Question about Case Warranty

[LSS152]

I have recently started a collection of mid-folding hunters, I think I am up to about 15 or 16 now. I have noticed that some of the knives have considerable blade wobble. Other knives have almost no wobble at all. Is blade wobble something that Case will fix under the warranty? Thanks for the help!

[XX Case XX]

Unless your knife is brand new and has no signs of being used or carried, I'm going to say probably not. They will consider that as normal "wear & tear", or even the knife being abused.

Generally speaking, blade wobble is not something you can fix. Sometimes you can if it's very slight, but more often than not you can't. Blade wobble is one of the two things that are most likely a deal breaker for me because you can't get rid of it.

Now that doesn't mean you can't try, but they will most likely send it back with a letter that says "Sorry, this is not covered". May I suggest that before you buy your next knife, you ask the question: Is there any blade wobble? Most people will not put that in the description so if you don't see it, ask.

I learned this lesson the hard way, I won't make that mistake again.

________
Mike

[Woodly]

Call CASE and ask for repair dept. and explain the problem.

[Mumbleypeg]

Call CASE and ask for repair dept. and explain the problem.

You should try that, and ask if blade wobble is covered by the warranty. Most likely they're going to say send them the knife. They'll want to see it before they commit one way or the other, because how much wobble it has and what caused it is subjective.

JMO guided by past experience. Never hurts to call first though.

Ken

[LSS152]

Thanks for all the great info guys. All of my knives are new in the box. I purchased most of these knives brand new on ebay so they have never been used. Most are still in the box. I guess I could call Case and see what they say but I figured you more experienced collectors would have some good inside information.

[rea1eye]

So if these are new in the box, what could have gone wrong in the manufacturing process to

cause a wobble?

Bob

[Mumbleypeg]

Loose or sloppy tolerances cause it. And driven to some degree by customer expectations.

Case has been making collectables instead of tools for many years now. They produce knives with handles in multiple different colors, exotic materials like semi-precious stones, scrolled bolsters, limited editions, and so on. They're cosmetically beautiful, shiny, and sharp. I saw some stats on this somewhere that said a very high percentage, something like 90% IIRC, of Case knives are never used.

I'm not a fan if it and not defending it, but while other U,S. cutleries have failed and gone bankrupt, Case has stayed afloat with that marketing strategy. You can still get a mechanically solid Case pocket knife, but can no longer take it for granted that it will be tight with good "walk and talk". That's why I won't buy a new Case without first having it in hand. I bought a few new ones from a nearby Case dealer last winter for Christmas gifts. Small sample but they were surprisingly good - I didn't have to reject any.

Many customers who buy a collectable knife for its looks or other attributes don't care and don't check for mechanical aspects. I'd speculate that maybe 7 in 10 customers check the walk and talk, and maybe only 1 in 20 or less check blade wobble. Just a guess.

Sad, but it's the world we live in. JMO. The OP said the knives have never been used, still in the boxes.

End of rant.

Ken

[Woodly]

Thanks for all the great info guys. All of my knives are new in the box. I purchased most of these knives brand new on ebay so they have never been used. Most are still in the box. I guess I could call Case and see what they say but I figured you more experienced collectors would have some good inside information.

Definitely call them.

[junom]

HI, I have used a 2 ton arbor press with heavy leather on the faces then either just a buffer or a super fine belt sander, use the belt above the back plate then go back to the buffer, remember not too tight, or no walk and talk. George God bless

[Treejakal]

I had a knife with blade wobble that bothered me. I wrapped the bolster with leather and then gently tightened it in a vice, checking often. the pin protruded a little as the leather accepted the pin but tightened the bolster on the blade. I then removed the small protrusion from the pin with sand paper and buffed. It worked on that knife and have not had to try it again yet.