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Pros: Blade Material, Blade Sharpness, Handle Feel, Handle Material, Overall Quality, Weight
Cons: Ease of Opening, Lock Ease of Use, Lock Type
A great step for Case
I think this design was an excellent step in the right direction for Case in their pursuit of finding an identity in the modern knife market. To me, this knife successfully represents the heritage of the Case brand but with updated materials and mechanics. The early attempts to do “modern” felt very off brand, overcorrecting with aluminum frame lock tantos that frankly felt soulless and a little out of touch. This knife is back on track doing modern the Case way. Keep that up, Case! With all that said, I think it misses a little bit with unattractive modern finishes on the bolster and blade (in my opinion), and the detent joint mechanism is a huge let down. The half stop is a good feature for safety, but it removes the one element that redeems the mechanism… fidgetiness. Although I would argue that Case really shouldn’t be trying for that parameter to stay true to their roots. I hope in the future they can keep in mind that classic, proven locks and features can still be at home on very modern knives. If Case sticks to what they know and can focus on modernizing through increased precision and more exciting steels, they’ll find their place in their target modern market.