The Case Barlow is BACK

knifeswapper said:
Case doesn't leave much wiggle room on the FAQ's page.

"Case Cutlery remains committed to crafting our knives in the United States. Case knives are made in Bradford, PA, where Case has been manufacturing cutlery for well over a century."
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Using the provided link I saw there is some wiggle room - "Case remains committed to crafting our knives in the United States. The majority of our knives are made in Bradford, PA, where Case has been manufacturing cutlery for well over a century."

I read that as they could have some knives produced at another factory in the US or could it mean they import some?

Either way they can be proud of their product and their commitment. I have visited the factory twice and it is an impressive manufacturing facility with a great history. If we want them to stay we need to support them and I think they understand it is a two way street.

,,,Mike in Canada
 
Case either had or currently has a line of knives branded "Tec X" that were imported but they are modern knives and don't have "Case" stamped or etched on them. To the best of my knowledge, all of their traditional knives are still made in Bradford.
 
Railsplitter said:
Case either had or currently has a line of knives branded "Tec X" that were imported but they are modern knives and don't have "Case" stamped or etched on them. To the best of my knowledge, all of their traditional knives are still made in Bradford.
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I read that a few decades back there had been some collaborative work with Boker and some knives produced in Germany. That did not last long.

,,,Mike in Canada
 
I see that there's a smooth natural bone variant floating around on auction. The blade looks absolutely hideous, with "Pilot Test Run" in large bland letters, but the Case XX on the bolsters actually looks pretty darned good. Unfortunately, there is a Case XX shield right next to the Case XX bolster, which is right next to the Case XX tang stamp, causing me to scratch my head rather vigorously. Case certainly loves their logo.
 
Duper said:
Using the provided link I saw there is some wiggle room - "Case remains committed to crafting our knives in the United States. The majority of our knives are made in Bradford, PA, where Case has been manufacturing cutlery for well over a century."

I read that as they could have some knives produced at another factory in the US or could it mean they import some?

Either way they can be proud of their product and their commitment. I have visited the factory twice and it is an impressive manufacturing facility with a great history. If we want them to stay we need to support them and I think they understand it is a two way street.

,,,Mike in Canada
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They don't leave wiggle room, you really have to pick which quote you want to use and what it addresses. My quote specifically says "Case knives are made in Bradford, PA...". You picked another quote that includes the entire product line; which are not "Case" branded - the TekX. So, the quote I posted is rather straightforward.

They have, in past decades, had knives marked Case that were not made in Bradford. As far as I can tell the Southern Grind series are marked Case and not made in Bradford - but nobody will mistake them for a traditional production run. So, until they announce otherwise, I believe their statement of "Case Cutlery remains committed to crafting our knives in the United States".
 
knifeswapper said:
They just run that thru their scrolling machine; no stamp there. It complicates the process when bolsters are stamped because that happens before assembly and care has to be taken when buffing. I expect simplification is why most moved away from it. Etching or scrolling can happen after assembly.
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Yes and it shows in the execution of the final product as well. That bolster etch/scroll just looks like a cheap afterthought to my eye, it was the same when Canal St opted to etch the bolster, lame. As I wrote earlier, it might take a bit of time to stamp the bolster or even ring it instead , but it's time well spent. Also, it takes time to cut out the scale to receive one of the various shields they seem to be obsessed with putting on the handles, plus then time to glue it on.....

I don't feel this approach by CASE is very appealing at all, at least not for people wanting a quality Barlow that draws on its true heritage. Even RR stamp their bolsters and not too badly either...
 
I thought it was gonna be my first 2019 knife, it came in the mail today.

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Much surprised to drive up 30 minutes ago and see a small box laying on my front porch - thought this would be my first knife of 2019, but it's my last of 2018 (however it's tang stamped 2019). Fit and finish is excellent, snappy opening and nice snappy close (a 6 on each), solid half stop, no blade play, even dye on the bone, even jigging on the bone - only mottled colored bone area is on the edges. I took two quick pictures in heavy overcast/failing light - back side photo (on the green garbage can lid) shows bone color as it is - brighter blue around the edges of the jigging. The front side picture was on the boat trailer tongue, only spot I have without foliage overhead, to show the bolster stamp clearly. If that bolster is cut, then it is much better than was done in 2007 - deep and smooth, all the way to the bottom. This knife is pretty close to perfect, especially for $57.99 shipped and classic too - no shield and a nice bolster stamp. OH
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Old Hunter said:
Much surprised to drive up 30 minutes ago and see a small box laying on my front porch - thought this would be my first knife of 2019, but it's my last of 2018 (however it's tang stamped 2019). Fit and finish is excellent, snappy opening and nice snappy close (a 6 on each), solid half stop, no blade play, even dye on the bone, even jigging on the bone - only mottled colored bone area is on the edges. I took two quick pictures in heavy overcast/failing light - back side photo (on the green garbage can lid) shows bone color as it is - brighter blue around the edges of the jigging. The front side picture was on the boat trailer tongue, only spot I have without foliage overhead, to show the bolster stamp clearly. If that bolster is cut, then it is much better than was done in 2007 - deep and smooth, all the way to the bottom. This knife is pretty close to perfect, especially for $57.99 shipped and classic too - no shield and a nice bolster stamp. OH
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IMG-2371.jpg
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That is a very nice looking knife, OH. Thank you for the review and congratulations!
 
Wow. I’m still not sold on the bolster etch, but the rest of the knife seems to be pretty darned nice. I’m going to keep my eye on the new Case Barlow line.
 
It is not an etch as in a blade etch, it is cut into the bolster, there is depth to the lines and letters and it is very smooth in the bottom, not rough like a blade etch normally is. It is not black (as it looks in the photo or the way a blade etch is black). The bolster stamp is not as deep as my old Case XX bolster stamp, but it is certainly as deep as the tang stamps. Hope this clarifies. I will try to take a close up photo later this morning. OH
 
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