One of the Oldest American Knife Brands Drops an Affordable Heirloom EDC Blade Inspired by the Outdoors

This blade puts a novel backcountry spin on a traditional style, maintaining its timelessness while upping the cool factor.

Folding pocket knife with a polished metal blade and a textured brown handle on a wooden surface with wood shavings.

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By Sean Tirman

Published April 8, 2026

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There is an entire segment of the knifemaking industry dedicated to making bladed tools with traditional styles and materials. While many of these brands also at least dabble in contemporary designs, their expertise often lies in timeless craftsmanship.

Case is one such brand, and it’s also one of the oldest continually operating American knifemaking outfits, dating all the way back to the 1800s.

But the brand’s latest doesn’t fit neatly into that box. Sure, the Case Axe Handle looks like a traditional heirloom folder, but it’s actually a completely new silhouette…

Two folding pocket knives with textured brown and black handles, one open and one closed, on a yellow background. — As the name suggests, the knife’s handle is meant to mimic those traditionally found on axes.

Hatchet job

It’s pretty unusual, even for Case, to introduce a completely new pattern to its catalog. But that’s precisely what has happened with this offering.

Co-designed by award-winning custom knifemaker Bill Ruple, this knife’s defining feature is also what it’s named after: its handle. Seasoned outdoor adventurers and country folk should probably recognize it by shape alone, but the handle is styled to mimic those found on axes and hatchets — marked by a gentle curve and a flared butt.

Blue-handled folding pocket knife with a partially open blade resting on a rock. — There are five versions of the knife, which share most materials but differ in their handle colorways.

But this is obviously not an axe. As such, the handle features a stainless steel bolster at the pivot and, beyond that, a 3.04-inch clip point blade crafted from Case’s signature Tru-Sharp surgical-grade stainless steel.

It also has a nail nick for manual deployment, stainless steel liners and a slip joint mechanism — meaning it’s a non-locking knife. Furthermore, it has no pocket clip, which is both typical of more traditionally-styled knives, but is also a function of the handle materials for this model.

Close-up of a carved wooden knife handle with a brass rivet and a hole, showing detailed texture. — All five handles are made with bone, but the finest features natural BoneStag scales.

Heritage, tradition and novelty

This new release comes in five different configurations. While they largely share the same materials, there are some notable differences between the individual models.

As mentioned, they all share the same overall size and specs. They also all have the same Tru-Sharp clip-point blade. In fact, all of them even have the same base handle material: bone

Hand holding a folding pocket knife with a polished blade and textured dark wooden handle outdoors. — The knife measures 4.0 inches closed and has a 3.05-inch blade.

So, what’s the difference? The cut, color and finish of the handle. For instance, the most affordable of the bunch has a Caribbean Blue colorway. And while the handle is made of jigged bone, the jigging pattern consists of lateral lines cut into the material’s surface.

A step up from that one is a pair, Tequila Sunrise or Navy Blue, both of which have a more traditionally jigged bone handle. Then, there’s an Old Red corncob-jigged knife. And the highest-end, most classic and finest of them all has a StagBone handle.

Folding pocket knife with a brown textured handle and silver blade on a wooden workbench with wood shavings. — While this looks like a completely traditional folder, it is, in fact, a completely new silhouette for Case.

Availability and pricing

The Case Axe Handle is dropping soon on the brand’s site, priced from $83 to $102. But you can sign up to be notified as soon as it drops right now.

Folding pocket knife with a polished steel blade and a textured brown and black handle.

Case Axe Handle

Starts at $83

About the Author: Sean Tirman is an associate editor at Gear Patrol who specializes in EDC, cannabis and outdoor gear.

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