2021 GEC 05 Keychain knife

I'm on a dealer email notify list and got an email two hours ago, that he had some of these in stock. Checked and they were all gone, priced at half what the big auction site listings had/have them for.
I miss every single drop from GEC at this dealer. Seems there's always at least an hour before I find and open the email and then go to his site to always find the GEC knives sold out.
I'm not paying the aftermarket prices and I don't even care what or which GEC knife it is. Guess it looks like I may never buy another GEC knife ... except maybe the forum knife this year.
No matter, they'll sell all they have anyway and apparently for any price.

Same reason I don't have a single one of Charlie's Waynorth knives, T/C etc etc. Never in the right place at the right time and refuse to pay "rape me please" prices. Not going to happen.


You are not alone! You have about 5 seconds after the email arrives, maybe less. I think there's a small army of folks waiting at their computers all day, every day. I switched to European knives, no looking back!

The stag on these doesn't look so hot. I wonder if the stockpile is starting to dwindle
 
I saw several... all crazy expensive... all gone.
Seems people can't consume GEC products fast enough... no matter what it is.

I'm on a dealer email notify list and got an email two hours ago, that he had some of these in stock. Checked and they were all gone, priced at half what the big auction site listings had/have them for.
I miss every single drop from GEC at this dealer. Seems there's always at least an hour before I find and open the email and then go to his site to always find the GEC knives sold out.
I'm not paying the aftermarket prices and I don't even care what or which GEC knife it is. Guess it looks like I may never buy another GEC knife ... except maybe the forum knife this year.
No matter, they'll sell all they have anyway and apparently for any price.

Same reason I don't have a single one of Charlie's Waynorth knives, T/C etc etc. Never in the right place at the right time and refuse to pay "rape me please" prices. Not going to happen.
The Gec craze has amazed me. I just get stumped by how someone could pay that much for something when they could get a case Bose collab or a custom when prices approach some of those numbers certain knives fetch. I’m not gonna say it’s wrong - we all have our own proclivities for our own desires in our purchases, but I suppose it’s the collector who really wants to have certain pieces. As more of a user I just think it’s outside of my wheelhouse for what makes sense to me. But I ain’t that rich either.
As for the key chain offering I like it. I would buy one if I would use it but I like my keys small and without bulk dangling from the steering column. I have not graduated to a button on my dash yet ;), nor can I talk though my car speakers though I wish I could sometimes…
 
Last edited:
I have been a big GEC fan from the beginning, and have a bunch of old new stock in the tube. There is no emotional attachment to these knives; I'm just too lazy to sell them.

Watching their progress over time has been interesting. However, this key ring project is the most hilarious I've have seen to date. After the the comb and sausage deal, I didn't think they could get any funnier. I am totally convinced GEC is now trying to see just how much they can get away with to receive money. Don't misunderstand, I think they make quality products, and applaud their marketing acumen. They know their customers better than P.T. Barnum, and are playing them like a Stradivarius.

 
...this key ring project is the most hilarious I've have seen to date. After the the comb and sausage deal, I didn't think they could get any funnier. I am totally convinced GEC is now trying to see just how much they can get away with to receive money.
Yeah, after those Beer and Sausages they put out the ridiculously funny #47 Viper, the laughable #74 Mustang, the oddly crafted #85 Crown Lifter, the ineffective #38 English Whittler, the overpriced #71 Bull Nose, and the poorly received #83 Tascosa Lock Back.

Yet they were able to "receive money" for all of them; how was that possible?
 
Last edited:
The comb just killed me. Like the Fonz…;) but now I am gonna shut up and not derail this thread with bashing Gec’s choices…but I just have to post this pic of what the Fonz used…maybe he would like the keychain knife dangling from his bike too?1625929664047.jpeg
 
When I first started collecting GECs they were hard to get, and were even reasonably priced on the secondary market. Somewhere during this covid period that changed and they're even harder to get when issued and outrageously priced on the secondary market. Just too frustrating. I decided to sell off all of my GECs (probably a dozen different patterns) except one, and discover more reasonable alternatives. My two latest additions are Boker Barlow Solingens. Reasonably priced, beautifully crafted, and every bit the quality of GEC. For me, the joy of knife collecting is exploring and expanding the things I like best. Buy, try in the hand, sell/keep. I just don't have the patience to endure the frustration and expense of doing that with GECs. And I'm just not a fan of recent GEC patterns like combs, fruit knives, crownlifters, miniature "toy" knives (Rattler, Keychain), etc. It would be great if GEC would stick to higher volumes of standard patterns and bring down the fever pitch of scarcity. There's a huge world of cool knives out there still to be discovered and explored.
 
Not sure what all the complaining is about. Google GECs website - Great Eastern Cutlery | Traditional American Pocket Knives. A key fob knife was as traditional as anything, and incredibly common. The final pictures of Mr. Howard's great accomplishment require this type of keychain knife. Likely some Bowie knives as well. Maybe one of those little baseball bat knives also.
 
For me, the joy of knife collecting is exploring and expanding the things I like best. Buy, try in the hand, sell/keep. I just don't have the patience to endure the frustration and expense of doing that with GECs.
Exactly...
I used to love picking up a slightly used GEC for around $75, being able to try it out, keeping it if I liked it, or selling it again... for the same price I bought it for.
I had a lot of them pass through my collection that way. It was a lot of fun and I miss it.
 
Exactly...
I used to love picking up a slightly used GEC for around $75, being able to try it out, keeping it if I liked it, or selling it again... for the same price I bought it for.
I had a lot of them pass through my collection that way. It was a lot of fun and I miss it.
I remember selling a 2008 73 for like $75 just to buy a new 72 for the same price. Mostly traded and swapped without a lot of thought to getting any profit. Now you can’t do that because everyone treats each knife pattern like a retirement investment, lol. It’s really gotten old and, while I think this is a fun little knife, the price point is nuts.
 
I remember selling a 2008 73 for like $75 just to buy a new 72 for the same price. Mostly traded and swapped without a lot of thought to getting any profit. Now you can’t do that because everyone treats each knife pattern like a retirement investment, lol. It’s really gotten old and, while I think this is a fun little knife, the price point is nuts.
Yep!
 
I'm still watching for the spear blade ones to show up. I know what all are saying. Used to be you could go to the distributors, look over a nice selection and choose the one you liked at a fair price. Now they're gone in an instant to people that buy multiples then showing up on the secondary market at inflated prices. I have not bought a new GEC knife for several years. I watch the classifieds and if one shows up at a price reasonable to me I'll buy. I may end up with an 05 but only if I can see clear photos of the one being sold and only if it's priced fairly ( In my Opinion)
 
I face reality as an Ol Coot who isn't fast on the Internet and doesn't do Paypal. I tried for 2 years to pick up my first GEC, a Pemberton, and only did so through the graces of a trade with a fellow BF member who had mercy on me. So, I respect GEC, but I understand there are some really nice knives, fairly-priced, available from other fine knife manufacturers.
 
So, I bought one. Figured if I didn’t like it I could move it along fairly easily. I actually kind of like it.

hcWly3a.jpg

qFE5pr4.jpg
 
Back
Top