- Joined
- Dec 19, 2006
- Messages
- 8,210
I received my 2007 GEC 73 today and thought I'd share some photos and initial impressions.
I had admired the examples of the 73 with "green tea" handles from Trand's photos and thank him for answering questions and helping me find the knife.
I won't keep you guys in suspense. I'll tell you up front that it's a great knife and I'm very pleased with it. I suppose that's not shocking... sometimes we are disappointed or pleasantly surprised but we generally buy what they like. I will be critical of the knife though. ...But please keep in mind that this knife was manufactured 5 years ago and there have been several runs of the 73 pattern since 2007.
I am not a big fan of the 73 pattern but it's growing on me quick. The 73 and the the larger 23 pattern are very similar to the popular, old Remington 1123 pattern. Now that I have the 73 in my hands, I'm beginning to understand why the 1123 is such a timeless pattern.
http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php/727064-Remington-R-1123-amp-Great-Eastern-23
One thing that I like about the pattern is the generously sized blades. I'm not going to wear those out any time soon!
Also the handle has a nice curve to it. Unfortunately the shape of the handle isn't as effective on the two blade since the spine of the closed blade is what you'll grip (same goes with any other multi-blade knife too). But the spines of the blades form a smooth surface from bolster to bare head and it's relatively comfortable in the hand.
GEC does made the 73 pattern with one blade and I imagine that those are even more comfortable in the hand. I think that choosing between the two would largely be a matter of preference for the utility of two blades or the ergonomics of a single blade.
I did notice that the bare head is not rounded like the sides of the handle. I would have preferred a more comfortable rounded surface.
The length and bulk of the 73 pattern (3 3/4") is on the upper end of what I am comfortable carrying in a pants pocket. I'd probably find a sheath necessary to carry the 23 pattern (4 1/2").
This is purely subjective but I think the "green tea" is one of the best looking dyed and jigged bone that GEC has produced (my other favorite is Charlie's "peach seed"). I actually recommend the "green tea" for the 2012 forum knife. ...The figural shield is pretty cool too.
I was originally hesitant to buy the knife because I was worried that the blades would be sluggish.
Knives that are difficult to open make me crabby.
But Trand told me that both of his examples had pulls around 5 or 6 out of 10. And my example also doesn't require a lot of mussel to open. The pull on both blades is a nice and firm 5 out of 10.
The ends of the blades are flush with the bolsters in the closed position.
No gaps in the springs. The springs are flush in the closed position but low at the half stop...
...and the springs are not perfectly flush when open. One spring is proud and the other spring is hair low.
Some may have the opinion that the uneven springs are a major fault but I think it's within an acceptable range. Or at least I've seen a lot worse. Also remember that this knife is a single example of a run of 350 others and might not be representative of this run or other runs. I know that Trand and others also have examples so maybe you guys can "increase the N".
The blades are close to centered.
The blades are 440C. I know a lot of people are partial to 1095 steel. 1095 takes a great edge and there was a time when 1095 was not widely available. But now so many of my knives (old and new) are high carbon that is actually a somewhat refreshing to have stainless for a change. If given just a little bit of care, it will continue to look shiny and new even if used in adverse conditions.
I know some people regularly buff the patina off their knives but I prefer the original finish even if it develops a patina. I don't mind patinas but a lot of my friends seem to think it means the knife is dirty and it's nice to have some knives that continue looking new. Also 440C won't leave a taste on food like 1095. The factory edges were actually pretty good on this knife and from prior experience with 440C from GEC, I expect that it will be perform adequately. I just received the knife and time will tell. I'll leave the more rigorous evaluation of the steels to others.
Well that's about it for initial impressions. The knife is on the upper side of what I find comfortable to carry in a pants pocket but I think that I'll be totin' this knife a lot.
I had admired the examples of the 73 with "green tea" handles from Trand's photos and thank him for answering questions and helping me find the knife.
I won't keep you guys in suspense. I'll tell you up front that it's a great knife and I'm very pleased with it. I suppose that's not shocking... sometimes we are disappointed or pleasantly surprised but we generally buy what they like. I will be critical of the knife though. ...But please keep in mind that this knife was manufactured 5 years ago and there have been several runs of the 73 pattern since 2007.
I am not a big fan of the 73 pattern but it's growing on me quick. The 73 and the the larger 23 pattern are very similar to the popular, old Remington 1123 pattern. Now that I have the 73 in my hands, I'm beginning to understand why the 1123 is such a timeless pattern.
http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php/727064-Remington-R-1123-amp-Great-Eastern-23
One thing that I like about the pattern is the generously sized blades. I'm not going to wear those out any time soon!
Also the handle has a nice curve to it. Unfortunately the shape of the handle isn't as effective on the two blade since the spine of the closed blade is what you'll grip (same goes with any other multi-blade knife too). But the spines of the blades form a smooth surface from bolster to bare head and it's relatively comfortable in the hand.
GEC does made the 73 pattern with one blade and I imagine that those are even more comfortable in the hand. I think that choosing between the two would largely be a matter of preference for the utility of two blades or the ergonomics of a single blade.
I did notice that the bare head is not rounded like the sides of the handle. I would have preferred a more comfortable rounded surface.
The length and bulk of the 73 pattern (3 3/4") is on the upper end of what I am comfortable carrying in a pants pocket. I'd probably find a sheath necessary to carry the 23 pattern (4 1/2").
This is purely subjective but I think the "green tea" is one of the best looking dyed and jigged bone that GEC has produced (my other favorite is Charlie's "peach seed"). I actually recommend the "green tea" for the 2012 forum knife. ...The figural shield is pretty cool too.
I was originally hesitant to buy the knife because I was worried that the blades would be sluggish.
Knives that are difficult to open make me crabby.
But Trand told me that both of his examples had pulls around 5 or 6 out of 10. And my example also doesn't require a lot of mussel to open. The pull on both blades is a nice and firm 5 out of 10.
The ends of the blades are flush with the bolsters in the closed position.
No gaps in the springs. The springs are flush in the closed position but low at the half stop...
...and the springs are not perfectly flush when open. One spring is proud and the other spring is hair low.
Some may have the opinion that the uneven springs are a major fault but I think it's within an acceptable range. Or at least I've seen a lot worse. Also remember that this knife is a single example of a run of 350 others and might not be representative of this run or other runs. I know that Trand and others also have examples so maybe you guys can "increase the N".
The blades are close to centered.
The blades are 440C. I know a lot of people are partial to 1095 steel. 1095 takes a great edge and there was a time when 1095 was not widely available. But now so many of my knives (old and new) are high carbon that is actually a somewhat refreshing to have stainless for a change. If given just a little bit of care, it will continue to look shiny and new even if used in adverse conditions.
I know some people regularly buff the patina off their knives but I prefer the original finish even if it develops a patina. I don't mind patinas but a lot of my friends seem to think it means the knife is dirty and it's nice to have some knives that continue looking new. Also 440C won't leave a taste on food like 1095. The factory edges were actually pretty good on this knife and from prior experience with 440C from GEC, I expect that it will be perform adequately. I just received the knife and time will tell. I'll leave the more rigorous evaluation of the steels to others.
Well that's about it for initial impressions. The knife is on the upper side of what I find comfortable to carry in a pants pocket but I think that I'll be totin' this knife a lot.
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