDF , but not new. Ask lots of questions and you will get a great knife! I believe you would like the Wharncliff Trapper or Cattle Knife. I have been keeping an eye out for an ebony Zulu Spear. I believe that would be a sweet one as well.

 

[Pàdruig]

I have to say, I had not heard that dyeing Ebony was a thing - that is incredibly disappointing if true. I'd rather have brown or gray ebony (I have examples of both) than dyed wood any day.

 

[Quiet]

I'll echo the others on the dogleg. I love mine (stag) but it is on the bulkier side for an EDC. I'd say out of the ones I own, I find the lanny's clip and norfolk to be the best two (EDC wise). The ebony on my norfolk is quite dark, I think the older ebony they used was better than more recent runs. I usually prefer wood on knives, but not with Case particularly.

One that might get overlooked as a smaller EDC is the coffin jack. I quite enjoy carrying this one. It is smaller than you would think. Winchester made a pattern that is much more economical and widely available if you decide to try one out. It is nearly identical in size to the Bose collab.

Here's my family photo. The only one missing is my Lanny's Clip.

Beautiful knives. I would love it if TB made a coffin jack that was large coke bottle sized. That would be the belle of the ball for me!

 

[Will Power]

Leslie Tomville Very good points, and your photographic evidence is irrefutable

I've noticed with some French knives I have in Ebony, that they arrive looking a bit 'dry' matte but after a few months of carry and a bit of beeswax they start to show shine and lustre, obviously the same for CASE Your observation about buying Collabs 2nd hand is crucial: real bargains can be got, you can get detailed photos and unlike GEC whose price rockets out of all proportion to their materials & quality, you'll be getting a Collab with superior steels and materials. Getting tempted to look out for a bone Stockman but redundancy/unemployment in the New Year has curtailed such ambitions...for now.

Thanks, Will

 

[Fixall]

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I almost always agree with my friend Will Power . However, I am a big fan of the ebony Case uses on the collabs. It appears to be fairly high quality to me. I do not believe they dye it. I sure hope not. I would much rather see some color variations rather than black dye. Why bother even paying for ebony if all you want is just black wood? I believe the color of ebony is just lagniappe as we say in Louisiana, a little something extra. It is the density, strength, and durability of the wood that make is so useful for knife handles.

In my opinion, the best way to buy the collabs is on the secondary market. Unlike GEC, the prices seem to drop like lead after retail purchase. Also, if you buy second hand you can make all the inquiries you like about fit finish, etc. In short, you can get just what you want. If you do that and select well, these knives are an amazing value.

These two are my favorites, and the only ones I own. I have tried others, but they just didn’t feel right in the pocket. These are perfect, especially the Cattle Knife. It sits perfectly in the pocket and look at those blades!

You should definitely get one JohnDF , but not new. Ask lots of questions and you will get a great knife! I believe you would like the Wharncliff Trapper or Cattle Knife. I have been keeping an eye out for an ebony Zulu Spear. I believe that would be a sweet one as well.

Too be clear, the Case/Tony Bose ebony is definitely not dyed. The first person I spoke to was mistaken about it being dyed. The head of their Quality Control department cleared that up when he called me. Really nice guy.

 

[pistonsandgears]

I really like the lockback whittlers. Its a complicated pattern that I have not seen many custom makers tackle and certainly not at the Case/Bose pricepoint.

 

[pjsjr]

You should definitely get one JohnDF , but not new. Ask lots of questions and you will get a great knife!

I definitely agree, not new.
This Tribal Spear, a recent addition, has very fine fit and finish...maybe abalone is not for everyone. I wanted a Tribal Spear and I'm liking the abalone more and more.

 

[pmek5]

Whittler’s are very nice.

 

[brownshoe]

I do believe that GEC dyes their ebony. Their ebony knives used to have a lot of color variation and some were quite brown, rather than black. More recently, the ebony knives are uniformly jet black and people have reported dye bleed with time and use.

I don’t mention this to distract from your expectation for the Case Bose product, I just wanted to add my observation regarding GECs ebony.

Case does not dye ebony. I have a Zulu with a white streak I think it adds character. Normal people think its cool . The Zulu is my favorite, but also hard to get. Second best is the Wilfred lock back hunter. It's Tony's take on a single blade Remington and it is sweeeeeet. Slim, light, pocket friendly and better than the original.

I agree Fixall you are extra picky

 

[wickettedge]

I’m seeing the locking lanny clip start to drop. Looks good and I have one on order. Who else is getting in on these?

 

[Sacto]

I've been wrestling with the thought of purchasing a Case/Bose Colab. They are very pricey, but still they call to me. I've been saving my pennies and I'm about half way to the purchase price. I think I've narrowed down my choices to the Dogleg Jack and the Mini Trapper, both are favorite patterns of mine. For those have have these models, which would you recommend and are there any flaws that I should be aware of?

I’m right there with you, John. I’m very tempted by these knives and keep looking at them. For me it’s either the wharncliffe trapper or the eureka, but I just can’t spend that much on a knife at this point. I like to use my knives and I have a bad feeling if I spend hundreds on one, that will be the knife I’ll lose.

Even though it is just a production knife, I think the current forum knife has satisfied my desire for a higher end custom/semi custom, at least for the time being.

 

[JohnDF]

I like to use my knives and I have a bad feeling if I spend hundreds on one, that will be the knife I’ll lose.

I'm afraid to spend that much and I won't like it, and it will sit on a shelf.

 

[Peregrin]

For me it’s either the wharncliffe trapper or the eureka,

I've been keeping an eye on the Eureka Jack offerings. I handled one at the Case Factory store, and if my wife hadn't been with me I might have bought one at full MSRP on the spot.
Hopefully I'll find one that I like, at a price I'm willing to pay.
I've got a Stag Wharncliffe Trapper. It's a real nice knife. I don't think you could go wrong if you like the pattern.

 

[Ironbut]

I've been keeping an eye on the Eureka Jack offerings. I handled one at the Case Factory store, and if my wife hadn't been with me I might have bought one at full MSRP on the spot.
Hopefully I'll find one that I like, at a price I'm willing to pay.
I've got a Stag Wharncliffe Trapper. It's a real nice knife. I don't think you could go wrong if you like the pattern.

Yeah, you probably need one of these.
My wife quit caring long ago if I buy guns or knives. Now she just wants to know what she can get for them when I die.

 

[Ironbut]

I'm afraid to spend that much and I won't like it, and it will sit on a shelf.

I have three Case/Bose colabs, (A Eureka, a cattleman, and a premium stockman), and I bought all of them off the Exchange here. If you buy one that doesn't suit you, you shouldn't have a problem selling it here. Even if you lose a few bucks, it's not a total loss. I know I'm always on the look out for them. Go for it!

 

[Peregrin]

Yeah, you probably need one of these.
My wife quit caring long ago if I buy guns or knives. Now she just wants to know what she can get for them when I die.

I blame my occasional drift towards thriftiness on her.
I think my sons would take issue with her selling my knives. At least until they had picked through them!

I do like that one! It's taken awhile but after years of pocketing and using different patterns the blade combination on the Eureka just seems about perfect to me. Nice knife!

 

[Signalprick]

I'm afraid to spend that much and I won't like it, and it will sit on a shelf.

Used is def. the way to go. You used to find decent deals on Ebay but I think for the most part that ship has sailed. What collab are you specifically looking for? Apologies if already mentioned.

 

[Ironbut]

Yeah, I doubt any of my stuff would ever make it to auction. We have three boys, (the youngest turned 45 this week), and I don't think any of them ever had to actually buy a knife or gun their whole life.