Tidings and the return of Schatt and Morgan?

jeffsenpai said:
The Kissing Cranes compare very favorably to this Weed & Co. sample. $29.99 vs $79.99.
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I believe if I was in the market for a Trapper, I would (a) Buy the Kissing Crane, and save $50 or (b) if I really liked the trapper pattern, and regularly carried one that I already have, buy two of the Kissing Crane, and still have call it "$20" to buy a couple Rough Ryder Stockman or Barlows, or a Marbles 4.5 inch 4 blade G10 Scout/Camp knife, and a few 2 liters of generic Mountain Dew.

That a $80 knife compares favorably to a $30 knife, to me, anyway, says the $30 knife is the better value, no matter where they were made.
 
I object to romanticizing the “authentic old Queen equipment,” and selling what seems to be a tacky, sub-par quality slipjoint, explicitly called so as a test run, at high-premium prices. The whole thing just seems like it’s designed to get folks to part with maximum coin while having little to show for it. I can agree some of the GEC and case knives are goofy, but at the end of the day the GECs are at least great knives, and the Case are solid value for the price. These are neither. So far.
 
Personally I don't like the bone jigging on the Weed knife. It looks like someone randomly free-handed with a dremel tool with no particuliar thought to pattern.
 
GaiusJulius said:
I object to romanticizing the “authentic old Queen equipment,” and selling what seems to be a tacky, sub-par quality slipjoint, explicitly called so as a test run, at high-premium prices. The whole thing just seems like it’s designed to get folks to part with maximum coin while having little to show for it. I can agree some of the GEC and case knives are goofy, but at the end of the day the GECs are at least great knives, and the Case are solid value for the price. These are neither. So far.
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Same. I wouldn't buy a cellphone or a refrigerator made with "authentic old equipment". It's nearly 2022. Do we still believe that replacement equipment is unattainable or are makers just keeping that tale alive and just squeezing every last drop out of the old equipment?
 
GaiusJulius said:
I object to romanticizing the “authentic old Queen equipment,” and selling what seems to be a tacky, sub-par quality slipjoint, explicitly called so as a test run, at high-premium prices. The whole thing just seems like it’s designed to get folks to part with maximum coin while having little to show for it. I can agree some of the GEC and case knives are goofy, but at the end of the day the GECs are at least great knives, and the Case are solid value for the price. These are neither. So far.
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I don’t think currently produced Case knives are a good value, even in comparison to my Weed & Co Western Hunter. Case knives CONSISTENTLY come with the same types of issues my Weed & Co has. Maybe my Western Hunter is an outlier among the Weed & Co knives in the positive direction (admittedly very possible as I believe the dealer rejected a good number of them), but being that it was about the same price or more likely less expensive than a comparable Case and is made in much smaller numbers and has similar quality to what I would expect from a Case, I’d much rather have it than a Case.

Rupestris said:
Same. I wouldn't buy a cellphone or a refrigerator made with "authentic old equipment". It's nearly 2022. Do we still believe that replacement equipment is unattainable or are makers just keeping that tale alive and just squeezing every last drop out of the old equipment?
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Sometimes people get mad when I mention in my videos or in social media that GEC uses a CNC. They act like I’m committing a blasphemy, but that doesn’t change the fact that it’s true. And I think it’s a good thing.
 
L.H.S said:
more likely less expensive than a comparable Case and is made in much smaller numbers and has similar quality to what I would expect from a Case, I’d much rather have it than a Case.
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You can buy brand new Case Trappers all day long for under $40.00... even if you don't shop around they are ~$50.00. That's half the price (or less) of the Marijuana knife.
Even if they are "like quality" (which I don't believe they are), that would make the Case knife a much better value.
I'm totally fine with you liking your Marijuana knife better, but value has more to do with than just which knife you prefer.
 
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The weed shield…. to me it puts the knife in the same category as a rough rider/Ryder. A weird gas station level gimmick that makes an otherwise decent enough knife into a mere curiosity at best. And I say that as one who is not militantly opposed to Mary Jane, though I don’t partake myself.
 
G GaiusJulius
FROST would be a better comparison than Rough Rider/Ryder.
Frost makes the Gas Sation/Truckstop Special traditional knife shaped objects.
when I drove an expedited box truck cross country, I saw plenty of FROST, Tac Force, Mil Tek, and Master Cutlery knife shaped objects for sale at the truck stops. There was exactly one that sold Rough Rider, and they were next to Case knives.
Onot one had a full fledged knife store just inside the front door (on the left) but it was gone the last time I was there. (Nashville TA)

I have close to sixty RR. (Majority bought when $12.95 was a high price for one. Most I paid $6-$10 for.) I'd put any one of them up against a Case quality wise. After 17-18 years, they appear as durable as my Case knife, as well. For that matter, the three or four Case knives I have compare favorably to the two GEC knives I have quality wise, as do my few vintage or antique Schrade and Old Timer.
Does GEC make a high quality knife? I think so. Other companies do too.

BTW, My GEC and Case don't have any cosmetic "defects" that I've noticed. One or two of my RR have a minor cosmetic "defect" such as a blade not "perfectly" centered, a cigarette paper wide spring/liner gap, things like that, that don't affect the use.
(I haven't measured any of my knives to verify the blades are perfectly centered, however. They look close, at any rate. None of my 2; 3; and 4 blade knives are hitting a liner or have blade rub.)
 
afishhunter said:
G GaiusJulius
FROST would be a better comparison than Rough Rider/Ryder.
Frost makes the Gas Sation/Truckstop Special traditional knife shaped objects.
when I drove an expedited box truck cross country, I saw plenty of FROST, Tac Force, Mil Tek, and Master Cutlery knife shaped objects for sale at the truck stops. There was exactly one that sold Rough Rider, and they were next to Case knives.
Onot one had a full fledged knife store just inside the front door (on the left) but it was gone the last time I was there. (Nashville TA)

I have close to sixty RR. (Majority bought when $12.95 was a high price for one. Most I paid $6-$10 for.) I'd put any one of them up against a Case quality wise. After 17-18 years, they appear as durable as my Case knife, as well. For that matter, the three or four Case knives I have compare favorably to the two GEC knives I have quality wise, as do my few vintage or antique Schrade and Old Timer.
Does GEC make a high quality knife? I think so. Other companies do too.

BTW, My GEC and Case don't have any cosmetic "defects" that I've noticed. One or two of my RR have a minor cosmetic "defect" such as a blade not "perfectly" centered, a cigarette paper wide spring/liner gap, things like that, that don't affect the use.
(I haven't measured any of my knives to verify the blades are perfectly centered, however. They look close, at any rate. None of my 2; 3; and 4 blade knives are hitting a liner or have blade rub.)
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I worded that poorly. What I meant is the rough riders that have strange quirks that make you think “this is a caricature of a traditional knife made by an alien who has seen one or two in a museum.” Like the stamped brand in the bolsters of a non-Barlow, for example. To me, that takes those out of serious “traditional knife” consideration and puts them into that “traditional knife-like objects” category you speak of. I actually like my other rough riders too and agree with you they’re the equal of Case, a rather unpopular position here I think.

But the weed shield definitely gives off that vibe -to me-. I can imagine someone saying “hipsters like old things like traditional knives and many also partake, so this is a great idea!” And maybe it is -they all have sold, I guess. But I think they sold in spite of the shield and not because of it.

I’m all in favor of a new traditional knife company. But I’m not interested unless the quality is there. The one place I saw these, asking price was well over $100. And it’s hard to see how the quality can be there when they boast about the “heritage” of their equipment. There’s more to producing a quality knife than playing around with some old machines. At this time if a friend said “hey, where can I get a good traditional knife?” I could not answer “check out Weed & Co.” I could say that about Case, GEC, or, yes, Rough Rider.
 
GaiusJulius said:
I worded that poorly. What I meant is the rough riders that have strange quirks that make you think “this is a caricature of a traditional knife
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AHHH!!!! You are referring to the Rough Ryder RESERVE line! 😁
I agree. Some of them are flat out alien ... Why does a one armed knife need a easy open notch? What good is an easy open notch on a two blade knife? Then add the easy open notch is only on the primary blade side, well away from the nail nick? Why bother? 🤔

You are also correct that claiming a $9.99 Rough Rider compares favorably to a Case ... or exceeds the Case is a exceedingly bad thing to say around here..

I see on Case's web site that "blade rub goes with the pattern, and we don't cover that under warranty" referring to the 2 spring 3 blade stockman.
Strange, that.
My large, 4.25 inch 2 spring 3 blade Rough Rider stockmans that set me back $9.99 (RR603 Synthetic Yellow) $12.95 (RR1057 A Stroke of Luck) and $14.99(?) 3.875 inch RR1419 Stonework stockman don't have any blade rub, nor a blade or two that hits the liners. Neither do my offshore BTI Old Timer and Uncle Henry, or my offshore Marbles D2 Sowbelly stockman.
If Rough Rider, BTI, and Marbles can produce (or contract for) a 2 spring 3 blade Stockman that retails for as little as $10, why can't Case produce one? Depending on severity, blade/liner rub is a cosmetic to structural defect. If the blade/liner rub is severe enough to affect losing one or more blade, IMHO, that is a manufacturing defect, that should be covered under warranty. Case, apparently disagrees.

If I ever need another stockman (doubtful. I have around 20) for that reason alone, I won't be getting the 4.25 inch CV Amber Bone stockman to pair with my Case CV Canoe with those covers. I'll get another RR or a Marbles.
 
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I don't really mind price, they are after all just getting started. I do not mind the quality gaps, again they are just getting started. The shield and name choice are just plain weird though not offensive. What baffles me is all of those points together on a first effort, it seems like starting with a expensive knife of unknown quality with a divisive shield and branding is a bizarre choice.
 
Many valid points brought up and I won't dispute them. I'll just reaffirm It is good that another line of traditional slip joints that are made here in the US. Perhaps they will provide a product that will please everyone in the next production run.

Best regards,
 
If what has been said about the Weed line is true, than I expect we will be seeing a proper S&M line in the not so distant future. I only hope that the price point isn't as absurd as what the Weed line is indicating though.
 
JohnDF said:
You can buy brand new Case Trappers all day long for under $40.00... even if you don't shop around they are ~$50.00. That's half the price (or less) of the Marijuana knife.
Even if they are "like quality" (which I don't believe they are), that would make the Case knife a much better value.
I'm totally fine with you liking your Marijuana knife better, but value has more to do with than just which knife you prefer.
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I didn't get one of the trappers. I have the Western Hunter. I'd be very interested to see a knife of the Western Hunter's size and / or pattern, in jigged bone, for significantly less than the $85 I paid. I also am not sure where you're finding new stock full sized Case Trappers in Jigged bone for $40. The closest I can find is a "Zippo" single blade trapper in synthetic for $39.99. Then every other Case Trapper I see starts at $43 and goes up, with few if any in bone under $50.
 
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