Wanting a Case folder for EDC

Ulfrinn said:
Also, here's where I am at with the traditional style folders. The Sod Buster Jr is kind of a chunky little thing, with scales that are rather thick. I feel I could easily fit a double-blade into something the same size, and if I am not mistaken, a Copperhead is about the same over all width with two blades, I think I'd rather stick with a single bladed version. I feel like the second blade wouldn't be all that useful for day to day stuff, so long as the main blade is properly maintained, and that it would only make it more tedious to get the main blade out when I need it. So a single-bladed Copperhead that is a bit thinner, IMO, would be even more perfect.

Now, if I was going to be doing a lot of outdoor tasks, maybe go camping, hiking, backpacking, etc, or wanted something to throw into a bugout bag, sacrificing a slight increase in thickness for the addition of a second, full size blade, such as those found on two-bladed Copperheads, or a trapper, would probably be the route I would go for that, in conjunction with about a 5-6" fixed blade. Something that could handle small cutting tasks, or cleaning fish and animals. But for urban EDC, I think thinner, and single blade would be more preferable to me.

So yes to more "full size" multi bladed knives for non everyday pocket carry. Yes to smaller single-bladed traditional folders for everyday pocket carry, but I don't think a smaller multi-bladed knife really benefits me in either situation, but I am sure there's a good reason for them. Just nothing that fits in with my needs at the moment. And so far, I don't really care that it isn't locking. Locking or slipjoint, or even when I use using my Opinel without a locking ring, as a pure friction folder, it never seemed to make much of a difference to me.
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If you will shoot me a PM, I have a suggestion for you....
 
For food prep, various hunting and pocket knives are not ideal. I use an echo eterna steak knife, blunt tipped, no serrations most of the time. Various others but that is a dandy. Onions, taters, peppers, general stuff.

Of the hunting knives, my schrade 143ot sees the most kitchen time. In fact, it stays in the block, partly because it ain’t got a sheath. But the handle ergonomics makes it good for meat.

The wife uses her buck mini mentor in the kitchen some.

Blade geometry plays a much more important role for a kitchen knife. Of the best non kitchen knives I’ve tried, is a sharp brand 4” stiff spine fillet knife.
 
JM2 said:
For food prep, various hunting and pocket knives are not ideal. I use an echo eterna steak knife, blunt tipped, no serrations most of the time. Various others but that is a dandy. Onions, taters, peppers, general stuff.

Of the hunting knives, my schrade 143ot sees the most kitchen time. In fact, it stays in the block, partly because it ain’t got a sheath. But the handle ergonomics makes it good for meat.

The wife uses her buck mini mentor in the kitchen some.

Blade geometry plays a much more important role for a kitchen knife. Of the best non kitchen knives I’ve tried, is a sharp brand 4” stiff spine fillet knife.
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I'm a bit of a minimalist when it comes to a lot of the tools I use. Knives are no different. If I can do everything with one knife, even if it's not the best knife for the task, then I'll use it for that. Most my everyday uses are going to be food prep and opening packages. It's why I can get by so well without actually pocketing one at all. But folding knives are just more convenient to have in a drawer, or sitting on my desk. I've used this Sod Buster Jr for a variety of tasks already. The Rat 1 is definitely a better knife for food prep, but this Sod Buster Jr is a pretty solid tool for everything else so far.

Also, in my testing and comparison, I found slip joint, friction folder, locking, none of it really makes any difference to me. I never use a knife in a way where it can fold, and that's why I got away with using an Opinel for a few months without even bothering to lock it. My only issue is I have large hands, and short fingernails. The only way I can open these knives is by pinching the blade between my thumb and forefinger. With the small amount of blade exposed, and the back spring, it's not the easiest to open. I can do it well enough, but, this is certainly an area where flippers and thumb studs excel.

The other thing I am noticing is that I really am beginning to favor sheeps foot and wharncliffe shapes over drop points and clip points for general purpose usage, especially in smaller length blades.
 
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Also, based on a sample size of 1, so far I can say Case quality is fair. There are some things that could have been better, for sure. There's a scuff on the back spring, which will no doubt polish out at some point, the edge needed some polishing, but certainly, it could have been much much worse.
sixgunner455 said:
For a smallish knife for kitchen duty, just get a Victorinox paring knife. Shouldn’t set you back too much, and you won’t have nearly the problems you might face with constant use of a folding knife for food prep re: wet joints, sanitation, and so forth.

That Old Hickory should serve you well in the kitchen. I can do most any food prep with a short paring knife and a 5” or so knife.
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The 5" or so butcher knife from Old Hickory seems to be doing an okay job now after sharpening it, extensively, on stones. It came with the secondary bevel improperly cut and was dull enough even a butter knife would laugh at it, but now it seems to be doing the job fairly well. I'm going to continue to test it out though and see how the edge holds up long-term, and if satisfactory, I'll replace the handle with something better. Maybe micarta, perhaps stabilized wood, or some kind of antler/horn material, epoxy that on, shape them, and have a much better tool in the end.

As for using a folding knife, yeah, there are problems with it. The thumb stud on the Rat 1 would get in the way and limit reach, but more importantly, you'd get food, and some times that would be raw meat fibers, get inside the joint, this requires frequent cleaning, and due to frequent cleaning, moisture would get into the joint, or between the scales and liners and rust. A lot of parts like that certainly isn't conducive to keeping it clean, which is why I bought the Old Hickory 5" Butcher, fixed the factory bevel, and sharpened it. But with roughly the same edge on it as the Rat 1 and Sod Buster, it doesn't cut anywhere near as well, and I think I can attribute that to it having a short saber grind on a thicker blade, vs a tall full flat, or a full hollow grind on the other two. I think the 5" Old Hickory knife would be a better outdoor/bushcrafting knife than a kitchen knife, like it was originally designed to be.
 
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You're exactly right that a short grind vs a tall grind make a lot of difference in cutting.

I prefer drop point blades best so far. The buck 684 is a very capable little knife for a reasonable price. The 192 is my favorite though. If I could have it in carbon steel it’d be the end.
 
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I’ve been considering the tribal lock myself. I think it might be a good pairing coupled with a jack knife or Barlow.
 
hornetguy said:
I have a Case Tribal Lock I was going to send you.... no big deal if you're not interested.
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More of an issue with giving out my address. Nothing personal or a lack of interest in the Tribal Lock.

The Tribal Lock is one of the knives I was considering to replace my Rat 1 for a more traditional style folder. But to replace that knife I would want one with a blade length over 3". The closest in Case's lineup that would fill in that role would be the full size Copperhead... and I also really want a wharncliffe. I do believe a full size wharncliffe Copperhead could replace my Rat 1 for everything my Rat 1 is used for. The Sod Buster Jr is smaller than I'd like it to be for that sort of stuff, but it's also the largest I'd want to pocket on a daily basis.
 
Ulfrinn said:
More of an issue with giving out my address. Nothing personal or a lack of interest in the Tribal Lock.

The Tribal Lock is one of the knives I was considering to replace my Rat 1 for a more traditional style folder. But to replace that knife I would want one with a blade length over 3". The closest in Case's lineup that would fill in that role would be the full size Copperhead... and I also really want a wharncliffe. I do believe a full size wharncliffe Copperhead could replace my Rat 1 for everything my Rat 1 is used for. The Sod Buster Jr is smaller than I'd like it to be for that sort of stuff, but it's also the largest I'd want to pocket on a daily basis.
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Ok.
I suppose a 3.02" blade length doesn't meet that qualification....
Movin' on.....
 
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hhmoore said:
I landed on the Buck 501 as my (almost) always there pocket knife. I carried a Case mini copperlock for a while; but, ultimately, I preferred the drop point over the clip...and the 501 is a better fit for my hand.
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I did the same thing, HHMoore. Started with a couple copperlocks and have now carried the 501 exclusively!!! Wish that there were as many customized 501’s as there are 110’s
 
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