What is going on at W.R. Case and Sons

I have bought one case tru-sharp every year for the last 15 years. The premium or unusual ones were bought sight unseen on the internet w/o any problems. Ones that are common patterns and handles I get at Ace, basspro,etc. I pick the best and sometimes see a stinker, but it is uncommon. I don't own any from the so-called golden years, but nobody makes like they used too in the old days...not even Tony Bose :)
 
mrbear said:
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Now I have to get everything out and the camera ;)
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Pretty sure he meant "Case knives comprise a plurality of my collection" and not "I own more Case knives than any other person does." However, I anxiously anticipate the smackdown you are about to lay down photographically. So, as someone else whose knife collection is populated by a significant majority of Case knives (not just a plurality), I welcome your riposte. I.e., bring it.
 
I have never had a problem with Case knives. Mine have been purchased out of a showcase though. My friend used and abused a Case knife that he used to carry. He sent it to case for a makeover, replacement blades etc. A few weeks later he got it back in mint condition with a letter apologizing that it had not stood up to his expectations. The service was no charge. Nice of them.
 
For warranty work, I did return my EDC, a Case Tribal spear with ebony covers. There were gaps between the ebony and the liners, big gaps. They were able to fix it. No charge. It is my daily user.
 
I have only had to send one knife back to Case. It was a 2002 Select Seahorse Whittler with an outrageously proud main blade. I not only got the repaired knife but also an apology and another Seahorse Whittler! My most recent purchases this week were a Sodbuster for under $30 that is fine for its purpose and what I paid for it and a 125th Anniversary Teardrop @ $50 that is perfect (blade centering, spring even with liners and scales in all three positions, etc). With over 60 case knives purchased over the last 30 years, I've had some that were marginal, some average and some fantastically good. In my opinion, Case is doing better now than they did in the 80s.

I would not hesitate to contact them about a defective knife and would expect a replacement or repair.

I also would be willing to pay a few bucks more if it meant they would up their average quality. However, the last thing I would want to see is for them to go under. I have a long relationship with Case (my first knife after all) and hope they'll be around for another 100+ years.
 
I have purchased a few Soddie Jr's in the past year and walked out to the truck, opened them up and went right back in for a refund. I just can't find a good one.
 
I wanna see who has the largest collection of Case knives on bf too!
 
HOKIE_FAN said:
I have purchased a few Soddie Jr's in the past year and walked out to the truck, opened them up and went right back in for a refund. I just can't find a good one.
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Yeah the quality is pretty spotty on the Sodbusters. I bought one, got sent a dog so I returned it for a other. Got another dog, but just kept it and use it as a beater.
 
I will see your 3 and raise you 3 more. :D

In all seriousness I have around 40 or so mostly from the 1970's era, a few Tested knives, and 90's - present. The Tested era knives are hard to beat, the 70's models are great, the recent ones are terrible in my opinion. I'm a Case collector and the quality just isn't there. I will still continue to buy especially if it's something that I collect (yellow handles) but I will primarily stick to older year models.
 
WIL TERRY said:
THIS is nothing more than luck of the draw, Ol' Pard. In my Case [ pun intended..] I've bought three [3!!] colt PYTHON pistols over the years and all three were bad shooting turds that would have been more helpful if they'd have had 4' barrels so I could have pounded 'em into the ground and grown tomatos upon them. Luck of the draw, nothing more nothing less and still damned aggravating !
And so it goes...
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:):):)

Terry,

It is good to see you here on this forum.

Take care!

Cate from old gun forums.
 
My rating for Case knives.

Case Bose annuals, 154CM or ATS34 models










Case Bose CV models

Case CV models
Case Bose SS models

















Case SS models

I do not want to cause conflict, but it often seems that the general line Bose knives are given more attention as they are highly collectible. The CV knives are given more attention because I'm sure Case knows they are used as working knives. The multitude of patterns with exotic handles and commemoratives are geared towards people that will not use them. Nothing wrong with pretty knives, but for users, I believe more craftsmanship is devoted to the CV and regular Bose lines. However, I have gotten some gems, like the humpback stockmans I had, except for a nail nick below the frame on the spear humpback. Otherwise, they were great knives. Buying an SS Case knife is a crapshoot for great fit and finish, but for a worker, I would still get one. I am consumed by customs right now though.
 
Curved frame isn't all that unusual. Seems fairly common among non-centered blade traditionals. However, they aren't usually that bad. My old standby Case, a yellow CV slimline trapper, has the same problem. The worst I've seen was on a Bear And Son, but that was almost to be expected.

It does break my heart to see Case send out stuff like that (and that poorly misshapen yellow delrin scale AntDog posted). It's like me and Case have a history. But I just can't let it color my judgment. If they want to survive, they have to stop sending junk out the door. I don't care if they're cheaper than GEC, or even Rough Rider. Junk is junk, even when it's free. I don't care if they'll rework it without question if I send it in. I don't want to send it in for rework in the first place.

That being said, my last couple of purchases in the last two years have given me hope.
 
I walked into a newly remodeled knife shop nearby today, and looked at several Case knives, particularly the jigged bone SodBuster Jr in a couple of colors. Blades were so off center on a few they already had scuffs from rubbing against the liners. Very uneven shaping on the covers, gaps between the spring and the liners, poor dye jobs. I then looked at a few other patterns and saw the same thing. The owner's wife was kind enough to patiently show me what they had, and she said she was still learning. This shop is a little on the high side, but they had a decent selection. Each one I looked at reminded me of why I've gotten spoiled to GEC. Sadly, I have several Rough Riders that have better fit and finish than what I saw today from Case.

Each one I looked over had a glaring issue that I pointed out to the the lady and explained why I didn't want it after examination. I hated taking her time and not buying a Case, but I own several case knives, and these were simply substandard. She sounded like she was planning on having a serious discussion with her distributor. She thanked me for showing her what to look for and said she understood.

I left that store today without any of the Case knives I would have liked to have had, but I did get a Vic Electrician and a Zermatt pouch for my old Huntsman. I'm saddened that Case's price keeps climbing but quality is diminishing.
 
I've had a S&M File and wire that was wonky like that. I had to vice it to close up gaps big enough to watch TV through!
 
jackknife said:
It's a fact that the knife industry is a cut throat business at best. That's why Schrade, Camillus, and a host of old marques are no longer with us. The cost of new tooling is high, and that's what I think killed Schrade in the end. The tooling was shot, no capability of holding any kind of tolerance, and sloppy stuff was going out the door. Some of the Schrade branded stuff I saw the last few years they were operating was horrible.

I hope Case doesn't take that route, but they need to increase their QA a bit, even if they have to charge a few dollars more. I'd pay another couple bucks for a hand inspected knife, and I'm sure you all would. Heck, how much do you pay for a GEC? Double? Almost triple in some cases? (No pun intended!)

A lot of this comes from imperfect parts to start with. The basic frame, the spacers, bolsters, and back springs are the same for a lot of models. The Texas jack and same size stockman, for example. If you have perfectly blanked and machined parts, it's a heck of lot easier to make a perfect assembly. Like Victorinox. Like Harley Davidson motorcycles. When Harley was dumped on the market after AMF bled them dry like a vampire, nothing much was left. AMF had just kept shoving bikes out the door that had been made on ancient machinery, out of spec, and failing before they were out of warrantee. In 1984 when they re-organized and they knew it was their last shot, they sent a survey team to Japan to see how it was done. They then made a huge gamble and investment in all new Japanese machining centers and laser guided cutting tools, and huge increase in QA. The result was, they actually made a better motorcycle that could compete with the more reliable Japanese and German bikes. They did what thad to be done, invest some time and money into the company, re-train employees that failure is not an option.

If people are willing to spend 100 dollars for a GEC, then maybe Case has to boost the price of a 40 dollar knife to 45 or even 50, and have the final QA inspectors on the line look over each and every one before it goes out. They need to do something, because when somebody here's about how Case used to be THE knife that their granddaddies carried, and they go out and buy one, and it comes looking like a refuge from scrap pile, you think they will ever buy another one? They'll go buy some other brand. Maybe Case needs to stop with the 85th Elvis birthday and name brand farm tractor commemoratives, and just make darn good using knives.

Maybe they need to send a survey team to Switzerland.
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Hey dude, I buy a lot of case knives, and I have never had any imperfects. Just my experience
 
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