Tony Bose

[oldblinddog]

What, if anything, makes a Tony Bose knife special? I don't see any difference in quality or workmanship, and I certainly don't see anything special in his "remakes" of old Case patterns. [Disclaimer: I'm going by pics in magazines and online. I have not handled one in person]

[Elvis]

Since you've never handled one I see that as a fair question. There are regular production knives by Case that Tony has designed (or brought back) like the Sowbelly and Swayback Jack that are just that....regular production. Then there are the knives that he does one per year where he makes one, sends it to Case and they duplicate it piece by piece using the same standards and materials as Tony's custom knives. Of these, I own a few and EDC a Norfolk. They are as close as you can come to owning a custom made TB Knife without having to pay $1000 plus and waiting 3 years to get one.

Other than describing the stainless liners and bolsters, the 154 CM blades, pinned shield and fantastic attention to detail, the best thing I can do is ask you to hit a local knife store that carries these and actually see and feel the difference for yourself. I think you'll see the differences are pretty profound. Hope this helps some.

[oldblinddog]

I am the local knife store. They don't look special to me. I doubt I could sell them at that inflated price.

[Elvis]

You ARE the local knife store, yet you have not handled one. Until you do we have no frame of reference. Other dealers seem to have no problem selling them.

[oldblinddog]

Well, that is why I am asking. They don't look any different than standard production to me. I'm just speculating, but they may not look any different to the customer either, hence my question. Are they equivalent to...GEC?

[Elvis]

The differences really can't be explained in a picture and since I have no experience with GEC I'll have to let someone else field that part of your question. Maybe get in touch with Tim @ http://www.wessonacehardware.com/Store/, and ask him how his sales are on the Bose Knives. That's where I get mine.

[oldblinddog]

Well, thanks for the effort anyway.

[wazu013]

This one is special to somebody.
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?Vi ... K:MEWAX:IT

[oldblinddog]

This one is special to somebody.
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?Vi ... K:MEWAX:IT

Yes, evidently it is. But it is not a Case.

[theblindog]

I have a case/bose dogleg and a case/bose cotton sampler. believe me. it's worth the price!!! Fitn n Finish are the best Case production knife I ever had. but I dunno about others patterns of they collabs.

[buckeyefan]

Hello oldblinddog,

I see you are a knife dealer, but are you a Case knife collector as well?

If your selling authentic TB Case knives, then true Case knife collectors will become your best friends

Just my two cents.

Marty

[gmusic]

Hey there oldblinddog,

Where do I begin. How does one explain the difference. Day and night, hot and cold, black and white! The disparity between a Case production knife (even a collaboration knife) and a Tony Bose custom is..........................day and night.

Ever driven a VW Beetle? Compare that with a.......................lets say a Maserati.

Time, effort, materials, workmanship, fit, finish, everything that goes into a knife is ten fold better than production knife. Thus the value.................and the waiting period.

Handle one someday!

[upnorth]

The Case-made Bose collaboration knives require no explanation to someone who has a real feel for a knife, and appreciates good tools. Hands down, they are as close to a custom knife as a limited production piece can be.
But they are only good if you care. If mediocre is good enough for you, then don't spend the extra money.

[gmusic]

If mediocre is good enough for you, then don't spend the extra money.

So eloquent.....................................

[Elvis]

oldblinddog: These folks are basically telling you the same thing I tried to. You owe it to yourself to handle at least one of the TB collaboration knives. They really are just a 1/2 step away from owning a Tony Bose Custom at a fraction of the price. As far as marketability, the dealers that I know always seem to sell out their allotment before they arrive, so I wouldn't look for them to take up much shelf space in your store.

[sextonknifeworks]

I agree. I have had them and you have to look very close to even see that along the backspring where the liner stops and the bolster stops. Just like the antique pruner, thats 5 pieces of metal (2 bolsters, 2 liners and a backspring) put together and it looks like one.

[oldblinddog]

Thanks for the input. For those that thought I was asking about a Tony Bose knife, I was not. I was asking about the Case Tony Bose vs a standard production Case. I pretty much sell online or by word of mouth to local customers. Most customers don't even want standard production Case because of the cost. They buy Rough Riders (but not from me). If I were to get a Tony Bose it would have to be sold through my store here at AAPK. But, once again, I appreciate all the comments.

[Cope]

I'm always the odd duck out it seems but the one TB/Case that I bought just didn't impress me for the money I spent on it. I bought one of the Arkansas hunters in chestnut bone. Upnorth had posted pre-sale pics of the knife and I really liked the looks of it. I think it was just shy of $300. Folks were talking about them on here when they came out but I didn't say anything as I didn't feel like getting bombarded at the time. For me though it will be the last one.....unless they get much cheaper. Just another point of view.

[gmusic]

What, if anything, makes a Tony Bose knife special? I don't see any difference in quality or workmanship, and I certainly don't see anything special in his "remakes" of old Case patterns. [Disclaimer: I'm going by pics in magazines and online. I have not handled one in person]

Sorry I misunderstood

There are a couple of things happening at Case that involve Tony Bose.
The Bose "collaboration" knives are made by the masters at Case under Tony's guidance and they are far superior to any production knives.

The T.B. tang stamped production knives are just that essentially; but they are patterns chosen by Tony for the program. And because they are adorned with the T.B. initials they sell for a few more bucks than a typical Case knife.

That seems to be a trend in the last 10-15 years........................get a big name custom guy to join a factory in some sort of collaboration. There are several factories doing it.