My Cases are not Cases!

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What i got from someone that asked about it at the official case forums( or maybe it was the collector club forums..) last year, these are case made, minus scales, and frost scales them... from what I've seen, they've actually gotten good reviews till now..

I don't see why its such a surprise that case would do this... just look at all the stuff queen makes for other brands.

Is frost brand owned by SMKW like RR etc? since case does a lot of SFOs for SMKW, that might explain this..

0.02
G.
 
I think Mr. Frost owns Frost knives. I don't think he owns SMKW. I think 2brothers was right when he said the slackers must have been on duty when his knives were handled.

What's disturbing to me is not that the knives were handled poorly (and it sounds like they could be cleaned up). That's understandable if the knives were produced and sold by Case without scales- they shouldn't be held responsible for the work somebody else does. What bothers me is that the knives themselves sound like they were poorly made. 2brothers said in his OP that one of the knives didn't really have an edge at all. Is the workmanship on the knives (not counting the handles) acceptable? Is the blade action/ snap comparable to other current Case offerings? Is there slop, wobble, grinding issues, or poor fit with the blades/ springs?

I have a lot of Case knives, and while a few of them could have been finished better, I have never had any issues with the workmanship. Is this just a handle/ hafting issue?
 
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It should be interesting to see what Case's response will be. I'm sure that Case gets a batch or two to review before they allow the Case name to be associated with it. I'm also sure that the batch they get is skewed to show better production work. It's also interesting that these are marketed as Case products. Queen doesn't make it a point to advertise themselves on knives they make for other distributers, as far as I know.

Yet even more interesting is that Case, one of the great All-American knife companies that's still left, would allow itself to be associated with a company synomimous with off-shore work. Seems like it could only weaken the brand. But those scales sure do look pretty.
 
I was going to pick up three of their Equestrian models for my sisters, any word on where these are getting handled?
 
Mike Robuck said:
As I recall, six or seven years ago, Frost was putting handles on Case knives without Case's permission. Case wasn't happy when these knives would show up at its place with scales that had fallen off.

So I'm guessing that this is some sort of sanctioned way for Frost to put all of those wild handle colors on Case knives with Case having some say in it.
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Say it brother R. I am thinking your are 100% dead on here.

As far as Cases not being Cases, nothing new here at all. Knife companies have been swapping around since day one in the US. (well almost day one).
 
It's too bad they're not better done, because I was poking around looking at Corelon handled Case knives on different vendors sites- and some of that handle material is drop-dead gorgeous. You can tell from the pictures that a lot of them aren't very well put together, though. The scales are just glued on, the scale to bolster fit is often off, and not much attention has been paid to smoothing things out overall. The tiny toothpicks look especially dodgy, as do the large trappers. The bolsters on the trappers in particular look almost totally flat- as if they've hardly been touched at all.

But the handle material is almost nice enough to make me not care. As long as the knives themselves are sound, and the scale to bolster fit isn't TOO bad, I can do the final finishing myself.

What is "Corelon" anyway? Is it some kinda fancy name for acrylic? Or is it some miracle breakthrough in polymer technology that the wizards at Frost laboratories have brought us?
 
Corelon is a Jim Frost product. Frost Cutlery is a standalone company that has his own brand and is one of the largest Case distributors in the country. He imports Steal Warriors, Hen & Rooster, and others.

They are only re-handling in composites since this was an area of the market Case was not servicing. Thus, you don't have to worry about an Equestrian with natural handes. They have been creating boxed commemoratives, by etching Case factory knives, for years. You can see examples on SMKW by the leading "F/" on the title.

I'm sure they are starting with the base knife used in the economy (yellow handled) line, which has had flat bolsters for a few years now.

Here are a couple that Painted Pony are producing under the same type license agreement. Notice the shield is unique. Also, you will see this handle material referred to as "Mica Pearl". These are similar to the Colonel Coon knives being made by Queen and handled by Painted Pony.

Mike Latham
CollectorKnives.Net
 

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With Frost doing the scales for Case, I wonder how they will handle warranty issues for scales? Is Case stocking some just for warranty, or will they have to be sent to Frost? I don't own any with those scales and probably won't, just curious.....
 
I've been in touch with my contact at Case and he informs me that either a Case rep will post a reply here providing us with information on this matter or I will post it on their behalf if they ask me to.
 
Thanks for the info Elliot. I haven't hear back yet, but it hasn't even been a day.

Just so I'm clear on this, I know there were some questions as to what I meant:
The knives, physically are sound. The spring is good (a couple slightly off, but nothing bad)
I haven't really checked for 'bent' blades, but I don't expect any if Case is making the knife part of it.
The bolsters all needed polishing. They were for lack of a better word, dirty.
I wiped most of them down to get a shine out of them as they were left kinda ugly looking.
The insides were all left dirty and I had to Q-tip and towel each one to get them looking like a Case.
Would the insides get dirty from putting handles on?
(I've gotten really good at this after doing 6 or 7 of them. :D )
I had 2 that had mis-sharpened blades, but that happens. I won't fault for that. "I" can fix that.
The handle material on all is beautiful, I really like the different colors.
Some aren't perfectly set, very very minor, but I can live with that.
What I don't expect is there to be glue all over the handle like it was brushed on with a mop.
That is my main complaint, as I couldn't get rid of it after 20-30 minutes of trying.
That part of it, mixed in with the little things like a mis-sharpened blade or dull bolster kinda escalated my initial disappointment.
As I opened it, it went down like this: "Is that glue on the handles? Why is it so dirty, crap, the bolsters are dull as hell too."
See what I mean?

Like I stated earlier, I didn't want to put anything harsh on it because I don't know what this material can withstand.
I sure don't want to scrape at it either.

If it can be warrantied, or they can tell me what I can use to get the glue off with, then I have no problem. :thumbup:

mike
 
2brothers- all of the problems you've described (except for dull blades) sound like they happened after the knives left Case. Case probably supplies the knives with the bolsters unfinished, as the bolsters are polished along with the handles, so they fit perfectly flush. If the person putting handles on the knife isn't careful, all kinds of gunk/ polishing compound can get inside the knife. That can probably be cleaned out with toothpicks and patience. You can finish the bolsters yourself if you feel like it- just start out with 400 grit (or so) sandpaper and move progressively up to finer grits, and finish off with Scotchbrite pads and Flitz. You should be able to get factory-finish results or better this way, in just a few minutes. I've done this several times on Rough Riders, and it works great. Nickel silver is quite soft, and polishes easily.

You could probably do the same thing with the Corelon scales to get rid of the glue. I've sanded/ polished up the Corelon scales on a Steel Warrior with no problems, and I've sanded and polished up Case composition handles several times. (I'm a compulsive tinkerer) Just don't use a Dremel or anything else that would heat/ melt the scales, and you should be fine. I wouldn't be afraid to scrape the glue off, as long as you're careful not to leave any deep scratches.

If that were my knife, I would first scrape off the glue as carefully as possible, start sanding with 400 grit (or so) sandpaper and move progressively up to finer grits, and finish off with Scotchbrite pads. Then buff that sucker with a rag and Flitz until it shines. Use very high grits of sandpaper, work slowly, and you should be fine.

EDIT: Oops, I forgot to mention- if you can't find 2200 or 2500 grit sandpaper, don't sand the scales! You have to start out at 400 grit, move to 800, then 1500, then 2500, then Scotchbrite, then polish. Use the Scotchbrite pads very lightly, you don't need to use any pressure. If you only have 800 or 1500 grit sandpaper, it will be hard to get the final polish, and the surface won't be shiny.
 
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Prior to June of 2006, Frost Cutlery (a Tennessee-based company) had been distributing Case knives (manufactured in Bradford, PA) which were re-handled in Corelon® by Michael Prater, owner of Georgia-based Michael Prater & Company. These activities were occurring without our prior knowledge and consent. Marketplace confusion, warranty responsibilities and concern over quality standards motivated us to seek appropriate remedies. Upong complying with our established quality standards and warranty requirements, Prater was issued a 3rd party license to re-handle knives. Frost was made an authorized distributor of re-handled Case knives and issued a unique logo which reads, “Officially Licensed Case Product.” New packaging, printed with, “Produced by Frost Cutlery Co. under sub-license with W.R. Case & Sons Cutlery Co.,” would be used to alleviate consumer confusion. As an added measure, Case began stamping tangs for legitimately re-handled knives’ with a prefix of “9” (i.e. “9220” for a re-handled Peanut). Loose shields would be provided to Prater for fitting into the Corelon handles.



Case continues to produce knives in this way under this arrangement. We’ve found the quality of these re-handled knives during the last two years to be good, and with few warranty problems.



If you have a knife that can be clearly identified as having come from an Officially Licensed re-handler that doesn’t meet your expectations, please contact our repair department for evaluation and assistance. Know that this product carries with it the same warranty as all genuine Case knives.



Finally, Case knives are not being made anywhere else in the world. They’re still 100% produced in the USA by American workers. We truly appreciate your enthusiasm for that philosophy!



We hope this alleviates any confusion regarding re-handled Case knives.



Thank you!

Shirley Boser
Case Historian & Archivist
 
Shirley, thank you for the response. From what you stated, it makes me feel at ease.
I am happy that you (ya'll) continue to make your products here rather than abroad.

I realize my item just made it past QC.
I'm sure that doesn't happen on a regular basis and I wanted to make sure it could be warrantied if need be.

moonwilson, thanks for that info. much appreciated.

mike
 
Sounds good to me, Shirley, and thanks for the response.
Also if you feel so inclined to post here from time to time regarding Case knives, I'm sure all the regulars would be happy to see you do so.
 
Thank you, Shirley. I truly appreciate the quick response and I know it is greatly appreciated by the members here. :thumbup::cool:
 
Thanks Shirley! Now that I know they are a genuine Case product and carry the same warantee, I'm going to look into them. The scales are fantastic.
 
Thank you Shirley. It is great to hear that Case and Mr. Prater have worked this out and are working together. Mike is another good guy, have known him for years.
I hope it works well for all involved.
 
case1 said:
Prior to June of 2006, Frost Cutlery (a Tennessee-based company) had been distributing Case knives (manufactured in Bradford, PA) which were re-handled in Corelon® by Michael Prater, owner of Georgia-based Michael Prater & Company. These activities were occurring without our prior knowledge and consent. Marketplace confusion, warranty responsibilities and concern over quality standards motivated us to seek appropriate remedies. Upong complying with our established quality standards and warranty requirements, Prater was issued a 3rd party license to re-handle knives. Frost was made an authorized distributor of re-handled Case knives and issued a unique logo which reads, “Officially Licensed Case Product.” New packaging, printed with, “Produced by Frost Cutlery Co. under sub-license with W.R. Case & Sons Cutlery Co.,” would be used to alleviate consumer confusion. As an added measure, Case began stamping tangs for legitimately re-handled knives’ with a prefix of “9” (i.e. “9220” for a re-handled Peanut). Loose shields would be provided to Prater for fitting into the Corelon handles.



Case continues to produce knives in this way under this arrangement. We’ve found the quality of these re-handled knives during the last two years to be good, and with few warranty problems.



If you have a knife that can be clearly identified as having come from an Officially Licensed re-handler that doesn’t meet your expectations, please contact our repair department for evaluation and assistance. Know that this product carries with it the same warranty as all genuine Case knives.



Finally, Case knives are not being made anywhere else in the world. They’re still 100% produced in the USA by American workers. We truly appreciate your enthusiasm for that philosophy!



We hope this alleviates any confusion regarding re-handled Case knives.



Thank you!

Shirley Boser
Case Historian & Archivist
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Welcome to BF Shirley!!!
I like your screen name!!:thumbup:

A lot of people use BF to get consumer information
And to quell misinformation, in a sense
You certainly cleared things up on this issue
Upon complying with our established quality standards and warranty requirements
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I figured that was the CASE (lol..pun INTENDED!!)

I'm gonna send you a PM on my P62 boot knife tang stamp that has had me baffled for a year :mad:
 
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