Since June I've purchased a few Case knives and wanted to show off some images, and of course give a brief review of each for the benefit of potential shoppers.
First up, the only fixed blade in the bunch, a Case 365-5 Fixed Blade Hunter. It features a stacked leather handle, stainless steel blade with concave grind, and a brown leather sheath. Can't find anything wrong with this. If there were something I could change though, I'd like to see Case add a few fixed blades to their CV lineup.
Case Hunter
For some time, of course, I've been wishing for Case to expand the CV selection. So when they did, naturally I had to put my money where my mouth was. This is the result, an 8207 Mini Trapper with chestnut colored bone and CV steel. The blades open with a soft but distinct walk-and-talk, and both blades feature a half-stop. Closing the knife is a little understated though, with the springs being rather weak in the closed position. No blade play, no gaps, and very smooth fittings.
Mini Trapper
The Pen Knife with scissors and stag is really a mixed bag. There's nothing wrong with the fit of the parts or the action, and the beauty is stunning, but the level of finish on the blade edges leaves much to be desired. There are no half-stops on this pen knife, and the blade softly snaps open and closed as you'd expect from a smaller gents' knife. The red shield is a nice touch.
Pen knife
But the finish of the blade edge is really disappointing, especially considering the "fine-ness" of the overall knife and the m.s.r.p. ($118). It's as if the edge was shaped with a coarse grinder and never finished. Running a finger down the face of the blade catches at the edge, and the nicks are even visible to the naked eye. Don't know if this magnified scan captures the problem accurately. I'm really considering sending this pen knife back for a touch-up. Since I paid roughly $50 it's not a completely sour deal, but had I paid the entire $118 I'd be plenty upset.
Pen knife blade edge (2 tries)
Fourth knife is this Tiny Trapper with chestnut bone. This was a gift from Santa for my son. A pretty little knife, and just the right size for a three-year-old to hold (closed) and admire. Not very well made, I must say though. First, neither of the edges is finished very well, jagged and coarse like the above pen knife. Second, the walk-and-talk is practically non-existent. The springs are stiff enough to hold the blades closed, but not much beyond that. There's no half-stop either, which I generally don't expect on smaller patterns.
One thing that Case did well was the labeling. This is a "William Russell Case" knife with a tasteful logo on the blade, special shield, and attractive brown box.
Tiny Trapper
Tiny Trapper blade edge
This fifth and final knife was a Christmas gift that happens to be a Shepherd Hills Exclusive, a Trapper in Coa wood. The aesthetics of this are outstanding. The wood is stunning, the bolsters are nicely engraved, and the knife is packaged in an appropriate gift box.
Not to detract from the beauty of the knife, but the walk-and-talk are a bit disappointing for a trapper: The trapper blade opens with a fair snap, but is a bit lazy when closing. The clip point spring is plenty strong enough to hold the blade open and closed, but there's no snap at all. Neither blade has a half-stop, something that would be suited to a knife of this size.
Thanks for reading! All comments and questions are welcome. :thumbup:
First up, the only fixed blade in the bunch, a Case 365-5 Fixed Blade Hunter. It features a stacked leather handle, stainless steel blade with concave grind, and a brown leather sheath. Can't find anything wrong with this. If there were something I could change though, I'd like to see Case add a few fixed blades to their CV lineup.
Case Hunter
For some time, of course, I've been wishing for Case to expand the CV selection. So when they did, naturally I had to put my money where my mouth was. This is the result, an 8207 Mini Trapper with chestnut colored bone and CV steel. The blades open with a soft but distinct walk-and-talk, and both blades feature a half-stop. Closing the knife is a little understated though, with the springs being rather weak in the closed position. No blade play, no gaps, and very smooth fittings.
Mini Trapper
The Pen Knife with scissors and stag is really a mixed bag. There's nothing wrong with the fit of the parts or the action, and the beauty is stunning, but the level of finish on the blade edges leaves much to be desired. There are no half-stops on this pen knife, and the blade softly snaps open and closed as you'd expect from a smaller gents' knife. The red shield is a nice touch.
Pen knife
But the finish of the blade edge is really disappointing, especially considering the "fine-ness" of the overall knife and the m.s.r.p. ($118). It's as if the edge was shaped with a coarse grinder and never finished. Running a finger down the face of the blade catches at the edge, and the nicks are even visible to the naked eye. Don't know if this magnified scan captures the problem accurately. I'm really considering sending this pen knife back for a touch-up. Since I paid roughly $50 it's not a completely sour deal, but had I paid the entire $118 I'd be plenty upset.
Pen knife blade edge (2 tries)
Fourth knife is this Tiny Trapper with chestnut bone. This was a gift from Santa for my son. A pretty little knife, and just the right size for a three-year-old to hold (closed) and admire. Not very well made, I must say though. First, neither of the edges is finished very well, jagged and coarse like the above pen knife. Second, the walk-and-talk is practically non-existent. The springs are stiff enough to hold the blades closed, but not much beyond that. There's no half-stop either, which I generally don't expect on smaller patterns.
One thing that Case did well was the labeling. This is a "William Russell Case" knife with a tasteful logo on the blade, special shield, and attractive brown box.
Tiny Trapper
Tiny Trapper blade edge
This fifth and final knife was a Christmas gift that happens to be a Shepherd Hills Exclusive, a Trapper in Coa wood. The aesthetics of this are outstanding. The wood is stunning, the bolsters are nicely engraved, and the knife is packaged in an appropriate gift box.
Not to detract from the beauty of the knife, but the walk-and-talk are a bit disappointing for a trapper: The trapper blade opens with a fair snap, but is a bit lazy when closing. The clip point spring is plenty strong enough to hold the blade open and closed, but there's no snap at all. Neither blade has a half-stop, something that would be suited to a knife of this size.
Thanks for reading! All comments and questions are welcome. :thumbup:
