I’ve wanted one of these knives for YEARS(At least a decade). I could never find one I could afford. New production runs over $100 retail, and around $80 online. Older models upwards from there.
Recently, they have made these in a simpler shadow style(where there are no bolsters, just a handle slab all the way across) in cheap Zytel. A regular one, I think in Tan, and a Tan one, and I think green one for the BSA(Boy Scouts) line. And those suckers still run upwards of $60 retail!
With Case Carhartts apparently on clearance at a online case dealer, I managed this one for half of the cheapest of the rest! Couldn’t pass it up. I figure even in plain green zytel it’ll work great, and if I want fancier, its not like it’d be the first time I’ve completely re-handled a pocket knife. 😉
The knife in question? a Case Hobo based on the large trapper frame.
The older versions of thse were just a knife and fork, and for years I wanted one of those, not wanting the bulky/unsightly spoon. But honestly, if you do much camping/backpacking, or just plain eating on the go, you realize that at least half of the meals in the workd are eaten easier with a spoon.
That is a great realization for me for two reasons; ease of eating with this in the future 😉 and, the older non spoon knives cost a premium over the ones with it… ANd I’d have probably never justified the cost.
This think is THICK, and heavy, all liners are steel, and its double linered between tools.
Big;
Compared to my other new knives, the Humpback and the Carhartt Peanut;
So you ask, if you’ve never seen one of these before, how do you eat with this behemoth?
Good question.
You take it apart.
😀
ITs a simple stud and keyhole arrangement and they all nest together.
I always thought they were held together simply by friction/a tight fit. Not so. It took me a few minutes to figure out how to get it apart, and then to figure it out. They lock together.
The spoon and fork, the outer keyholed tools, both have a little hook off the bottom of the tools tang area… One of them has always been touted as a bottle opener. But they also serve the purpose of wedging againd the pins that pass through the kwy holes when the toolse are closed; keeping the tools together. It can’t be taken apart without opening the spoon/fork to get them off. Ingenious really.
The knife and spoon are I’m sure regular production parts, and are done in Cases’ usual high polish finish. The knife on the other hand is done in their “as ground” satin finish, as are all the liners and pins.
All of the tools are comfy to hold, and should work well. The spoon is a tad small, and the fork not too sharp, but they’ll still be a WORLD better than nothing. I’ll sharpen the fork slightly and it’ll be great. The only one that looks a little uncomfortable to use is the knife, since it has the studds off the handle. Nut really, for a dedicated eating knife, your not gonna chop down trees with it, it will be fine. 😉
Overall its very well built, came sharp, all tools fit together perfectly, and tightly. It has a few gaps along the back springs withoin the tools them selves, but nothing major. Really is a great working knife build, and no doubt will last forever.
😎
Alaskan, Adventurer, Engineer. 
Nifty!