Thoughts and Opinions on The Tribal Lock?

I've been wanting to try out a yellow Delrin Case knife so just two days ago I bought a slimline trapper (CV) at a nearby hardware store. I can say that I rather like the material -- it has a nice feel in the hand. Well, today I found this tribal lock at the local knife shop. Pat had just returned from a show where he had done a lot of trading and had picked up several yellow Delrin knives. I was able to pick up this 2017 model from him for $5 less than I paid for the trapper! Sweet knife.

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Working on a vertical sheath for my Tribal Lock, figured this would be a nice embossing on there and just fits at the end of the sheath;

Untitled by GaryWGraley, on Flickr

G2

edited to add, finished it up and the contour the knife has provides an excellent retention in the sheath, snaps into place and will never fall out on it's own, should make a handy carry

Untitled by GaryWGraley, on Flickr

PS, I have a special permit from Mr Bose that allows me to carry a knife in a leather purse such as this, I can provide it if necessary ;) thanks again Tony !
 
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Gary W. Graley said:
Well, I had ALWAYS liked the looks of the Case Bose Tribal spear but held off due to price, when the Tribal Lock came out I wanted to get one for a long time but other things, life, made me put off getting one, only recently have I had that urge and caved the other day and ordered one of them. It arrived today :) very nice, blade shape is of course to my liking, handle is comfortable as well and lockup is solid, a bit strong to unlock right now but I put that down to being new and once broke in should operate better. The lock bar end is ever so much proud of the following spring but it is not a problem and is not sharp edged, so no issue.

I'd recommend folks pick one up when they can, this is the stainless version, as I'm not a big carbon fan for folding knives myself, and the steel seems to take a nice edge, it arrived with a toothy edge but I did touch it up just a smidgen to make it cut better.

Untitled by GaryWGraley, on Flickr

G2
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Im sure I will break down and buy one eventually, I really think that case puts a little extra time into their Bose series because they seem to be mostly all A-'s to me. My sway back jack is the closest thing to perfect that I have held In a knife anywhere near the price. I really wish I had not let mine patina after seeing how the price skyrocketed on them.... 0_0

Edit: That sheath you made looks incredible btw.... Leatherwork is something I just cant get the hang of. I don't know if its because I don't put the time into it like I do making my knives or if it's just not my thing. I can make a pretty nice scandi sheath but thats about it... Thats why I decided to offer kydex :')
 
I have the the black delrin CV model and like it a lot. The lockup is rock solid. Truthfully, I have yet to find any Case lockback that isnt.

I have a couple of minor caveats though. As others have stated, I wish they had brought the sharpened edge back further. I don't really understand why there is so much tang between the bolster and the working edge. And though the slimness of the knife is great for carry, I find myself wishing that the handle was a bit more substantial in hand. I wonder if the 6.5 Bonestag version might be a bit thicker? I may have to check that out.
 
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3 3/4" closed is about as large as I normally pocket carry. This is a bit larger, but not really that bad. The blade is pinch-able & came sharp. F & f is good, with no gaps, but the spring stands very slightly proud in the open & closed positions. The lock is a bit stiff, but I haven't carried it a whole lot. That'll probably change, since the humid PA Summer is coming & I tend to carry my ss knives more. I like it & have been seriously considering getting the more dressy looking ebony version.
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olywa said:
…. I find myself wishing that the handle was a bit more substantial in hand. I wonder if the 6.5 Bonestag version might be a bit thicker? I may have to check that out.
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Untitled by GaryWGraley, on Flickr

The bolster measures about 8mm and the scales swell out to around 12mm so not a big difference but at least it is a little thicker as it moves out from the bolsters, not sure how yours measures up?
G2
 
Those that have both stainless and CV which one keeps its edge better?
G2
 
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Thanks I’ll view that one, the title doesn’t bode well for my stainless
G2
 
Gary W. Graley said:
Thanks I’ll view that one, the title doesn’t bode well for my stainless
G2
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I think the "failure" was in his testing methodology as I recall, not the knives. It's been a while since I watched it, but I think the surprise was that the SS actually performed as well or better than the CV. He has a couple other videos about the same pair of tribal locks; if you search YouTube for Case Tribal Lock they will all show up.
 
Thanks, that sounds encouraging you can tell he really likes the style of the knife

Probably both blades would benefit from a micro bevel too.
G2
 
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