Case Knives USA

Buy Case Knives USA Folding Pocket Penknives

Shop & buy WR Case & Sons folding pocket knives. The history of W.R. Case and Sons Cutlery Co. goes back more than 100 years. Now owned by Zippo Manufacturing Company, Bradford, Pennsylvania, USA, a wide range of penknives is made by skilled craftsmen, using a variety of handle materials such as amber bone, chestnut bone and G10. Buy Case pocket knives with either Case trademark, Tru-Sharp surgical stainless or chrome vanadium steel, which holds a longer lasting edge, but is less resistant to corrosion. Every year new pocket knives models are introduced and others are retired from production making these instant collector's items.

Case Brothers Cutlery Co. manufactured knives in a factory in Little Valley, New York between 1900 and around 1920. The brand of W.R. Case and Sons Cutlery Co. was incorporated in 1904 by J. Russell Case, a nephew of the Case brothers. The following year a factory was established in Bradford, Pennsylvania by J. Russell Case and his brother in law, H. N. Platts. Up until 1910, all Case Knives blades had been individually hot forged and hand-ground. Modernisation meant that blades were now blanked from sheet stock and ground to shape by banks of grinding machines. After the rough blade shape and primary bevel had been formed by machine, the fine work was then done by hand grinding. In the late 1970's, the Feinblanking Press was installed in Case factories. Developed in Switzerland, this blade production method produces a cleaner and smoother edge. Different types and thicknesses of knife steel stock are supplied in coils or strips, from steel mills. After blanking, the blades are then heat-treated, which is a crucial process in the manufacture of a quality knife blade. Heat treatment consists of heating to a high temperature and then quenching in water, oil or salt to harden the steel. Following this, tempering is carried out, to reduce the resulting brittleness of the hardened steel.

In 1911, W.R. Case and Sons merged with the Crandall Cutlery Company, run by Herbert Crandall, the brother in law of Russ Case. Since the 1970's ownership has switched between American Brands and James Parker. Today, W.R. Case and Sons Cutlery Co. is owned by Zippo Manufacturing Company, Bradford, Pennsylvania, USA. Different versions of the 'Case XX' trademark have been used over the years. The marking 'USA' was added to blades of Case knives in 1965. Five years later, the company began adding ten dots below the 'USA' stamp on the blades. These dots indicate the year of manufacture, with one dot being removed each year after 1970. After 1980, the dots were placed above the 'USA', with the introduction of the 'lightning' form in the 'S' of the 'Case' and 'USA'.

After 1990, the actual date was stamped on the blade of Case knives. This dating nomenclature continued until mid 1993. The dot system was the re-introduced on Case knives after this time, up until 1999. A new blade tang date stamp was designed in 2000, which consisted of five 'X' and five dots. After this time, one dot is removed in each year of manufacture between 2001 and 2005. Between 2006 and 2009, an 'X' on the blade marking is removed each year.

The system of blade marking with the year of manufacture has become slightly complicated with combinations of X's and dots. For example, knives manufactured in the year 2004 - "Case XX' with X-dot-X above, XXX below. Knives manufactured in the year 2005 - "Case XX' with XX above, XXX below. In 2010, the 'Case XX' marking was re-designed, with a wider, more wavy letter 'C'. Pocket knives manufactured in the year 2011 were marked - "Case XX' with X X-dot-X above, dot-X-dot-X-dot, below. Knives manufactured in the year 2012 - "Case XX' with XXX above, dot-X-dot-X-dot, below. Illustrations of historic Case Knives tang stamps are available on the Case Knives website.