All About Pocket Knives

So, I been using the same yellow case trapper for years. It’s a 2000 model with well used CV blades. It’s gone on camping trips and excursions. I like it because a friend gave it to me years ago and the blades are relatively easy to sharpen, and it is inexpensive. It’s not the prettiest knife design IMO; though it is a great all-rounder.

But...

I like vintage American switchblades.
I could never afford an old Case leverlock and I don’t think even if I had one I would bring it camping. Even though one-handed opening on a knife comes in handy when you’re roughing it.

Case must have heard what I was thinking.

The Case Kickstart Trapper is a one-hand operated utility knife that merges classic styling with new deployment technology to give guys, with only two hands, a chance to multitask their campsite while simultaneously balancing their ruggedness and cool-factor.

Well, that’s the idea.

But first things first. My son wanted a Case knife for his birthday. So, I suggested that we go to a Case dealer down the way.

After eyeing a Caribbean Blue Kickstart Trapper his mind was made up. After eyeing the price my mind was trying to understand why it costs over $100. Needless to say he got only one gift from his parents and he also paid half out of pocket. But he was happy.

I on the other hand was looking for one that had a CV blade. So after months of debating whether or not to pull the trigger on such an expensive knife, somehow I justified it.

I chose the Case Kickstart Chestnut Bone CV Trapperlock. Based on the image it looked to have a very nice jigging and a rich deep color that would fit in perfectly with my vintage knives.

I ordered from a reputable online dealer and soon the day arrived.

Upon opening the package I was greeted by a Case knife with superb jigging and that was it...Was this the same knife as the images I’ve seen online?
Why are the bolster pins visible and not finished seamlessly with the bolsters?
Why is there daylight between the bolster and the liner? Why is there daylight between the bone and the liner? Why is it a flat orange that resembles a steamed crab?
What did I pay so much for this?
Is this a Case knife???

Sorry I don’t have any before pictures, I just couldn’t bring myself to it. Changes were needed ASAP. I bought it with the intention of it being a user, but it was in a sad state before even cutting open its first pack of campfire weenies.

The color was the first thing that needed to be fixed. It looked like someone dropped it in a pot of boiling carrots, then pulled it out, and gave it to their three-year-old to color. It was uneven and splotchy.

I know that bone is a natural material and the beauty lies within its uniqueness and that no two pieces are alike. But, I also know a bad dye job when I see it.

So, RIT dye to the rescue. I used a combination of dark brown, red, and yellow. I mixed small amounts together and tested them on a paper towel to see what the color would look like when wicked into a material. I also kept in mind the base color that was already on the bone.
Then I got cookin’.

I had never done this before so I took my time and opted to pour the hot concoction in an insulated metal cup, then place the knife in open, letting the liquid cover only the scales.

I noticed that if not agitated the dye tends to settle. I started by cleaning the oil off the knife, heating the bone with hot sink water, drying, and while the bone is still hot immersing in the solution for around 20 minutes, then rinsing off the excess dye in hot sink water to gauge the difference. I repeated this about three times, until I got the desired color.

I then dried as best I could with a towel and covered with mineral oil. I noticed that the scales were now bowing with respect the grain of the bone. This kinda freaked me out. But like any good beating you may have received, the swelling went down in about four days. The scales tightened back up to the liners and I then used mineral oil and a hairdryer to penetrate deep into the bone. That worked wonders. Especially the back scale, it now looks like faceted carnelian.
Continuing now with functionality, I worked the action with 3in1 oil. And took the pocket clip off because it gets in my way when holding the knife and every time I’ve had a knife clipped to my pocket it has managed to wiggle off and get swallowed in my couch. But when you take off the clip you are left with threaded holes that are lint corridors to the inter workings, or you put the screws back in and have two pointless nubs sticking out the back.

So I decided that I would make some screws that were flush fit. Not wanting to destroy the original screws, I found an old utility knife that had a clip and the screws were the same pitch. So I cut off the hex heads and made flush flat heads out of them.
Everything was falling together for and working as good as could be expected, then my youngest asked me to cut up an apple for him.

The length of the thumb stud IMO sticks out way too much. I noticed that the angle of the cutting edge extended threw the thumb stud so when I when I cut that apple it would hang up on every slice. Not to mention that it was inhibiting routine edge maintenance and would need to be removed every time I put it to stone or strop.

So, being somewhat impatient, I made my own stud out of a turned down screw and peed it to the blade. Initially I was going to checker it but I have enough bite on it. I might do it in the future if I get bored. But there was still one more thing to be done and that was fix the boring blade.
When the knife is closed, the blade looks flat and dead. Nothing about it says $117.99 plus tax. It, IMO, is in desperate need of a swedge.
Just look at how the Case leverlock presents itself as a quality made utilitarian piece of functional art, and how the Kickstart Trapper looks like his tag along little brother. The Kickstart’s heavy spine in contrast to that overly concave grind make it look awkward, IMO.
I think that if Case wanted to make this knife an auto it wouldn’t take much and I’m pretty sure there would be a market for it.
So, pros and cons...

Pros: Good size for toting in a front pocket
Familiar pattern
Available in both surgical steel and CV
Good jigging pattern options
Handle material options
Removable thumb stud
Deployment is reliable...so far
Open back design allows for easy cleaning

Cons: Price
Fit and finish issues
Will deploy blade if spun in the air or dropped
Blade grind too concaved
Factory edge jagged

Thanks for the review. Glad you were able to resolve most of the issues that bugged you. It does look nicer, now, with the darker bone and flat screws on the bolsters.

Thank you, Doc B!

Your modifications look much better than the original. I have a few of these Trapperlocks some kickstart and some not. Never liked them much. I think Case needs to go back to the drawing board on these. There is something wrong w/ the way this rides in your pocket when you use the pocket clip. That thumb stud does stick out way to much on the original. And you are right about the price, it’s way too high.

Sharpnshinyknives wrote: ↑Thu May 28, 2020 8:34 pm Your modifications look much better than the original. I have a few of these Trapperlocks some kickstart and some not. Never liked them much. I think Case needs to go back to the drawing board on these. There is something wrong w/ the way this rides in your pocket when you use the pocket clip. That thumb stud does stick out way to much on the original. And you are right about the price, it’s way too high.

Thank you, I had a feeling that I was not the only one who had an issue with the thumb stud. It is nice to have when breaking it in but it becomes a nuisance after that.

Speaking about going back to the drawing board; I forgot to add one more pro. Having an open back is a very helpful feature. It allows lint and pocket debris to be easily removed; an improvement over the old style switchblades IMO.

For the price I would have sent back to the dealer or to Case and have them replace it with one that met my expectations. Your mods look fairly nice, but I think it may void warranty if you are ever needing to send the knife in.

Thanks for that review. Sums up nicely why I try my best to never buy a new knife on line. From any maker. And it’s a shame, but unfortunately that’s how it is these days.

Ken

RevolverGuy wrote: ↑Fri May 29, 2020 6:14 pm For the price I would have sent back to the dealer or to Case and have them replace it with one that met my expectations. Your mods look fairly nice, but I think it may void warranty if you are ever needing to send the knife in.

I’m pretty sure my mods would void any warranty case offers, but I kinda looked at it from this perspective; if two out of the two, both the Caribbean and Chestnut Bone, had fit and finish issues odds are I would receive another knife with the same issues. And since I know exactly what I want, and have the time and minimal skills to achieve my goal, I decided to go for it.

Mumbleypeg wrote: ↑Fri May 29, 2020 8:00 pm Thanks for that review. Sums up nicely why I try my best to never buy a new knife on line. From any maker. And it’s a shame, but unfortunately that’s how it is these days.

Ken

I will say this, of all the new knives I have bought over the past few years (which haven’t been many), I was very impressed and pleased with my GEC #15. If that knife is any indication of their level of quality, if they continue, their legacy would be up there with Schrade, Case or any other mainstay.

I hope you’re correct because I always want to see an American manufacturing company succeed, especially a cutlery. It’s a small sample size but unfortunately I’ve had a few GEC “clunkers” from a quality standpoint. In my experience most of them are wonderful, but they’re not consistently wonderful - there have been too many stinkers. I’m an old operations manager so I have high expectations - I’ve posted some past rants about quality control lapses from Case, Bear & Sons, and others.

I’m not trying to start a “flame war” over any brand. GEC is probably as good as it gets these days. Sadly, reliably consistent high quality is a rare thing nowadays in most products. In too many companies (and too many employees) “good enough” has supplanted pride in being the absolute best you can be.

Ken

Mumbleypeg wrote: ↑Fri May 29, 2020 11:03 pm I hope you’re correct because I always want to see an American manufacturing company succeed, especially a cutlery. It’s a small sample size but unfortunately I’ve had a few GEC “clunkers” from a quality standpoint. In my experience most of them are wonderful, but they’re not consistently wonderful - there have been too many stinkers. I’m an old operations manager so I have high expectations - I’ve posted some past rants about quality control lapses from Case, Bear & Sons, and others.

I’m not trying to start a “flame war” over any brand. GEC is probably as good as it gets these days. Sadly, reliably consistent high quality is a rare thing nowadays in most products. In too many companies (and too many employees) “good enough” has supplanted pride in being the absolute best you can be.

Ken

I agree 100%. I will support and stand behind any American company employing American workers in The United States, so I would hope that they would stand behind their product and know that it is a reflection of their craft and commitment level to quality and customer satisfaction.

I thought it would be fun to update this post now that I have used this particular knife for 4 months now.
So... I thought that this knife would become one of those expensive mistakes that tend to get pushed to the bottom of the EDC rotation pile.

To my surprise it was quite the opposite!

Despite it’s initial shortcomings, this has turned out to be the most carried EDC I own, partially because of the modifications I made, but primarily because out of the box, it started life with most of the things I look for in a daily use pocket knife.

So after 4 months of regular use, I asked myself these questions, because I was trying to understand why this particular pocketknife was the majority go-to when I would head out the door in the morning.

Is fit and finish perfect? No.

Is it aesthetically pleasing? Yes.

Does it feel comfortable in hand and in pocket? Yes.

Is it functional? Yes.

Does it sharpen easily? Yes.

Does it hold a edge? Pretty well.

Dependability? Never failed to function. Blade never chipped.

Easy of use? Deployment is as fast as a switchblade without fumbling with a lock and button.

Safety? No safety. I wouldn’t say this knife is as dangerous as riding a motorcycle without a helmet, but, I did discover a certain quark about this design, which kinda ups the danger and cool-factor like riding a motorcycle without a helmet.

If you pinch this knife on the bottom bolster as in this picture: Then rotate it about it’s long axis quickly by twisting it between your fingers. It will deploy: I would suggest practicing while sitting in front of a table until you get the hang of it, just it case it slips out of your hand.

I don’t know what benefit there would be in opening it in this manner, other than maybe pointing out an individual selected for a beating in a biker bar, or possibly feinting a surrender before cutting your way out of a bad situation.

Either way.

After 4 months of regular use, at this point in time, I would recommend this knife to anyone who is sitting on the fence about purchasing one.