Case Humpback Whittler CV (#63046) short review

[NutSAK]

So how is the F&F on it, and how does it feel in the hand?

I'm glad you asked!  Among the "traditional" slip-joints I've bought so far, this one has the best feel/ergonomics, and only my very well-fitted Queen Trapper Jack matches this knife in F&F.  To date, this is the only non-SAK slipjoint I've bought that was sharp enough to put to work right out of the box.  It has even edge bevels that are toothy, but shaving sharp.

See here that the joints are completely sunk, making the feel in hand VERY comfortable.  None of the tangs protrude above the liners, so there are no sharp edges to rub against the fingers or wear at the pockets.  The main blade is rather short for the frame but that, in addition to the reliefs for the pen and spey blade nail marks, allow the blades to ride very low in the frame, further enhancing the ergonomics.  The gentle curve of the frame against the inside of the fingers is very comfortable when in use.

I was concerned about the appearance of Case's red bone, as I had seen pictures of some that were lightly dyed and had a faded look at the ends of the covers (scales).  I think I got lucky with this one though--it is lighter toward the shield end of the covers, but overall it is fairly even and both sides match well.  I'm not generally a fan of bright-colored bone, but these are growing on me.





You can see the cut swedges here, two on the main spear, one on the inside of the pen & spey blades,  keeping everything well spaced out and centered.  The spey blade has one slight rub spot on the scale (liner) as it rests, but it is very minor.  The spey is at top in the photo.





Note that this knife has a spring for each of the three blades.  A characteristic of a true whittler, IMO, is that it has two springs, with the secondary blades each on their own spring and the main blade sharing the two springs.  This design is simpler, but it allows a thinner, better slicing main blade and thicker secondary blades with less "give" to them.  Being a long-time SAK fan, I really like the boxier feel that the wider frame provides.

Here I think you can clearly see how well this one is put together.  I don't see a gap of any sort in the springs and liners at all, and the bone blends seamlessly with the bolsters... 





There's very little metal protruding from the frame when the main blade is in use.:





See here how long & substantial the pen & spey secondary blades are.  Either of them is long enough to core an apple that is cut in half.  They're a little long and stiff for detail whittling work, IMO, but their form offers a whole lot of utility.  The majority of the work I do with a knife can be easily handled by these blades.




...and here's a look at the pile side....





I am very pleased with this knife.  I have bought and carried some very nice knives of late, but this one has easily replaced all of them as my main EDC.  The combination of size, ergonomics and utility are going to be tough to beat for my uses. Again, this is not a knife that I would whittle with, because for that I prefer a knife with short blades that have a wide variety of profiles, such as Case's Congress pattern.  These blades are a bit long for the job, and all three have very similar edge profiles.  I may in the future consider reprofiling the spey blade into a sheepsfoot for a little more variety.

If I were going to fault this knife at all, it would be in only one minor area--the blade pull isn't very even.  The main blade has a light pull that feels a little weak in the open position, and the secondary blades have considerably higher pull.  Most reviews I read rate the main blade pull at 5 and the secondary blades at 7.  I wold agree with that, except that my pen blade is actually more of an 8 and would approach nail-breaker territory for those who have weaker nails than mine.  Again, this doesn't really bother me but I thought it should be mentioned.  I've been carrying a slipjoint of some sort for nearly 30 years now and haven't folded one up on my fingers yet, so the light main spring won't really be a concern.

I'd also like to mention that this pattern is available with SS blades for those of us who don't like to deal with carbon blade maintenance.  In fact, there's a very nice looking SS model with satin-finish blades and black G10 handles that looks so good that I may have to consider buying one regardless. 

[Styerman]

Cool little case . I used to pack Case trappers and small Stockman's back in my early teens ( back in the Jurassic period ) . Whittlers are a great config. Old jigged bone used to be pretty durable , but I'm a bit leary of modern bone . I'll have to check em out .

Chris

[NutSAK]

Old jigged bone used to be pretty durable , but I'm a bit leary of modern bone . I'll have to check em out .

Chris

I now what you mean.  I prefer carbon blade slipjoints, so I was limited to the dark red bone in this pattern.  If I didn't have such a preference, I would have definitely bought the G10 handled version.  It's more durable and looks much better in this pattern, IMO.

[Mr. Whippy]

Very attractive!  I've never really handled many Case slippies.  I'd like to handle a few of these at the US MeetUp...

 

[NutSAK]

I'd love to, but it's not in the cards for me this year. 

You need to recruit Ashley or 2xTap!  They have much bigger collections than I do.

[Mr. Whippy]

I'd love to, but it's not in the cards for me this year. 

You need to recruit Ashley or 2xTap!  They have much bigger collections than I do.

That's right! 

All those West Virginians could head out at 4-6 in the morning, be at the farm in early afternoon, have dinner and be home a little after midnight!  No EXCUSES!

 

[2xTap]

NutSAK,

Great detailed review bud, and nice pics. I wouldn't say a Characteristic of a true Whittler is a two-backspring set up. The only real characteristic which sets a Whittler apart from others is the blade arrangement.....having the mainblade on one end and the two secondaries on the other (although this isn't taking into account the Half-Whittler). Outside of that anything goes. And while a two-backspring set up is more common, a three-backspring is not all that new.

Same goes for two-backspring and three-backspring Stockmans.

Anyway, I digress. You mention the slight variances in the spring tension between the blades. I've had that on a few Cases myself. A noticable difference between blades, but only few have I had any that are lighter than I prefer. My one Delrin Scout has a mainblade backspring that is too light for my liking, not weak but lighter than I prefer. I've had such variances on other brands as well, most common on three bladers in my experience.

The Humpback I find interesting, as much as I like Whittlers and Stockmans most in the 3 1/2" to 3 5/8" size are usually too slim......like the #18 pattern from Case. These #046 patterns are a bit wider without a serpentine frame which for me means likely a better fit to the hand. If I could just stop buying everything else I might get around to getting me some of these. 

Thanks for sharing your views on this, and detailing the particulars. Very helpful. 

2xTap

[NutSAK]

My one Delrin Scout has a mainblade backspring that is too light for my liking, not weak but lighter than I prefer

That's exactly how I would describe this one.  I would like it to be a heavier spring, but it's not something I consider a flaw.  The spring pull is in cellidor SAK territory, so it's fine, but less than I like to have in a traditional slipjoint.

As far as two-spring med. stockman and whittler patterns being too narrow in the hand, I'm right with you there.  As you recall from our discussions, I was looking for a three-blade knife with a somewhat "boxy" frame, and that's exactly what I got with the Humpback.  It fills the hand very similar to a SAK Farmer, which is just right for me.

[Gareth]

Cheers for the review Terry, I really enjoyed that.