All About Pocket Knives

Any current production patterns coming normal with very strong walk and talk? Thanks in advance.

Many do but in my experience it is not pattern specific. If you go to a dealer, examine and open/close many knives, my experience is there is disparity from knife to knife within any given pattern. Sometimes significant differences. Within the same pattern a few may be borderline lazy and some will have "gator" snap. Most will be somewhere between.

And that's why if I buy a new knife my preference is to hand pick one. Pretty much regardless of brand.

Ken

In my experience, the knives with a square tang (and therfore have half stops) demonstrate the best snap. The Mini-Trapper is an example.

In my experience, the knives with a square tang (and therfore have half stops) demonstrate the best snap. The Mini-Trapper is an example.

I collect late model Case's and have had most current patterns ... the one late model Case pattern IMHO that CONSISTENTLY has way above average snap is the muskrat.

Agreed, Dr. L. Even Case's robust jack patterns like the 009 Barlow or 54 trapper don't snap as hard these days as many of the newer Case rats on the 47 frame I've handled. It's a little weird because these aren't even single-spring knives; if you've handled enough 3-spring Bucks, you'd probably agree that 2-ended knives with blades that ride both ends of one spring tend to be snappier than those with one blade per spring. The Case muskrat defies that logic, though.

Nothing, and I mean nothing, from the Case oeuvre snaps quite as hard or as satisfyingly as my early 70s 6143s. The big 6265 folding hunters from the same period come somewhat close - and I have a stainless Appy 62009 1/2 Barlow that has bit me real good more than once - but my granddaddy Barlows will take off a finger lickity-split if you're not careful.

Thanks all, I will definitely be checking out the muskrats, there is a big gun show this weekend in Washington county Pa and a lot of Case collectors will have their rare displayed. Its funny but I go to gun shows to buy knives, not guns. I can handle pieces before I buy them. Thanks again