Case Tru-sharp

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Am I the only one who loves there SS ? It seams that all you read on the forums is about there CV but there SS is some good stuff.:thumbup::thumbup:
 
I personally don't like it as well as CV but its pretty decent. I personally think its a little tough to get to the sharpness I like.
 
I'm a big fan. I find it very comparable to Buck's 420HC. Buck's holds an edge a bit better, as does Case's CV, but Case's tru-sharp is right up there. I especially like the unpolished tru-sharp. Very functional steel. Definitely good stuff.
 
Knife Crazied said:
I personally don't like it as well as CV but its pretty decent. I personally think its a little tough to get to the sharpness I like.
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i agree... tru-sharp actually turned me off from case for quite a while. only the CV line holds any interest for me now.
 
I'll normally prefer stainless for my pocket knives for the sake of low maintenance. I'm good enough at sharpening, so I tend not to take much mind if one steel is easier to sharpen over another.
 
CASE cv is very good, but their stainless is not to be looked down on at all. I like it on 'serious' patterns not the outlandish collector handle choices.

The brushed stainless on G-10 and utility handles is particularly welcome.

Then there's CASE stainless on Bose collaborations, nobody is going to sneer at that!
 
I got a pocket worn muskrat SS I want to edc for a while to see how it holds
how is it compared to GEC's 440C, the SAK steel and other SS (rough rider and cheapos?)

I like the CV but the 1095 GEC uses hold much better it's edge, higher HRC and better HT? both take a scary edge with little work :thumbup:

thanks
Maxx
 
I don't own but a couple Case with Tru-Sharp and I haven't used the ones I do have. Well, I have carried and lightly used a couple of the Copperlocks with Tru-Sharp. One of those, the Thanksgiving commemorative was the sharpest Case out of the box I ever got (but the CV sway back comes very close).

I think if you survey the Case catalog, you will find that Tru-Sharp is used in about 2/3 of their available catalog knives. Now they wouldn't be making that many if they weren't selling and they wouldn't be selling that many if it wasn't more popular amoung users.

I like stainless steel, if it is a good steel. I'm betting that Case is not using junk on their knives and that if it is not as good as the CV, then it is pretty darn close.

Another thing to keep in mind is that many of us Case users were raised on raw milk and Case CV. And we remember when stainless steel knives first came out and what junk some of them were.

I believe this little discussion is going to cause me to drop a Case Tru-Sharp in my pocket to be used and see what I can learn about it myself. But, I can say that if I wanted a particular style of Case knife and it did not come in CV, I wouldn't pout and whine about it, I'd just go ahead and purchase the Tru-Sharp.

Ed
 
I like Case's stainless quite a bit. I've carried and used Tru-sharp knives for years, and I've never been unhappy with it, at all. It doesn't hold an edge like S30V or VG10, but it's a heck of a lot easier to sharpen. Personally, I find Tru-sharp to be easier to sharpen than CV, and I like it better. I have been trying to acquire a taste for CV off and on for a while now, and I just haven't warmed up to the stuff.

Only a fool would sneer at Case's stainless. They didn't become one of the biggest knife manufacturers in the world by accident.
 
I have nothing against Case's TruSharp at all. Infact, i now EDC a peanut and pen, both in trusharp. I'm thinking though, that their ability to cut so well, and be easy to sharpen, is partly because of the incredibly nice edge-geometry on the blades.
Before, i'll admit, i was a steel snob. The more theoretically tough and hard-wearing a type of steel was, the more i loved it. Now i've tried everything from high end production knives with powder steel blades, to semi-custom knives with unknown blade steel, to low-end knives with 420J2 steel blades.
And i've discovered, that i like stainless steel for it's ability not to stain/pit/rust, but i also at times, find it difficult to reconfigure the edge geometry i prefer, from factory default.
So i was surprised at my first Case, a congress in pocket worn green bone. It was sharp, and had thin blades designed to cut. The TruSharp takes a nicely polished edge from my fallkniven dc4, and keeps it pretty well.
Going back in time, i believe that old timers would tell you that they sharpened their knives a lot more than we do today, simply because the steel in their knives were run much softer in hardness than our modern knives. I might be wrong in this, but it wouldn't surprise me much, if hard-working farmers knives were hardened only up to a low 50's in HRC scale.
What i've noticed in my search for more balanced steels, is that generally, they're easy to sharpen, like plain old carbon steel. And as long as they keep their edge for more than a few cuts, then i'm happy.
To me, the Victorinox steel, Bucks 420HC, Case's TruSharp, and similar steels like 12c27, AEBL/13c26 are balanced, well performing steels. So i don't quite get why more manufacturers don't use steel like this, especially AEBL/13c26, which seems to be fine-blankable, and easy to grind, while also being cost effective.

I read somewhere that AEBL is like plain old carbon steel to sharpen and to keep an edge, except it's stainless.

And in my mind, TruSharp isn't far behind.

(Sorry about this somewhat lengthy rant. I'll blame it on the bottle! What i meant to say with it, is the following: Case TruSharp is A-OK to me! If it wasn't i wouldn't EDC it. Remember, that while a steel may look kinda s--tty on paper, like AEBL, it might just bring all its constituents together in such a way as to create a pretty decent, well-balanced piece of steel. AEBL can be described with all the words that the newer powder metallurgy steels can be described with.
From google:"...less Chromium AEB-L has than 440B, it makes it a much better steel, it actually gets hard (up to 63-64 as quenched). It is fine-grained (as much so as powder steels), tough (close to S30V, maybe a little bit better or worse), stain resistant (good as 440C), and should hold an edge as well as 440C or better."
Thus, if TruSharp is anything like 420HC, it too will show similar factors. (420HC contains 0.20% less carbon than AEB-L. Might not get as hard in quench, but a decent steel it is, nonetheless.)
Also from google: "John Verhoven, metallurgist, says that AEB-L would be the best all-around steel for knifemakers. The reasons he gives for good edge retention are: 1. hardens to 63-64 Rc 2. very fine carbides that avoid carbide pull-out (which happens in coarse carbides) and add to wear resistance 3. The K2 carbide is formed, which gives better wear resitance to the K1 carbide which is formed in Mo steels such as 154-CM.
From this, and my own uses of it, it should give edge retention equal to or slightly better than 440C."
This in turn will also translate, roughly onto 420HC. Now, if only Case would come clean, and tell everyone, in no uncertain term, the steel they are using in their TruSharp line, things would be easier.)


Anyway: Case TruSharp stainless, is a decent steel. It's serviceable. You don't need a $100 setup to sharpen it. It is what it is. A working steel.

And now it's time to drink some more.
 
If I had a choice between a Sebenza on one hand, or a Tru Sharp Case and a boatload of good beer on the other, I'd take the beer and "lowly" Case knife every time. ;-)
 
I do not care for Case Tru-Sharp. It does not hold an edge long enough.

In a non-carbide-forming alloy, I much prefer Buck 420HC, which holds an edge significantly better. I also find that I can put a finer angle on the edge because the Buck is harder.
 
I like Tru-sharp just fine, but I will admit to prefering CV. If I like the pattern and the only way I can get it is SS then it will not keep me from buying it. If it is available in CV I tend to go for that. The SS takes a great edge I am just not always thrilled with how long it keeps it.
 
I much prefer the Tru-sharp to the CV. Ant knife thats ride around in my pocket and gets sweated on needs to be stainless.
 
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