Case Trapper Quality Question

S

Snow Walker

Joined
Jul 3, 2014
Messages
93
A local big box store nearby has a run of yellow Case Trappers on sale after Christmas. The run is packaged in plastic instead of boxes. Any idea on the fit and finish quality of these trappers? I know from reading other posts that Case occasionally has some quality issues with finishing and blade alignment.

Thanks for the help!
 
Snow Walker said:
A local big box store nearby has a run of yellow Case Trappers on sale after Christmas. The run is packaged in plastic instead of boxes. Any idea on the fit and finish quality of these trappers? I know from reading other posts that Case occasionally has some quality issues with finishing and blade alignment.

Thanks for the help!
Click to expand...

I'm guessing the packaging will no allow full inspection? Depending on price ($20 or less) I would take the chance. If closer to full price (30ish) and you are as picky as I am you will want to handle any Case knife you buy before purchase, or get a honest opinion from the seller, if you can.
Love Case, but perfectly centered blades are not the norm. YMMV.
 
I can't imagine why they would be of different quality than their usual product. If all looked good from what I could see through the packaging I'd go for it.
I've purchased Sodbusters in the plastic packaging before with no issues, except the typical non-centered blades.
 
If you are looking for good quality trappers at less the half the cost of Case, take a look a Rough Rider. They make good knives that provide good service at a low cost. Many knife folks consider them on a par with Case if not a bit better.
Rich
 
I think that retailer(s) determine the packaging based on how they want to display it. There shouldn't be any difference between a clamshell knife and one from a box
 
I’ve purchased 3 so far and there have been no issues. I did inspect the packaging first, looked for any gaps or apparent flaws in overall finish etc. Give it a shot and if all else fails make it a toolbox knife if it’s not your cup of tea!
 
What's all this about centered blades? All my case knives have come to me with centered and rub-free blades. Now, only one of them came with points on the blades that needed them, and all had horrible, olympic flagpole looking burr collections on the edges. Centering is usually good, but sharpening, not so much. Why are you worried about it on a sale priced, yellow delrin Case, anyhow? That's default bottom of the barrel model, packed to Wal Mart's specs to boot! You're not going to get a T.A.D. class folder, and that should be obvious. Just buy one if you like the idea of having a yellow Case trapper. Any issues most likely will be fixed with your first batch of edge maintenance.
 
You could call them on the phone and ask them if there is any difference. It's an 800 number. http://www.wrcase.com/support/contact/

I am pretty sure, though only through logical inference, that the only difference is the packaging. Case knives have a range of what the factory considers acceptable in their mass-produced knives. Whether or not you are happy with the end product depends largely on how picky you are.
 
While there may not be much difference between boxed and a shell packed knives, there will still be some variation from knife to knife. An off-center blade may not be that big a deal, but if you can choose between a centered blade and one without, which one will you pick?

My yellow delrin Sodbuster may be a lowly piece of kit, but I got the best one in the drawer.
 
ive had three case slim trappers, and one or two regular trappers. mostly let them go cause they were just too slim. only real complaint was that edge is not something to write home about. at least on the examples ive received. but this was their tru sharp and not the cv
 
I believe the only thing you can't inspect with the plastic store packaging is the snap. If I wanted one, I'd take the chance myself if everything else looked good.
 
Henry Beige said:
While there may not be much difference between boxed and a shell packed knives, there will still be some variation from knife to knife. An off-center blade may not be that big a deal, but if you can choose between a centered blade and one without, which one will you pick?

My yellow delrin Sodbuster may be a lowly piece of kit, but I got the best one in the drawer.
Click to expand...

22-rimfire said:
I believe the only thing you can't inspect with the plastic store packaging is the snap. If I wanted one, I'd take the chance myself if everything else looked good.
Click to expand...

These are good points and i hadn't thought of them for some reason.
The knives themselves should fall within the normal variation of Case QA/QC, the downside is you can't handle them before choosing one.
But, then again, not all too different to buying one online.
 
Rich S said:
If you are looking for good quality trappers at less the half the cost of Case, take a look a Rough Rider. They make good knives that provide good service at a low cost. Many knife folks consider them on a par with Case if not a bit better.
Rich
Click to expand...

In my experience the only thing Rough Rider does as good or better would be the final edge on the knives. Build quality and fit+finish I'd say consistently favor Case, but I don't have a large sample size compared to some other people.
 
Rich S said:
If you are looking for good quality trappers at less the half the cost of Case, take a look a Rough Rider. They make good knives that provide good service at a low cost. Many knife folks consider them on a par with Case if not a bit better.
Rich
Click to expand...

Many also think Rough Riders are a considerably lesser knife than Case. I've got a few Case, but have yet to find an appealing Rough Rider.

I too like to inspect a knife if I can, but I've bought about 6 on the internet and had no problems with them.
 
I've bought a dozen or so Case knives. They all work fine.
Have 1 Rough Rider. It's decent for the price and holds an edge at least as well as the Case., but is a half step below the Case in fit and finish.

I don't believe Case purposely makes knives of lesser quality for specific customers or packaging. Whatever comes off the assembly line when they are packaging them up is what gets packaged and shipped. Purposely producing two levels of quality would be more expensive than just having a single production line. And for Case to pick through knives to find knives of lesser quality to ship for a specific customer would likewise be prohibitively expensive.
 
Millions of American cowboys can’t be wrong. Opinions on Case QC are well documented in past threads. The short version is that you will sometimes find a knife that shouldn’t have left the factory, and those of us who are more persnickety like to handle them in person, if possible. That said, the Case yellow trapper in CV is, far and away, the knife of choice for a lot of hard-working folks who don’t have time for knives that fail.

I’ve seen the clamshell packaging you mentioned from Case. They offer enough opportunity for visual inspection that I, personally, would be comfortable buying the knife. YMMV.
 
At least the bubble pack gives you a good opportunity to chicken eye it a bit before buying:) Your main problem is getting to the coon fingering stage and liberating the knife from those blisters or whatever:eek::D

For that, you need a small Pruner blade:cool:

TDHuaMQ.jpg
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top