Case trapper

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kraash

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May 26, 2010
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going to pick up a case trapper tomorrow, what should I know? Are they all made in China now? What are the original colors?
Thx
 
Case brand Trappers are all made in the USA. I have no idea what the original colors were, but there are dozens of handle variations offered currently. Your main decision point is do you want stainless steel (Case Tru-Sharp which is 420HC), or carbon steel (Case Chrome Vanadium or just "CV").

Browse around their web site: http://www.wrcase.com/knives/
 
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kraash said:
What's more official, stainless or carbon?
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I don't believe there's an actual 'official'. There are those that only use carbon, but myself I prefer stainless and won't own carbon.
I do believe with Case that their Chrome Vanadium carbon steel holds an edge better than the stainless. In spite of that I still choose stainless. I find on my Trappers that I can get a razors edge with not much effort and the edge lasts plenty long for any task I may have. On top of that I'm comfortable using it for cutting food as I know it's clean. With carbon you have to really work to maintain the shine as you're likely to get a patina on the blade. A lot of folks like a good patina on their blade, but I don't like it for cutting into anything I might eat.
Whichever Case Trapper you choose, it will serve you well. It's a great knife. The blade is very forgiving when sharpening also.
 
CV if you want to go as traditional as possible, simply because stainless knives were a rarity for a very long time.

Yellow delrin for the 'standard' Case look, jigged bone is also widely thought of as 'traditional'.

I imagine if you asked Case what their 'official' knife might be, there would be plenty of votes for a full sized trapper in yellow delrin with stainless blades.
 
kraash said:
What's more official, stainless or carbon?
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If you want a collector knife then the stainless would be the way to go because it is very corrosion resistant. If you want a knife to carry then the CV would be the way to go because the steel it tougher. At times Case has made blades from premium steels and even damascus.
 
http://www.dlttrading.com/case-trapper-caribbean-blue-bone
I just grabbed this cause I simply had to see it in person; dunno if I'll be keeping it or not. I hope to get a good marriage between bolster and bone. I don't think it's currently available at the Case website.

For some reason my DLT reward points disappeared; I emailed them about it this morning, found an email this afternoon from them sent at 10:00 am letting me know my points were put back in my account. The type of company that appreciates customer loyalty and understands the value of return business. :thumbsup:

Good luck on finding your Trapper, kraash!
 
kraash said:
going to pick up a case trapper tomorrow, what should I know?
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Get a color you like, all their steels are good, "cut down," and enjoy a classic knife that "who knows how many" folks have used the heck out of and enjoyed for generations.

Its all the knife your great-grandpappy ever needed.
 
Something that may or may not matter to you but worth noting is that Case offers their Tru-Sharp stainless steel in two different finishes. Those finishes are often not identified on dealer's websites. Many dealers simply state that the steel is Tru-Sharp stainless.

Most of Case's stainless Trappers will have the normal Tru-Sharp finish which is a high polished, almost mirror finish. Some of their Trappers like the Black G10, Brown Synthetic, and Blue Synthetic will have the "as ground" Tru-Sharp finish. The as ground finish is similar to a satin finish but just a smidgen rougher.

Personally, I prefer the as ground finish but unfortunately, it's only offered on a select few models.
 
Haaaa the Case Trapper ! A divine object at an affordable price. YES made in America and damned great work too . . . compared to other trappers I have from other makers.

One thing to know is the natural stag (not the bone stag) has a very noticeably larger (thicker) handle / scales. This I like A LOT in use. And I swear the blade steel (SS) is a touch harder and mine at least came with more attention to the sharpness and the edge grind than other case knives I have. Also the trapper blades in general are hollow ground and since they are fairly thin to start with at the back all this makes these blades seriously great at cutting stuff. Love the trappers


The Walnut Brown bone was my birthday knife this year and by the end of this month I should be adding a White Spar XX handled trapper to my stable. Something about the pure white with the brass pins and the red Case badge really does it for me. (I have the Medium three blade Stockman in white).

 
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So I went with full size trapper in yellow and cv. I gotta say it's a cool knife. Wishing maybe I went stainless.

The blister pack knife is exactly the same as the box right?
 
Case Trapper, an American classic!

Among traditional, the Trapper and Congress are my two favorite patterns.
Here's a trio I picked up a little while back, (all SS). The horse racing one I gifted to my brother for his birthday last year, he's a pretty serious handicapper.
The other 2 I still have in rotation.
 
Yrs, the packaging does not change the actual knife. Blister pack or box, they came from the same place, made with the same stuff.
 
kraash said:
So I went with full size trapper in yellow and cv. I gotta say it's a cool knife. Wishing maybe I went stainless.

The blister pack knife is exactly the same as the box right?
Click to expand...

Congratulations on your new knife. CV is the way to go with the yellow Case knives in my opinion. Chrome vanadium steel takes a nice edge easily, just wipe it off after you use it to avoid rust issues since it is a carbon steel. You made a good choice, it will eventually start to develop a patina if you use it a lot.
 
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