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. Weve 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 doesnt 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. Theyre 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
