W.R. Case

Case knives are the most collected knives in the world.

    After surviving the Great Depression and World War II, my grandfather was a huge database of brilliant information. A farmer and a man of all trades, he was an advocate of self-sufficiency and had a 1930’s-era tendency of making certain the equipment that was vital were close at hand.

    A piece of advice that he programmed into me was that a good pocket knife is something to always have handy. He was right to the point as his wisdom showed because I have carried dozens knives with me everywhere I went, throughout the Army and the rest of my life. The uses of them have outweighed any tool I have. A pocketknife is a very suitable tool which can be used to cut wires’ insulation, the tape off of packages to cutting stray strings off kids clothing, or cut those bloody back tags off your shirts and etc., etc. To say a pocket knife is an often-used tool is a complete understatement as I’m always having various jobs to finish with this knife.

    Out of all the pocketknives and knives I've owned, I've got to say Case knives are the best of the lot. The factory sharpens their knives’ blades to an ultra-sharp blade. Realize having a sharp blade handy is very convenient. The Case 6207 Pocket-worn Red Bone (Test Run 1996) in my pocket always provides that sharp blade and its next to my keys at all times. The blades on this knife have been abused (Another understatement) and I haven’t even sharpen it yet! It’s still sharp from a year ago. They use the best quality in their steel. I've had knifes basically fall to pieces after a year or two of use (or abuse). If this were to happen with my Case, I will definitely be amazed.

    The only disadvantage to this knife is the price. I received this knife as a gift, but it seems the knife retails for around $55 or so. Case knives are highly collectable. I have sold some up to $500. Regardless, I'd suggest anyone looking for a good pocketknife should check out the Case line and be willing to spend the bucks necessary for a top-notch tool which is manufactured by a company with a great reputation.

    One final note about this knife: it's made in the United States (Bradford, PA). That's both important from an economic standpoint and from a durability standpoint. Let me explain what I mean. Everyone knows the U.S. is losing jobs right and left because of cheap labor prices in nations such as China. After all, Mexico is losing jobs to China because of labor prices, so what kind of chance do we have? The U.S., however, still has an advantage when it comes to certain products.

    Take screwdrivers, for example. A U.S. plant making a common, garden variety screwdriver simply can't compete with cheap ones from China. The labor costs here are too high, and plants in China are very good at churning out common items which are of an acceptable quality. But, how about the types of top-notch, professional-grade screwdrivers which mechanics buy and use? U.S. plants can still make such high-quality items and demand a premium price for them. The same is true of Case. The company can't compete with cheap imports in terms of price, but the firm can offer a superior product and find people willing to pay for it.