WR Case, Northwoods or Renaud Aubry?

[Jeru]

I cannot speak to all the knives as I do not own them (I am excited to have a Northwoods on order however). The only one on your list that I own is the Case Swayback Jack CV. I see you are particular about fit and finish so I will assure you that my SBJ is virtually perfect with the exception of the sharpened edge from the factory. 10 mins on the sharpmaker and the issue was resolved.

With that said you are taking a small sample of online pics to base your opinion on fit and finish. No matter what company or product you research you will always find a few bad apples that are not representative of the whole.

Thank you so much. Of course I am aware of the "small sample" I took. But I get the feeling that perhaps there is a small higher percentage of Indian River Jacks that left the factory with minor but obvious imperfections: in this recent thread you can read that Eschwebach had three of them and all had obvious imperfections, with the first two he got having obvious dents/bends in the bolsters; even the Indian River Jack Amber Carved Stag Bone main photo KSF use itself has tiny dents in the bolsters, as you can see if you look closely. Please don't get me wrong. I still think it is a beautiful slipjoint with an awesome steel! It is still very likely that I end up buying the Bone or Mammoth Ivory Indian River Jack I just wanted a recommendation and read some opinions and experiences. I've heard the Sway Back Jacks are virtually perfect indeed, thank you for that confirmation. I won't be surprised if I end up buying both. Or even all four on the above list I'm just wondering which I'll get first now

 

[fot0]

Thank you so much. Of course I am aware of the "small sample" I took. But I get the feeling that perhaps there is a small higher percentage of Indian River Jacks that left the factory with minor but obvious imperfections: in this recent thread you can read that Eschwebach had three of them and all had obvious imperfections, with the first two he got having obvious dents/bends in the bolsters; even the Indian River Jack Amber Carved Stag Bone main photo KSF use itself has tiny dents in the bolsters, as you can see if you look closely. Please don't get me wrong. I still think it is a beautiful slipjoint with an awesome steel! It is still very likely that I end up buying the Bone or Mammoth Ivory Indian River Jack I just wanted a recommendation and read some opinions and experiences. I've heard the Sway Back Jacks are virtually perfect indeed, thank you for that confirmation. I won't be surprised if I end up buying both. Or even all four on the above list I'm just wondering which I'll get first now

Yeah you know you will eventually buy all 4!!! I highly recommend the SBJ you will be pleased with the F&F if yours is anything like mine.:thumbup:

 

[Jeru]

Not the right answer....try again.

Agree with the first part, not with the latter. I asked for opinions and recommendations, I don't need pleasing dishonest answers. Knarfeng's opinion is knarfeng's opinion. Despite I personally think it is oversimplified BS, I thank him for expressing it.

Balderdash. It is the correct answer for someone complaining about a factory-made knife having imperfections.

Balderdash right back at you. But thank you for sharing. (And thank you for adding a new word to my English vocabulary!) Their is nothing wrong with "complaining about" obvious dents in a NIB 130 USD slipjoint in my humble opinion. Further I disagree on different levels with the oversimplified statements "If you wish to avoid gaps, buy a custom knife. If you want perfection, buy a custom knife." Both statements are untrue in my humble opinion. But I am perfectly comfortable with agreeing to disagree.

 

[mtangent]

I don't look for perfection. I look for an acceptable, repeatable standard.
If Northwoods sinks the shields past flush, I accept that as the way they do it, it doesn't alter functionality. I wouldn't want to own the only sunken one, if all others were flush, though.
A Northwoods is a Northwoods, not a Jeru.

Find a manufacturer who meets your standard, or have a custom made. Or wait for the odd perfect piece that flows from a factory.

 

[knarfeng]

Agree with the first part, not with the latter. I asked for opinions and recommendations, I don't need pleasing dishonest answers. Knarfeng's opinion is knarfeng's opinion. Despite I personally think it is oversimplified BS, I thank him for expressing it.


Balderdash right back at you. But thank you for sharing. (And thank you for adding a new word to my English vocabulary!) Their is nothing wrong with "complaining about" obvious dents in a NIB 130 USD slipjoint in my humble opinion. Further I disagree on different levels with the oversimplified statements "If you wish to avoid gaps, buy a custom knife. If you want perfection, buy a custom knife." Both statements are untrue in my humble opinion. But I am perfectly comfortable with agreeing to disagree.

I'm going to make allowance for the fact that English is not your first language. Comments on the order of your "oversimplied BS" are not allowed in traditional, because they are insults. You don't have to agree with everyone's opinion. You will refrain from insults in this forum. And my "balderdash" statement was not aimed at you, but rather at the rude comment by another poster.

A lot of times, the bolsters on a knife are purposefully bent to match the indentations in the bone or stag material of the handle.

That being said, there are imperfections in all mass produced knives. It is the nature of mass production. The GEC line and Northwoods in particular, tend to have fewer, but cost more than many. To answer your original statement, where you said you wished to avoid imperfections, my answer remains that to obtain that consistent level of perfection that you apparently need, you should be looking at custom knives. There is nothing wrong with requiring perfection. It's just that obtaining it costs more than the price point of even the GEC knives.

Edited to add:
This picture shows exactly what I was talking about above. The bolster has been purposely bent to match the depression in the cover material. This is not a blemish, but rather a sign of extra care to match a three dimensional cover material.

 

[Jeru]

The bolster has been purposely bent to match the depression in the cover material. This is not a blemish, but rather a sign of extra care to match a three dimensional cover material.

I am pleasantly flabbergasted that I interpreted opposite! I feel pretty stupid now. I am so sorry that I wrongfully thought that those bents were blemishes! My deepest apologies, not in the least towards the owner of Northwoods and KnivesShipFree.

 

[brownshoe]

Jeru you are not very schooled in factory knives. Knarfeng is totally right, what you see is what you should expect...if you get a knife in the mail sight unseen. If you want a higher level of fit/finish, you need to go to a knife shop and root through a few to find the best. Variation and some imperfection is to be expected...except from machine made victoronix knives

There is nothing wrong with the knife on the home page of KSF, you owe the man an apology.

 

[KBA]

This thread was a awesome learning tool for me as a newbie. It showed how patient the veterans are and it provided information I personally did not know. It also showed how much more I need to learn before even purchasing higher end knives (if I am going to be picky). Jeru did humble himself and I respect that as well.

 

[feathers73]

Consider a Tidioute 15 pattern. Several different configurations and blade shapes. I've got 4 of as they are just a great EDC.

 

[jc57]

RE: the pics in the original thread - the only ones I see any problem with at all are the slightly uneven shield in the second pic, and the proud backspring in the last pic.

The pics showing where the bolster has been polished to match the variations of the natural handle material is not only "acceptable" but is exactly the way traditional knives are finished.

I have a number of Case knives that show the exact same match of bolsters to handle material, as well as other GEC knives. In other words, what you are thinking of as a flaw is actually how the knives are manufactured intentionally.

To a couple of other points: Case's 420HC stainless steel is quite similar to the Victorinox stainless you are used to. It is easy to sharpen and takes a keen edge, you just have to pay attention to the wire edge it forms during sharpening and strop it off. If you are used to your Victornox steel it will be little different.

All knives (Case included) will have variations in fit and finish. If you are wanting to hand pick a perfect specimen then you will need to handle the knives yourself. Alternately, you can explain exactly what you are looking for (and looking to avoid) to a good dealer who provides personal service, and they may be willing to hand select one for you that meets your requirements.

As much as I like Case knives myself (note: I have a fairly broad tolerance for the normal variations in knives), I find it genuinely funny that anyone would say that Case knives have a better fit and finish than Northwoods. Not meaning to insult your opinions, it just made me chuckle. I may prefer to drive a Chevrolet myself but that doesn't mean that I don't recognize the higher quality of a Mercedes.