What's with Case and their quality?

In my experience, I really can’t say anything negative about Case quality that couldn’t be said about knives that cost significantly more.
 
Reading this thread made me think “what an I missing”, I may not have the biggest collection of Case knives (16) from Peanuts to Folding Hunters, but I only found 2 things that some would consider a flaw. The first one is the Case knife I have had the longest, about 20 years, it’s a yellow delrin Slimline Trapper that I have used the heck out of, it has some blade wobble and that’s probably from heavy use and if I didn’t go looking for it I would have never noticed it. The second is on a single blade Sowbelly that the back spring shades a little proud when the blade is open, I never noticed this either until I looked at them. I ran my thumbnail over all bolster scales connections and really couldn’t any proud junctions and to be honest with you I didn’t even look at blade centering because I don’t care about that and different shading on the scales isn’t a flaw but character.
 
I still have a few Case knives these days. I like 'em well enough, although I mainly purchase GECs. The only "issue" I encounter with Case knives is blade wobble...sometimes it's there, sometimes it's not.

Blade wobble does bother me in a brand new knife, although I know it's often inevitable in a traditional knife that I intend to use over the years. So, it's not a deal breaker by any means. I'm less forgiving of this aspect in my modern non-slipjoint folders, though.
 
Always been spotty in my experience, but the few I've bought over the, er, decades have been solid as I was able to handle them first.
 
I no longer Case after having to turn down three trappers because of quality control, in the end Böker and GEC will get my slip joint business going forward.
 
IMG_0171.jpg IMG_0276.jpg IMG_0493.jpg I own a few Case knives and overall I like them. Lots of variety and American made. Some have a little blade wobble and the edges are generally a Giant bur but easy to fix w sharpening. I do wish it didnt need it though out the box. I have a canoe exclusive (dual Spearpoints) that has some pretty uneven thickness bone stag comparing front to back covers and the blade stops are kinda rough with unpolished tangs. maybe that one is just a Friday afternoon example but its not terrible by any means and is perfectly servicable but i have considered selling it and trying another example due to the bone thickness difference being pretty noticeable. This is the only one i have that i cant fix easily but it is cosmetic only. Otherwise as long as theres not a bunch of blade play for what a Case costs ill buy more as I dont see myself stepping up to GEC prices. I own one RR premium select and yes for how inexpensive it is its pretty good but i prefer Case when I buy traditionals. The blue mini trapper is the nicest one I own, almost perfect, and probably my favorite.
 
Wowbagger said:
OK . . . I'll belabor it for you :)
My first large folder, a Buck 110, that I bought back in 1981 . . . you know . . . when they "really could make things " with old world pride and craftsman ship.
Had / has a fair amount of play in the pivot.
NEVER caused the slightest problem and I still have the user knife today.
. . . unlike . . .
that Buck 112, G-10, S30V . . . the pivot was so tight I could hardly get it open enough to lock and when I did I had to expend more effort than normal to get it to swing out of the locked position.
By comparison my old 110 was a dream come true of nice pivot action. Honestly I never noticed that it had play until some one here a year or so ago started harping about play in the pivot of a 110 and I checked mine.
Huh . . . it has significant play. :rolleyes:
. . . ok moving on there must be something more terrible I can worry about than that . . . :)
Zero "problem" here kids.

To free up my 112 with the S30V I put the blade, open, in the aluminum jaws of one of my vises and torqued the pivot in the handle back and forth and side to side with a two fist grip (being conscious that if I got too western with it I might just break it off).
It took a few goes at it to free it up some what. I still would like it to be a bit more free.
It is only the last ten for fifteen degrees as it swings open. When it is more toward shut it is quite free.
PS : never had to do that with a Case.
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Most if not all of the tight pivot has to do with polishing compound in the pivot. A good hosing out with wd40 and it turn out fine, I have ov3r 100 110s, once in awhile I'll get a tight pivot but never had to take one in for warrsnty.
 
eisman said:
The Case/Bose knives are pretty darn good. The average knife, not so much. Sadly Case is building knives for "collectors" and unlike GEC (who does the same) QC takes a back seat to sales. Case is quickly being surpassed by stuff coming in from China.
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Not even close to being truthful. I'm amazed you woukd know how many Case knives are sold year after year..
SMKW has pages and pages of Case knives. There is a reason. They sell a ton.
 
Makael said:
Not even close to being truthful.
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Really? What part? The fact that the average Case knife has QC issues? That can be seen right here on this forum, going back years. It's not even hard to find. They're not horrible, but Case needed to bring in guys like Tony Bose to build a top quality knife.

The fact that Case averages one million knives a year? (That's from their company reports.) China is easily surpassing that number in imports annually.

The fact that Chinese quality is getting better and in some aspects actually surpasses that of Case? (Take a look at WE knives, they have really good quality control.) This too is pretty easy to see here on this forum, but it's out there for everyone to see when it impacts sales of USA made products. And it does impact them. Imported knife quality and price are the two biggest reasons Case and other American companies are not increasing sales faster than the number of imports is growing. When Queen went out of business did Case make up the difference in production or sales? They did not; imports did. (Not just Chinese imports either.)

President Trumps Chinese quotas specifically targeted folding knives to the tune of a 25% tariff. That's due to manufacturers like Case running scared. What's really amusing about your post is you're specifically pointing out how many Case knives SMKW sells. I suggest you take one of their catalogs and count how many Chinese knives they sell in that same publication. And yes, SMKW is fighting the tariffs, because it will impact their sales, and profits, because the guys behind SMKW also own a number of those brands competing with Case.

Case would be in a lot worse spot if they hadn't created a huge collectors market. It was a wise marketing strategy. But like Queen, they need to improve their product or they too will pass.
 
I have been quite happy with my Case knives. Yes, I make it a habit to give each one a thorough look before purchasing and have rejected an occasional one because of minor issues that I have found but the knives work, look good and are made by Americans. My constant companion is a vintage "Hobo" knife with stag scales which I use to prepare my lunch each day at work. Great little knife. I have a small "Doctor's" knife with stag scales that I needed to send back for some misalignment and I found that the customer service was prompt, pleasant and thorough. The knife was returned in excellent condition within two weeks.
A couple of years ago I purchased a "Boker" trapper with stag scales on a whim as I had heard good things about the brand. They make very nice slipjoints but are also a bit more expensive than Case. Bokers are a good value for the quality but I am still partial to my Case knives.

Foxdoublegunner
 
eisman said:
Really? What part? The fact that the average Case knife has QC issues? That can be seen right here on this forum, going back years. It's not even hard to find. They're not horrible, but Case needed to bring in guys like Tony Bose to build a top quality knife.

The fact that Case averages one million knives a year? (That's from their company reports.) China is easily surpassing that number in imports annually.

The fact that Chinese quality is getting better and in some aspects actually surpasses that of Case? (Take a look at WE knives, they have really good quality control.) This too is pretty easy to see here on this forum, but it's out there for everyone to see when it impacts sales of USA made products. And it does impact them. Imported knife quality and price are the two biggest reasons Case and other American companies are not increasing sales faster than the number of imports is growing. When Queen went out of business did Case make up the difference in production or sales? They did not; imports did. (Not just Chinese imports either.)

President Trumps Chinese quotas specifically targeted folding knives to the tune of a 25% tariff. That's due to manufacturers like Case running scared. What's really amusing about your post is you're specifically pointing out how many Case knives SMKW sells. I suggest you take one of their catalogs and count how many Chinese knives they sell in that same publication. And yes, SMKW is fighting the tariffs, because it will impact their sales, and profits, because the guys behind SMKW also own a number of those brands competing with Case.

Case would be in a lot worse spot if they hadn't created a huge collectors market. It was a wise marketing strategy. But like Queen, they need to improve their product or they too will pass.
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All you see 75 percent of the time reports in the traditional is the issues of the Chinese brand slip joints. But at 12 bucks it's acceptable. Posts like yours based on forum input is not accurate. The forum does not represent the market. I don't see your Chinese fan boy knives in every outdoor outlet or much anywhere but gas stations and similar. The ONLY reason they sell at all is price, then if you resell you take one for the team on it. I don't see any Chinese collector clubs either.

Case has been around a long time servicing their product. Just like Buck. I will continue to support these US based companies.
 
This is hilarious.
President Trumps Chinese quotas specifically targeted folding knives to the tune of a 25% tariff. That's due to manufacturers like Case running scared. What's really amusing about your post is you're specifically pointing out how many Case knives SMKW sells. I suggest you take one of their catalogs and count how many Chinese knives they sell in that same publication. And yes, SMKW is fighting the tariffs, because it will impact their sales, and profits, because the guys behind SMKW also own a number of those brands competing with Case
 
Wow; many posts since I was here last.
I'll add another before going back to catch up.
The dust on the deck hasn't settled fully from the delivery dude who brought this one (that's just how new it is).
I'm liking it a lot : Good firm action (not too hard to open though), ZERO blade play :thumbsup::thumbsup::thumbsup::) ,
good fat Water Buffalo handle scales just like I was hoping for.
BUT
. . . does Buffalo horn shrink length wise ? The same material on my Teardrop hasn't and I've had it for more than a year.
PS : looked it up and embarrassed to say only six months. Huh . . . it's been a weird year with lots of change apparently I've lost all sense of time.
You can see there is a gap big enough part way on that side to fit two, count 'em, TWO business cards (the other side has a good gap but not as wide).

Nice pair of Cases to EDC together though ! I think :cool:

IMG_6017.JPG

IMG_6018.jpg
 
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GermanyChris said:
in the end Böker and GEC will get my slip joint business going forward.
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I have had way, way, way more problems with Bokers than Case.
Though Boker has enough knives I can't live without I keep futzing with them, back and forth we go and around and around.
Boker has some cool knives though !
 
I haven't read the whole thread yet but I completely agree with the original post. I have seen too many weak springs and poor blade grinds from the factory for me to want to pay the prices case is asking. Case is what papa and dad carried, it was my first pocket knife, and I carried a medium stockman as my only knife for 6 years. I was a loyal customer. Their quality control is really out of hand now and I agree Victorinox QC is much better. I have a huntsman for myself and one for each of my little girls and they are nearly flawless. HOWEVER......there is nothing coming out of china I would consider better. But I will not support an American company just because they are American. A knife with a bad blade grind should not be in the store with a $50-$80 asking price. This is only my opinion, but Case just isn't selling working man's knives like they used to. Victorinox performs. These are only my opinions based on my experiences. I am glad we can have a civil discussion about this. It has bothered me for a while now.
 
One thing I learned is it depends on the particular store and their marketing approach. In the stores that are regular Case dealers with individual boxed knives you can open and inspect the knife they are usually very good fit /finish and overall quality is very good. But in the hardware stores and other variety stores with merchandiser racks with sealed clam packaging it’s a gamble. In a local hardware store I bought what was supposed to be by the package description a 6207 amber bone SS mini trapper, after opening it of course had amber bone scales with SS clip blade but the Spey blade was marked 3207 CV, which is supposed to have a synthetic handle, I have a hybrid SS/CV Lol ! It also had about a 8 degree blade angle to the handle. I contacted Case and they returned my message with a call from the warranty/ return manager. He was surprised it left factory that way and offered to replace it but I decided to keep it as a novelty. I also bought a medium stockman that was correct but all the blades had a 7-10 degree blade angle. I fixed it myself but I couldn’t believe they could overlook that much of an off set, they looked more like boomerangs lol. The knives are good knives now and usable but I can see where some complaints were valid. I also think their blade hardness/ heat treat could be improved to hold an edge longer/ better. Anyways I now avoid clam packs and buy only boxed that I can open in store to inspect.
 
Edgeoflife said:
edges are generally a Giant bur
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Yup that describes my latest Trapper. Both blades.
To night I removed the Spay blade. Welp . . . that takes care of one of the burs :D
While I watched the old movie Missile To The Moon I did the sharpening in the dark by feel thing to get rid of the other bur. It was pretty hefty. Though I used five little hand held stones starting with an India then a Soft Ark, Hard Ark, Black Hard Ark and finally a Translucent the results were only OK. There was a pretty steep secondary bevel on one side; the first side the edge was pretty much with the first sharpening bevel with a slight secondary. The edge catches on my thumb nail if I don't lay the angle back much. Won't hardly shave; only here and there.
Can't wait to introduce this new Trapper to the Edge Pro then it will be saying : "Shave hair ? Do you want the whole hair cut off or just some little curls off it ?"

Anyway I had a mini revelation I figured I would share. Nothing new to some of you no doubt but it was news to me : I noticed that the square nickel silver end plates at the blade pivot were not quite parallel to the liners . . . hmmmmm . . . look at that . . . on both sides.

What if . . . I grabbed a mini pair of Knipex Gear Wrench Pliers (125mm) and rotated the squares to line up with the liners. Low and behold the gap I could put the business cards in closed up and that seam is now parallel between the scales and the end plates and the gap is now so small it all but disappears . . . blends in nicely in any case and I am MUCH happier with the appearance. I was slightly bummed before but now it looks just fine for a user.

I ask my self : shouldn't they put two pins in (the pivot being one) maybe put the second one in blind holes on the inside so these plates cannot rotate ? Do other makers do that ?
 
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I've carried case knives since I was a teenager. Had a medium stockman with the yellow handle and CV blades I carried for about 16 years almost everyday. It was used hard,many times for things a knife shouldn't be used for. I have buck knives and case as well. Haven't bought a new case in a couple years as funds haven't allowed for alot of knives to be bought. I wouldn't hesitate to buy a new case,but would want to be where I could hold a couple. As was said ,so much hand craftsmanship goes I to them that there are bound to be some sub par knives that slip through. Have a case about to go Into my pocket before heading off to church this morning
 
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