Help me Pick a Case knife for my Son. CV vs SS

I love the idea of a Case stockman as a first knife. The stockman is a great pattern, and Case has been doing exceptionally well with their stockmans lately. I've had 4 or 5 medium stockmans go through my hands this year, and all have been of excellent quality.

Stainless or carbon steel? I'd let the region you live in determine that answer. If you can get away with carbon steel, the Case CV really is quite nice. If not, the stainless is still pretty good.
 
Another vote for CV. I think he'll appreciate it more if he has to take the responsibility to maintain it. Kids can handle more than we give them credit for sometimes.

Just a suggestion to also take a look at the Case Small Texas Jack. I love mine, and no crinked blades means it's much easier to learn to sharpen, especially on bench stones. Plus, there is a lot less chance of having blade rub issues, which can sometimes happen with Case.

By the way, ordering Case knives unseen can be somewhat of a crap shoot. There are literally hundreds of posts on here about Case quality control, but most people agree that you're much better off if you can inspect it in person. Some of the most common issues are blade centering/rub, spring gaps, mushy walk & talk, and springs that are proud when the blades are open. That last one can be a real pain if you're trying to whittle. If you have to order one, just know that you may have to send it back. Also, the blade edges are pretty much guaranteed to be pretty rough from the factory, so you can go ahead and have that first sharpening lesson right away. [emoji1]
 
I forgot blade wobble - another thing to check for with Case. They make some really great knives (I EDC one), but there are some lemons.
 
Trout Hound said:
I love mine, and no crinked blades means it's much easier to learn to sharpen, especially on bench stones. Plus, there is a lot less chance of having blade rub issues, which can sometimes happen with Case.
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Are there any Case stockmans with crinked blades? I had the impression that they're all offset now but I only have recent examples of the Case 6339, 6347 and 63046.

I think issues with blade rub are exaggerated and often the fault of the user. Marks on the blade don't necessarily mean that they're touching the other blades or the liners. They can result from the user pushing the blades against them instead of lifting straight up. It's sort of like taking a car for a test drive, crashing it into the dealership's garage, and then complaining there's a scratch on it. ;) If the blades are actually not aligned well it can be a defect. But a little bit of scratching isn't really a problem. The Buck 301 has tons of blade rub but that's the way it was designed and it's not bashful about it.


Trout Hound said:
By the way, ordering Case knives unseen can be somewhat of a crap shoot. There are literally hundreds of posts on here about Case quality control, but most people agree that you're much better off if you can inspect it in person. Some of the most common issues are blade centering/rub, spring gaps, mushy walk & talk, and springs that are proud when the blades are open. That last one can be a real pain if you're trying to whittle. If you have to order one, just know that you may have to send it back. Also, the blade edges are pretty much guaranteed to be pretty rough from the factory, so you can go ahead and have that first sharpening lesson right away. [emoji1]
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I would take the bulk of those complaints with a grain of salt. I've bought many Case knives for many years and I've rarely had any problems with them. The only company that I'm hesitant to buy from is Queen.

It's best to buy any knife... or anything at all... only after careful examination. But it's not always possible, especially if you're buying online.
 
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A lot of people's mileage vary on these issues, no doubt, and much of it is subjective. I may be wrong about the crinked blades. My apologies if I am.
 
Trout Hound said:
A lot of people's mileage vary on these issues, no doubt, and much of it is subjective. I may be wrong about the crinked blades. My apologies if I am.
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They were crinked at one time but all the examples of their current knives that I've seen were offset. I haven't seen recent examples of the 6318 or 63032 so I'm not sure about them. If I were to guess, I'd guess they were offset also. I know some of you guys have those patterns so speak up!

No need to apologize. Just clarifying the details. I make mistakes too.

I'm skeptical of both praise and complaints... whether they're written on a forum or store website. There are people who post on this forum that I trust but there are also people who are just learning and don't have much experience. And of course on the internet there's $pecial intere$t$ ;) sometimes also. Some folks are mostly familar with tactical knives that have single blades that pivot on bushings. They might not be familiar with multi-blades or traditional knives in general.
 
supratentorial said:
Are there any Case stockmans with crinked blades? I had the impression that they're all offset now but I only have recent examples of the Case 6339, 6347 and 63046.

I think issues with blade rub are exaggerated and often the fault of the user. Marks on the blade don't necessarily mean that they're touching the other blades or the liners. They can result from the user pushing the blades against them instead of lifting straight up. It's sort of like taking a car for a test drive, crashing it into the dealership's garage, and then complaining there's a scratch on it. ;) If the blades are actually not aligned well it can be a defect. But a little bit of scratching isn't really a problem. The Buck 301 has tons of blade rub but that's the way it was designed and it's not bashful about it.


I would take the bulk of those complaints with a grain of salt. I've bought many Case knives for many years and I've rarely had any problems with them. The only company that I'm hesitant to buy from is Queen.

It's best to buy any knife... or anything at all... only after careful examination. But it's not always possible, especially if you're buying online.
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The standard two-spring stockman patterns are crinked, at least mine are (and they are of recent vintage).
The sowbelly and humpback patterns are offset.

I'm not certain if I'd call it the fault of the user, but I'd agree the issue of blade rub is overblown. Blade rub is nothing new. I have Camillus and USA Schrade stockman knives and most have it to one degree or another.

I've bought about 10 Case knives of recent vintage. All online, sight unseen.
None has blade wobble. All have good to excellent fit and finish. Three are of GEC quality.
And on average I paid about $40 per knife, which is a heck of a lot less than I have paid for any of my GEC knives.
I consider them excellent at their price point.
 
That 6318 in the photo I posted has it's sheepsfoot 'crinked' or bent if you will, to allow it to close. Same for my larger stockman 6375 the Purple Haze scaled one. And, most if not all the blades did arrive with some blade rub on them, before I could open the blades, they were present. Which for me isn't an issue, I use the knives I have so they will continue to show some marring during use, but a safe Queen it wouldn't be such a nice thing to have...

G2
 
All of my Case Stockman patterns have a crinked blade, except for the '47 pattern which has three springs. It is normally the sheepfoot that is crinked, except on those patterns (like the 63087) which has a clip/spey/pen combo and on that one the spey is the crinked one.

All of mine have some blade rub marks, I don't really care about blade rub marks on a knife that I am going to use. I don't care much about small liner gaps on users either. Anything I have to look for with a magnifying glass and that does not affect the functioning or overall look of the knife, I generally don't worry about. Proud or recessed backsprings when fully open DO bug me, because I can feel it when I am using the knife.

Back to the original post - the Case '18 Medium Stockman has the slim Turkish clip on almost all of them, but for some odd reason the Pocket Worn Old Red version of that pattern uses a normal clip blade (same as in the Small Texas Jack). One of my more frequently carried knives is the Case 6318 in Pocket Worn Harvest Orange, SS blades. I was able to get them very sharp.

I know it looks more like Caramel but it's Harvest Orange. I guess the dye varies. At least it is matched well on both sides.





I like the 6318 pattern and have several of them (including the PW Old Red with the different clip blade) and they are decent knives.
 
Gary W. Graley said:
That 6318 in the photo I posted has it's sheepsfoot 'crinked' or bent if you will, to allow it to close. Same for my larger stockman 6375 the Purple Haze scaled one. And, most if not all the blades did arrive with some blade rub on them, before I could open the blades, they were present. Which for me isn't an issue, I use the knives I have so they will continue to show some marring during use, but a safe Queen it wouldn't be such a nice thing to have...

G2
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Thanks for the info on the 75 and 18 patterns. What year are they?

Regarding the rub... Do you have a photo of the well looking straight down?

supratentorial said:
Dan4, can you make an update with a photo of the well?

Here are some photos of Case & Rough Rider knives that show the difference between a manufacturing defect and normal wear. The Rough Rider 725's clip blade and sheepfoot blade are hitting hard and the spey is hitting the liner hard. In contrast, there is no contact between the blades and liners on the Case 3347. Any rub marks on the Case knife would be caused by pushing on the blades instead of pulling straight up.







Click to expand...
 
knarfeng said:
The standard two-spring stockman patterns are crinked, at least mine are (and they are of recent vintage).
The sowbelly and humpback patterns are offset.

I'm not certain if I'd call it the fault of the user, but I'd agree the issue of blade rub is overblown. Blade rub is nothing new. I have Camillus and USA Schrade stockman knives and most have it to one degree or another.

I've bought about 10 Case knives of recent vintage. All online, sight unseen.
None has blade wobble. All have good to excellent fit and finish. Three are of GEC quality.
And on average I paid about $40 per knife, which is a heck of a lot less than I have paid for any of my GEC knives.
I consider them excellent at their price point.
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Frank, Do you know if the sheepfoot on the 2001 sowbelly was crinked? I had one but lost it and don't remember for sure. I know the current ones are offset.
 
No photos of that shot

The 6318 was made in 2015

The 6375 was made in 2014

G2
 
Dunno why they do anything they do...one of life's mysteries :)

Here's a shot of my recent Case knives, Peanut, medium Stockman, Purple Haze Stockman, all three are really really nice knives!

Tres_Case.jpg~original


G2
 
supratentorial said:
Frank, Do you know if the sheepfoot on the 2001 sowbelly was crinked? I had one but lost it and don't remember for sure. I know the current ones are offset.
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I do not know about the 2001 models.

Personally, I prefer the offset blades to crinked blades. I like the sheepsfoot to extend straight, instead of crooked.
 
knarfeng said:
I do not know about the 2001 models.

Personally, I prefer the offset blades to crinked blades. I like the sheepsfoot to extend straight, instead of crooked.
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I've got a 2001 sowbelly on the way so I'll know soon.

It's the thicker springs that I prefer on the old 47. I do actually like the offset blades on the new ones.
 
I also feel that the CV is better to begin with. Extremely easy sharpening. On the thin bladed models you can actually hear the burr snapping off under the right circumstances. The fact is that all knives require some maintenance including stainless. By learning the techniques needed and developing correct routines that save time the knife owner is set for life and won't be one of those guys that comes here and blasts a manufacturer because his stainless knife developed tiny rust spots so the heat treat must be off.

Learning properly on a CV knife will have him knowing the difference the first time he sharpens a new stainless blade. He can decide which he likes and why. All because he began by learning correctly on a knife that he understood needs maintenance. That will put him ahead of moay users IMO.
 
I'm old enough to know better, and/but I prefer stainless. I also find that stainless rusts a bit too. Maybe I'm exceptionally caustic.
 
The Mini Trapper would be a great first Case knife. I like both SS and CV but would lean towards the SS for him.
 
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