Current CASE XX quality?

Fit and finish might mean something for the knife that spends it's life in a drawer or show case but for the knife that spends it's life in and out of pockets with keys or change and pulled out to do a good day of man's work,fit and finish go right out the window.

I respectfully disagree with this. Fit and finish mean alot to folks who want a good value for what every they are buying. My dad and grandfather taught me that if I buy something, and I want it to be a good value for what I paid, it has to be put together properly. As I said earlier, I use all of my knives. None of them are decorative pieces, but I do take care of them all. I've worked a blue collar job all my life and still manage to keep my knives and multitools clean and well maintained.

I have six GEC knives and 10 Case knives, a few Uncle Henry's and a few Bucks,all USA made and I am here to tell you,Case will stand up to the task and at a reasonable price point.To tell the truth,at 72 years old,I never gave fit and finish much thought,still don't, and I'll bet a lot of you felt that way too.Funny how thinking changes with the advent of the computer and the internet.Ok,that's all, now I have to go sharpen up my 14 dollar Schrade Stockman.

I am very glad to hear another good report for Case! The trapper will most likely be my first if I can find one locally to check out. I only have one Uncle Henry that is made in the USA. Its a stockman style and its pretty nice. I love my Buck USA knives!

I cant speak about this first hand, but I have been told again by my father and grandfather, that decades ago you could more easily trust a man or company when they made or said something. These days it seems like you cant put too much trust in anything without research. So I am glad the internet is around for that.
 
Comparing SAK and CASE is I think rather mismatched.

Generally, SAK produces Cellidor or Alox scales en masse, many of its Equal End sunk joint frames are similar and it is often a multi-tool unlike CASE. Main thing is that the Swiss have invested in extremely costly computerised equipment that means production, assembly and QC can be strictly monitored at all stages which ensures homogeneity. I don't think CASE has the same investment ability, homogeneity of patterns or a market for such products. Doesn't mean they can't or shouldn't invest in new equipment and methods though.

This is very true. I think the point I want to make though is that a human still touches and looks at every knife before it leaves the factory. At least that is what Victorinox claims. Weather hand made or machine made, an item should be inspected. Not talking about Case specifically, but I have seen manufacturers that sometime seem to turn a blind eye to issues hoping their product finds a home with someone who doesn't value fine craftsmanship.


As far as I'm concerned, CASE more often than not offers a pleasing knife at a reasonable price-something I think that has not changed. True, there are tasteless and garish runs-I never consider them, and some of the older Bone from the 20s-70s is remarkably beautiful and outclasses most of the current offerings (but just check Amber or Chestnut of today, they're very good).

Glad to hear another good report for Case. I don't care for the flashy knives. I want to find the Trapper in Chestnut. That, hopefully, will be my first Case.
 
I respectfully disagree with this. Fit and finish mean alot to folks who want a good value for what every they are buying. My dad and grandfather taught me that if I buy something, and I want it to be a good value for what I paid, it has to be put together properly. As I said earlier, I use all of my knives. None of them are decorative pieces, but I do take care of them all. I've worked a blue collar job all my life and still manage to keep my knives and multitools clean and well maintained.



I am very glad to hear another good report for Case! The trapper will most likely be my first if I can find one locally to check out. I only have one Uncle Henry that is made in the USA. Its a stockman style and its pretty nice. I love my Buck USA knives!

I cant speak about this first hand, but I have been told again by my father and grandfather, that decades ago you could more easily trust a man or company when they made or said something. These days it seems like you cant put too much trust in anything without research. So I am glad the internet is around for that.
The Trapper is a great knife in my opinion. Here on the farm,I need a good solid knife from time to time during the day so a Case large Trapper is what I carry most of the time.Then I have little breaks for fishing in my pond and the long spey blade sees to the cleaning of my Bluegills. When Wild Turkey season rolls around, the Spey blade is again called upon for removing the tasty breast of the bird.For these jobs,I don't mind that the blade steel is Tru Sharp either. I find that the Tru Sharp holds up just as well as the CV.I have the one with the Pocket Worn Red Bone. I think it is a beautiful knife.
 
Just saw one of these in a catalog and am thinking about it. How do you like it (e.g., compared with the two blade version)?

I like it very much. It's tough to compare it to the two blade version because as similar as they are, I feel they are almost equally different. The two-blade version obviously gives you multi-blade versatility and I really like that. I dig the clip point for slicing up my fruit and such and the Wharncliffe for most other tasks. I'm not a big fan of the spey blade on the Mini Trapper. It isn't very tall and it has a rather thick spine so in my mind it makes it a little wedgy. I find the Doctor's Knife blade to be similar but not as bad. So I prefer the Wharnie and clip combo. It feels solid and isn't too big to be uncomfortable in the front pocket.

On the other hand, the single Wharncliffe is fully capable of handling all my EDC needs. Many may disagree but as handy as the Wharncliffe is for many tasks, I do believe a clip is a little more versatile. But again, it is fully capable and it is so slim it virtually disappears in the pocket. And the truth is, I dig the yellow Delrin. It's one I snatched up on sale but even at a list price of $42 I think it is an excellent buy.

I've used this picture before but thought it would be appropriate to post again. :)

tlM2c5W.jpg
 
Last edited:
The Case knives I’ve bought over the last 10 years or so have been a mixed bag. I don’t collect or display, I bought them to use so I’m not as picky about fit and finish as I am about materials and the functionality. Three out of nine had problems I should have returned them but I decided to correct them myself. A 6347 ss stockman had all three blades in open position at a downward angle way out of line to the handle and the kick stop in closed had the clip and sheep’s foot blade tips above the blade well. I ground them to fit and they’re like they should be. An amber bone mini trapper clam pack marked 6207 had similar problems but the most glaring was the model # and blades were mixed! The clip is ss and spay is stamped 3207 cv. Another full size trapper 6254-154cm blades had kick stop set high on the clip and low on the spay. All three should have never left the factory that way but I fixed them and use them. Except for the 154cm trapper and a 3318 cv stockman both keep a good decent edge, the stainless blades not so much. For around the house they do okay but at work or hard use I leave them at home or in my lunch box as they become dull in heavy use in a short time and I don’t like to stop work to resharpen the dull blades.
 
Comparing Case and Victorinox is always tricky. I’m a big Victorinox fan and head to head I’d have to say Victorinox consistently offers better quality and value. If you’re expecting Victorinox consistency in fit and finish you’ll be disappointed with Case. That being said, I also love my Case peanut. What Case lacks in fit and finish, they make up for with a certain charm. There’s something about carbon steel and bone that even Victorinox can’t touch.
 
I find the case knives Ive bought to be of a very high quality. Victorinox also. The companies compare well in my mind. They both offer a great product at a reasonable price. Now if I could only find a case peanut with stag and cv.....springs too.....that would just be IT.
 
Love my Case Barlow XX CV !
My only gripe with Case is the consistency of the fit and finish . This one is a home run and checks all the right boxes twice . If you get the right one you can not beat it for bang for the buck as it can rival ones costing twice as much or even more.
yvWJskw.jpg
 
"I tend to buy non-mint Cases from the 1970’s or before. They have great value, a little history, and you can carry them without worry."

^^^ What HE said! :)

I started buying and accumulating/loving Case knives in the 70's, and back then, we (as teenage enthusiasts with only a little experience) lamented that the quality wasn't what it had been in the '20's through 50's. We totally took the quality of the 70's knives for granted.Little did we know about how quality would take a nosedive in the 80's! We were living in the last of the "good old days," and didn't know it!

The first Case knives I ever saw or handled were my Dad's original green bone "Circle C" (real one) Whittler that his father gave him when he was about 10, c. 1931. The other was his XX Red Bone half-whittler that he carried through WW2 and then retired. For a while, I
couldn't find any new Case knives (pre-internet) and borrowed one or the other of his to carry. They sharpened beautifully and quickly.

Some kid at school remarked disparagingly about how small the blade was on the 1930 Whittler... I didn't say a word -- just opened it and ran it down my forearm, where it shaved about a 6" strip completely clean with one pass, mounding up a big pile of hair
at the end. He was duly impressed...

Then we found the mother-lode, 2 hardware stores about 15 miles away with good-size Case displays, and the world was our oyster -- within our severely limited financial means! For context, minimum wage was $2.35, and gas had just gone up to 0.75 cents, and then $1.00 per gallon. My Gran Torino got 17 mpg on a good day... So, cheap as they might seem now, they weren't to be purchased very often on our meager incomes. My best friend bought a beautiful bone large Trapper c. 1976, simply because it was the largest pocketable Case he could get. I think it was about $13.85 or $14.50, IIRC. Then, in a pawn shop, he scored a major coup -- a medium XX Red Bone Muskrat in very usable condition for the princely sum of $8.00! I tried forever to buy it from him so I could use it, but he wouldn't sell... and he wouldn't carry it, either! (He admits to being kinda "dog in the manger" like that...)

It took until the late '90's for me to get even. We were both at a large gunshow and he sailed past a table that was a mess of random clutter and junk. I looked, and immediately saw a gorgeous, 1920's/30's green bone "Circle C, Tested XX" pen knife that had literally never been carried or sharpened!! Even the back spring, inside and out, was bright and clean, and there were only a few microscopic specks of rust starting to form on the
beautifully machined and polished blades. It was so nice, I was suspicious that it could
be a counterfeit --- but everything checked out perfectly.

And then, I realized, "one can not counterfeit an early Case and sell it for $10.00!" Poker face intact, I gleefully paid the man, and once it was safely in hand, asked him where he'd gotten it. "In an estate sale... I paid $5.00 for it, so I figured if I got $10, I'd be doing good..." I caught up to my friend, late of $8.00 XX Muskrat fame, and showed him my mint, early knife, so gorgeous that it looked more like jewelry, than a tool! Of course,
I had to taunt him with "Hey, Dave -- price of used Case knives is going up -- I had to
give $10 for this one!" :) Dealers at tables within a row or 2 of where I'd purchased it were offering me up to $110 for it, but no way... not for sale!

Several years ago, I got sentimental and wanted a Trapper like Dave's... A NOS one at the Blade show, with CV blades, great bone handles and workmanship, and exactly the right year of manufacture, cost me close to $150. I then dropped it in my pocket and began the process of devaluing it, letting it acquiring a proper, natural patina. (No forced patinas here!) I like the knife a lot, but after a year or so, I moved it to a custom, tooled leather belt sheath, which makes my keys, etc. easier to retrieve, and prevents loss. My friend still has his original, but has largely moved on to soulless, non-traditional knives.

A thing that has grated on my nerves like fingernails on a chalkboard since their introduction is the cheap, poorly-made shields that Case glues into the handles. When you buy a 1970's or earlier knife, the shield is heavy nickle-silver, held in place with a pin at each end and beautifully fitted. (Delrin handled knives had thin, unpinned shields, but we never considered buying these.) When the new shields came out, they screamed "QUALITY CUT" like an air-raid siren! Other areas showed similar downgrades, as well.

So, I ignored the later produced Cases completely, seeking out only older ones, until very recent years. I started examining a few of the nicer specimens, and noticed that their F&F seems to have improved significantly from the 80's and later. I have to admit, they are producing some very nice knives! If I didn't have too many Case's to carry already, I'd buy a hand-picked modern specimen without hesitation. However, there are some tremendous bargains on the older knives in very good to excellent condition, if you keep your eyes open.

Sorry for the long post, but I hope the experiences of someone who started with 70's and earlier knives, and now has a modern perspective, might be of interest.

All the best,
John
 
If you get a case now it’s definitely hit or miss which really makes it difficult buying online . Unless you have a local dealer . Sad because I really like some of the new offerings from case especially in the CV blade steel line . Personal preference of course :thumbsup:
 
If you get a case now it’s definitely hit or miss which really makes it difficult buying online . Unless you have a local dealer . Sad because I really like some of the new offerings from case especially in the CV blade steel line . Personal preference of course :thumbsup:
Ace Hardware and Tractor Supply handle Case knives and they are nice enough to let you check them out before you buy.Only thing is,I never seen any CV knives in the display cases that I have looked over so far.Nothing wrong with Tru Sharp but I sort of like the CV more. I think the carbon patina knives is just what I grew up with and offer that extra bit of real world tradition.
 
In my opinion Case quality has gotten better recently, the current run of Barlow’s has been good. My biggest issue with Case is their dye jobs. Hopefully they work on improving that.
 
An hour ago I was at Bass Pro checking out the Case display and all the ones I fondled were quite nice. Unfortunately I'm broke at moment so didnt leave with any, but the burnt amber bone covers look really nice.
I've never owned a full size trapper so I'm always surprised at how big they are when I see them in person!
 
FWIW, I’ll side with those who are of the opinion that Case has stepped up their quality a notch in the past few years.

With that said...

I am fortunate to live less than 10 miles from a very large Case dealer. As a result, I have had the opportunity to handle many, many new Case knives during the past decade. Most of them have been quite good, but some were mediocre compared to the Case knives of my youth. I make it a point to try out two or three or four examples of a model before making my purchase. The greatest variance from knife to knife seems to be the quality of the factory edge grind. Dull I can live with, but noticeably uneven grinds and rounded blade tips bother me.

I can’t recall seeing many knives whose quality I’d consider unacceptable, with the possible exception of a batch of teardrops with Wharncliffe blades I handled earlier this year that either had very weak backsprings or misground tangs, as they had virtually zero “snap.”

Bottom line: I think Case still offers good value-for-dollar. While I generally choose to only purchase knives I can examine in-hand, if that wasn’t a viable option I wouldn’t be reluctant to purchase from an online retailer.
 
Last edited:
My history with Case has very much been hit and miss. I just filled out the return form on my brown saw cut Barlow. Blades were pretty well centered...bolster transition was good too. The bone covers however were awful in both their coloring, matching, and feel. Mark side actually had saw cut grooves you could feel. The other side was as slick as glass. Coloring was completely different. Earlier in another thread I said I'd suck it up and just use it...but I can't. I saw some GREAT samples in the Case Barlow is Back thread. Sadly my copy is a far cry from those fine samples. I guess bottom line is no more case knives unless I can see and handle the copy I am buying. Now it's just waiting for the run of #77's.
Peter
 
The only bad experience I’ve had recently was with a single blade Folding Hunter...zero snap out of the box. Gave it a spa treatment, no luck. Ended up selling it.
 
Ace Hardware and Tractor Supply handle Case knives and they are nice enough to let you check them out before you buy.Only thing is,I never seen any CV knives in the display cases that I have looked over so far.Nothing wrong with Tru Sharp but I sort of like the CV more. I think the carbon patina knives is just what I grew up with and offer that extra bit of real world tradition.
There’s a sportsman warehouse near me that carry’s Case But there not the latest and greatest still a nice selection . I’ll have to give them another look thanks for the reminder :thumbsup:
There is a Ace Hardware near me also but don’t recall ever seeing any knives there But wasn’t really looking for them whenever I go there .
 
FWIW, I’ll side with those who are of the opinion that Case has stepped up their quality a notch in the past few years.

With that said...

I am fortunate to live less than 10 miles from a very large Case dealer. As a result, I have had the opportunity to handle many, many new Case knives during the past decade. Most of them have been quite good, but some were mediocre compared to the Case knives of my youth. I make it a point to try out two or three or four examples of a model before making my purchase. The greatest variance from knife to knife seems to be the quality of the factory edge grind. Dull I can live with, but noticeably uneven grinds and rounded blade tips bother me.

I can’t recall seeing many knives whose quality I’d consider unacceptable, with the possible exception of a batch of teardrops with Wharncliffe blades I handled earlier this year that either had very weak backsprings or misground tangs, as they had virtually zero “snap.”

Bottom line: I think Case still offers good value-for-dollar. While I generally choose to only purchase knives I can examine in-hand, if that wasn’t a viable option I wouldn’t be reluctant to purchase from an online retailer.
I’ve got a few very very bad examples online . Ones I’m not sure how or why they made it out of the factory . Being able to physically handle and see them Opens up a whole new world compared to buying blind online . So I wouldn’t recommend buying blind online unless your willing to take about a 50/50 chance of landing a nice one and don’t mind sending it back if it’s a looser.
Bang for the buck I agree “if” you get a nice one case is hard to beat.
 
There’s a sportsman warehouse near me that carry’s Case But there not the latest and greatest still a nice selection . I’ll have to give them another look thanks for the reminder :thumbsup:
There is a Ace Hardware near me also but don’t recall ever seeing any knives there But wasn’t really looking for them whenever I go there .
We have 4 Ace Hardware stores near me and all have those little display cases just for Case knives. They are stand upright display cases and they will put them just any old place in the store at random. Tractor Supply has a display case by their counter.
 
Back
Top