Want to get a case knife or traditional looking knife

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bornagainprimative

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Jan 28, 2014
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I'd Like to get a traditional folder for lite food cutting eg. A pear or pine needles for tea


I really like the look of the case canoe knives. The thing is I really know nothing about them and their steels ect. Is case my best bet company wise? Do the coloured bone scales bleed? How about blade steels.

I like my stoud edc blade for cutting through inch thick cardboard at work but I want something smaller for when I'm on lunch.


Love to hear some recommendations on Canadian online retailers also.


Thank you
 
Case knives are a good choice for your usage. I have two of their slimline trappers in their CV carbon steel. One has been used by me for 39years for the uses you stated and much more. The newer one I bought to take the older one's place since the first served me so well. I also had one in Case's True Sharp stainless that also served well but I prefer their CV and gave it as a gift to someone else. The canoe pattern of course is a matter of preference. The quality over the years hasn't changed much in my opinion. You won't be disappointed with your choice of a Case knife. I can't speak to their bone bleeding color since my knives were their yellow delrin.
 
The Case canoe is a nice pattern. Slim and pocketable. The normal variants are stainless steel and CV (chrome vanadium) carbon steel, similar to 1095. Both are run on the softer end of things. The blades are thin and easy to sharpen in both steels. The TruSharp stainless is somewhat similar to Swiss Army Knife steel, but burrs a little more. The bone shouldn't bleed. The stainless should be the best for food prep as it is very corrosion resistant at some sacrifice of edge holding over the CV carbon.

Alternatives are the Queen canoe, which is also a nice knife but heavier and stouter. The blades are D2, which is semi-stainless (fine for food), but very hard to sharpen and will require reprofiling. The main blade is thick and stout. The thick main blade is worthy of a "rope knife." Will cost about 10 bucks more than the Case.

The other alternative is probably the Canal Street Cannitler, which is a canoe with a third blade. I think the Canal Street is D2 also, but has thinner blades that come sharper. It is not quite as thin and light as the Case, about the same as the Queen with the third blade. These are close to $100 american.

GEC also makes a canoe and I have no experience with it. It is 1095, so not corrosion resistant. I am sure it is a fine knife.

It really sounds like the Case in stainless is what you are looking for. If you are used to "tactical" or modern knives, a thin-bladed slipjoint should be a whole new joyous world.
 
A canoe pattern will have a main blade of only around 2½", which is a little small for food prep. Case's standard #54 pattern trapper makes an excellent all-around knife, and with blades over 3" is great for food prep, too. I'd go with the stainless for ease of maintenance.
 
You should look at Great Eastern Cutlery, Case, and Queen, or maybe the Canal Street Cannitler.

I really like the GEC versions. They just feel great in the hand and pocket.
 
black mamba raises an excellent point. I did not read your original post as looking for a substitute kitchen knife, in which case black mamba is completely correct. Rather I read it as small tasks including cutting up a piece of fruit, etc. Canoes are on the smaller end of the slipjoint scale, but are not small to the point of tiny like the penknife and peanut.
 
Like others have stated all the big companies make two blade Canoes or three blade gunboat canoes (Case)/cannittlers (CSC).

Just a matter or whose lines you like best and what steel and handle materials. Canal street does D2 very well and you cant beat a case CV or GEC 1095. GEC and Case probably have the most handle material options.
 
My favorite substitute kitchen knife from Case is the Slimline trapper, in stainless steel. It's a thin single-blade, and the long slim blade is a great fruit slicer. I keep one of them in my work bag all the time for food prep duty. Cleanup is easy. I just rinse it off in warm soapy water, dry with a paper towel, and done.

I've never warmed up to the Canoe pattern myself. If you like the sunken joints from the bolster shape, then the Case Copperhead, Copperlock, or Mini Copperlock give the same function but in a single-hinged format.
 
MarkPinTx said:
black mamba raises an excellent point. I did not read your original post as looking for a substitute kitchen knife, in which case black mamba is completely correct. Rather I read it as small tasks including cutting up a piece of fruit, etc. Canoes are on the smaller end of the slipjoint scale, but are not small to the point of tiny like the penknife and peanut.
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We have a "Did your traditional get a work out today?" thread. Lots of folks working with 3.5 inch knives and even peanuts and cooking in the kitchen. Works up a nice patina too.
 
Case, Queen, GEC, Northwoods, and Canal street cutlery are all solid brands, buck has a few but probably not the style your looking for.
 
bornagainprimative said:
I really like the look of the case canoe knives. The thing is I really know nothing about them and their steels ect.
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Is case my best bet company wise?
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No. They can be OK, if you can buy them in person to check for flaws before paying. Great Easter, Canal Street Cutlery, Queen, and German-made Boker pocketknives offer a much higher and more consistent level of quality.

Do the coloured bone scales bleed?
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Not generally, or at least not that you'd notice in everyday use. If you laid a dyed bone knife on a sticky plastic mat and left it for a few months, don't be surprised at a bit of staining.

How about blade steels.
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Mediocre and soft, to be honest. Unless you're shopping at the high-end Bose line that costs around $400 per knife.

My best advice so you aren't disappointed with your first traditional, buy a German-made Boker for the same price as a Case. Or spend more and buy a Canal Street or Great Eastern.

All of that being said, I own around 15 Case knives. I love the variations in patterns, and options in handle materials. But I only buy in person and always look for sale prices.
 
bornagainprimative said:
I like my stoud edc blade for cutting through inch thick cardboard at work but I want something smaller for when I'm on lunch.
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For what it's worth, you may find that a thin-bladed traditional zips through cardboard boxes easier than a typical modern folder. That (re)discovery was one of the keys in my decision to go back to only carrying traditional pocketknives. YMMV.

-- Mark
 
mnblade said:
For what it's worth, you may find that a thin-bladed traditional zips through cardboard boxes easier than a typical modern folder. That (re)discovery was one of the keys in my decision to go back to only carrying traditional pocketknives. YMMV.

-- Mark
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Agreed. I remember when I used my Case to open a box and then looked down to see if it had changed into a lightsaber.
 
There's absolutely nothing wrong with Case's knives. The Canoe is a very nice pattern. Thin and light in the pocket it'll serve you well for many years.
 
Like others on this thread, I'm very keen on the CASE Slimline Trapper as a food knife, it's not unlike a French Laguiole (and they're some of the best food knives, unsurprisingly!). The basic barehead (no end cap) in very visible and traditional yellow delrin is my favourite, stainless. Very comfortable in the hand and not heavy.

If you fancy something a bit more flashy, the Queen Cutlery Utility knife is their version of the Slimline Trapper. This comes in excellent bone handles or attractive Zebra wood. D2 steel is another plus.

Never got into the Canoe pattern myself, find it too bulky, heavy with large bolsters, but tastes are thankfully different.:thumbup:
 
Generally, I think knives get nitpicked to death by people who are "into" knives. But, also generally, the best known cutlery companies make excellent knives. I own a dozen or more Case knives, all bought sight unseen online. There are one or two with some minor issues but the same can be said for every other brand of knife I own. Case makes very good knives. I like Case knives. And Queen and Boker and....

Bornagainprimitive, the Case Canoe is a nice thin knife for the pocket and would do fine for slicing lunchtime fruit or spreading mayo on a sandwich. Same could be said for many other knives of a comparable size from many other makers. Some bone dyes can transfer color when rubbed with an oily cloth but they really don't run or bleed...they're pretty stable. Unless you like the idea of a carbon steel blade and are willing to maintain it, a knife with stainless steel blades probably would serve your purpose for casual food prep.
 
Woodrow F Call said:
We have a "Did your traditional get a work out today?" thread. Lots of folks working with 3.5 inch knives and even peanuts and cooking in the kitchen. Works up a nice patina too.
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Oh I heartily agree, but the cult of the small knife is an advanced state of consciousness within the slipjoint cognoscenti :p I would not counsel one of our tacticool brethren to attempt to achive that state of consciousness with his first slippie!
 
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