Current CASE XX quality?

cjtamu said:
Ha ha ha Will Power Will Power . I'll stick with my analogy, and just say one doesn't buy a Ferrari for the same reason one buys a Ford Fusion. They're meant to be used differently and require a different level of maintenance. Kind of like the difference between a Case Sodbuster and a Laguiole. Those knives are receiving unequal treatment from me ;)
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You are correct about the maintenance and use, Ferrari might be exhilarating but when you go in one the ride makes you feel your teeth/fillings are going to drop out:eek::D Then there's Laguioles and Laguioles, some are rough and cheap, some masterpieces:cool:
 
Is it because like mentioned earlier
cjtamu said:
After reading through all this something occurred to me. Went back and looked at GEC production totals for 2018. A big pattern run for them is 700-800, more normal for them is less than 500. Contrast that with the "Limited Edition" Case Barlow I'm carrying today, which is 1 of 2500. Every knife maker is going to produce flawed knives, and the more knives you produce, the more flawed knives there will be. Would be more useful to know the percentage of flawed knives, but we never will. We have 15 or more Case knives as far back as 1964 or earlier, and the only one with a serious flaw is the blade rub on this Barlow. Just something to think about. And since everyone else is posting their Tribals, I'm putting mine up too ha ha. It's a superb knife. And lock is flush on this one when closed.
20181108_135147 by Chris Thayer, on Flickr
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I agree with this. Case doesn't put out just 500 of a certain pattern. They produce 2000-3000 of a pattern. They can't possibly inspect every single one.

I and others like me can afford a new Case knife once a month but not some the other brands that cost 2-4 times as much.

I've not had a quality issue with any new Case knife I've purchased whether off line or in store. Even the yellow handled knives have been top notch to me.
 
My first experience mail ordering a Case knife is this tribal lock. I intended to use it regularly and not for it to be a "safe piece"
so as long as it functioned as it should and was in usable condition i wasnt going to worry about it. Turns out that was the perfect attitude to have because i would not have picked this out of a line up.
First thing i noticed was it shipped in a mailing pouch, factory box looked as if it was run over, twice. Not a Case problem, a shipper problem. Out of the box theres a pretty good scratch in the bone, again im betting it didnt leave the factory like that.

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1-E7Rfm0_Y7w5IIIomqgbmnTIfCZhxJkG/view?usp=drivesdk
The blade centering on the other hand is a Case issue. Not quite rubbing the liner but close
Like i said fine for a user but wouldnt have picked this one..
 
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Lander boy Matt said:
My first experience mail ordering a Case knife is this tribal lock...One other problem, that was an easy fix, was the pocket clip wouldnt hold onto my pocket. Like i said fine for a user but wouldnt have picked this one..
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I can’t see the pictures at the links, as they don’t appear to be publicly accessible, but since when does the Tribal Lock have a pocket clip?
 
I just got one of the new sawcut brown bone barlows and it is pretty nice looking, good f&f. One little scratch on the tip of the pen, as long as it isnt a crack it doesnt bother me at all. I am very happy with this knife. I had planned on setting it aside for my son.....but he'd like it better with a few miles on it right?? 20190826_190014-600x800.jpg 20190826_190047-800x600.jpg
 
Lander boy Matt said:
Dont get me wrong thus is a great knife for the money and im not bashing case. Just my two cents
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That’s the first Tribal Lock I’ve seen with that centering issue. I might send it back betting another wouldn’t have it. Might be a magnetic field cause by the pocket clip. Try taking it off :D
 
Yes, please leave the pocket clips out of the discussion. Refer to the guidelines for information on what is acceptable in this sub-forum.
 
I called an online retailer today to ask about purchasing a Case medium stockman. I explained I was in Canada and would have difficulties and added expense returning a knife for exchange or repair. I asked that they inspect the knife before shipping and they responded they expected Case to do their QC and he could not start checking knives as then they would not be shipped as new if he opened the box and unwrapped it.

They said that if I purchased a knife they would then check the first one they pulled out of stock and if it passed their opinion of good they would ship it out.

I said I understood and declined. I called another retailer and they said no problem.

They are all different.

,,,Mike in Canada
 
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Duper said:
I called an online retailer today to ask about purchasing a Case medium stockman. I explained I was in Canada and would have difficulties and added expense returning a knife for exchange or repair. I asked that they inspect the knife before shipping ad they responded they expected Case to do their QC and he could not start checking knives as then they would not be shipped as new if he opened the box and unwrapped it.

They said that if I purchased a knife they would then check the one the first one they pulled out of stock and if it passed their opinion of good they would ship it out.

I said I understood and declined. I called another retailer and they said no problem.

They are all different.

,,,Mike in Canada
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Good for you! Spend your money where you can get what you want. Opening a box to look doesn't make it "not" NIB.

I've been to GP Knives, Country Knives, AGRussell, countless Hoffritz, and gun shows and never been denied to luxury to look at more than one knife to find the best. On the phone, the girl at New Graham offered to check a Benchmade model that she knew had some issues. They had two left and they both were not perfect, but I took the one she liked and am still happy.

Vote with your wallet, patronize the smaller place that cares.
 
5K Qs said:
.... it wasn't quite what I wanted in terms of uniformity of dye. But the surprising thing to me was that I paid several dollars more for the knife in person than I would have if I'd ordered it online and paid for shipping to my house.
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The uniformity issue is probably the biggest thing I have noticed with Case slippies over the last 10 years. I go for a year or two and never look at a Case knife, then decide I want to buy a Case and go through the buying motions. I generally can buy in person versus ordering online. I have no problem paying a few dollars more at a brick & mortar store with knives. I leave the store with the knife I want.

The walk & talk is also an issue with Case slippies. They have gotten softer, but so have GEC's overall. Still acceptable, but not like the ones I grew up with.

OP, take a look at Rough Ryder knives. You might be surprised how well they are made and the value relative to Case and GEC. The manufacturing is amazingly consistent between the same knives. I have looked at maybe 6-8 of one example looking for one with the best W&T and F&F. What I found was they were all essentially the same. So, to improve on those items, the only choice is to choose a different model and do the same thing (look and handle).
 
22-rimfire said:
The uniformity issue is probably the biggest thing I have noticed with Case slippies over the last 10 years. I go for a year or two and never look at a Case knife, then decide I want to buy a Case and go through the buying motions. I generally can buy in person versus ordering online. I have no problem paying a few dollars more at a brick & mortar store with knives. I leave the store with the knife I want.

The walk & talk is also an issue with Case slippies. They have gotten softer, but so have GEC's overall. Still acceptable, but not like the ones I grew up with.

OP, take a look at Rough Ryder knives. You might be surprised how well they are made and the value relative to Case and GEC. The manufacturing is amazingly consistent between the same knives. I have looked at maybe 6-8 of one example looking for one with the best W&T and F&F. What I found was they were all essentially the same. So, to improve on those items, the only choice is to choose a different model and do the same thing (look and handle).
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I looked at those Rough Ryder knives, online, but when I seen the country of origin, I visualize a tool box knife.I don't usually see things coming from China with any kind of quality.
 
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Ripcord 82 said:
I looked at those Rough Ryder knives, online, but when I seen the country of origin, I visualize a tool box knife.I don't usually see things coming from China with any kind quality.
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I understand your perspective on Rough Ryder knives. Not trying to convince you that they are better than Case. The slip joints aren't expensive and the best way to evaluate them is to read about them here in the Traditional Forum, buy a couple to judge for yourself, and of course if it is possible, handle them at the store. They aren't intended to be $100 knives, but they compete pretty well with Case knives overall. Which would I rather own? Case of course. But it is a matter of value when comparing with US made slip joints. There is no question that I generally favor US made slip joints and of course Victorinox SAKs. Like you, I have been impressed by Vics.
 
Ripcord 82 said:
I looked at those Rough Ryder knives, online, but when I seen the country of origin, I visualize a tool box knife.I don't usually see things coming from China with any kind quality.
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I've bought about ten Rough Ryder knives.
About half were good knives, but the other half I had to throw away.
So at $20 each, that's $40 to get a good one. That's in the Case price range.
For my money, I'll stick with Case knives. At least I know their locks will lock and if I'm not happy they will fix it.
I also hate to keep talking negative about RR knives, but if all you read are glowing reports you'll think you're guaranteed to get a good knife.
 
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That has not been my experience with RR slip joints. Maybe my standards aren't as high as yours? I do know that I was very unimpressed with Chinese made Frost slip joints. They are truly gas station knives for the most part (or at least the 5 or so I have purchased were and I looked at a lot of them before I bought one at their store). I won't buy another one.

There are no guarantees that an inexpensive knife will be a good knife. The Case knife I have that was in the $30 range was the yellow delrin trapper. I just don't care for plastic handles regardless. My latest Case that I bought new was in the mid-$80 range (stag peanut). There are lots of Case knives in the $50-$60 area if I recall correctly and the jigged bone peanuts or similar run in the $40's. I have grown to really like the smaller slip joints for regular carry. My choice is the Vic Small Tinker.

Added: I visit the Smoky Mt NP relatively often and visit the big knife store that sells RR's about three times a year. I resist visiting quite frankly as I know that I will be spending money. KSF is also handy for me.
 
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Ripcord 82 said:
I looked at those Rough Ryder knives, online, but when I seen the country of origin, I visualize a tool box knife.I don't usually see things coming from China with any kind of quality.
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If you ever do want to take a chance on a knife from China then get yourself one of A.G. Russell's China made slip joints.

They are more expensive than Rough Ryders but you won't be disappointed. In fact, you'll probably be impressed. I know I am.
 
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