I didn't realize my Case was so bad...

P

pinetree

Joined
Jun 24, 2005
Messages
713
Now that I've been doing some research here, I realize my Case mini-trapper in stainless is "just for show not for go". The 100 plus birds I've cleaned with it, the tomatoes, and peppers I've harvested, and the thousands of odd jobs I've done with it...what was I thinking.

That being said in little tongue and cheek. I love my little Case. Granted I'll search out D2 or 1095ish steel in future knives eventhough Cases Tru-Sharp mystery steel gets scary sharp - carving pumpkins with it last knight, I got a few nicks, it is the type of sharp you don't even feel the cut - it doesn't hold it very well. My SAKs hold up better carving fuzz sticks in hickory. Anyway, on a day to day basis, I'm more like to have to slit open a fedex, or check the doneness of a steak I'm grilling than to carve on wood.

Cheers,
tjg
 
It may be that too much is made of the type of steel in a knife! It sounds like 420HC is adequate for your purposes, and if the price is reasonable, and you don't mind the frequency of sharpening that you do (whatever it is), then the steel is obviously fine. I have knives in ATS-34, ZDP-189, S30V, and other exotic steels, but I don't use them because I want to keep their resale value. Besides, when I do sharpen them it's a project. My good old EDC's are mostly carbon steel, and a couple of minutes on a ceramic stick from spyderco, infrequently, keeps them as sharp as I need!
 
Of course there ARE differences between different steels.
But, to be honest, if the knife feels good in your hand, looks pretty to your eyes, handles the jobs you put it to in a way that you're happy with and you don't have to sharpen it so often it drives you crazy - who cares about which steel it is??!!
You've gotten yourself a user that you're very content with!
That's something to feel good about, if you ask me.

/ Karl
 
It's funny that you said you'd be more likely to do many tasks for which Tru Sharp is well suited than carve wood. Probably true for most people as well. The opposite is true for me, I use my knives mostly for whittling. It really does come down to what your task is sometimes. Tru Sharp and other steels get a bad rap for their inability to do as well as others on some tasks, when they perform many tasks admirably. All that said, I'll still take 1095 or CV or the like over those steels, because they can do any of the tasks those steels can do; plus they work great for woodcarving, which is what I do most with my knives.
 
waynorth said:
It may be that too much is made of the type of steel in a knife! It sounds like 420HC is adequate for your purposes, and if the price is reasonable, and you don't mind the frequency of sharpening that you do (whatever it is), then the steel is obviously fine. I have knives in ATS-34, ZDP-189, S30V, and other exotic steels, but I don't use them because I want to keep their resale value. Besides, when I do sharpen them it's a project. My good old EDC's are mostly carbon steel, and a couple of minutes on a ceramic stick from spyderco, infrequently, keeps them as sharp as I need!
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This is very much in line with my own thinking. I see way too much energy spent chasing the "steel of the week" and belittling those who don't follow along.

Also, in general, there's a reason the steels that have been around a long time have that staying power: They simply work well.

I know it's a tired argument, but look at the venerable Buck 110 with it's "all show, no go" 420HC. Uh-huh. Useless. Any knifemaker will tell you that heat treatment is at least as important as the steel you start with.

-- Sam
 
With any product that is produced in large quantities, you will get some that are great and some that are not. Just the luck of the draw. My experiences with the newer Case knives came up "snake eyes". That doesn't mean that they all will be sub-par or that any certain percentage of them will be.
Greg
 
I carve wood everyday and I was always a steel snob. I love carbon steel and always tried to find it in the knifes I like to use. One day I bought a stainless case knife and tried it carving. I found it did just as good a job as the carbon. Maybe the carbon was a little better, but very little difference. Maybe it was because I think carbons better.
 
I think that one of the things we're seeing is that cutlery companies are catering to the major market. These days, probably more knives see duties involving packages, envelopes, and string, than see heavy duty farm and ranch, or woods duties. Even for a lot of people who go camping the pocket knife doesn't do real heavy duty work. Additonally, the general public wants stainless, easy to maintain, and to keep costs down.

The stainless doesn't discolor with basic use like carbon steel does. We know that other than knife knuts and a few other odd types, most people equate discoloration with inferior steel, never knowing the truth. Given the attention span of society, most of them won't stay with sharpening a knife, if they actually do sharpen one, for more than a small number of passes. Those passes are likely to be taken on some kind of gadget or another. Therefore, these folks need a steel that sharpens quickly. Not to mention, their standards of sharp are often a far cry from what we consider sharp.

The above is reflected by walking into a Sportsman's Warehouse, Academy, Wally-World, Lowe's, or other type mainstream store and not being able to find anything but stainless steel knives. At the local Sportsman's Warehouse you can find Case Yellow Handles, to include a Sod Buster Jr., but only in stainless. The only local place I've found with Case in CV has been the little Tru-Value in our little town. They only have a small selection of YH's and a few Amber Bones, but all of them are CV. The exact opposite of SW, there are no stainless Cases available in that little store. Sadly, right by the Case display, on a bottom shelf of an end cap, is a Schrade (Taylor) display. Those are for the don't know betters I guess.

Even within the knife knuts, the Companies recognize that a lot of collectors are, well, collecting. They are accumulating knives that will sit in their boxes and never really be used or even sharpened. So, in the end, cutlery companies are trying to cater to what they see as their larger markets in an effort to survive.

Now with all that yapping, I'll finish by saying what others have. If the knife and steel work for you and how you use a knife, then good for you. Use it, enjoy it, and let somebody else get in a lather over steel choices.
 
I now have a new carbon bladed Boker Barlow, faux tortoise shell. My first Ebay purchase, $25.

Thanks,
tjg
 
pinetree said:
I now have a new carbon bladed Boker Barlow, faux tortoise shell. My first Ebay purchase, $25.

Thanks,
tjg
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:thumbup: Good for you! I've a handful of Bokers in carbon steel, one of which is an older Barlow. My current EDC is a Boker Canoe in carbon steel.
 
pinetree said:
Now that I've been doing some research here, I realize my Case mini-trapper in stainless is "just for show not for go". The 100 plus birds I've cleaned with it, the tomatoes, and peppers I've harvested, and the thousands of odd jobs I've done with it...what was I thinking.
Click to expand...

Yeah, don't you feel foolish? I felt the exact same way when I first started reading these boards and I found out the Kershaw Scallion I'd been carrying for years had trash for blade steel. And here I had naively been thinking it was a great knife, simply because it had served me well in every situation I'd ever needed it for, and was none the worse for wear despite being subjected to all manner of abuse over the years. Since I'm now much more sophisticated in these matters, I only carry top of the line folders with S30V steel. It's true I'm afraid to use them for anything because they might get scratched, but dammit at least I carry a quality knife and not some piece of junk! :D
 
longbeachguy said:
Yeah, don't you feel foolish? I felt the exact same way when I first started reading these boards and I found out the Kershaw Scallion I'd been carrying for years had trash for blade steel. And here I had naively been thinking it was a great knife, simply because it had served me well in every situation I'd ever needed it for, and was none the worse for wear despite being subjected to all manner of abuse over the years. Since I'm now much more sophisticated in these matters, I only carry top of the line folders with S30V steel. It's true I'm afraid to use them for anything because they might get scratched, but dammit at least I carry a quality knife and not some piece of junk! :D
Click to expand...

Don't DO that!!!
I wearing out my clothes for all of that rolling on the floor.. :D

Man, I recognize myself so badly in pinetrees question, it's almost not funny.

/ Karl
 
I don't mind stainless...I can get by OK even with 420HC...but I DO like the ease and speed with which carbon/CV blades come right back up to SHARP....a few strokes on the Arkansas bench stone and she's good to go again. I dunno, it just seems quicker with carbon....you know.....less effort;
when you're old that counts !

I do find that 440C sharpens up right quick too...anyone else find that's true for them ?

Now D2.....if your Queen doesn't come sharp in the box.....forget it if you don't have a real hard stone (diamond, preferably) because it will take a while.

-My Best.
 
I spoke to the Grohman factory rep at the NRA national convention a few years ago. Grohman makes the canadian belt knives and they have many models in both stainless and carbon steel. The stainless is a good quality, but not top shelf. I asked him which was better, he said the carbon steel was better and ticked off the usual reasons. I asked him why does Grohman sell the stainless, and he said customer demand. They started selling stainless because their customers wanted it and it outsells their carbon steel models so customers continue to demand it.
 
There has been so much B.S. made over each new batch of wonder steel that comes out that we've raised a whole generation of steel snobs. Like cars, motorcycles, guns, its all part of the greed of the manufacturing companies to convince you to spend more and more money to have the latest thing.

I read some of the posts in the general knife forum, and I have to laugh at some of the conciet of the younger generation of knife knuts. If its not the latest space age steel, then its the latest kind of lock. I seriously think that some of them think a carbon blade is going to rust away on them overnight, and using a knife without a lock is insane.

420HC, 1095, 440C, all do a good job on a day to day pocket knife. My humble Victorinox soldier holds a good edge and at night watching TV i give it a light stropping for the next day. Yet it is a scorned low class blade according to the chairborne cammandos that read every knife magazine out there and take that rubish for gospel.

I have some Case pocket knives in CV, and I have some in true sharp. Each one opens my mail, UPS boxes, plastic blister packs from stores, trims fish line when I go out with my grandson, and lots of other outdoor chores. All seem to do what I want to.

Use what you like and the heck with the ignorant naysayers.

Sorry for the rant boys, but as I get older, I have less patentence for the snobs in general.
 
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