KnifeCenter FAQ #159: Are Case Knives Good for EDC?

Traditional knife conventions like slipjoints or the broad catalog from Case are still perfectly viable in today’s knife landscape. Plus, we’ll cover beginner sharpening systems, the world’s least intimidating knife, and a propeller hat.

Featured Knives

00:00 Intro
00:45 Collecting Case Knives
06:23 How To Not Scare the Non-Knife Folk
13:58 Justifying the Slipjoint
15:24 DCA’s Third Favorite Blade Shape
16:14 Best Beginner Sharpening System
17:16 Yo, Dawg, We Heard You Lack Thumbs

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[davidfalkenrath]

Bought my dad a case sodbuster for Christmas in 2015. Carried it the last three years of his life. Said best knife he ever owned.

[BBQDad]

I have owned, carried, and used Case knives for 67 years. I still carry and use them almost every day. They do the job and have never disappointed me.. The steel is reasonably easy to sharpen yet will hold an edge under hard use for a reasonably long time.

[tylerthansen]

My question got answered by DCA! :D Thank you! I intended to ask about a beefier dedicated blade in addition to the Cadet, sorry for not clarifying. But now I'm sorely tempted to wear a multi-tool in a belt sheath and add a propeller hat to my outfit whenever possible.
That Vosteed Nightshade is pretty cool, I haven't had a crossbar lock yet. Maybe I can find one I like with a sheepsfoot or that leaf-shaped blade and a cutesy color. And I agree with the point you made about how deliberately you open it makes a difference. Lots of good comments so far, too, I'm excited!

[guycalgary]

Grew up with the Sears yellow stockman in my pocket, moved on to a case stockman when i turned twenty. Does everything on the ranch that its asked .

[pssesst]

I recently picked up a canoe & then a copperlock & while not very sharp out of the box, I love them.

[Cadwallader]

True story a woman reported me to hospital security for using a Swiss army knife classic SD to open a pack of jerky in the cafe.

[nvalley]

I love my non locking UKPK's. They're super light, affordable, extremely practical, open and close one handed easily and safely, are finger safe with a forward choil, fun to collect, and open boxes like nobody's business.

I don't understand why so many people are weird about non locking knives if they don't work trades or actually need something tactical. There are absolutely compelling needs for strong lockup, but most of us are opening packages, doing food prep, and fidgeting with our toys and I think we owe it to ourselves to be honest about that

[unfi]

It's always informative watching DCA doing his magic.

[bankuei]

As the resident "guy who opens the supplies" at work, I do think a bit about avoiding scaring the people around me. I've found that there's a couple of things that get less remarks:

- Pointy tips, get remarks, regardless of size. I had a sub-3" Spyderco Byrd get someone quoting the Crocodile Dundee "this is a knife" bit at me. Sheepfoot blades, rounder bellies or a utility without a forward point gets by easier.

- The reason traditional slipjoints seem less threatening is the deliberateness in opening. I've found you CAN open quickly but the key is having the blade NEAR the thing that you're intending to cut. If I put the blade right next to the box, pop it open, and then usually pinch grip it, people instinctively file it as "tool being used" not "open sharp thing waving around".

That said, deliberateness in using blades around other people who don't have some sense of giving space to people using tools is a good thing!

[timwagster]

A locking blade has never been a problem for me. I have field dressed over 1000 fish and even large catfish with a case mini trapper. Well, I am in my fifth decade so knife safety was a young lesson. Folding non-locking knives are not designed for thrusting. We have fixed blades for that.

I really enjoy these presentations. Thank You and All of Your Crew. 👍😁

[KellyRobinette]

For the Muggle friendly knife, I think the Spyderco Dragonfly is perfect! Great knife, small, functional and more suited to rolling out rather than flicking so it would be mostly unnoticed. I honestly don’t think the Bugout fits this because, while it isn’t a big knife, it isn’t quite as subtle as the Dragonfly. Thanks for the great video, DCA!

[JerryLoffelbein]

Another less-ferocious looking knife feature is wood handles. An Opinel #6 or #8, most people will think you're cutting up lunch or getting ready to whittle like grandpa, but not many find them menacing.

And of course points are generally a bad idea. Sheepsfoot knives are less alarming for folks as it's very easy to identify quickly if a knife has a "stab potential" or not..

If all that fails though, go with a utility knife / boxcutter. They're not cool or fidgety, but they're mostly looked upon as an office supply and are designed to have an amazing cutting geometry.

[Sal_car]

I think sheep's foot is the least intimidating while being one of the most useful blade shapes.

[Cadwallader]

How well does the worksharp rolling knife sharpener work? Im super interested in it but its kind of a wild concept in my mind never heard of that kind of sharpening.

[DylanLey]

My favorite slipjoint/non-threatening knife I carry is the Cold Steel Lucky Two. It's small, has a simple non-threatening look, made in Italy, and has both a plain and serrated S35 blade!

[EDCandLace]

I love that jigged bone sod! So pretty amd such a fantastic blade shape for daily cutting! I'm not to much on traditionals but I do carry a sod Jr everyday on my hand bag. I love the sod pattern and the jigged bone ones are awesome! I'm really wishing someone would make an exact sod and sod Jr pattern slippy in a steel like K390 or M4... ide be in love

[matthewnola]

Based on the title, the issue of are they worth it was never brought up or addressed in the video. They do have a serious QC issue but this was not talked about why?

[obirato]

Victorinox are among the very least threatening I think (McGyver made us a favor) and one of the reason I EDC them so often. And I can choose the right size for the occasion as long as there are so many lenght ranges. If the 91 mm had some locking mechanism (but not the one of the 84 mm that gets in the middle of the grip, more like the Swiza maybe) and more premium steel options, I likely would end up rotating very few times to other pieces of my collection

[carolmorton]

Our second son (a policeman in Santa Monica, CA) had a Case knife he loved. Somehow the case was broken after he died & when we moved. My husband somehow imitated the broken case and replaced it with a gorgeous wood replacement that looks amazing. My husband carries our son’s knife with him, which really touches me.

[Leftyotism]

17:31 LOL! Aaah, the joy on my face!