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Why don't I feel the same?

One of my first posts here was about how I renewed my interest in traditional pocketknives by looking for a replacement for a Case XX Select that I lost. During that search I found out about GEC, Canal Street and Queen. I now have several of each. I like each and every knife that I own BUT I find myself preferring my GEC's, Canal Streets, and Queens by quite a large margin over my Cases. In fact when my Knife Acquisition Disorder rears its head I never even think to look at Case anymore. This bothers me somewhat as I know that Case is the most collected and respected of all these companies. Until last year if you asked me to name a brand of pocketknife I could have only named 3...Case, Old Timer and Buck. I had always be told that every gentleman should have a nice Case. These days I just don't even think about them. This lack of interest is probably resulting in my missing out on some great knives. The recent chat on Case history is what starting my thinking about this. Is my affinity for the "new" companies just because they are new? I just know that when I have a Case and say a GEC in my hand the GEC feels like a better quality product even though I have no abject evidence to make that statement. So what is it with me and Case? Anybody else feel this way about one of these brand or am I being as eccentric as SWMBO says I am. Inquiring minds want to know.

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Replies to This Discussion

In MemoriamPermalink Reply by Robert Burris on February 12, 2014 at 16:39

Well Ken, you are in for a treat. I think GEC is the best production knife made right now. Check them out, you won't be disappointed.

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Permalink Reply by Carl Bradshaw on March 18, 2014 at 8:14

I feel very similar, and I think a big part of it is that Case has completely saturated the market, and are making knives for collectible purpose only. And they come in 400 different handle materials with 1000 different blade marketing etchings, ranging from John Deere to Hello Kitty. To me, any thing that is made to be collectible, never truly becomes a valuable collectible.

A lot of people I've talked to who are knife collectors prefer OLD Case knives (80's and before), and then newer knives by the other brands. Also, I think Case used to be the standard in quality that all others were compared to, so they were justified in having higher prices than most. But now, either Case quality has slipped slightly, or every other brand has stepped up it's game, and it doesn't make sense to buy 1 Case knife when you can buy 2 of another brand with the same money.

So to sum up my rambling, Case saturated the market, overpriced their wares, and are not the King of Quality they once were.

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Permalink Reply by Alexander Noot on March 18, 2014 at 9:11

I totally understand it. I'm pretty new to the whole traditional knife thing.

In fact I'm fairly new to the whole knife thing period.

However, I own 1 Queen, 1 Schatt&Morgan, 2 GEC's and 0 Cases.

I did own a case once. It was the Bose Designed backpocket. It was flimsier than most of the Rough Riders I've owned. Since then I was done with Case instantly. Maybe they were better "back in the day" But in todays world with access to products from all over the world Quality and Price/Quality ratio are king. And Case sits just about at the bottom when it comes to that.

Case's Quality is along par with Rough Rider nowadays as is the steel they use.

I can buy GEC's and Queens for the price of a Case. And get D2, ATS-34, 440C or 1095 steel.

And for the price of their top of the line Case Bose collab (I believe this years' cost close to $400) I can buy a handmade unique custom piece from any of a whole LIST of makers.

I understand the sentimental feeling towards Case....but they're just not cutting it these days (pun intended).

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Permalink Reply by Brad T. on March 18, 2014 at 9:43

I have to agree with all that is being said here. I bought the majority of my Case knives at the beginning of my Traditional pattern fixation. Luckily they were from a collection that was sold at an estate auction and I got some before they were completely picked over.

After becoming a member here and some other sites, I started taking an interest in Queen. Then Schrade and my 1st GEC was the 2012 iKC Geppetto. Upon receiving that GEC I compared it to my Case Seahorse and noted that although the Geppetto is a little smaller the secondary blades were larger than the Case. Don't get me wrong the Wharnie on the Seahorse is larger than the Geppetto's, but the Geppetto's secondary blades were not anemic like the Case's were.

I can't justify buying another Case, when I can get into another manufacturer that I haven't bought into yet. I want some Canal Street, Schatt & Morgan, Tuna Valley...

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Permalink Reply by John Bamford on March 18, 2014 at 11:09

Ken Spielvogel said:

David, you are making me want a GEC - I have never had one.

I didn't have a GEC until last October Ken, I have four now and the next one is planned. Every GEC I have feels like quality pure and simple. I thought they were expensive till I got one in my hand.

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Permalink Reply by Ken Spielvogel on March 18, 2014 at 11:36

I looked on Ebay and they were quite pricey, but I may get one yet sometime.

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Permalink Reply by Tobias Gibson on March 18, 2014 at 12:02

I doubt I will be buying many Case knives in the future but might start looking more seriously at Queen and GEC. But as these all float around the $100 threshold and as they rarely make the patterns I collect. My problem is I can find as much joy in well made $10 knife as I can a well made $200 knife and most people can't tell the difference.

It is a sad fact that when I show people my knives 90% of them are more interested in this $7 piece of crap :

Than these Case knives:

What is even sadder is that crappy wolf knife has a sharper blade than this my Case Skinner --and that just ain't right.

PS, the wolf knife is a stock photo, not taken by me. The wolf knife is not actually in public view but is kept in a drawer. Once I open the drawer, the eyes light up!