Case vs GEC and why?

black mamba said:
Shawn, I value your opinion, but by your reasoning a $25 Victorinox Cadet is a much better value than any Peanut.
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I can't get a Cadet in jigged bone with brass liners, though. ;):D I'm sure there are many, many, many non-knife people who would read this thread will a mighty giggle throughout. To them, pockets knives probably have zero value regardless of price, and if a pocket tool is needed, I think Wally World sells a multi-tool for $10 or less. I asked my brother if he needed his pocket knife sharpened, and he said, "Dude, it was $7. I'm going to throw it away and buy another one."
 
I like both GEC and Case for different reasons. I'm more likely to carry my GECs in winter because of the size and weight; my Cases are usually smaller patterns that I carry in summer because of the lighter weight.

I think GEC has improved from their first knives. I am love the 15 pattern, especially the TC Barlows. As you can tell from my avatar, the GEC made Northwoods Presidential is also a particular favorite. With GECs cost can be an issue as certain patterns tend to skyrocket in price due to popularity and some disappear from dealers before you know they were there! That has led me to be more careful in my purchases. The vast majority of my GECs I have now are because I use them - regardless of their value.

Recently, I have purchased several Case Teardrops - I really like this pattern. Case average quality has gone up and down over the years; I think it is much better now than in earlier years. I also have/have had older Case knives; many of those are treasures I will never get rid of. I have had older Case knives from the XX and XX USA periods that were great and some that had problems.

I buy knives for many reasons, but really enjoy being able to have a sharp and reliable companion with me every day.
 
With the exception of a few customs , my entire collection is GEC and Case . No Case later than 72, though. I prefer carbon with pinned shields. I've only bought two knives with glued shields. I gifted both and neither have their shields anymore. Embarrassing.
 
JD Bear said:
... Case and GEC aren't really comparable in a lot of aspects. It's like comparing the local corner deli to a chain supermarket. The mom and pop business may be more selective and offer better quality products while the supermarket is convenient, well stocked and always open. Both are good....it just depends on which is more important to you.
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The Deli analogy gets to the crux of the matter. I admit I really like GEC knives, but I am rapidly approaching the point where I don't buy any more. I am getting more selective on blade types for example. I like a wharncliffe but I don't really want it to stick up on the knife closed like a pruning blade. I really prefer clip blades over just about everything else including drop point or spear points. I have enough spear points to keep me happy for a long time. I use SAKs a lot and they generally have a spear point main blade.

Back to the analogy.... I should like Case, and maybe I just need to fondle them more in stores. I like deli sandwiches, but I'm perfectly content buying the Walmart subs that they produce for general eating. They have few frills. Subway is good, but I like the price of the walmart subs a lot more. Toss in traditional deli and they are generally a lot more expensive than Subway for example. But they're good too! So, although I seem to have developed a tendency to look no further than GEC, it is probably time to open my eyes again to what else is out there including Case.

I think the favoring pre-80's Case knives may relate to the time that Jim Parker bought Case. Things changed a lot. Case was struggling then. They may be struggling now a little.
 
I bought 3-4 GEC's about 8-10 years ago. Nicely made, but they were dull as a butterknife. I could not get them sharp on my Syderco Sharpmaker. And they were hard to open. They were pretty though. I gave them all away over the years. I have a1/2 dozen Case knives...so nice for the money. I have Spyderco's and even a Chris Reeve, so I have seen sharp come from a factory knife. My William Henry..an entry-level ATS 34 knife could have been sharper too.
 
There is simply no comparison, every GEC I have is better than any Case I have.

Case is ok for the money, but the sound they make when you open and close, the lack of beautiful exotic wood covers, and the general design and finish is not even close.

And why does every Case shield say Case on it - very annoying.

Case is a nice value and good knife, but GECs are works of functional art.

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Of the two, I would have to go with Case, due to budgetary and availability considerations.

If I was wealthy and could afford to spend north of $100 on a knife, and the one I wanted was available when I wanted it, my answer might be different.
I like the half stops on the two GEC that were gifted to me. They don't have nail breaker pulls, fit and finish is excellent. On the one with Greenbriar jigged bone, each side is evenly colored and matched. The Stag on the other is well matched.
I like that they have 1095 blades.

I don't like that if something happened to either, the chances of finding a replacement is virtually nill. The chances that I could afford the replacement is less than nill.

As it is, even Case, new or used, is outside my budget. :(
(A sodbuster/sodbuster jr might be at the upper limit or above, depending on handle material.
The large over 4 inch closed amber bone CV stockman to pair with my amber bone CV canoe is so far out of my budget, it may as well be in another galaxy.)
 
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Ron Sabbagh said:
Case Bose collabs > GEC > Case

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I’m going to agree with Ron here. My Case/Bose collaborations are the highest quality slip joints that I own (outside of customs). If you didn’t know better, I’d say a few could even pass as customs. They certainly feel like it.

Mainline case is spotty for me and always has been. I would say GEC puts out a higher quality product. Case has too many novelty runs and needs to learn how to back off on the polish. If I buy a Case, it’s usually an older one.

The collabs have spoiled me. Even my GECs are concerned about their time in the roll!
 
Elgatodeacero said:
And why does every Case shield say Case on it - very annoying.

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This is also a pet peeve of mine. Never been a fan of the name brand stamped on the shield, and Case seems to be the biggest offender. Or worse, no shield with the name engraved on the bolster. Why? Some of the shields don’t even lend themselves to branding, yet they fit it in anyhow. I get the oval is a part of the heritage, but some of the designs are quite the stretch.
 
Since I stopped being a very young person, I have never understood the point of having folks make an artificial judgement about what they should do based on my own limited experience. It is a very big hobby. GEC make bespoke collector knives at bespoke collector prices. Case makes factory user knives at factory user prices. You can use bespoke collector knives and you can collect factory user knives. You can even collect imports from wherever suits you, or knives from factories that have long ago shut their doors. Buy what brings you joy, sell off that which brings you sorrow! Have examples of each, to show others why the differences are worth discussing.
 
Elgatodeacero said:
There is simply no comparison, every GEC I have is better than any Case I have.

Case is ok for the money, but the sound they make when you open and close, the lack of beautiful exotic wood covers, and the general design and finish is not even close.

And why does every Case shield say Case on it - very annoying.

Case is a nice value and good knife, but GECs are works of functional art.

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You bored and looking for controversy?

So by reverse logic, if Case is a good value knife that is not artistic, and GEC knives are artistic but only functional, not "good" knives and a poor value :)
 
I have never bought a Case or a GEC that I would have returned . I appreciate good skill and craftsmanship over machine produced parts and am willing to pay extra for it at this low amount of money . When you are talking about the much higher costs of things like cars and trucks , then I want machine made parts . Case and GEC have models and choices that I like but GEC has more models and Cover choices that I like . I appreciate that the Case Collectors is a large group , but there are just way too many Case knives with covers that I feel Case works harder on than they do the knife designs . I have as many Case products as GEC but I much prefer the GEC . When there is competition , the customer wins .

Harry
 
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brownshoe said:
You bored and looking for controversy?

So by reverse logic, if Case is a good value knife that is not artistic, and GEC knives are artistic but only functional, not "good" knives and a poor value :)
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Your argument may be undermined by replacing "good" with "good enough", which I believe was the gentleman's implication. Case make good enough knives that have high functionality at a low(er) price but which fall down in aesthetics, build quality, and material options. Gec make knives which solve all those issues, and which can still be used.

Also, I see a great deal of discussion on price here but that hasn't been my experience at all. Living outside the US case and gec knives seem to sell at similar prices. An average gec being at the absolute most 1.5 x the price of a very cheap case, and both being less than the cost of a decent night out.
 
Bartleby said:
GEC make bespoke collector knives at bespoke collector prices. Case makes factory user knives at factory user prices. You can use bespoke collector knives and you can collect factory user knives.
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Very well put. :cool::thumbsup:

For me it comes down to price...
GEC knives are expensive, at least by my standards. I have about a dozen of them, but if I want more I usually have to sell one to buy one. It's not that I can't afford it, it's that I really can't justify it. But they are beautiful and very well built.

Case knives on the other hand can be had for considerably less money, which makes using them hard more digestible. True, they are (generally) lesser quality, but the stuff I cut doesn't seem to mind that much. Some of them are just down right pretty too.

So, I'm fine with having a few "high quality" knives and a whole bunch of "good-enough quality" knives.

This one almost rivals any GEC I have for quality...
 
Student762 said:
Your argument may be undermined by replacing "good" with "good enough", which I believe was the gentleman's implication. Case make good enough knives that have high functionality at a low(er) price but which fall down in aesthetics, build quality, and material options. Gec make knives which solve all those issues, and which can still be used.

Also, I see a great deal of discussion on price here but that hasn't been my experience at all. Living outside the US case and gec knives seem to sell at similar prices. An average gec being at the absolute most 1.5 x the price of a very cheap case, and both being less than the cost of a decent night out.
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We are not really supposed to talk price in this forum, but living in Oz, you should expect bizarre pricing on knives from the other side of the world :) It's already Thursday in Oz so knives shipped now have to go back to the future :)
 
Is the price difference between GEC and Case justifiable? I think it probably is, and I’d be happy to pay more for a GEC but I keep coming back to Case simply because they’re easily replaceable. I wish GEC would make some models or lines (like farm and field) continually available. Surely the good people at GEC know that farms and fields are notoriously easy places to misplace knives.
 
Different markets, different pricing and both GEC and Case work. If you want Case to be as quality as GEC, you will pay GEC prices. Or would you have Case pay there workers $5 an hour so you can have GEC quality at Case prices. BTW, in the field there is no difference. I have a 9 GEC knives and love them for the work of art they are. But in the field Case produces a great looking knife that works great and if you loose it you will just buy another one.

Geoff
 
I like Case because I can afford them. They were the brand I coveted as a new knife collector back in the early 1990's, after I got over my "tacti-cool" phase ;). I can find them at my local flea markets for a really low price as well.
 
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