EDC pocket knife

Kvk09 said:
Hope all are well. Would you guys recommend the Case jack swell center or peanut knife for an every day carry and is bone better than synthetic? Sorry will be my first pocket knife.
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In the end it’s what you like that counts.

you could start with a Victorinox Cadet or Pioneer both fit the pocket well.

Then add a pocket knife of the size feels best in your pocket.

So many to choose from,going to a shop makes it easier.
 
For some additional context, this is what he posted out in the general population:
Kvk09 said:
Hello all. My grampa used to carry a frontier peanut which I have but seems beat up and have no clue about restoring. Wanted to get something to honor that and USA made. Is the case peanut the best option? Also is bone (chestnut) a material that will last? Hoping one day my grandkid will like it as much as I like gramps. Thanks in advance. I am new to this so easiest maintenance prob the beat.
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I’m not the right guy to answer, but maybe that will help others direct him to the best choice.
 
Kvk09 said:
Hope all are well. Would you guys recommend the Case jack swell center or peanut knife for an every day carry and is bone better than synthetic? Sorry will be my first pocket knife.
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I like the 25-1/2 swell center more than the peanut, but even more so I recommend the 08 pattern half whittler.
I like bone more, but theres nothing wrong with the synthetic, their smooth yellow is definitely popular.
 
Kvk09 said:
Is CV harder to maintain? I’ll oil and clean it but not sure how great I will be at sharpening. How often do you need to sharpen a blade
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Oiling/cleaning is all you'll need to do for a CV or Carbon Steel blade. Stainless Steel can still rust, but generally requires significantly less oiling/cleaning.

I don't think you'll notice much difference between sharpening Carbon/CV versus SS, especially if you haven't done a lot of sharpening before. I think it is generally agreed upon that Carbon/CV is a little easier to get sharp, however and fwiw. I think most prefer Carbon/CV for the patina it takes on which adds character and tells a story. That is certainly why I prefer carbon over stainless.
 
lithicus said:
Oiling/cleaning is all you'll need to do for a CV or Carbon Steel blade. Stainless Steel can still rust, but generally requires significantly less oiling/cleaning.

I don't think you'll notice much difference between sharpening Carbon/CV versus SS, especially if you haven't done a lot of sharpening before. I think it is generally agreed upon that Carbon/CV is a little easier to get sharp, however and fwiw. I think most prefer Carbon/CV for the patina it takes on which adds character and tells a story. That is certainly why I prefer carbon over stainless.
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Thank you
 
Peanut has many fans but I find it too small & fiddly for my liking, good thing is CASE has a big range of patterns so something is bound to suit you.

The Penknife- only available in Yellow Delrin is a tidy carry, blade each end and that's my preference . other compact carries: the Half Whittler already recommended, 39 Stockman is very good as it has pocket-friendly sunk-joints, the Swayback Jack/Gent another very decent small pattern but not toy like.

Enjoy your voyage :cool:

CASE Swayback Gent bottom knife

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Both are pretty small for EDC as a primary knife but are still nice knives. Bone handles are very durable - that's why so many old bone handled knives are still around. I say get whichever appeals most to you in chestnut jigged bone (one of my favorites) and then step up to something in the 3.5" range like a medium stockman or mini trapper for a main edc knife.
 
I like the Peanut concept, but it's just a bit too small and fumbly for my hands & fingers. The Medium Jack and large Pen are really good for me, the Small Swell Center Jack is in the "not bad" zone.

I do better looking at comparison pics than trying to judge of measurements, so here's a few snaps for anyone in the same mindset.

Most of the Case patterns I have, except I forgot to put the Small Swell Center Jack in this shot. Oops. L -R Tribal Lock, single-blade Trapper, single-blade Stockman, single-blade Copperhead, Mini Copperlock, single-blade Tear Drop, single-blade Barlow, Medium Jack, large Pen, Sway Back Gent, Pocket Hunter, Peanut.
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Next two shots show the Small Swell Center Jack, Medium Jack, Pen, and Peanut from the side and from above.
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The same 4, in-hand.
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And open.
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Hope this is helpful to those who use visuals better than dimensions.
 
I think it depends on what you want to do with it. If you just carry it to cut a stray string, open packages, peel apples, stuff like that, I don’t think you can go wrong with either. If you’re the outdoor work type and need to do heavier work with the knife you might look at a case copperhead. Not the mini copperhead but the 4 inch (something like that) one. I think of it like a biggie size peanut.

Lots of guys do just fine carrying peanuts and I’m not trying to sway you from it. I tried the peanut myself and just prefer a more substantial sized knife. I like a jumbo stockman. Case 6375, Buck 307, Remington 9501. Like that. All 4 1/4” stockmans. I’ve found with small knives like the peanut that most of them I have a hard time opening because of the short blades and more shallow nail nicks combined with the shorter springs just make it harder for a man (me) with thin, girly fingernails that bend and crack easily.

All this to say, you might want to pick out your knife in a brick and mortar store where you can try several out before you buy.
 
OldHercDude said:
I like the Peanut concept, but it's just a bit too small and fumbly for my hands & fingers. The Medium Jack and large Pen are really good for me, the Small Swell Center Jack is in the "not bad" zone.

I do better looking at comparison pics than trying to judge of measurements, so here's a few snaps for anyone in the same mindset.

Most of the Case patterns I have, except I forgot to put the Small Swell Center Jack in this shot. Oops. L -R Tribal Lock, single-blade Trapper, single-blade Stockman, single-blade Copperhead, Mini Copperlock, single-blade Tear Drop, single-blade Barlow, Medium Jack, large Pen, Sway Back Gent, Pocket Hunter, Peanut.
original.jpg


Next two shots show the Small Swell Center Jack, Medium Jack, Pen, and Peanut from the side and from above.
original.jpg


original.jpg


The same 4, in-hand.
original.jpg



And open.
original.jpg



Hope this is helpful to those who use visuals better than dimensions.
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This is great. Thank you for taking the time
 
OldHercDude said:
I like the Peanut concept, but it's just a bit too small and fumbly for my hands & fingers. The Medium Jack and large Pen are really good for me, the Small Swell Center Jack is in the "not bad" zone.

I do better looking at comparison pics than trying to judge of measurements, so here's a few snaps for anyone in the same mindset.

Most of the Case patterns I have, except I forgot to put the Small Swell Center Jack in this shot. Oops. L -R Tribal Lock, single-blade Trapper, single-blade Stockman, single-blade Copperhead, Mini Copperlock, single-blade Tear Drop, single-blade Barlow, Medium Jack, large Pen, Sway Back Gent, Pocket Hunter, Peanut.
original.jpg


Next two shots show the Small Swell Center Jack, Medium Jack, Pen, and Peanut from the side and from above.
original.jpg


original.jpg


The same 4, in-hand.
original.jpg



And open.
original.jpg



Hope this is helpful to those who use visuals better than dimensions.
Click to expand...
Pocket hunter is cool. Did you notice the swell jack to be off centered or with gaps. Saw some reviews complaining about the construction.
 
JC972 said:
I think it depends on what you want to do with it. If you just carry it to cut a stray string, open packages, peel apples, stuff like that, I don’t think you can go wrong with either. If you’re the outdoor work type and need to do heavier work with the knife you might look at a case copperhead. Not the mini copperhead but the 4 inch (something like that) one. I think of it like a biggie size peanut.

Lots of guys do just fine carrying peanuts and I’m not trying to sway you from it. I tried the peanut myself and just prefer a more substantial sized knife. I like a jumbo stockman. Case 6375, Buck 307, Remington 9501. Like that. All 4 1/4” stockmans. I’ve found with small knives like the peanut that most of them I have a hard time opening because of the short blades and more shallow nail nicks combined with the shorter springs just make it harder for a man (me) with thin, girly fingernails that bend and crack easily.

All this to say, you might want to pick out your knife in a brick and mortar store where you can try several out before you buy.
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Not many brick and mortar here in NY unfortunately
 
Kvk09 said:
This is great. Thank you for taking the time
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You're welcome.

Kvk09 said:
Pocket hunter is cool. Did you notice the swell jack to be off centered or with gaps. Saw some reviews complaining about the construction.
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Pocket Hunter is an exception size wise, for me. It's the same size as the peanut, but the shape is more rectangular and has finger swells, it fits my hand/ fingers much better than the peanut. Not fumbly, for me. Nice little knife.

Based on the knives I have Case can be hit or miss with blade centering, blade play, and liner/ spring gaps. I have a couple examples pretty close to as perfect as possible for a modern production non-custom knife, another that I probably should have returned but didn't, and several that were put right back in the box and returned. And a whole bunch in between the two extremes. My examples of the Small Swell Center Jack all fit in what I would consider better than the average for all of the Case knives I have. Others here have had better experience with Case than I, and others have had worse.

The advise JC972 JC972 gave about finding a brick and mortar store if you can, is good. I'd love to have access to a knife store instead of having to deal with internet shipping and returns. edit - you posted about the same time I did.
 
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