hey i have been collecting and useing the more tactical knives but i want a slipjoint and i know case is the way to go but im not sure which one to get. all the patterns and handles. its all new to me because i have never really been intrested in a more traditional knife but lately i have been looking in to it them. im looking for one below the 50 dollar range. so any advice would be much appreciated.
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what should my first case be?
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powernoodle
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Peanut, Stockman, Sodbuster, Baby Butterbean . . . just pick out something you like and pull the trigger. You'll be happy with whatever shows up in your mailbox.
:thumbup:
:thumbup:
Hi,
Get the one you like. Patterns like the stockman and peanut in CV with jigged bone are classic and timeless. Go somewhere like Shepard Hills and browse all the patterns. Soon one will jump at you, (more likely several), and you'll get it.
Enjoy the journey!
dalee
Get the one you like. Patterns like the stockman and peanut in CV with jigged bone are classic and timeless. Go somewhere like Shepard Hills and browse all the patterns. Soon one will jump at you, (more likely several), and you'll get it.
Enjoy the journey!
dalee
FLymon
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$50 (or less) will afford you almost endless variety, so just buy one that you think looks interesting to you.
For what it's worth, I think the Chestnut Bone series is really nice and wihin your budget.
You can shop a nice selection by pattern, or handle material at several online retailers, these have real good selections:
http://www.knifeworks.com/caseknives.aspx
http://www.casexx.com/
http://www.collectorknives.net/
and of course, The Bay
Happy hunting!
For what it's worth, I think the Chestnut Bone series is really nice and wihin your budget.
You can shop a nice selection by pattern, or handle material at several online retailers, these have real good selections:
http://www.knifeworks.com/caseknives.aspx
http://www.casexx.com/
http://www.collectorknives.net/
and of course, The Bay
Happy hunting!
I was where you are about 6 months ago. My first slip joint was a Great Eastern Cutlery
Scout pattern in 1095 steel and oiled cow bone. It is less yellow looking than in this photo.
While I am thrilled with GEC it is the pattern that I think is a great first slip joint.
I have seen the 2 blade combo of a whittler and a hunter called different things from different companies ,like a Trapper what ever it's called it makes great first knife.
The Hunter is my EDC blade and I keep the whittler very sharp and save it for whittling(duh) and any time I need a very sharp blade. The Hunter is my everything blade and is taking a bit of patina.
My next slippie is going to be a lot more exotic but this classic 2 blade has been a great intro to traditional folders. I highly recommend GEC and Knives Ship Free but almost every company makes one of these. So long as you get a nice handle material and a decent steel from a reputable company you will be fine.
Scout pattern in 1095 steel and oiled cow bone. It is less yellow looking than in this photo.
While I am thrilled with GEC it is the pattern that I think is a great first slip joint.
I have seen the 2 blade combo of a whittler and a hunter called different things from different companies ,like a Trapper what ever it's called it makes great first knife.
The Hunter is my EDC blade and I keep the whittler very sharp and save it for whittling(duh) and any time I need a very sharp blade. The Hunter is my everything blade and is taking a bit of patina.
My next slippie is going to be a lot more exotic but this classic 2 blade has been a great intro to traditional folders. I highly recommend GEC and Knives Ship Free but almost every company makes one of these. So long as you get a nice handle material and a decent steel from a reputable company you will be fine.
Capt. Carl
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Medium Stockman for sure. It was my first traditional pattern and it took me half a year to realize how useful it is. That's when I sold my tacticals and started buying traditionals. To this day, the medium stockman by Case is still my favorite.
A medium stockman in CV with yellow delrin, is a classic pattern, steel and scales
With three different blades to cut different types of things, you get a lot of milage from one knife
Also look at a Trapper as it is a bigger knife and perhaps a better transiton from taticals
If you like the pattern but the trapper is too big, try the Mini-Trapper which is smaller
The Soddie is very simple
If you like the Stockman pattern but the medium is too small there is also a large stockman in CV with amber bone
CV is a carbon steel, which will patina and that is classic in slipjoints
You can get Yellow delrin, or Amber or Chestnut jigged bone
The bone will be $10 more than 'Yeller'
With three different blades to cut different types of things, you get a lot of milage from one knife
Also look at a Trapper as it is a bigger knife and perhaps a better transiton from taticals
If you like the pattern but the trapper is too big, try the Mini-Trapper which is smaller
The Soddie is very simple
If you like the Stockman pattern but the medium is too small there is also a large stockman in CV with amber bone
CV is a carbon steel, which will patina and that is classic in slipjoints
You can get Yellow delrin, or Amber or Chestnut jigged bone
The bone will be $10 more than 'Yeller'
Last edited:
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A yellow peanut or sodbuster. In CV of course. 
My first Case was a MOP coke bottle jack, but either end of the spectrum is a great place to start.
My first Case was a MOP coke bottle jack, but either end of the spectrum is a great place to start.
BJE
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Pick what you like based on aesthetics and function, Case doesn't make a bad knife. I think the medium stockman and the trapper are their flagship models and best show of their quality, but there are many other nice patterns as well. I am partial to the Peanut, the medium stockman, pen knife, trapper, small texas jack, and the sway back jack.
Keep in mind if you get one in CV you will want to keep a light coating of oil on it until you form a nice patina, carbon steel is a different beast than stainless and will rust if not cared for, but the rewards are worth it. I remember when I was a kid, I used to get frustrated at my knives for rusting, I was too young to understand the different types of steel and their chemical composition and didn't really have a male figure to show me the ropes of knife maintenance as my dad traveled, had to learn the hard way.
Whatever you chose, enjoy your Case, they are great knives and I think you will find they are more useful at cutting things than the tacticals are. Welcome to the front porch.
Keep in mind if you get one in CV you will want to keep a light coating of oil on it until you form a nice patina, carbon steel is a different beast than stainless and will rust if not cared for, but the rewards are worth it. I remember when I was a kid, I used to get frustrated at my knives for rusting, I was too young to understand the different types of steel and their chemical composition and didn't really have a male figure to show me the ropes of knife maintenance as my dad traveled, had to learn the hard way.
Whatever you chose, enjoy your Case, they are great knives and I think you will find they are more useful at cutting things than the tacticals are. Welcome to the front porch.
Another advantage slippies have over tacticals are they are very sheeple friendly.
They are also a lot easier to carry than a full size tactical the size and weight of a can of soup.
Carbon steel is so nice and easy to keep razor sharp.
I love all the cool natural materials. This GEC with a 1095 beaver tail whittler blade has beaver tail bone scales and is only 53$!
They are also a lot easier to carry than a full size tactical the size and weight of a can of soup.
Carbon steel is so nice and easy to keep razor sharp.
I love all the cool natural materials. This GEC with a 1095 beaver tail whittler blade has beaver tail bone scales and is only 53$!
cj65
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My first experience with Case knives was a 6244. I am not sure if you call it a 2 blade stockman or a serpentine jack. It is a small knife, but I love the steel. It holds an edge just fine, and the spring and snap are theraputical. I wish it was bone, not Delrin, but it hooked me none the less. I have purchased many more Case Knives as well as Robeson, Schatt & Morgan, Queen, Fight'n Rooster, Bulldog, Schrade Old Timers (great knife for the $. U.S.A. of course). Welcome to the wonderful world of Slippies!
I'll call out a stockman too, great pattern. I like to use the crap out of the main blade, and I keep it with a sharp but rough edge, say a straight 320 grit edge, cuts like crazy. I keep the other 2 blades at a high sharpness, say a 600 grit, the sheepsfoot I don't polish or anything but I get and keep it real sharp. It's the go to blade for all the general stuff that needs a sharp smooth edge and the precision that a small blade gives you. Then I keep the spay or pen blade stupid sharp, clean polished edge, like a scalpel, say 2000 grit. Thats the one I use for real fine work. Just as an example, picture cutting a little skin tag off by the cuticle on a finger, and not feeling any tug at all, pretty common usage actually. The sharpening stuff might sound complicated, but you don't have to be nuts about it, and even if you are, it gets to be second nature pretty quick. My favorite pattern is actually the whittlers, but you have pretty limited selections in the CV blades(understated).
I'm a big fan of carbon steel blades too, good stuff. I like the patina they develop over time, and they do sharpen both easy and sharp as all get out. Your first CV Case will impress you more out of the box than your first Stainless, just the way it is in my experience. The stainless is about as good as it gets in a normal, reasonable price knife, but just doesn't take or hold the same edge in my experience.
Alot of the guys here love the yellow knives, but I personally just don't see the appeal. Case makes some great bone and stag handles, me, I'd go that way. I like the jigged natural jigged bone alot, or the honeysuckle jigged bone, and the barnboard is a nice look and feel as well, with a couple different variations. Whatever look you like in handle materials is gonna be a good knife, so just look some over and pick what you like.
Welcome aboard, hope you like the folksy knives. Take your time and pick out something that really catches your eye, you'll probably be stuck with the traditionals, it's kind of a thing, so you may as well try to get it as close to right as you can, right out of the gate.
Syn
I'm a big fan of carbon steel blades too, good stuff. I like the patina they develop over time, and they do sharpen both easy and sharp as all get out. Your first CV Case will impress you more out of the box than your first Stainless, just the way it is in my experience. The stainless is about as good as it gets in a normal, reasonable price knife, but just doesn't take or hold the same edge in my experience.
Alot of the guys here love the yellow knives, but I personally just don't see the appeal. Case makes some great bone and stag handles, me, I'd go that way. I like the jigged natural jigged bone alot, or the honeysuckle jigged bone, and the barnboard is a nice look and feel as well, with a couple different variations. Whatever look you like in handle materials is gonna be a good knife, so just look some over and pick what you like.
Welcome aboard, hope you like the folksy knives. Take your time and pick out something that really catches your eye, you'll probably be stuck with the traditionals, it's kind of a thing, so you may as well try to get it as close to right as you can, right out of the gate.
Syn
I think you should go to a knife shop and try to hold as many different ones as you can. Thid is a very very personal and highly subjective choice you're making. Too big and it won't ride in the pocket well, too small and you'll never bond with it because of a poor grip.
I think the only item more personal to a man is the choice of favorite pipe shape.
There must be some place in a 50 mile radius of your home that has a selection of Case pocket knives.
Most people find something between 3 to 3 7/8ths to be good. Some like a litle bigger, some like a little smaller. A Case pen is only 3 1/8 I think, b ut very slim due to one backspring. A small Texas jack is a little bigger and with a nice grip due to the two blade side by side construction. A Canoe is a very pocket friendly shape, and is in that range.
Try as many as you can.
I think the only item more personal to a man is the choice of favorite pipe shape.
There must be some place in a 50 mile radius of your home that has a selection of Case pocket knives.
Most people find something between 3 to 3 7/8ths to be good. Some like a litle bigger, some like a little smaller. A Case pen is only 3 1/8 I think, b ut very slim due to one backspring. A small Texas jack is a little bigger and with a nice grip due to the two blade side by side construction. A Canoe is a very pocket friendly shape, and is in that range.
Try as many as you can.
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I agree with what's already been posted. Case has an absolutely astounding variety of patterns and handle materials, coming with many different blade shapes and lengths. The great thing about Case's website is that they have a dealer locator that will tell you what's around your locale. There are a ton of brick and mortar stores that carry Case, and will let you handle and evaluate different knives, especially if you're in the eastern United States.
As for what I would choose, I'm partial to the Sodbuster Jr., two-bladed jack knives, and I would really like to try the medium stockman (at 4 1/4" long, it's a bit on the heavy side). The nice thing about the Soddie Jr. is that the stainless black handled version can be found at Lowes for $17, or there abouts. It's a good sized knife for medium-large hands, 3 5/8" closed, with a 2 5/8" (I think) long blade. Very tight construction, and very low maintenance. Love this knife, especially since it's cheap.
As for what I would choose, I'm partial to the Sodbuster Jr., two-bladed jack knives, and I would really like to try the medium stockman (at 4 1/4" long, it's a bit on the heavy side). The nice thing about the Soddie Jr. is that the stainless black handled version can be found at Lowes for $17, or there abouts. It's a good sized knife for medium-large hands, 3 5/8" closed, with a 2 5/8" (I think) long blade. Very tight construction, and very low maintenance. Love this knife, especially since it's cheap.
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If there is one that catches your eye, just go for that. Any traditional knife from Case, Queen, etc. will do the job for every day tasks. Just pick a pattern and a scale amterial that looks nice and go with it! :thumbup:
As far as specific recomendations, if you are looking for a full size (4 inches or larger, closed) slip-joint, you probably can't go wrong with a Large Trapper (2-blade) or Large Stockman (3-blade). They are probably two of the more popular patterns.
If on the other hand you want something smaller and lighter (3 inches or smaller closed) in the pocket, the Peanut (2-blade) is quite popular.
Hope that helps!
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Just pick one and get started. After you get it, you will find yourself already looking for the next one
Personally I go for 2 bladed versions more often. Medium or large jack, mini trapper (gotta love those half stops although others would disagree).
I think of the mt as a small knife that thinks its bigger
The large copperhead is a great knife too, but might be a little big for some for pocket carry.
They are all good. Enjoy
Personally I go for 2 bladed versions more often. Medium or large jack, mini trapper (gotta love those half stops
although others would disagree).I think of the mt as a small knife that thinks its bigger
The large copperhead is a great knife too, but might be a little big for some for pocket carry.
They are all good. Enjoy