How do you folks rate the Case Seahorse Whittler

[on_the_edge]

as a whittler???
If it is more of a whittler in name than in function, what would you guys suggest for a dedicated folding whittler?

 

[Blues]

My favorite whittling knife is the congress pattern...especially those with four different blades. Of course, as with anything else, YMMV.

 

[LKJW]

My favorite whittling knife is the congress pattern...especially those with four different blades. Of course, as with anything else, YMMV.

I agree. That's pretty much the only thing I use a congress for.

 

[Rick]

IMO, the best attribute of the Seahorse is its comfort in the hand when using the small blades. The master blade is so thick that its spine doesn't dig into your fingers when closed. Speaking of ergos, it helps to lightly round the square shoulder on the coping blade with fine sandpaper or a stone to avoid the sharp edge.

I think the pattern makes a fine whittler as long as you're willing to use the Wharncliffe master for all the medium and heavy carving work, while saving the delicate, thin and flexible pen and coping blades for very fine detail work.

 

[yablanowitz]

I find mine comfortable for longer sessions than the little 6308, probably because I have rather large hands, but the main blade was nearly useless in stock trim. It was like trying to whittle with a hatchet. A couple more encounters with the belt sander should fix that, though.

 

[popedandy]

I had one for a bit. The two small blades were fine, but I didn't care for the main blade - too big and beefy for my tastes. However, knife choice always comes down to personal preferences, so a lot of folks feel differently. I use different knives at different times, but my favorite whittling/carving knife is probably the Boker Congress Carver. Good luck settling on something that you will enjoy using.

 

[sappyg]

My favorite whittling knife is the congress pattern...especially those with four different blades. Of course, as with anything else, YMMV.

Agreed. For me the congress is a better whittler than the whittler.

 

[orca8589]

For me, the Congress is better than the Seahorse. I love the Seahorse pattern, but for general usefulness, The Congress is just better. And yablanowitz is right - that thick main blade needs work before it works really well, ut it makes a great 'hogging' blade because of it's thickness.

~Chris

 

[on_the_edge]

Thank you for the replies, gents. Rick, those pics really show just how thick that main blade is. It is a lot thicker than I initially thought.

 

[moonwilson]

I'm with the gents who have suggested the Congress over the Seahorse. Out of all of the Case knives I own, I probably use the Congress the most for whittling. The coping blade in particular is one of my favorites. I almost never use my Seahorse for anything other than looking at and admiring. It's a cool design, but I've never really latched onto it for some reason. I like the 032 medium stockman pattern for whittling too.

 

[zerogee]

Thank you for the replies, gents. Rick, those pics really show just how thick that main blade is. It is a lot thicker than I initially thought.

Yep, the way Case designed this, the main blade is the thickness of both secondaries added together plus the catch bit between them -- and since it's relatively short for a knife this size, you have one fat blade.