Who makes the closest thing to a Case tear drop 6231 1/2?

hank_rearden · Nov 30, 2016

seen this model only once and i thought it as the most elegantly designed tool to carry in one's pocket. the relatively short length, the generous width of both the handle and the blade look perfect to me. i notice though that most vintage models were in stainless. haven't seen one in carbon steel.

from another thread (Gary's) here in traditionals:

joeradza · Nov 30, 2016

That is really nice. I don't know it's dimensions, but Queen has a nice teardrop. There is a recent thread on teardrops. You might want to check it out to see if there is something there for you. In the meantime here is a pic of my Queen 06L. And now to look for a Case 6231 1/2, lol.

Will Power · Dec 1, 2016

In some ways, a GEC 15 probably comes closest to this pattern in terms of what's currently available. Or maybe their 77/78 as these are kind of Swell End.

hank_rearden · Dec 1, 2016

^
just browsed my usual GEC seller. yep, looks like the 78 is IT!

cilohaefink · Dec 1, 2016

Hank;

Actually all Case 6231 1/2 patterns were made in carbon steel (CV). Case never made the 31 jack pattern in stainless. They offered the 6231 1/2 in CV (discontinued in 1981) and the 2231 1/2 with saber master blade in CV (discontinued in 1976).

black mamba · Dec 1, 2016

GEC's #78 pattern has a round bolster and is ⅛" longer because of it, while their #77 pattern has the same square bolster and the same 3¾" length as the 6231 ½ Case. I'm not sure if these should be called a regular jack or a swell end jack, but they are not teardrops. As in joeradza's picture of the Queen teardrop, they have curved sides, while the Case and GEC patterns are straight sided.

jec88 · Dec 1, 2016

Case does currently have a new 2 blade TD jack in redbone and cv in their new offerings. There may be more in CV, but i'm not sure.

supratentorial · Dec 1, 2016

hank_rearden said:
seen this model only once and i thought it as the most elegantly designed tool to carry in one's pocket. the relatively short length, the generous width of both the handle and the blade look perfect to me. i notice though that most vintage models were in stainless. haven't seen one in carbon steel.

from another thread (Gary's) here in traditionals:
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v130/GaryWGraley/5D_Mk_ii/Lewisburg_2010/IMG_0899.jpg

Why not buy a vintage Case 6231 1/2 like the one in the photo? There are around a dozen on the secondary market.

jec88 said:
Case does currently have a new 2 blade TD jack in redbone and cv in their new offerings. There may be more in CV, but i'm not sure.

Do you mean TB? The Bose design is a modified quill knife and it is a bit different than a regular jack. Nice knife though.

Rich S · Dec 1, 2016

Parker-Frost "second edition" makes one that looks similar. I'm not a great fan of the quality of P-F knives from China.
Rich

bdev · Dec 1, 2016

They're no longer made but the Queen #10 comes close. You can find them used at auction. 3 3/4" closed.
They were made in Winterbottom bone, Delrin, Rogers bone and composite black.

Railsplitter · Dec 1, 2016

supratentorial said:
Why not buy a vintage Case 6231 1/2 like the one in the photo? There are around a dozen on the secondary market.

I'll second that notion. I've owned this one since 2007 and at times, it's everything I can do not to carry it.

It might be worth the trouble to find one. Something similar won't be quite the same and you'll still want one. I vote for no compromise. Get the knife you want.

hank_rearden · Dec 2, 2016

hmmm. might be an error in naming. GEC calls it s sleeve board pattern while case might call it a swell end. man, just look at that (#11). wide long pull blade, big pinned shield, uniformed jigging, and the blade is cv? great.

biglmbass · Dec 2, 2016

hank_rearden said:
hmmm. might be an error in naming. GEC calls it s sleeve board pattern while case might call it a swell end. man, just look at that (#11). wide long pull blade, big pinned shield, uniformed jigging, and the blade is cv? great.

The GEC 79 is a sleeve board, the & 78 (same frame, but in a jack configuration w' blades opening from small end) is a swell end jack. They also use their 79 in a whittler configuration too.