Conclusion: Buck's fit & finish are better than Case's

[steampunk]

Case has been downhill since the 90's.

 

[Morrow]

Yes, it does.

Also, it is worth noting that the majority of folks who have bothered with a thoughtful response have concluded the same thing. My sampling is small, but with this thread, the sampling becomes much larger.

This is where I have a hard time taking your conclusions seriously. I don't see the thoughtful responses you reference as supporting your conclusion. Most seem to be of the opinion that both brands can and do produce quality products. I have Case knives from the 60s and 70s that rival some customs. I have Case knives from the Parker era that are stinkers. I have recent production Case knives that are nothing short of stellar.....the chestnut bone CV line for example. You "shamed" Case for making knives for collectors. Did they move production to China? I have no problem with Case for reaching out to collectors to stay in business anymore than I do Buck for producing some slip joints in China. Truth be told I've been buying more Buck slip joints lately than Case only because I feel I've ignored them for the past few years and there some patterns I would enjoy. I'm going all over the place with this post but both Buck and Case are solid American knife companies and I'm happy they are still here. Your comparison of a few knives might be helpful in forming your personal opinion but in the end it's just that...your opinion. I disagree with the limited scope on which your opinion is based.

 

[tomsch]

Last two Bucks I owned were terrible. The 301 was returned because the blade rub was so bad that I had to force the blades closed. Returned it and ended up with one that was almost as bad with a host of other problems. My last Case also had a few issues such as too much blade wobble. If you are picking from either one I would suggest to handle it first to see if it passes some basic fit and finish standards.

 

[Modoc ED]

This thread has had at least six "popcorn" references and the old, "send me the knives you don't want" line, twice. Hilarious.

I always thought hilarious was spelled with two Ls.

Thanks for bringing this thread up Smaug. I've learned something. Hilarious with only one L. Imagine that.

Oh, have you set those Bucks up on their spines/springs yet?

 

[Smaug]

Modoc, thanks for your insightful contributions to this thread.

Morrow, do you have any recent Case knives? Those are the ones I'm referring to here. I was not shaming Case for trying to appeal to collectors. What rubs me wrong is doing that while putting out products of inconsistent quality, while charging relatively high prices. All the while, marketing based on American high quality production.

 

[knarfeng]

Gents. I have some comments. And not about Buck VS. Case.
1) do not get off topic.
Enough with arguing about the popcorn references. They were made. That part is done. drop it.
2) Differentiate between OPINION and FACT. Stating opinion as fact annoys folks.
3) Avoid sarcasm. It isn't friendly and this is supposed to be a friendly discussion.
4) Leave room for the other person's opinion.
5) I suggest you not extrapolate. example: My knife was not sharp, therefore no knife from that manufacturer is sharp. The part after "therefore" is an extrapolation. There's an awful lot of extrapolation in this thread. Don't do that.

 

[Smaug]

OK, just to clarify: I meant that it was MY conclusion that recent production US-made Bucks are superior in fit to recent production Case, based on my own experience.

I can understand how some would discount this conclusion, based on the sample size.

Cases made in the old days were not intended to be included here, nor were hand-picked samples. My opinion is that if one has to hand-pick their recent production knives, it is indicative of inconsistent quality production, at best.

 

[Newbish]

Gents. I have some comments. And not about Buck VS. Case.
1) do not get off topic

Sorry. I was just curious and had an ooh, shiny moment. I will try to stay on topic in the future.

 

[LKJW]

When I go through my knife collection, I am amazed at the some of the knives Camillus put out, under their name and for others. This is why most of my knives are older. Comparing Buck and Case is like comparing my KLR 650 to a BMW. Sort of. Point being, I consider Buck knives to be working knives (not that Case aren't). But bucks aren't finished to the same level as Case. I think both have gone downhill. I have new Bucks I love. I've had to send one back. I have new Case knives I love, sent a few back. The quality of both has declined, but they both put out a good knife the majority of the time. But to expect a $25 Buck to be finished to the level of a $50 case is kind of absurd. My chesnut CV SBJ is damn near perfect. So is my 301 Cadet. For what they are meant to be. I understand the frustration, but the only REALLY consistent knives I've gotten new are Rough Riders. Not finished as well, but put together better. That said, I was playing with a copperlock earlier. Great knife. Blade rides a little high and the spring isn't flush when closed.

 

[Will Power]

It is of course subjective, but our various collective experiences should enable us to get a better overall picture of knife standards.

Some people have brand loyalty-It's understandable but caution is needed, the perception that somebody is bashing a brand may elicit negative responses. I like GEC over all other current brands, I've not had issues with any of mine, but, when I hear of other peoples' different and bad experiences, I take note. I've been thinking about getting a Buck 303 Yellow but I remain unsure. Buck knives have a very personal feel or design aura: they're tough, workmanlike, no nonsense. What I like is the use of stainless liners for a change, their stainless blades which is puts costlier stuff to shame. I dislike Sabre ground blades in multi blades etc. As for quality, the Bucks I have are very reasonable, some blade play. As to CASE, they are such a different animal, the multitude of scales etc. Most of the CASE knives I have are fine to very good with a couple of duds (excessive gaps, raised springs on open, one is one of their most expensive models....)these are all 21st century knives. Finally, how to compare? One Buck I sent back for fixing - a non Trad- came back fixed but the scales damaged, rendering it un-sellable. One CASE I returned came back as a brand new and faultless knife, CASE wins that one hands down. Both make good knives, both should take a bit more care.

 

[Morrow]

Modoc, thanks for your insightful contributions to this thread.

Morrow, do you have any recent Case knives? Those are the ones I'm referring to here. I was not shaming Case for trying to appeal to collectors. What rubs me wrong is doing that while putting out products of inconsistent quality, while charging relatively high prices. All the while, marketing based on American high quality production.

I do have recent Case knives. I mentioned the chestnut bone series in an earlier post which are relatively new. I have many in this line and they have all been very well done. Another recent standout is the humpback whittler in CV with red jigged bone handle. I can't find any flaws with this knife. I just picked up damascus peanut with stag that is excellent as well.

 

[pinnah]

I think you've misunderstood me. I don't mean it as a useage issue nor a blade wobble issue. As I said to the OP, close the blade and sit/set the knife on it's spine/back spring. Dang neare every one of my newer Buck knives (501s, 55s, 112s, even a couple 110s) lean off-center and some even wobble. Heck, one of my 501s won't even stand up. It'll fall over on it's side every time.

I've never had a bad Buck knife. I'm not bashing them. Just trying to point out an odd quirk many of them have.

I could head down to my local *-mart store today with 2 $20 bills, and walk out with a brand new Buck 110 and some change.

I rather suspect that if I then took that brand new Buck 110 and inspected the fit and finish by, say, checking the match of the wood grain or the fit of the scales to the bolster or, as you suggest, resting it on its back to check for the flush of the lock-bar that I would find...

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... that most Buck 110 owners would consider my behavior quirky.

All knife collecting is quirky. It's like tastes in beer. We all have different tastes and it's a good thing when the bar has a range of choices. IMO, talking about the "fit and finish" of a Buck knife is sort of like talking about the hoppiness of Budweiser. Budweiser isn't supposed to be hoppy. If you want a hoppy beer, you should be looking for an IPA or something like that, not at an American lager.

I picked a used 2 dot Buck 112 a while back. It's more pocket friendly than my 2 dot 110. Either that or my 500 is in my pocket most days and I'm looking at it now as I type this. The blade is slightly off center. The grain on the ebony scales don't match. Running my fingers over the ebony to the bolsters, I can feel the transition. And yes, when placed on the spine, it wobbles because the lock bar is a bit proud.

According to my collecting tastes, the knife is absolutely perfect. The steel holds a great edge and locks up tight. I have every reason to expect that the slightly mismatched ebony scales are going to stay right where they are no matter how much I drop it in my shop when I'm using it hard.

I'm not taking anything away from collectors who are more interested in knives with better fit and finish, not in the least. Just saying that I don't think production Buck knives, even at their best, are good candidates for the "fit and finish" bake off. They're made, used and generally collected for different reasons.

 

[spydutch]

Man, I wish I had the chance to handpick any traditional. Not a single store carries them over here :grumpy:

Besides the Buck 110/112 at eur 78/68 resp.

It's always a gamble for me to get any Case or Buck slippy.

About every Case I ordered I had to hammer the pivot in an attempt to correct the play and most of the off centreness, because it is way to expensive to send the knife back.

When I have a job again, I might order a Buck out of the 300 series to see if there is any difference(always been curious about the Companion)

 

[Django.cj]

I have numerous buck and case knives, I've yet to find a serious defect. I swear some folks buy knives just so they can measure gaps and do color saturation analysis. If there's no blade play, I'm good to go. I buy them to use.

 

[555]

I have 7 new Case knives bought this year (2012). One Case had an issue. An American Workman large stockman where the top corner of the spey would hit the nail pull on the sheepsfoot, not letting the spey to open, even with my GEC nails. A minute or two with a diamond sharpener and the problem was fixed, by rounding the top sharp corner of the spey allowing it to open.

I also have been buying more Bucks in the last couple of years. Touched up the sharp edges on the handle of a Large Vantage Avid to my liking. Great looking knife BTW.

All I can say is, if minor product issues bothered me, I wouldn't buy another car or truck or computer again.

 

[Smaug]

Comparing Buck and Case is like comparing my KLR 650 to a BMW. Sort of. Point being, I consider Buck knives to be working knives (not that Case aren't). But bucks aren't finished to the same level as Case.

I'll buy that KLR vs. BMW comparison. (former KLR owner here) But to me, fit is much more important than finish. Especially in Buck vs. Case. Cases don't seem to be any better fit lately, but are just highly polished. (doesn't matter to me at all)

My chestnut bone CV Peanut is about perfect too.

 

[coyotebc]

Never tried this before as I am not really a collector.
My cheap Buck 373 that I bought a few months ago didn't wobble at all when I tried this.

Close the blades on those Buck knives and set them up on their spine (springs). Do they sit straight up or do they lean to one side and perhaps even fall over.

Buck knives are great knives. I have several and they all have good fit and finish but most wobble back and forth when set on their spines.

Case knives are great knives. I have gazillions of them and the fit and finish on them overall is good but there are some turkeys in the basket. 99% set up straight when set on their spines.

For their price range both companies put out good, useable, knives.