Hen & Rooster or Case Knives: Honest Comparison

Many knife brands in the world tend to have their own niche market depending on which knives they specialize in. However, when it comes to Hen & Rooster and Case, both these brands tend to have the same niche because they are fantastic brands for pocket knives. So, when you only choose between Hen & Rooster and Case, which one should you choose?

Hen & Rooster should be the better choice for those looking for high-quality steel as their knives come from Solingen, Germany, which is known to be one of the best in terms of steel production for knives. However, Case is also a good brand for high-quality knives that slightly more affordable.

While both Hen & Rooster and Case are great on their own, these brands have some differences that make them stand out in their own right. That’s why we need to learn more about both Hen & Rooster and Case so that you will be able to make an informed decision when it comes to buying pocket knives or even knives, in general.

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Hen & Rooster

Hen & Rooster has been around since 1845 as it was first started by someone named Carl Bertram, who owned a poultry business in Solingen, Germany. He mainly started Hen & Rooster as an offshoot of his poultry business because of how important knives are when it comes to poultry. However, the brand quickly earned a reputation all on its own as it has become synonymous with high-quality knives in Solingen, which is never short of knife brands that are excellent in terms of their quality.

One of the reasons why Hen & Rooster has always been one of the best in terms of its excellent quality is the fact that, despite how it has changed ownership a lot of times since its inception in 1845, it has retained most of the processes and steps that go into making their pocket knives. For example, each knife should undergo about 200 different hand operations before they are completely ready to be sold. This means a lot of attention to detail goes into each Hen & Rooster knife, even up until today, when most knife companies tend to automate their knife production.

So, even though Hen & Rooster has changed ownership more than a few times, it still is one of the best in retaining the same consistent excellence and dedication in making handmade knives by some of the best craftsmen Solingen has to offer.

That said, Hen & Rooster is well-known for its pocket knives as they produce some of the best pocket knives in the market today. In fact, the largest roster of knives that Hen & Rooster has is its pocket knives, as it has plenty of different types of pocket knives that each have different prices depending on their type and size. Most of these knives have prices that range from somewhere close to $100 to a bit over $200. That means that Hen & Rooster are actually pretty affordable in comparison to other brands.

Case

WR Case & Sons Cutlery Company, which is popularly referred to as Case, has been around since the latter portion of the 1800s and is a company that started in the United States. It is as homegrown as any knife company can be, as most other companies started in Germany or other parts of Europe. 

For over a century, Case has been known for being a good knife brand for collectors and enthusiasts worldwide, particularly because you can never say anything bad about the quality of their knives. Case manufacturers everything in the US, but that doesn’t mean that they have steel that is anything but poor compared to European-made steel. In fact, the elegance and craftsmanship that you can see in Case knives are distinct and evident as they have different types of knives such as pocket, sporting, and hunting knives that are beautiful, elegant, and useful for outdoor purposes.

As mentioned, Case knives are made and manufactured in the US and from US steels. They incorporate patented processes in the heat treatment of the knives as these knives come with Case’s patented Tru-Sharp steel, which has a higher carbon content compared to other types of steel. The result of this high carbon content is better edge retention on the part of the knives so that you no longer have to re-sharpen the knives now and then.

Meanwhile, the handle material that Case uses can also vary depending on what type of knife you go for. This includes cattle bone, buffalo horn, mother-of-pearl, and even precious stones. And, of course, like most high-quality knives, Case knives undergo more than 160 processes before they are ready to leave the factory to be shipped out to retailers. This means that the company focuses on attention to detail as one of the selling points they have for their knives.

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Which one should you choose?

Now that you know more about Hen & Rooster and Case, it becomes more difficult for you to truly differentiate the two as you can see how their knives are all manufactured with utmost care and with the attention to detail needed to make the best knives regardless of whether they may be pocket knives or not. So, in that sense, which one should you choose?

In terms of the quality of steel that Hen & Rooster comes with, you can never really discount the fact that Solingen steel still is one of the best that the world has to offer. So, when it comes to which one uses the better steel, we would like to lean towards Hen & Rooster, and Solingen steel has been tried and tested all over the world. But, outside of Hen & Rooster’s selection of pocket knives, their roster tends to be poor and limited.

On the other hand, even though Case uses US steel, that doesn’t mean that the quality is less than Solingen steel. It’s just that Solingen steel is better in terms of reputation and how it has been time-tested for hundreds of years already. However, the part where Case excels over Hen & Rooster is selecting different knives as the brand comes with many knives outside of its pocket knives. Even it’s pocket knife selection, including the popular Case WR Pocket Knife, is quite varied with +20 color options.

That said, Hen & Rooster tends to excel in terms of its steel quality. Meanwhile, we are leaning towards Case regarding its selection and slightly more affordable knives than Hen & Rooster offers.