What happened to Case?

The Collab patterns are not generally available in ordinary CASE form: Eureka, Norfolk, Yukon, Pruner etc etc. So that's part of the reason.
True, I see your point. Exclusivity drives prices for both brands.
However, if we were to compare apples to apples, let's look at both brands for the Eureka jack.
Both knives are similar in design and build quality... I've seen marks against both but generally they are very well built knives.
The big difference comes in the steel used; Case uses a nice stainless steel while GEC uses plain old 1095.
Now look at the price difference. The Case seems like it has a huge markup for stainless steel and the Bose name.
So, is the Case/Bose knives over-priced or are the GEC knives a great deal... I guess it's just a matter of what you prefer.
 
Well, kinda "meh" about these last Case Barlows. Good thing I bought them to just throw into pocket rotation and use them, and potentials for re-handle later down the road. As these models have become scarce and are no longer available on the Case site, I wonder about their ability to do warranty work on them, if I decide the issues bother me enough to send them to Case.

After a quick initial check of the knives:

All three - bolsters and pins have no sharp points or lifts/ catches. Shields and back springs are flat and have no proud points. Action is smooth, good half-stop and snappy.

The hunter green crosscut bone mark side has the cuts running at about a 45 degree off longitudinal axis and has been polished to the point the cuts are almost undetectable. Pile side looks good. Blade is slightly off-center, no rubbing, minor side-to-side blade play.

The black synthetic's blade is slightly off-center, no rubbing, no side-to-side blade play.

The blue corn cob jigging is more grooved than random. But it has more grip than the other jigged bone I have. The photo on Case's website is similar to mine, so I doubt that is a flaw, just some variation in production. The jigging on the mark side extends under the bolster and the bolster formed into the jigging a little. Blade is slightly off-center, no rubbing, minor side-to-side blade play.
 
Lol, I laughed at going beyond the basic functionality of a dog! :D I just have a bunch of cats... really haven't figured out their function yet!
The functionality of the itty bitty friendly furry kitties I had as a kid, was to kick the snot out of stray dogs in the neighborhood, present mummy with dead spiders, bees, wasps, mice, lizards, pigeons, (causing mummy to imitate a mouse with "squeaks" of terror) leaves, pinecones, sometimes her latest batch of kittens ... keep the legless lizards out of the yard... oh, yeah! and sing to you when you're trying to sleep ...
My itty bitty 55 pound (no fat) Siamese kitty also took it upon herself to make holes in wood storm doors when she wanted out to go beat up the dogs in the neighborhood, or saw a new stray wandering around across the street. :) (for some reason, stray dogs were rare on our street ...)
EDIT: A couple of them also had the function of climbing up bare legs when they thought we were getting bored.
 
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I see the reasoning behind his argument but it's entirely one-sided so I can't agree.

I said "They offer 200 variations on the same 30 patterns every year because it's easier to put a different color scale on a Stockman (for example) and sell it than it is to improve the fit and finish."

If CASE did not issue the admittedly often tasteless collector runs, it would not in all likelihood been able to remain in business, it brings in the money.

And that makes my point pretty well. The thing is, those aren't "collector" runs specifically; not in the way SFO's from Queen or GEC were. If you were to go to Lebanon, MO and walk into one of the major Case dealers it would blow your mind to see how many variations they have of any particular pattern.

Case had a choice to make, and they chose volume over quality. I'm not saying they can't make a better knife, just that they prefer to sell on volume and price. And this works very well. But they know they can do better if they take time and focus on that; it shouldn't have taken Tony Bose to point that out. But when you look at the cost they feel they need to sell at to meet those criteria it's pretty obvious the direction they chose to keep the business open. Nothing wrong with that, every manufacturer has had to make that kind of decision.

I like Case. I have a number of their knives going back decades. But I wish they would improve their quality and I'm willing to pay for that. Likewise I wish they'd take a good look at some of the old patterns they offered 100 years ago and brought them back. They used to offer Norfolk, Pruners, etc. And if GEC, Queen, Utica, etc can do this (under a dozen different brands) and make money (plus offering knives at a considerably higher price point) certainly Case should be able to. Again, it shouldn't take a master cutler to tell them that, that's what they pay their marketing and R&D guys for.

Last, part of the problem with Case is their marketing and sales distribution systems. (Seen a Case ad lately? I know I haven't.) Because of the way American consumers have been trained nobody buys their knives at "Suggested Retail". That's partially because nobody SELLS them at SRP. Case's SRP is a lot closer to GEC's than most people realize. But Case can't sell at that price point, and they can't move the volume they need to without the deep discount their distributors require. Sadly, if anything causes Case to go out of business it will be this inability to to modernize their sales to meet the modern reality of online and direct sales vs. a distribution system built 40 years ago to service bricks and mortar stores. (I want to point out this last is not a dig at Case, but a comment on the entire retail system that guns/knives/etc are a part of. Actual store locations are dying as consumers turn away from physical shopping for convenience, as much as savings in time and money. Everyone who makes a product and sells it it going to have to adapt or close.)
 
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True, but let's not forget that the GEC knives sell for around $100 retail... A fair price for what you get.
Therefore, I don't see how a 400-500% increase (just) for blade steel is worth it for the Bose Colabs... Just my opinion.

It's not just blade steel that makes Bose/Case special. It's design, material and construction. For example, the Wilfred hunter has stainless liners, mill relieved liners, pivot bushing, stainless shield and a slim-lined design that's makes 4.5" pocket friendly. It's the only homage to the Remington bullet knife that's better than the original. Plus, Case doesn't repeat the pattern so it maintains its collectability. It cost $320, new from an online dealer not $400-$500. Most people can't buy the GEC knife they want, much less at the MSRP.

Per the common put down that Case is only for collectors of stupid pattern variations, this is false. They make a broad spectrum of cutlery for many markets. For example, Case makes low priced variants of their regular patterns sold for work such as their delrin and yellow handled traditionals in the range of $30-50. They make Christian and Masonic collectibles not for collectors, but for Christians and Masons.
 
Wilfred hunter has stainless liners, mill relieved liners, pivot bushing, stainless shield and a slim-lined design
I can see now that there is more to it than just upgraded steel.
I can also see if that type of thing is important to someone then it might be worth the increased price.
 
But I wish they would improve their quality and I'm willing to pay for that.

I see your point, but I enjoy Case knives the way they are and I really don't want to pay more for a more neatly finished knife. There is GEC to fill that role for those who want more precision and are willing to pay for it. Case knives are US made, commonly available, sell at a price that I'm comfortable with and the ones that I have are certainly good quality. The two companies market to different customers, so that we all can have the kind of knives we like.
 
True, I see your point. Exclusivity drives prices for both brands.
However, if we were to compare apples to apples, let's look at both brands for the Eureka jack.
Both knives are similar in design and build quality... I've seen marks against both but generally they are very well built knives.
The big difference comes in the steel used; Case uses a nice stainless steel while GEC uses plain old 1095.
Now look at the price difference. The Case seems like it has a huge markup for stainless steel and the Bose name.
So, is the Case/Bose knives over-priced or are the GEC knives a great deal... I guess it's just a matter of what you prefer.

An interesting analogy the Eureka and one I'd like to take up.

It's an example of CASE following GEC, or at least Tony Bose decided he wanted to make his version of the pattern. Obviously, there is a difference in blade steel and other aspects of construction but for me it comes down to a question of aesthetics. In this context the GEC emerges as victor ;) Its overall proportions are superior, larger Master blade and thicker scale slabs. Particularly the first run Eureka GECs offered all steel construction with an impressive tight backspring, they were offered without shields as an option and Barehead too for those who prefer it. The second run was less impressive in my book at least, no all steel, all end capped and all with shields. The GEC also had a single blade version the Talon in Wharncliffe or Spear. The CASE/Bose is a different animal, uses thin scale slabs, a shield I personally dislike;) but is a much daintier svelte type of knife and sets out to be a different interpretation.

As to priced/over-priced, impossible to determine. The first run GEC Eurekas fetch a lot of money now, especially the fantastic Galvanic version, but try getting hold of one just like that..CASE/Bose you will be able to find after a while and a little cheaper perhaps than when new. Ten or more years ago, the Collabs were all the rage amongst 'collectors' but many are used too ( I use both of mine regularly) They were snapped up eagerly and there was much talk about them. Today, much less, possibly due to trend fatigue or less enthusiasm for the patterns offered. Currently, GEC is all the rage amongst the chattering classes...many of whom appear to be novices in the Traditional field...but often buy up all versions of a release. "Just to see which version I wanna keep" mmmh just to Flip the rest at maximum profit is what they actually mean:rolleyes: such people have a habit of suddenly abandoning a 'hobby' and chasing a new trend too. One day, GEC will be less hot property although the older knives are likely to retain value I'd imagine.

As to CASE compromising itself by opting for running collector variants, allegedly quantity over quality, I still disagree. This is not a binary either/or situation. CASE need to make money to stay in business and hopefully, for re-investment. Yet they still make very decent user knives that are available in attractive scales and yes I agree, I'd like to see some more patterns revived-but that seems to be the Collab niche. Let's consider Queen Cutlery too. They made some of my favourite knives see Charlie C's recent thread God Save the Queen! But towards their end they were often producing pretty dismal knives, I have some: parts knives, mismatched blade steels, using up surplus shields far too large for the pattern and some awful QC. There are numerous factors in their decline but obviously lack of proper investment is one of them. Machinery & tooling were clearly worn and maintaining decent build quality or assembly became beyond them. They began, like most knives from Sheffield, to trade on name & former reputation and the gap between fiction and reality became intolerable. So it is to be hoped that CASE can use its profitable collector runs to sustain future growth, but it all depends on how much autonomy the company has or is it just a cog in a bigger corporate wheel?

Finally, I'd agree about a lot of CASE jigging (not so much dye job though..) but GEC has Stag that's in another dimension ;)

Regards, Will
 
I recently bought a sodbuster jr and a tribal lock both in stainless and I am quite pleased with them. I purchased them in person and checked them before walking out the door. The tribal is amazing but the sodbuster has a little more rub than I like. I still one or the other everyday. May no be show knives but they get put to good use. Im sorry about your luck and completely understand.
 
It's not just blade steel that makes Bose/Case special. It's design, material and construction. For example, the Wilfred hunter has stainless liners, mill relieved liners, pivot bushing, stainless shield and a slim-lined design that's makes 4.5" pocket friendly. It's the only homage to the Remington bullet knife that's better than the original. Plus, Case doesn't repeat the pattern so it maintains its collectability. It cost $320, new from an online dealer not $400-$500. Most people can't buy the GEC knife they want, much less at the MSRP.

Per the common put down that Case is only for collectors of stupid pattern variations, this is false. They make a broad spectrum of cutlery for many markets. For example, Case makes low priced variants of their regular patterns sold for work such as their delrin and yellow handled traditionals in the range of $30-50. They make Christian and Masonic collectibles not for collectors, but for Christians and Masons.
I couldn't have said it better. My sentiments exactly.
 
I told you guys I'd give an update when I got my cattle knife back from Case. Well, I got a nice letter from the head of QC stating the blade play was fixed, which it was, but neither he nor his top makers saw anything else wrong regarding the grinds or the pins. It was nice to see it went that far up the ladder, but man, I really don't know what they're looking at.
 
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I have 5 case knives, these 3 are of first class fit, finish, i cannot fault them and they are as good as the 2 GEC knives i have. The Case have two distinct advantages though, price, approximately half the price, and you can look at different sellers and take your time to select what you wish to purchase. There is no having to just put one in you cart and hope you can get your payment through before someone quicker removes it from your cart and you miss out. This just makes buying a knife a much more enjoyable experience. Good sellers, and there are many out there, especially if you have built a relationship with them, will all inspect your purchase before dispatch, this just makes the whole process a lot more enjoyable for me. From what i have read on many posts i feel Case has lifted it's game, i have no proof of this, but their later produced knives are to me of really good quality. The 2 whittlers, i have only received in the last week, are just as good a quality as the #33 GEC i have, slightly smaller but otherwise of exceptional quality. They say the proof of the pudding is in the eating, well i would not hesitate to purchase a Case knife into the future on what i have received of late.

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I told you guys I'd give an update when I got my cattle knife back from Case. Well, I got a nice letter from the head of QC stating the blade play was fixed, which it was, but neither he nor his top makers saw anything else wrong regarding the grinds or the pins. It was nice to see it went that far up the ladder, but man, I really don't know what they're looking at.

That should probably tell you something.
 
The timing of this thread popping back up is convenient for me. I just received my first modern case knife purchase in years (outside of the Bose collabs) in the mail today. I decided to grab the "old red bone" barlow. The covers are very nice, there are no gaps at all, and at first look it is a very well put together knife. However, the main blade has a lot of side to side play when open and when closed, I can move the blade from liner to liner. The pen blade isn't as bad and is tighter. But I am disappointed in the play. It came from a well known dealer, and I'd hate to have to return it. But it's either that or off to Case. I don't mean to turn this into a negative Case post, but this is the exact reason I haven't bought main line examples in the last ten years.
 
Lol, I laughed at going beyond the basic functionality of a dog! :D I just have a bunch of cats... really haven't figured out their function yet!

What? Only just read this, can't let it pass;) You live in a place with land around it, country or suburban and by stealth RODENTS will be in there fouling the place, gnawing stuff, despoiling foodstores, ruining wiring :eek: A Cat about the house (mine anyway) will clear them right out & keep them away. You realize that RODENTS might even gnaw your CASE and other knives???:poop:

Without Cats defending our food stores, keeping plague rats away, without Dogs defending livestock & the hearth we humans might never have evolved. Possibly attractive in certain cases ;)

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My Black Delrin Barlow had the same issue.
I peened the pivot pin and all is good now.

I have done this and would here, but this model has the special Case/American flag graphic etched on the bolster and the pivot pin runs through the design, so I don't want to mess with the look of that graphic by peening and adjusting the depth of the pin. I'll probably send it in as there are no more in stock to do an exchange.
 
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