Where to start.....
Case's Tru-Sharp SS is really 420HC. Same stuff found in many Buck, Camillus, and other mass produced factory knives. Not the top of the line SS on the market , but a servicable steel if properly sharpened. This has been, and continues to be, a topic of discussion on the Case forum over at knifeforums. The consensus is that it is a good steel for everyday use, but its true, it plays second fiddle to they're CV steel in overall performance. I used a SS Case trapper to field dress and skin a mature whitetail buck this past season and it performed just fine, actually better than expected.
Case's out of the box edges are not uniform, but they have made improvements in this recently. Remember, these are mass produced multiblade knives that, traditionally, are expected to have the users preferred edge put on by the user himself. Most guys who carry a stockman, for example, put different edges on different blades for different purposes. A good rule of thumb with slipjoints of any brand is to expect to have to put the edge you want on the knife after you get it. I've had less than sharp Bokers, Bulldogs, and Schrades out of the box, but that doesn't make them, or Case, a bad knife. Nor is it really a manufacturing flaw, you are just supposed to put the final edge of your preferance on them yourself.
Case's knives with CV steel are great, yellow derlin or bone, they will work just as hard as grandads old knife. They are, in my opinion and experience, real working slipjoints. I have about a dozen CV Cases, from the mid-60's to present manufacture, and all of them are class A working knives. Fit and finish on these knives is comparable over the time period, not a stinker among them, the worst I can say is there is some blade rub on some of the models. DO NOT be afraid to buy, carry, and use a Case CV knife of your choice. They are good pocketknives.
Case's Tru-Sharp SS is really 420HC. Same stuff found in many Buck, Camillus, and other mass produced factory knives. Not the top of the line SS on the market , but a servicable steel if properly sharpened. This has been, and continues to be, a topic of discussion on the Case forum over at knifeforums. The consensus is that it is a good steel for everyday use, but its true, it plays second fiddle to they're CV steel in overall performance. I used a SS Case trapper to field dress and skin a mature whitetail buck this past season and it performed just fine, actually better than expected.
Case's out of the box edges are not uniform, but they have made improvements in this recently. Remember, these are mass produced multiblade knives that, traditionally, are expected to have the users preferred edge put on by the user himself. Most guys who carry a stockman, for example, put different edges on different blades for different purposes. A good rule of thumb with slipjoints of any brand is to expect to have to put the edge you want on the knife after you get it. I've had less than sharp Bokers, Bulldogs, and Schrades out of the box, but that doesn't make them, or Case, a bad knife. Nor is it really a manufacturing flaw, you are just supposed to put the final edge of your preferance on them yourself.
Case's knives with CV steel are great, yellow derlin or bone, they will work just as hard as grandads old knife. They are, in my opinion and experience, real working slipjoints. I have about a dozen CV Cases, from the mid-60's to present manufacture, and all of them are class A working knives. Fit and finish on these knives is comparable over the time period, not a stinker among them, the worst I can say is there is some blade rub on some of the models. DO NOT be afraid to buy, carry, and use a Case CV knife of your choice. They are good pocketknives.
