Pros: None
Cons: None
Wort CASE Scenario
I recently purchased a CASE Amberbone Stockman (CA079)to add to my collection of Stockman knives. I have a significant number of Stockmans of varying ages by many manufacturers. There are a number usual suspects; Queen, Buck, Schrade, Rough Ryder, Boker, Hen & Rooster, Marbles etc; some old classics like Primble, Parker, Pine Knot, Ranger, Uncle Henry, Frontier, etc. and lesser know items such as Anvil, E.C. Cummings and Kabar.Unlike every other stockman knife I own (more than fifty) the CASE was had a seriously scratched main blade (the clip point) from DAY ONE. There is a radial score (gouge) approximately 1.5” from the hinge.The cause of this damage was due to the point of the sheeps foot blade digging into the clip point (right out of the box). Call it poor engineering or quality control, but the fact is a clinker leaked out. When I wrote to CASE about the problem I received and nice (yet slightly condescending) response explaining "blade rub" to me. I'm a mechanical engineer, and as you can imagine wasn't as appreciative of the "explanation" as you might think. The customer service representative assured me that this was "normal" for a Stockman knife pattern--three blades are just too many for a pocket knife of such size. Let me be clear; Case’s Quality Control Manager says that it is absolutely normal for a new, never carried or sharpened Stockman knife to have scratched & scored blades.Now I own lots of slip joint pocket knives. Some with four, five even SIX blades (by other manufacturers) Apparently these other knife-makers didn’t get the “three blade blade-rub” memo from Case because guess what? That’s right NO BLADE RUB.In no other case do I own a new, unused, knife where the blades don't close properly or that there is so much blade rub that one blade is destroying another.HOW IS THIS NORMAL?As far as Knife for the dollar I'm going to have to say that IMHO Case knives are ABSOLUTELY not worth it! Ten out of ten I'll go with a Chinese-made Rough Rider, German-made Boker or a Spanish-made Hen & Rooster. These other knives, in my experience, are better quality and price. As I see it Case it banking on shaming consumers to “Buy American.”
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