Is quality control at CASE going down?

Well I find that statistics can be fun, interesting and sometimes even enlightening. That’s probably ‘cause I’m not an engr :)
 
EngrSorenson said:
It’s not interesting- it’s how statistics and probability works.

When the statistics of any given sample do not represent the statistics of the population, it is deemed lucky or unlucky depending on the skew of the data about the mean. The larger the sample size that doesn’t represent the population, the less likely the odds that would occur.

If someone purchased 100 case knives over the past 25 years and they were flawless, that would be extremely lucky.

i own a few truly flawless case knives.
I own 10 which function as a knife but have obvious aesthetic flaws. I have 10 others which have flaws that make them unenjoyable to use.
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I like hanging out with people smarter than myself. I hope some of it will rub off on me.

Back on subject, I don’t know my current total of Case knives, but I do know how many I have that need to go back for warranty repair. 10 need to go back after my recent culling. Most due to excessive blade play. Some I’m keeping that probably should go back but they’re good enough and have very good covers I’d hate to lose.

Edit:fixed typo
 
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Seems as though Case QC and people who care went down when Zippo purchased them in 1993 and has not got any better.I have tried to get help from them for 4 years for a simple shield that fell out of a new un used knife and all you get is promises and run around.Thats my experience
 
I've had enough bad experiences with Case that I just don't buy them anymore. I don't trust that I would get a good product from them sight unseen, and I've yet to find a good example when I've had the chance to go through them at physical locations.
I'm glad some of you have never gotten what you consider bad ones, but I've given up on them.
 
my only real complaint on any case traditional I've gotten is side to side blade play. I seem to run into this more than others. I'm pretty tolerant of minor fit and finish issues that would be considered major issues and upset others. long as it was cosmetic and wouldn't affect actual use

if I could just get no side to side blade play case knives, I'd have zero complaints.
 
That is bad, even to the point I wondered if the seller stuck you with a used, returned knife, till I saw the last photo. Modern Case has always been a peaks and valleys type company when it came to quality. That one was definitely in a valley. Sadly, outside of the higher end brands there really isn't a great middle ground in US made traditional pocket knives anymore.
 
tltt said:
That is bad, even to the point I wondered if the seller stuck you with a used, returned knife, till I saw the last photo. Modern Case has always been a peaks and valleys type company when it came to quality. That one was definitely in a valley. Sadly, outside of the higher end brands there really isn't a great middle ground in US made traditional pocket knives anymore.
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Contacting Case knives from the Netherlands regarding quality/guarantee could be pretty challenging and costly i think.

I fixed it my self, filed down the liner lock and buffed out the scratches. Only thing i haven't been able to fix are the gaps in the spine and the blade centering.

You were talking about peaks and valleys. Do you have an idea in wich periods those peaks were so i can look more specifically for a quality case knife? The knife from my pictures is a 2023 made knife and got in the mail yesterday, bought it new from an online webshop.
 
Old timers will tell you anything past 1964 is hit or miss, but really, of stuff that might still be easily findable, I have / had a bunch from the 2010-2015 period that are very nicely done. I really started to see complaints about about Case (and to be fair, a lot of other mid-priced traditional makers) really jump over the COVID lock down period - recently.
 
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I just recieved a Blue Denin Canvas Laminate Smooth Mini-Trappper 3/20/24 lable date..
With out a doubt the BEST out of box Case I have recieved in a while..
ZERO issues.. 😍Still believe its still hit/miss on QC..
But it was nice to get a great one for a change!!:thumbsup:
John :)
 
jmh33 said:
I just recieved a Blue Denin Canvas Laminate Smooth Mini-Trappper 3/20/24 lable date..
With out a doubt the BEST out of box Case I have recieved in a while..
ZERO issues.. 😍Still believe its still hit/miss on QC..
But it was nice to get a great one for a change!!:thumbsup:
John :)
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That's great news John! Enjoy your new knife.
 
Joshua91 said:
That's great! Is the build year also 2023 like mine?
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They have been anywhere from 2019 all the way through 2024, to include many 2023s! I also have several that are far older. I candidly have found that due to how many knives they produce*, that some issues do slip through, but I have almost completely mitigated this by either buying in person at a local shop near me, or by requesting a seller give me additional information. Speaking of purchasing in person, I actually haven't run into any Case knives recently that have had issues, whereas five years ago, it was common to see knives with poorly fitted shields, blade wobble, and gaps between locksprings and such. I think Case has really worked to dial their QC back in, in my direction observation and experience.




* In a selection of cover materials that GEC couldn't match in their wildest dreams
 
damonkeydobad said:
Seems as though Case QC and people who care went down when Zippo purchased them in 1993 and has not got any better.I have tried to get help from them for 4 years for a simple shield that fell out of a new un used knife and all you get is promises and run around.Thats my experience
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Did you require detailed instructions on how a tube of superglue works, or......?
 
Out of my my recent three, one is fantastic and two are just acceptable. Those two have more blade movement than should be present, IMO. They aren't the only maker with that issue, however.
 
Well roughly 50% show up with side to side play, for others I've seen mentioned and for me. I was lucky my peanut and jack have none but my congress showed up with play on the larger blade. I decided to keep it because when you cut, what direction do you take?
cuts are made in a linear fashion and as long as it stays so, it shouldn't make it worse per se
 
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