Case "Select" series ... any fans ?

The W.R. Case & Sons Cutlery Company has a very rich history that began in 1889 when William Russell (“W.R.”), Jean, John, and Andrew Case began fashioning their knives and selling them along a wagon trail in upstate New York. The company has produced countless treasures and it continues to do so as one of the most collected brands in the world.
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Lansky1
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Case "Select" series ... any fans ?

Post by Lansky1 »

I recently learned of the select series on AAPK ... they seem to be rare. Can anyone add some insight to these upgraded Case knives ?
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Re: Case "Select" series ... any fans ?

Post by XxTestedxX »

I don't collect many new knives anymore, but when I did. The selects always caught my eye

They are premium in comparison to most modern case.

Most if not all had nickel silver liners, unlike most standard case having brass.

Keep an eye out of the trappers and others that have the long pull clip blades, beautiful knives.

also, most of the time they were packaged better, instead of the basic cardboard box.
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Re: Case "Select" series ... any fans ?

Post by XxTestedxX »

so yes, for what its worth, I am a fan of the selects.
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Re: Case "Select" series ... any fans ?

Post by gsmith7158 »

Lansky, I am like Xx. I moved my collection in a different direction and sold most of my newer knives but I had a burnt orange bone Canoe Select with long pull on the master that I wish I had kept. It was a beautiful knife and one of the few that I actually made money on. I think the selects are very well made and super collectable.
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Re: Case "Select" series ... any fans ?

Post by Treejakal »

Here are a couple of mine. A tuxedo and a Tony Bose sway back
20161221_185353.jpg
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Re: Case "Select" series ... any fans ?

Post by kootenay joe »

What is the "Select Series" ?
Does Case select a few patterns each year to produce as "Select" knives ?
When did this begin ?
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Re: Case "Select" series ... any fans ?

Post by Mumbleypeg »

kootenay joe wrote:What is the "Select Series" ?
Does Case select a few patterns each year to produce as "Select" knives ?
When did this begin ?
kj
Answers are found here: http://www.wrcase.com/special_programs/case_xx_select/

Basically it's a knife made by Case's best cutlers, with premium materials and features that were common 100 years ago, such as blade swedges, blade etches, etc.

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Re: Case "Select" series ... any fans ?

Post by XX Case XX »

I have one Case Select, it's a 1998 6347...

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Re: Case "Select" series ... any fans ?

Post by Colonel26 »

I've never had one, but imo, if they are going to go through all that trouble to make a knife that hardens back to the good old days, and do all the extra touches like swedging the blades, etc, you'd think they'd use something besides Trusharp for the blades.
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Re: Case "Select" series ... any fans ?

Post by Mumbleypeg »

Colonel26 wrote:I've never had one, but imo, if they are going to go through all that trouble to make a knife that hardens back to the good old days, and do all the extra touches like swedging the blades, etc, you'd think they'd use something besides Trusharp for the blades.
I will give an amen to that. However stainless seems to be what today's collectors (and users) of modern production knives want. I recall a thread from a few months ago where some were complaining about having purchased a CV knife and being upset that it rusted. And something to the effect that Case should be ashamed for using such steel. ::doh::

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Re: Case "Select" series ... any fans ?

Post by wazu013 »

Here's one.
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Re: Case "Select" series ... any fans ?

Post by Old Hunter »

I have a few, they have been acquired by random chance. They are nice knives; this one is a medium Texas Jack. OH
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Re: Case "Select" series ... any fans ?

Post by kootenay joe »

Thanks for the link to Select XX info.
Regarding steel it says: "Case XX Select blades are crafted from our highest grade Tru-Sharp surgical steel; double-tested by our own hardening and tempering processes,"
"highest grade Tru-Sharp" ? Is there more than one grade ?
It also says: "hone it by hand to a razor-sharp edge." If you have a Case Select knife would you mind checking this out ? are the blades actually sharper than other Case folding knives ?
Also superior materials and extra polishing steps; is this quite noticeable ?
Are they worth the extra $$ ?
My reaction after reading Case's description of the "Select Series" is to think 'why don't you(Case) apply these same standards to all your folding knives ? '
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Re: Case "Select" series ... any fans ?

Post by Lansky1 »

I had one recently - overall was disappointed based on the hype & what I read ... granted it was an older lightly used one, but fit and finish didn't seem any better than a good modern example from Case. I do like the long pull and swedge grind a lot though. I also notice Case doesn't offer many side options - very few color varieties in the Select series - seem to be very traditional (aka plain).
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Re: Case "Select" series ... any fans ?

Post by wazu013 »

Here's a list of patterns and production numbers of the selects up to 2013.
http://www.wrcase.com/special_programs/ ... Select.pdf
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Re: Case "Select" series ... any fans ?

Post by Colonel26 »

Mumbleypeg wrote:
Colonel26 wrote:I've never had one, but imo, if they are going to go through all that trouble to make a knife that hardens back to the good old days, and do all the extra touches like swedging the blades, etc, you'd think they'd use something besides Trusharp for the blades.
I will give an amen to that. However stainless seems to be what today's collectors (and users) of modern production knives want. I recall a thread from a few months ago where some were complaining about having purchased a CV knife and being upset that it rusted. And something to the effect that Case should be ashamed for using such steel. ::doh::

Ken
I guess it's a difference in the folks who only collect knives vs those who actually use them. Besides, CV won't rust, if ya take care of KY properly. Sheesh!

If they're dead set in using stainless, and charging a premium price at least they could have used a high grade if stainless, 158CM or something similar. Oh well.

Rant over. Back to your regularly scheduled program.
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Re: Case "Select" series ... any fans ?

Post by edge213 »

2 Case Selects in my daughter's collection. Sorry for the poor pictures.
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Re: Case "Select" series ... any fans ?

Post by rea1eye »

Looks like a great series of knives. Don't presently own one, but maybe some
day. I have a Case Tony Bose (TB62028) which is really well crafted.

The Select Series looks to be expensive unfortunately ..........

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Re: Case "Select" series ... any fans ?

Post by jerryd6818 »

I did a search on eBay for the Case Select knives and came up with prices from the $60 neighborhood all the way up into the $300s. Anyone have some insight into that wide variance?
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Re: Case "Select" series ... any fans ?

Post by gsmith7158 »

jerryd6818 wrote:I did a search on eBay for the Case Select knives and came up with prices from the $60 neighborhood all the way up into the $300s. Anyone have some insight into that wide variance?
Did the same same search Jerryd and I think some of those higher priced ones are due to wishful thinking on the sellers part.
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Re: Case "Select" series ... any fans ?

Post by Mumbleypeg »

jerryd6818 wrote:I did a search on eBay for the Case Select knives and came up with prices from the $60 neighborhood all the way up into the $300s. Anyone have some insight into that wide variance?
I'd expect like any knives there'd be some patterns more expensive than others (peanut vs. whittler, etc). There were also some made with exotic handle materials such as mammoth Ivory, abalone, etc. that should bring higher prices.

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Re: Case "Select" series ... any fans ?

Post by 63rdOVI »

I'm a fan of Case's razor-bladed knives, so I have a small collection of both the recent production Case and Case Crandall razor barlows and razor jacks, as I call them: 09R and 05R. I bought three Case Select razors (05R) in elkhorn because I've never had a knife with that handle material. They're well-finished and look great. I also like the shield and lettering. Are they better than my other recent production razors in fit and finish? No, I don't think so. But they are nice representations of the razor blade series and look nice enough to carry to a fancy dinner...or rodeo.

Case obviously makes collectible knives for a large audience in mind. It seems that most modern collectors don't appreciate the CV steel since rust or discoloration would make it less desirable, so Tru-Sharp gets the nod. Those of us who do appreciate CV will just continue to collect the older Cases and newer working models in CV and "take the road less traveled," I guess.
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Re: Case "Select" series ... any fans ?

Post by Lansky1 »

I sold a "select" wharncliffe mini trapper recently at a huge loss. I think a lot of casual knife people don't know about the Select line & don't recognize the different tang stamp ... maybe this was an anomaly, but seems the Select knives don't hold their value well.
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Re: Case "Select" series ... any fans ?

Post by kootenay joe »

Quote: "seems the Select knives don't hold their value well"
I think this is true for the vast majority of new production knives. The original owner takes a loss when he sells. True for 95% of custom knives as well.
GEC is the only regular exception to this. They often sell above original purchase price, as do Randall knives.
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Re: Case "Select" series ... any fans ?

Post by hms »

One of mine.
20150505_143335.jpeg
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