Tony Bose Lockback Whittler--Is It Worth The Price?

[QTCut5]

Wow! As much as it pains me to have to admit it, I am very disappointed in both of the Tony Bose Antique Bone Lockback Whittlers I recently purchased (one for myself, one as a gift). To be honest, even though I supposedly got a "good deal," I was not entirely comfortable paying as much as I did for these production knives ($750 for the pair); but, I was optimistic and willing to believe that surely for that price Case would pull out all the stops and produce the best locking whittler possible. And, since there just ain't a whole lot of locking wharncliffe whittlers out there to choose from...I decided to cut loose and pull the trigger on what I believed would be the cream of the crop.

So, now I am wondering what the general consensus/feeling is among others who have purchased this knife? Did I just get extremely unlucky...twice? Or, am I being overly demanding and/or setting my expectations too high...even for a $400 production knife?

On both of the knives I got, the master wharncliffe blade opens to almost 1/2 and then starts to pinch or "grind" like a metal-on-metal sort of feel...the walk-and-talk is just not right for a knife of this price...not even as smooth as a $50 Copperlock (and I should know because I own a lot of Copperlocks). The two secondary blades' walk-and-talk is as smooth as butter. Both of them also have very poorly inlet shields as well...the bottom points of the shields stick up like a little thorn and prick the finger during normal grip/use. Finally, on one of the knives the pins/rivets protrude so much that they poke/pinch my fingers after a minute or two of normal use. Also, the transition from the bone scales to the bolsters is not what one would expect on a $400 knife; there's just enough of a difference in height between scale and bolster to be noticeable and uncomfortable.

I have already sent mine back to Case with a letter outlining my concerns. The other one, unfortunately, was given as a Christmas gift to a friend of mine who happens to be an amateur cutler himself, so it was embarrassing for both him and me to have to acknowledge the flaws in what should have been a crowning triumph for both Tony Bose and Case.

Anyone else have a similar or different experience they would care to share?

[gino]

I would be upset too, for a 400.00 knife it should be flawless. I have only owned one TB knife and since have sold it but I probably would never buy another for the price.

[Mumbleypeg]

Being a fan of whittlers I have several times been tempted by these but having never spent that much for any knife, managed to resist the temptation. Case still makes some good knives but I would not buy any of their current production without being able to personally hand select it. Sad but true. I bought a Case medium stockman (3318) for my great-nephew's Christmas present (his first knife) and was somewhat surprised when at the hardware store the first knife I looked at was flawless out of the box. That was a $38 knife and still it should be perfect. For a $400 knife I certainly wouldn't expect to have to hand select it, nor to send it back!

Ken

[Colonel26]

I do not buy new Case, or Queen or Boker for that matter, knives without inspecting them first! My dissatisfaction with their spotty quality on new knives is what drove my to stockpiling old users. Maybe I have my standards too high but I work hard, and my wife stays home and raises our three boys, so even an extra $50 on a new knife is not always easy to come by. For my $50 I expect it to be dang near flawless in f/f. I think Case and most others have forgotten how to grind cutting bevels. I don't remember the last new one I saw that was close to even.

I'd return it and ask for it to be replaced or my money refunded. I wouldn't want them to tinker on it and return it, I went down that road with Canal Street once. You'll be able to tell it was worked on, and for $400 it should be perfect.

I understand American labor is expensive and quality American made knives are going to cost a premium over other countries. I'm fine with that. But we ought to receive quality for the price we pay.

[Miller Bro's]

It does not look like a $400 knife

Can I see a pic with the blades closed looking straight down?

[QTCut5]

Can't show you those pics because I don't currently have the knife...I have already sent it back to Case. However...check out this YouTube review...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DpXHQFr ... D_&index=1

[Miller Bro's]

Thank you I seen what I wanted to see in the video.

My opinion is the knife should be much finer if you are going to charge customers that kind of money.

Myself I would never pay a premium price for a knife just because it has someone`s name or endorsement on it. Keep in mind I don`t know Tony Bose from a hole in the wall. I never bought or handled any of his knives nor do I know how much he would charge for one he made.

I am pretty sure if you look hard enough on fleabay you could find an antique lockback in pretty nice condition for $400, but then again I am prejudice in favor antique knives anyway.

I hope they repair or refund your money

[QTCut5]

My opinion is the knife should be much finer if you are going to charge customers that kind of money.

Myself I would never pay a premium price for a knife just because it has someone`s name or endorsement on it. Keep in mind I don`t know Tony Bose from a hole in the wall. I never bought or handled any of his knives nor do I know how much he would charge for one he made.

I am pretty sure if you look hard enough on fleabay you could find an antique lockback in pretty nice condition for $400, but then again I am prejudice in favor antique knives anyway.

I hope they repair or refund your money

Thank you for the support and good-will; however, please understand, I didn't buy these knives based solely on the reputation of Case or because I am some kind of naive "groupie" of knife-making legend Tony Bose. As a long-time Case collector, and owner of hundreds of Case knives, I am intimately familar with the quality of Case's product. As such, I think you would have to agree that it's only natural for one with my extensive experience to expect that a $400 knife would be nearly flawless, which is exactly what I expected. Apparently, despite my extensive history with WR Case & Sons Cutlery Co., I was 'blindsided' on this one particular knife. Perhaps I was overly optimistic and overly trusting, but it was a trust based on vast experience, and I feel it was Case who dropped the ball, not me being naive.

Nevertheless, in my defense:

1) I have hundreds of Case knives in my collection and, without exception, every single one of my Copperlocks (and even mini copperlocks) have better walk-and-talk, fit-and-finish than this $400 Tony Bose fiasco (even though most of them cost less than $100), so, naturally, I assumed that for $400 Case would really go 'all out' and basically offer a super high-quality, limited-edition (1000 pcs total in five different handle materials) "custom" production knife;
2) Despite extensive research, I have yet to find another Locking Wharncliffe Whittler...new, old, vintage, antique..on 'fleabay' or any of the many other online knife sites I routinely search. I know the design has been out there since the 1800's...but I haven't been able to find ANY...NOT ONE SINGLE EXAMPLE of a locking 3-Blade Wharncliffe Whittler for sale anywhere. If anyone has one or knows of one produced by ANY knife company, I'd really like to know about it. And if there happens to be one for sale somewhere---I would most definitely be interested in purchasing it.

Meanwhile...I'll just have to wait to see what the guys in Case's repair shop can do with mine to make me feel like I didn't waste $400 of my hard-earned cash and make a fool of myself for trusting Case by buying this Tony Bose Wharncliffe Lockback Whittler.

Cheers & Aloha,
~Q~

[zp4ja]

Sorry to hear of your dissatisfaction. No need for any defense, just hopefully they make it right. Why I personally dont buy new CASE knives but I prefer the old CASE knives anyway.

Have you considered a CASE Seahorse Whittler? Not locking but personally dont see the need for a lock, just my opinion, as it sounds as if this is intended to be an EDC. You might also consider a mod from one of our fine knife mechanics here.

I personally own only CASE and several hundred at that, from 1900' to 2000'. My point is that with all the examples I have, no comparision on the oldie quality compared to the post 80' knives. Are all of them perfect, No! Are they high quality, absolutely! I too own some Copperlocks (about 10 from the late 90s') and they are perfect. Sometimes in my experience, quailty is more consistent (or not) depending on the frame we are talking about. I have noticed this on alot of my post 80s' knives.

In my opinion, if you prefer CASE, buy the oldies. And no, I am personally unaware of a CASE oldie that fits your bill. If they made one, it will likely be very expensive.

In your shoes, I would expect high quality on a new knife for that price. I know you are not a Bose "groupie" as you said, but a big part of the price tag was due to his "collaboration" as they say. CASE still is manufacturing it and in my opinion, their modern knives just don't match the old quality. I am pretty sure Bose is not inspecting every knife that comes off the line either. Certainly not defending CASE in this matter.

I carry an old TESTED scarce Green Bone 63052 splitback whittler with a Sheepfoot mainblade (abit beat up) that costs slighty more than the OP knife. Real happy with that one. As they say, they dont make them like they used too.

I am sure I ventured off the original intent here but I sincerely hope this works out for you. Not trying to be an ahole my friend. Regards, Jerry

[QTCut5]

No worries, Jerry...I appreciate the input. I will listen to anyone who has any experience and seems to know what they're talking about...and you seem to, so I respect that.

As for the Seahorse Whittler...I love it...I own many Case Seahorses...it's one of my favorite Case designs and by far my favorite whittler. I also love (and own many) Case Wharncliffe Copperlocks (and also Mini Copperlocks, although unfortunately, the mini Copper doesn't come in a wharncliffe version, at least not that I have ever seen)...The Case Copperlock is the best lockback made for the price, IMHO. I currently have three Copperlocks being modified by two different expert knife 'mechanics' (who also happen to be AAPK members). If I could find a locking wharncliffe whittler for a reasonable price, I would almost certainly buy it. That's why I debated long and hard before buying the Case/Bose Lockback Wharncliffe Whittler...the price seemed a bit high. But, then, since I couldn't find any others, I finally just decided to take a risk and pull the trigger. Had it worked out, I would be a happy little whittling camper right now instead of a disgruntled complainer feeling betrayed by the company I have been very loyal to for many years.

When I bought the TBose Lockback Whittler my hope was that it was a high-quality combination of the best of both worlds: the tight lock up of the Copperlock with the blade configuration of a Seahorse Whittler. Perhaps I am a bit of a dreamer for thinking that it could actually be done, because I have looked everywhere I can think of and have yet to find such a combination anywhere, i.e., a locking wharncliffe whittler. Surely there must be others out there who, like me, want a wharncliffe whittler that also locks...or is that just asking too much? There are lockback whittlers with both clip and spear master blades, but none with wharncliffes. Why do you suppose that is? As far as I'm concerned, the Wharncliffe is the best whittling blade ever and I am completely at a loss as to why it's impossible to find it on a lockback whittler at a reasonable price.

~Q~

[QTCut5]

One more thing that just occurred to me...as far as the price tag being somehow related to the fact that it's a Tony Bose design...consider this Tony Bose Teardrop Jack...it retails for around $45. Now, mind you, it's nowhere near the level of complexity in design or execution of a 3-blade lockback whittler, but it does boast the Tony Bose name...and yet, it's still reasonably priced. Just thinking out loud here.

~Q~

[1967redrider]

Q,

Fight'N Rooster made 3 blade lockback whittlers in stag and buffalo horn, see if you can find one. I happen to have one in waterfall cell, but their cell is prone to out-gassing so look for the stag or horn. I too have been eyeing this Tony Bose version, thanks for your review. I'm going to pass. Here's a S&M Premier Series humpback lockback whittler too, but some buyers have had problems with this knife on occasion - http://www.schattandmorgan.com/premier-series.html (scroll to the bottom once the page loads).

- John

p.s. Parker made them too, I have a Kansas Kane Kutter courtesy of Lyle.

[QTCut5]

Thanks for the link, John. But, to quote the U2 song, "I still haven't found what I'm lookin' for" which is a WHARNCLIFFE Lockback Whittler. That Schatt & Morgan is an interesting knife, I will admit that I am kind of drawn to it...but it still ain't a wharncliffe whittler. I've also looked at the Parker lockback whittlers but not only are they big and clunky, they too have a clip point master blade. Why is there apparently only one lockback whittler in production with a wharncliffe master blade? And why does it have to cost $400? I am totally baffled by this apparent anomaly; it makes absolutely no sense to me. Surely there must be other whittlin' folks out there who would also like to get a lockback wharncliffe whittler for a reasonable price...right?

~Q~

[Rookie]

I have to agree, when you start paying over $150 for a folding knife, you should be getting up to custom made knife quality. Paying $400 for a knife that leaves you with even the smallest regret is disappointing. I hope it works out for you.

[wlf]

Thanks for the link, John. I've also looked at the Parker lockback whittlers but not only are they big and clunky, they too have a clip point master blade.

~Q~

Maybe not the best way to express your view of a man's knife, especially one who was trying to help you. I don't expect you meant it that way,but....

[QTCut5]

Oops, very sorry if my comment was seen as disrespectful in any way...I certainly did not mean to offend...just givin' my humble opinion. I realize the truth in the old saying, "different strokes for different folks," and for my personal tastes, the Parker Lockback Whittler just wasn't a good fit--and also, it is not a WHARNCLIFFE, which is, after all, the main point of this whole issue--which is: Where are the Locking WHARNCLIFFE Whittlers? But, again, that's just one man's opinion. Nevertheless, I still haven't heard an acceptable, rational or reasonable response from anyone on AAPK (or any other knife forum for that matter) with regard to the Tony Bose Wharncliffe Lockback Whittler; in particular: A) Why does it cost so much? (and, by the way, the abalone and stag versions cost between $600--$700); and, B) Why doesn't it have the fit and finish worthy of a $400 knife? Case made 1000 of these knives (300 in antique bone like the two I bought) so surely there are others out there who bought one, and surely I am not the only one who was dissatisfied with this knife. And, remember, I bought TWO and they were both equally flawed, so either I'm the most unluckiest idiot in the knife collecting world, or I am the only one willing to speak up and demand a satisfactory answer. So far I have returned one to the dealer I bought it from for a full refund (to his credit), but the other one was sent back to CASE for warranty repair and they have told me I should probably expect a minimum of 2 to 4 months turnaround time. Could it be that everyone who got suckered into buying this knife is sending it back to the factory?

[QTCut5]

UPDATE....
To Case's credit, I got my Tony Bose Lockback Whittler returned to me from the Case repair shop today (exactly one day shy of a month from the day I sent it in). I am extremely happy to report that all issues have been fixed and the knife now works just as you'd expect a $400 folder to work. I'm still not totally convinced it's worth all of $400; however, I must admit, when everything's working properly, it is a pretty sweet whittler: Smooth pull and super tight lockup on the wharny master blade, nice big size, good heft and balance...an all-around very solid knife.

Along with my repaired and returned knife, I also received a very nice, personal letter from Quality Manager Ron Adams (not a form letter) specifically addressing each of of my concerns and explaining exactly what was done to fix the knife. Very professional and very impressive. I knew there were still one or two reasons why I love WR Case & Sons Cutlery Co., and Mr. Adams just gave me another one.

Cheers & Happy New Year, everybody...2015's off to a pretty good start for me so far.

~Q~

[singin46]

Well I'm personally glad to hear that you got treated well by Case! I think that the Tony Bose production knives are over priced by Case. Truly a new custom made knife today will cost you in the range of $500.00 to $1000.00 and higher, depending on who the maker is. And I have seen very few that I would own for $400.00 frankly. I think Case was trying to bridge the gap between what a true custom costs and those looking for that "custom" quality without having to spend more money, creating a new niche market if you will. I also think that Mr. Adams' sending you a letter is a wonderful thing indeed. It shows that they're seeing what's going on in the industry and they're working to makes things right. I own 2 custom made knives at the moment, one Todd Davsion and one Ken Coats.

[gino]

Nice to hear they made it right for you

[Rookie]

That's great, and it's nice to hear that the big dog still cares about the people it sells to.

[1967redrider]

Q, no worries! Glad they made good on your knife, as they should.

[jerryd6818]

Hey, all you Case guys. Am I correct in my belief that there are three levels of Tony Bose knives?

1.) No involvement by Case. Knives made by the man himself, Tony Bose. $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$

2.) Case Collaboration knives. Mr. Bose makes a knife, sends it to Case and they replicate it in small numbers. $$$$$

3.) Tony Bose Authorized Knives. Once or twice a year, Mr. Bose authorizes Case to make a certain pattern knife and use his name. Case makes a bunch of them. $$

Please correct me if I'm wrong so I can get this straight in my brain cage.

[QTCut5]

I believe you are correct, Jerry. The LockBack Whittler is a "Collaboration" knife with a total production run of 1000. But then there are the Swayback Gent & Jack, Sowbelly, Teardrop Jack, etc. that are in the 3rd category and are basically a Case production knife that was supposedly designed by Tony Bose (I don't know for sure, but I would assume he gets a commission on each one sold). Thanks for stating it so clearly...I'm sure there were others like myself who were wondering about that.

I think Case was trying to bridge the gap between what a true custom costs and those looking for that "custom" quality without having to spend more money, creating a new niche market if you will.

I think you hit the nail on the head...that pretty well sums up what I was thinking too. One thing Mr. Adams tried to explain in his letter is the difficulty of making the 3-blade lockback whittler due to the extremely tight tolerances required for a perfect fit given the extra number of moving parts vs. a non-locking whittler. Although not a knifemaker myself, I do feel he was being sincere not just giving excuses since, according to my research, there really aren't too many lockback whittlers to be found on the market (not of high-quality, anyway, and none with wharncliffe master blades)...granted, there are a few, but they also tend to be a bit pricy.

As for custom, handmade knives...I too own a few, but only one folder. This elephant ivory wharncliffe doctor's knife (next to a GEC Viper) was made for me to order by an 83 year old gentleman in Lake Eufala, OK, by the name of Albert Crenshaw (Knife World did a story on him a few years ago which is how I discovered him). I paid him only $250 for it, and while I'll admit it's not perfect (filework on the back spring is a bit funky), the action is smooth and it is well-put-together overall. Definitely one of my most cherished knives. Mr. Crenshaw and I also did the entire transaction through handwritten letters...old-school style; ballpoint pen on a piece of notebook paper...no computer, email or even telephone...and I saved all his letters as part of the history of this beautiful knife. Nothing like a knife with a well-documented backstory.

[Miller Bro's]

Did they (Case), replace the front handle of your knife?

[QTCut5]

According to the letter I received from Ron Adams:

"With respect the the shield height in comparison to the jigged bone, we lowered the shield and I trust you will find it more suitable. During my investigation I discovered that over the years we have made several changes to the shield height. On original designs the shields were much more pronounced and proud. My only speculation is that customer preference has changed over time. The shield height on your knife was within our specifications, but as I indicated we were able to lower it slightly without affecting the jigging on the handle material."

However they did it, all I know is that the point of the shield no longer pricks my finger like a steel splinter when I grip the knife. So, that counts as a successful fix as far as I'm concerned.

The second whittler (the one that I returned to the dealer) was the one that had the protruding pins and bolster/scale height issue. I have noticed that this dealer has another Case/Tony Bose Antique Bone Lockback Whittler for sale...but I don't know if it's the same one I returned to him or whether he also sent that one back to Case for repair. All I can say about that is, Caveat Emptor.

~Q~