First Case Recommendation

D1omedes

D1omedes

Joined
May 3, 2009
Messages
1,125
Hey all. I've been looking at Case knives and am beginning to feel like I should pick one up. As a newbie to knife collecting, I have never owned a Case before and am not sure which one I should pick up first.

BTW, I plan on putting the Case through light EDC duties. I don't wish to beat on this knife. I have an Izula for that. :D

I'd prefer a locking design. It just gives me some peace-of-mind, really. I usually prefer darker handles but am willing to consider anything in that department. However, if there is a slip joint model that is an absolute must, let me know.

Price is a bit of an issue. For my first Case knife I'd like it to be no more than $60. I got my Delica 4 for around that price and love that knife. So I'm thinking I should be able to do the same with my first Case.

Length of blade is not really an issue either. I don't want anything too small. I'm open to different blade designs as well. Just be sure to explain the benefit/drawback of the different designs as I'm a newbie.

Thanks guys. :)
 
CV Peanut! They're great knives. Mine's the red bone CV. Small enough to forget in the pocket, the clip blade is long enough for most tasks and the pen blade is discrete enough that it doesn't upset even the most hysterical sheepperson.
 
you probably wont here this much on the boards but i like the "russlock" style and as most case knives it come in a ton of different colors.

if you want classic case it will have to be the yella handles
 
Let me suggest a Sod buster with CV steel and yellow handles.....It fits your description of not being small and they are extremely reasonably priced at 20 bucks give or take a few. However it dosn't lock. But IMHO it is one of those must haves:D
 
A Stockman with the classic yellow scales and CV blades.

CV is a non-stainless steel. VERY easy to sharpen to a true razor edge.
 
When people think of Case knives, they usually think traditional slippies. As such; Trapper, Stockman, Peanut and Sodbuster are going to be the most recommended patterns from what I've seen from past discussions on traditional slippies. See which pattern interests you the most and then find which one has the handle materials you find the most attractive :)

When I dipped on my first slippie I opted for an Amber Stockman.
 
knarfeng said:
A Stockman with the classic yellow scales and CV blades.

CV is a non-stainless steel. VERY easy to sharpen to a true razor edge.
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X2, a CV stockman in yella handles make a nice first Case user. Get the CV steel for a user, it has pretty good edge retention, gets a very nice patina and gets very sharp easily.

tn_DSC06527.jpg
 
Thanks for all the input guys. :thumbup:

I've been looking at all sorts of Case knives and am having trouble. I'm torn between the Peanut and the Copperlock. I know that a few of you guys have recommended the Peanut but has anyone have a Copperlock?
 
With so many Case knives to choose from...

First, I'll recommend that you get a knife using CV steel. It's better than the regular Case stainless. In fact, it's great blade steel.

That narrows the choices to a reasonable amount, because Case makes CV knives in only a few patterns, and with only 4 handle finishes.

The CV handle finishes are yellow synthetic, fondly referred to as "yella" by Case aficionados, amber bone, dark red bone, and chestnut bone.
You said you wanted something dark; amber bone and chestnut bone are the darkest of the four.

Case makes very few models that have a locking blade, and fewer still lockblades in CV. Actually only two I believe. Neither are truly "classic" patterns, anyway.

I'd recommend one or more of the following:

Stockman
Trapper
Peanut
Slimline Trapper (aka Utility Knife aka "Dixie Switch")
 
rifon2 said:
First, I'll recommend that you get a knife using CV steel. It's better than the regular Case stainless. In fact, it's great blade steel.
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What makes CV so much better than Case's regular SS? I am curious because that narrows down the models quite a bit. Thanks.
 
It's a little more than the $60 you want, but a Case Trapperlock with yellow handle scales and CV blade go for about $70. If you want to give the general shape a shot, the Case barehead slimline trapper shares similar characteristics and usually goes for about $30. Non-locking, but it's a great entry-level slipjoint pattern to really get you rolling.
 
rifon2 said:
The CV takes a sharper edge and keeps it longer than the Tru-Sharp stainless.
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Would you recommend forcing a patina on a CV blade or just letting it form naturally?

Oh, and will a patina prevent red rust from catching on the blade? I'm still new to all this steel property knowledge. :o
 
D1omedes said:
Would you recommend forcing a patina on a CV blade or just letting it form naturally?

Oh, and will a patina prevent red rust from catching on the blade? I'm still new to all this steel property knowledge. :o
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Forcing a patina will help protect the blade somewhat, but it's always good to give the blade a wipe-down with a cloth dampened with some oil, just enough to coat and wipe away clean. CV isn't as prone to rust as 1095 in my experience.
 
This may be a little bit off topic, but I have been very curious as to what you guys use specific blades for on a multi-bladed design like the stockman. As an example, would you perhaps use the wharncliff for box-cutting, the small pen/spear blade for opening letters, and the larger clip/bowie blade for general tasks or anything that requires the extra length? Or do you perhaps never use one of them in order to keep it razor sharp for the rare tasks that require a fresh edge? I guess I am just wondering if having two or three blades gives enough extra capability over a single blade to be worth the extra bulk.

Thanks,
JonM
 
I don't have one but I think it looks really nice and might pick one up: A slimline trapper in G10

casepic06236.jpg


Does anyone know if they make this model with the CV steel? I think all of the ones I have seen are stainless.
 
JonM said:
This may be a little bit off topic, but I have been very curious as to what you guys use specific blades for on a multi-bladed design like the stockman. As an example, would you perhaps use the wharncliff for box-cutting, the small pen/spear blade for opening letters, and the larger clip/bowie blade for general tasks or anything that requires the extra length? Or do you perhaps never use one of them in order to keep it razor sharp for the rare tasks that require a fresh edge? I guess I am just wondering if having two or three blades gives enough extra capability over a single blade to be worth the extra bulk.

Thanks,
JonM
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For my stockman, I use the main clip point blade for food and utility tasks that may require a longer blade, I use the sheepsfoot blade strictly for utility tasks, and the spey blade gets no use at all other than cleaning my finger nails.
 
My favorite pattern in the Case line is the Gunstock pattern, especially the large. I also like the new Humpbacks, stockman and whittler, that have just come out.
 
D1omedes said:
Thanks for all the input guys. :thumbup:

I've been looking at all sorts of Case knives and am having trouble. I'm torn between the Peanut and the Copperlock. I know that a few of you guys have recommended the Peanut but has anyone have a Copperlock?
Click to expand...

peanut all the way

if your open to another i would say a medium stockman
 
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