Case quality - Yay or Nay?

[Shuya]

Hi folks,

ive been looking at the Case Sodbuster Jr. pattern for quite a long.
At the moment they are hard to get here in europe, dont know why.
Ive finally catched a good buy on one in Blue Sawcut bone and it arrived today.

I am not impressed with the quality at some point.
Both handles are way off what I expected and what was pictured, one even has sort of a scratch along the handle. They are not matching at all.
Blade polish is somewhat off, too, there are marks on the blade like it has either not been polished to the end or whiped with a dirty cloth.
Not talking about the dirt around the pivot, knive is hard to open.

I really consider sending this one back due to quality issues.

This is the first Case Knife I really have issues about, all my others (2 Trappers, Barlow, Peanut, Med. Stockman, Large Stockman, Texas Jack) are all fine.

Your opinion?

Regards
Michael

[SteveC]

Was this sold as new ?  If so I would say not acceptable and send back. If it was sold as used the blade with get marks like that with use. The handles are not the best looking that's for sure.
If you can send it back for a refund.

[Shuya]

Was this sold as new ?  If so I would say not acceptable and send back. If it was sold as used the blade with get marks like that with use. The handles are not the best looking that's for sure.
If you can send it back for a refund.

Its brand new from a large retailer in my country.

The blade is something I could handle,  would be scratched anyways,  and the goo round the blade pivot I could clean with some effort.
But the handles are something that would bother me everytime I use this knife. Its like 2 handles from complete different knifes plus they are not one color as exspected.

[G-Dizzle]

Send it back. I like Case, but they sometimes make too many knives for good QC imo. You should check out GEC. Harder to get, but about as quality as it gets.

[Aloha]

   Send it back.  The blue saw cut bone is nice when they get it right.  That is not one I'd keep and I'm not picky at all.

Such a bummer.   Case please stop doing this.   

[Barry Rowland]

  Definitely send it back!  Case has issues from time to time, but not THOSE kind of issues. 

[G-Dizzle]

If you are from Germany, possibly look into getting yourself a Boker instead. Their premium lines are nice.

[PitCarver]

Personally, any sodbuster that doesn't have the birdseye pivot can't be a soddie.  It certainly looks like you possibly got a returned know, and not a new one,  I've never had a CASE knife that had that much damage on the blade.

[Shuya]

Personally, any sodbuster that doesn't have the birdseye pivot can't be a soddie.  It certainly looks like you possibly got a returned know, and not a new one,  I've never had a CASE knife that had that much damage on the blade.

For a non native speaker,  what is a birdseye pivot?

[SteveC]

For a non native speaker,  what is a birdseye pivot?

This

[Shuya]

This


(Image removed from quote.)

(Image removed from quote.)

Ah,  thanks buddy.
This helps distribute load and prevent scale cracking I guess.
Good point.

[nate j]

A quick Google search on the Caribbean Blue Saw Cut bone shows a wide variation and lack of color uniformity on the handle slabs, so your example may not be unique in that regard.

It looks like someone made an amateurish mess of that blade though.  Sure, you could fix it (and it may get scratched up anyway if it’s a user), but you shouldn’t have to do that with a brand new knife.  I concur with the “send it back if possible” crowd.

I have at least a couple dozen Case knives (probably more, don’t tell my wife haha).  The fit and finish ranges from essentially flawless to pathetic.  When I order them online, I put a note in the Order Comments or Special Instructions field to “check f&f and w&t before shipping”, and this has generally been successful in getting good examples.

[Barry Rowland]

That's a good idea Nate. 

[Farmer X]

I'm having a very hard time believing that is a brand-new knife. I'd send it back.

[PitCarver]

I'm having a very hard time believing that is a brand-new knife. I'd send it back.

Yep.

[nate j]

That's a good idea Nate.

[Aloha]

Those covers look weird.  The cut are oriented 

Heres mine. 

[Shuya]

Contacted the seller and send it back.
Will keep you updated.

[Gareth]

Just reading this topic now.  Hope you get things sorted out.  Definitely not what I'd expect to get from a new Case knife. 

[Spartan19]

Unfortunately Cases quality is very hit or miss these days. They still charge a premium price, but I've had several over the last couple years where the metallurgy is sub par and the fir and finish is t what it should be. It's a shame, cases factory in Bradford Pennsylvania is about 2 hours away from where I grew up, and I've been to the museum several times. They used to make a great product, but anymore it's a role of the dice. The only ones I've been consistently impressed with are the yellow handled cv steel blades, they are the more affordable knives you can buy from them, and have the best overall quality

[Shuya]

I have to bump this topic with a question.

I am on a medical treatment right now and gifted myself a nice case 6318 (medium stockman).

The knife arrived pretty gunked up from production, but I worked this out over the first week by repeated cleaning, oiling, moving the blades and repeat.

Only now I noticed some bladeplay on the mainblade that I cant remember when getting it new, maybe its now there since the blade can move freely now.

Its not sideways. When I open the main blade it snaps into position pretty nicely, but when I cut, the blade moves a bit back towards the spring.
I looked at it and the blade has some play at the pivot so alltogether the blade moves about 1mm (measured at the tip) when doing a cut.

Never had this with any slipjoint.
Is this a quality issue?

[Aloha]

Hope you will recover completely. 

I'll have to see if my Case knives do that.  From the sound of it I would say yes  . 

Sounds like the back spring is a but "mushy".  Can you move the blade without cutting? I'm thinking it could be the tang being ground a little much?  The contact between it and the spring is where the gunk was and now that its gone the play is noticeable. 

If you've not had this experience in other slip joints then I'd again say its a problem. 

[nate j]

I have several of the 18 pattern knives, and none of them seem to have this problem.  I would say it is a quality issue.

[Gareth]

No, doesn't sound right to me either.  My #18 certainly doesn't do it.

[Shuya]

Update.

Seller told me this is not an issue and it is possible for Slipjoints to have this.
I own several Case knives (2more stockmans, 2 trappers, 2 barlows, 1 peanut) and a high count of other european slippies (about 50 alltogether).
None, not even the cheaper user have this.

Ive made a crappy video of this issue to show you.

https://youtu.be/YuXtm0ar_sY

I think I will ask Case for their opinion.
This really grinds my gears.

[nate j]

Seller told me this is not an issue and it is possible for Slipjoints to have this.

I think I will ask Case for their opinion.

I would rate this statement from the seller as “True, but misleading”.  It is certainly possible to have a knife with this issue, and it is also possible to still use a knife with this issue.  However, I think I only have one slippy in my entire collection that has this problem, it is terribly annoying, and I absolutely consider it a defect.

I think your plan to take it up with Case directly is a sound one.  You could also go back to the seller with something along the lines of “It may not be an issue for you, but it is an issue for me.  I am NOT satisfied and would like a refund or exchange.”

[SteveC]

 

[LoopCutter]

I received three in the past two weeks from Case only dealers.  Opened them yesterday as I finished my treatments,( a gift from/to ME😜)

Awl three were wrapped tight in Case’s tissue and were in very good condition and no prints on the blade.

Awl three are bone scales, pivot is small, bird eye is found on my synthetic models and my one Rough Ryder.

I do like to buy my Case knives in person, retailers or flea markets, but must say a few came from eBay and pictures were same as knife received.

 

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I did return one Case Swayback to SMKW, I could not open the blade!  A disappointment as it was the last one too!