First, I'd like to thank everybody who contributed to the thread and spent a little time talking, showing, and otherwise waxing poetic about the knives that are in contention for KotY, or Knife of 2016. My inspiration was the old Knife of 2015 threat which many of our most valued regulars took part in, and I look forward to the 2016 edition when we're ready to put another year in the books.
I enjoyed all your photos, your anecdotes, and the background behind your favorite carries immensely. You guys are what makes our little porch the best place on the internet. :thumbup: I'll admit I was a little nervous when the first five responses were all "not an entry" posts.
I was beginning to think I had misjudged the interest in what I consider one of Case's finest production knives and one of the classic patterns representing traditional pocket knives as a whole. From the number of entries in the end, however (and the number of little slips of index cards I had to carve up with my big Barlow
), it seems like at least a few of you were legitimately excited about the prospect of trying out one of Case's most notable patterns in what I consider to be their best steel (barring those CPM-154 short runs that I'm sure I'll never see part of my collection...
).
So, without any further ado, to the drawing! Every entrant was given a single slip of "paper" (really, card stock) and those who included a photo of their KotY candidates received a second card. All the slips were then dumped unceremoniously into my comically-large hat, and I made extra sure that it was "all shook up" so that the slips were about as randomized as physics would allow...
The winner of the Case 6375 CV stockman...
traumkommode!
Congratulations! An email requesting your shipping information will be forthcoming shortly!
(Maybe he'll return the favor by brokering the procurement of a couple of those cheap sodbusters.
)
Since I'd spent so much time carving up cards and writing down names and post numbers, the selection of a winner seemed a little anticlimactic to me. So I rummaged around a little bit in my drawers until I stumbled across an example of another pattern that is near and dear to my heart, but one that is probably the polar opposite of the large stockman. At 3" long, it might not be the smallest pattern Case makes, but the slenderness of the single California clip construction and the simple, traditional lines of the frame make this knife one of the lightest and most pocketable Cases of all...
The (in)famous watch pocket wonder, the Case 610096 tiny toothpick! This example, a 2007 model in tangerine jigged bone, has also sat pretty much untouched in lieu of the other toothpicks I selected when supplementing my carries. It absolutely vanishes in any pocket (seriously, I find myself checking from time to time to make sure it's still there
) and the slim stainless clip is a wicked slicer suitable for the most in-close, detailed work.
So, with traumkommode's entry cards taken out of the hat, I returned to the remaining pile and mixed 'em up good. I grabbed the hat, shook it all around, even did a hokey pokey or two for good measure...
(Ok, I didn't do the hokey pokey.)
One last shake of the hat and a squeeze of the eyelids, and I was blindly grasping for the second lucky card. I finally managed to grab a single one. The new owner of a shiny, orange-y, toothpick-y piece of classic American cutlery is...
Tyler.Bachman!
Since your email is not available to me, a visitor message requesting your shipping address will be posted shortly, Tyler. I guess we'll have to see if the 'pick can knock the 'yote out of your pocket.
Congratulations to both winners and thank you all again for making my first thousand so special and so much fun! :thumbup:
