1. Have you changed, if so how.
Sure I've changed. I think most people do.
Teens and twenties: school, more school, getting started in life... I basically had no idea what I was doing or where I was going and my life wasn't really the same year to year. I experimented with a lot of different interests and was in the process of picking out which activities would a part of my life. Hiking, cycling and skiing were at the top and knives were tools in the mix.
Thirties: Coming to grips with career, mortgage and kids. Financial planning was more like survival. Lots of focus on keeping my head above water and my family but not me (as it should be). My focus on activities was a balance of trying to keep them going while piecing together gear kits on a shoe string budget. Plenty of "make do" decisions, including with knives.
Forties and fifties: Life has been more stable and predictable. My attention to most things is now on reflection and refinement. My various kits are basically sorted and as stuff needs replacing, I'm in a position to be more selective. I've also had the chance to explore and try new things without the fear of making a life long mistake. Gear comes and gear goes. Not everything that looks good on paper or that is praised by others works for me and this is across the board, not just limited to knives. I trust my own experience and my own ability to judge what works for me more than I did when I was younger.
2. What's the consensus on the next Case
This is like picking another man's shoes, drink or lover for him.
In my late 30s to 40s, I experimented a lot with different gear in different activities and have become convinced that this sort of experimentation is needed to find what sort of gear is a best fit. An example...
When I was very young, I had scout knives. This is what a knife looked like.
In high school, I fell in love with the Buck 110, but never warmed up to holster carry, so it rode along in my backpack like the brass brick that it was. So, for backpacking, I swung to the other extreme with just a Victorinox Classic in my pack. (Actually it was a series of Classics all of which busted but I digress.). Then in my twenties I tried a SOG Paratool, which looked awesome on paper but turned out to be the worst tool ever in terms of ergonomics. The I was gifted an Opinel in a bike parts trade and it ended up in my pocket and I went on a binge of trying different front pocket carries of all different sizes.
My endpoint... I like a large traditional single blade folder in my right rear pocket (I sew a seam there), a mini multi tool (Micra) in my right front pocket and a full sized multitool (not the SOG) in my day pack.
Why did I write all of that? All to say that I could no more tell you which Case to get next than you could tell me which knife would work best for me.
If being old means coming to accept who you are and what your preferences are, that's not a bad thing.
