Case vs GEC

My Dad used Case knives. They were the best in their time.. I own several of them (including my Dad's from the 1970's) and they work well for me. But as I get a little older, I've come to appreciate a quality tool(s). My fixed blades are now Bark Rivers and my folders are now GEC.

One just develops a passion for finer tools in life as one gets older. As my Dad and his Father always said, "You get what you pay for". Nothing more to say.

Tom
 
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I have never owned a GEC
I only own one modern Case, it was made in 2008 iirc
I made the mistake of buying their stainless steel version
I swear the blade goes dull if you look at it wrong
I honestly don't know if I will ever buy another, the cheap Chinese buck rancher that my one daughter gave to me is superior in every way including edge retention (pre 420j steel version)
 
I've got a number of Case knives and a smaller but growing number of GEC knives. I believe both brands offer good value for the money for both the knife user and the knife collector, just at different price points and for slightly different segments of the knife enthusiast community (with plenty of overlap.)
 
I just seriously got into Slipjoints in July. Since then I have bought 3 new CASE and 1 late 60's Case and 5 GEC. The stockman by case is a nice knife. I got a trapper with jigged bone handles that feels like a toy. The handles feel fake and it is just cheap feeling. The GEC feel like they are built to last. I picked up a late 60's Case this weekend that is very well built and nice. I'll go GEC.
 
wow tough crowd ;) but I have to go with the crowd on this one, GEC for me, the higher dollar Bose/Case collabs are very well done, I've owned several of those and can give them a solid thumbs up, BUT you would expect them to be a bit better at that price point, and they are...(you'll notice that I usually put Bose in front of Case...on purpose, Tony is THE man !!!)

The GEC, while I'm not an acrylics fan...at all :) sorry, but just ain't, more stag kinda guy and GEC's stag seems to be spot on most all the time, it's better if you can handle them first, like most knives I guess, always a plus if you can check them over first.

Right now I have one maybe two Case knives, one older one, but the blade wobbles, have to fix that one, and one Tuxedo that is pretty cool, but since getting GEC's it's like dating, I'm pretty stuck with the girl I dated, wasn't what they call a 'player', hehe, probably wasn't by choice, but I have always been loyal, girl...or...knife you get my drift.

G2
 
I'm pretty new to traditionals, but I picked up my first two in the past month -- a Case Sway Back Jack in Chestnut Bone/CV and a GEC Northfield trapper with seashell handles.

I'm very enamored with the GEC, as its fit & finish just screams quality and elegance. However, it arrived with both knives butter knife dull, which I seem to be gathering is somewhat normal? Not what I'm used to as a Spyderco fan. The blades have wicked edges now (thanks, Don!), but I do think that a knife should arrive useable. Nonetheless, I'm extremely pleased with my first GEC and certainly crave more... hopefully they'll start putting some edge on the knives and make things easier on me!

As for the Case: it is a very beautiful knife and is much easier to open/use than the GEC, which I must admit is quite stiff -- although it had smoothed out and is not unpleasant to open/close. However, the Case knife came with a botched, uneven grind and tapered significantly off to one side with quite uneven swedges, and so I sent it back to the dealer. Waiting for my hopefully better replacement. But, hey -- it did at least come shaving sharp ;)

Just wanted to throw in my admittedly limited anecdotal experience!
 
I like them both, buy both, and recognize that they occupy two different market segments. Case owns the middle ground - offering great value, good prices, lots of variety, and plenty of distribution. GEC owns the high end market, really only competing against Canal Street, Queen, and certain runs of Case. We may not be in the golden age of cutlery in terms of the numbers of domestic plants producing working knives, but we are in the golden age in terms of lines that cater to collectors. I'll take some of each please! OH
 
galactorrhea said:
I'm pretty new to traditionals, but I picked up my first two in the past month -- a Case Sway Back Jack in Chestnut Bone/CV and a GEC Northfield trapper with seashell handles.

I'm very enamored with the GEC, as its fit & finish just screams quality and elegance. However, it arrived with both knives butter knife dull, which I seem to be gathering is somewhat normal? Not what I'm used to as a Spyderco fan. The blades have wicked edges now (thanks, Don!), but I do think that a knife should arrive useable. Nonetheless, I'm extremely pleased with my first GEC and certainly crave more... hopefully they'll start putting some edge on the knives and make things easier on me!

As for the Case: it is a very beautiful knife and is much easier to open/use than the GEC, which I must admit is quite stiff -- although it had smoothed out and is not unpleasant to open/close. However, the Case knife came with a botched, uneven grind and tapered significantly off to one side with quite uneven swedges, and so I sent it back to the dealer. Waiting for my hopefully better replacement. But, hey -- it did at least come shaving sharp ;)

Just wanted to throw in my admittedly limited anecdotal experience!
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a brand new knife arriving dull has me scratching my head. i have no sharpening tools and don't know how but any knife purchased should arrive sharp and ready for use.
 
I have three GEC's and am going to get some more.

I love how overbuilt they are, and love the concept behind the company.

In terms of design, they tend toward being stubby and thick. I like my knives slimmer and sleeker, generally speaking. I have noted that they are making more patterns that lean that way than in the beginning.

And while I like strong backsprings, they overdo it on some patterns, in my opinion.

Case is sure enough nothing to sneeze at, though they aren't near the knife they once were.

I hope they both stay in business.
 
GEC hands down vs current production Case. Older case, pre 1970, it would be a close match up.
 
cards94 said:
a brand new knife arriving dull has me scratching my head. i have no sharpening tools and don't know how but any knife purchased should arrive sharp and ready for use.
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Seems counter-intuitive, to me, to own and use a knife without possessing the means and know-how to make it sharp when necessary. Self-reliance! ;)
 
puukkoman said:
Seems counter-intuitive, to me, to own and use a knife without possessing the means and know-how to make it sharp when necessary. Self-reliance! ;)
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self reliance is one thing, but a knife company sending you a new knife unsharpened?:confused:
 
Well, if you're after a kit, the Lansky-style is good to learn on (get the basics of angles and blade geometry down). Gatco makes a less expensive version. Smith's does as well.

Personally, I just sharpen freehand, on bench stones (I pick 'em up at flea markets and garage sales, have a few from my grandfather's basement, etc.).

Yeah, some traditional knives come from the factory with less-than-awesome sharpening jobs. This has been discussed at length here on the forum, as to reasons why. Regardless, you'll need to sharpen it at some point anyway, and most of us are particular about how our blades are sharpened, so we make 'em the way we want 'em once we get 'em, anyway. In that case, it doesn't really matter if the factory edge is like a razor.
 
cards94 said:
got a sharpener you can recommend and is easy to use?
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There are a whole passel of people who hang out in the Maintenance and Tinkering Forum who absolutely live to answer questions like this.

Forum > Knife Specific Discussion > Maintenance, Tinkering & Embellishment
http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/forumdisplay.php/794-Maintenance-Tinkering-amp-Embellishment

(and I concur with the opinion that a man who carries a pocket knife needs to know how to sharpen it. No knife stays sharp, even one with a blade made of one of the modern super steels.)
 
I love my slipjoints with bear trap springs, so I have a bias towards GEC. However, Case has extremely beautiful designs and right now I think of the Tony Bose collabs. Never handled something as perfect as the "california clip" Back Pocket with ebony scales, or the "skinner blade" Back Pocket with golden rod jigged bone. This is as far as the design is concerned. The "fit and finish" is very average, the spring is (very) weak, the skinner has noticeable side play and lazy snap (the skinner being totally sub par, even the "XX" was missing in the inlay...). These are in the near 100 $ range, so I'm not actually stoked by my buy but I'm constantly drawn to EDC these knifes because they are totally gorgeous users. Besides, I got a Copperlock (slightly less expensive) which is flawless in all aspects and a Workman Sodbuster (under 40 $ !!!!) which shows just the same level of quality. Impressive. Consequence : I will buy a lot more of Case if, and only if I can buy it over the counter.
 
And if I may add my two pence about sharpening : (almost) all makers deliver their knives with off-set, unequal, off-centered (add your own...) cutting edges. It's not an issue on it's own (because the knife could still be sharp as hell) but you will have great trouble maintaining it in the field. A centered, equal and consistent edge is paramount. Once you're there, you can sharpen your knife on (almost) any fine grained surface. I mean, most of the time you will have to actually reprofile your knife's blade. This is not to put down any brand : they (almost) all have this issue. In my opinion, quality lies in the tightness, precision and reliability of the assembly. Leave the sharpness to me, folks. I learned to deal with that.
 
Never had a GEC but want one really bad.
CASE is hit-and-miss and I dont like that.
But, if you can look them over before purchasing, you can find a good one.
 
Case has mastered the art of the $40 pocket knife.

GEC is mastered the the art of the $80-$100 pocket knife.

Both cut. Both are tools. I buy more GEC's than I need and more cases than you'd think I would :)
 
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