Hard to Go Wrong With a Case Knife

[foakes]

Here is a very good video that is about 36 minutes.

Best, Fred

[PacRat]

Great video. It explained a lot of what I love and what I don't love about Case. What I love is their great traditional patterns. These just feel right in my hand and they just disappear in my pocket, sometimes I almost forget it's there. Just like many of our reels, they will last a lifetime if well cared for.

What annoys me about Case is that their marketing strategy is aimed at the collector community. I think of Case knives as 'adult Hot Wheels'. Drives me crazy the way the various patterns come and go from the vault. Makes it a little difficult for me to just pick up a particular pattern that I may wish to purchase. When you see one you like; you better jump on it or you may not see another for a long while.

I found this video very enlightening. But you're right Fred...it's hard to go wrong with one.

[PacRat]

I didn't want my previous post to sound like I'm negative on Case knives. I really like them a lot. It can just be a PIA to find the one you really want. I prefer utility over aesthetics, bone scales are nice but can add a lot to the price. Here are a few of mine:


Here's a group photo with just a couple missing.


Here's the Trapperlock compared to a Copperlock. Both are about the same size. The Trapperlock is badged 'Zippo' because Zippo now owns Case so they produce special runs for Zippo. This is good to know when searching Case for a particular pattern because a search may not turn up the pattern you want but if you search Zippo, you may find what you're looking for. Zippos can be slightly cheaper too with the exact quality of a case.


Here the Copperlock next to a Mini Copperlock. The mini is not much smaller but it will disappear in your pocket and you may even forget that you have it on you. Very comfortable when you want to be incognito yet very capable when you need it.


A Seahorse and a medium Stockman. I carry the Stockman a lot and the Seahorse sits at home a lot. The Stockman has Chrome Vanadium blades (except for the awl) so it will rust if I don't keep it clean. The CV is worth the extra effort because the blades are very easy to freshen the edge. The Seahorse was an impulse item. This is why I referred to Case as 'adult Hotwheels'. It just looks so cool. I can see why they have such a collector following. I think the design is very useful for certain tasks but it would be more useful in CV. The stainless steel blades aren't bad but if I ever see one in CV I'm buying it before it goes away.


Okay, the top Stockman isn't a Case. It's a Western but I put it next to the Case because they are both great knives. I like an awl on a knife. I find an awl more useful than a third blade but in most instances an awl (or 'punch blade') can double the cost of a knife. I don't understand why that is...supply and demand I suppose. The good news is; you can find these Westerns for $20-$30 with carbon steel blades and they are great knives. You just have to get lucky and find one with a little meat left on the blades. Makes me think that when the old-timers weren't whittling, they were sharpening...and when they weren't sharpening, they were whittling.

[oc1]

I seem to use an all more than a cutting blade these days.  An awl really needs a lock though; maybe more so than a cutting blade.  It's the way you twist and turn the awl that makes it more likely to close on you.

My all-time favorite case is the Sodbuster Junior.  They don't hold an edge evry well, but you can use it n saltwater or literally dig and bust sod with it without ever a sign of corrosion or tightening up.