modern case folders marilla & kinzua

jbmonkey

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got these today out of curiosity. havent seen too much on these yet. my first impressions so far....

good..not too bad fit and finish of parts finishing and assembly. no blade play on either. steel insert on frame lock bar. price isn't cheap but not too bad compared to everything else similar to it. made in America. thicker blade stock, but that could be good or bad..depending on what ya like or don't like. good solid detent on both. both flip easily and lock up well. logos and writing is stamped or etched or machined in.... not surface lasered etched, for those who like stampings over lasering that rubs away over time.

bad....poor bevels and edges on both. neither was very sharp and both had large burrs. pocket clip screws stick up from frame and catch pocket and take more effort than should be to place in pocket all the way. i did touch up edges on ceramic stone and felt softer than Bucks and spyderco s35vn, but haven't put to use, so isnt really fair to judge yet. aluminum frame lock bar..see how long that lasts for, over time. just got both so haven't played enough to see it all yet.

so far interesting knives for case jumping into moderns. I feel priced a bit too high to get a whole lot of movement, but I could be way wrong. the aluminum frame lock I feel isn't a great way to go......but I could also be wrong compared to what others like or dont.
 
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The blade stock looked a little thick for my tastes but I mainly passed on these because of the aluminum. I get that these are made in America but this is still aluminum at titanium prices. Of course, I don't love aluminum as a handle material in budget knives either. Having it as a lock bar material, well... I'll be curious to hear from people who put a lot of use on these over longer periods of time.

I'm also curious as to whether that'll actually happen for existing modern flipper fans. For instance, can these knives really compete for that kind of pocket time versus the modern flippers we already own or new releases from WE, Kizer, etc.? I wonder to what extent they were going after that market versus making a "modern flipper" for traditional Case fans.

I'm sorry to hear about the other issues. I have to admit that I got excited when I heard about this. My father and grandfather both carried Case knives. I thought it would be cool to have a modern flipper from Case. Maybe they'll do better with future releases...
 
I've noticed these for around 200 and while they look interesting, it's more than I'd pay just to check one out.
are ya saying 200 each? or ya mean together in the 200 plus range? think I paid 115 for the tanto and 135 for the other one.

agree though, both are pricey for what ya get and compared to the wide range of competition in the same or similar price ranges.
 
are ya saying 200 each? or ya mean together in the 200 plus range? think I paid 115 for the tanto and 135 for the other one.

agree though, both are pricey for what ya get and compared to the wide range of competition in the same or similar price ranges.
They were 199 at first, I haven't looked since so I'm sure they've come down at some souces.
 
They were 199 at first, I haven't looked since so I'm sure they've come down at some souces.
gotcha. didnt know that. yeah thats even crazier at those prices. wouldn't even have touched them for that range. still think they are overpriced at the levels they are now.
 
Yea I'm on the fence about these, especially with the Aluminum frame lock. I think they should have done them with Al handles and an inset steel linerlock like on the Case Shark Tooth Flipper done by Southern Grind.

How is the thickness behind the edge on these? The Shark Tooth Flipper was fairly thin behind the edge, but it got very thick very quickly because of how narrow the blade was, with a saber grind on thick-ish stock.

I'll probably pick up a Marilla if they go on sale, or the reviews are overwhelmingly positive. Anyone know the story behind the names? They seem kind of odd to me.
 
Yea I'm on the fence about these, especially with the Aluminum frame lock. I think they should have done them with Al handles and an inset steel linerlock like on the Case Shark Tooth Flipper done by Southern Grind.

How is the thickness behind the edge on these? The Shark Tooth Flipper was fairly thin behind the edge, but it got very thick very quickly because of how narrow the blade was, with a saber grind on thick-ish stock.

I'll probably pick up a Marilla if they go on sale, or the reviews are overwhelmingly positive. Anyone know the story behind the names? They seem kind of odd to me.
not too bad, but not great if using to slice. thick stock, but thins down nicely on the marilla. the kinzua its a short width blade so it tapers fast but as a slicer won't help much to avoid the thickness.

no idear. marilla looks maybe a name from Spanish. kinzua only thing i saw was in Seneca Iroquois Native American, its a word for fish on a spear or some thing like that. who knows what they were thinkin or got it from.
 
Yea I'm on the fence about these, especially with the Aluminum frame lock. I think they should have done them with Al handles and an inset steel linerlock like on the Case Shark Tooth Flipper done by Southern Grind.

How is the thickness behind the edge on these? The Shark Tooth Flipper was fairly thin behind the edge, but it got very thick very quickly because of how narrow the blade was, with a saber grind on thick-ish stock.

I'll probably pick up a Marilla if they go on sale, or the reviews are overwhelmingly positive. Anyone know the story behind the names? They seem kind of odd to me.

I'd rather have seen a liner lock with wood, Micarta, or a nicely textured G-10. I even prefer the hand feel of FRN/FRCP to aluminum. It is definitely one of my least favorite handle materials.

In the usual liner lock versus frame lock debate, I tend to see words like "strength" and "reliability" used on the frame lock side. However much truth there is to that normally, I wonder how much being made of aluminum undercuts those points.
 
I haven't tried the new Case stuff yet, but the aluminum as a frame lock wouldn't keep me from buying one. It has seemed to work well for Lionsteel, and I do have one of those.
 
I'd rather have seen a liner lock with wood, Micarta, or a nicely textured G-10. I even prefer the hand feel of FRN/FRCP to aluminum. It is definitely one of my least favorite handle materials.

In the usual liner lock versus frame lock debate, I tend to see words like "strength" and "reliability" used on the frame lock side. However much truth there is to that normally, I wonder how much being made of aluminum undercuts those points.
I agree. Bring classic materials to these (even inlays) and they wouldve been more attractive to me...they went "protech" on the design.
 
Thanks JB.
There's surprisingly little info/feedback on these.

I'm wondering about the aluminum frame myself.

I'm curious how these compare to the more expensive Buck 040 Onset.
......and if the Onset is worth the extra money.

I'll pay more for a Made in USA knife providing it performs.
 
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