#78 American Jack

willgoy said:
In my view, cutting corners on the Tidioute line would be an error. Trying to make them more affordable etc. They are already different enough from Nfield having simpler ornamentation and sometimes actually BETTER shields. This gives aesthetic choice. I certainly wouldn't fancy White Owl Tidioutes without a shield, too austere. This knife is the same, more so as it's quite a big knife.
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I never said anything about cutting corners. A shield adds nothing to the useability of a knife.
 
Er, I was merely expressing my personal opinion about the possible omission of shields....

I'm quite aware a shield adds nothing to the use of a knife, it's probably one reason why Moderns don't have them....let's go the all metal handles way for that matter. I mean Ebony doesn't add anything over delrin , except cost and aesthetics....
 
Personally, I would hate to see the shield go on the Tidioute models. I know it adds nothing to the function, but a shield has an appeal that is worth the extra cost and effort. One of GEC's biggest selling points is that the shields are pinned on instead of epoxied; you can't see the difference easily, but some of the intrinsic value is lost when the shield is glued on. (Think of Case in the 70's) :(

Loose the etch, the end cap, use steel frame/bolster if less expensive than brass/NS, or something other than leaving the Tidioutes shieldless. JMHO.



That said, I'd just like to add that GEC makes the very best quality traditional production folders in the world! Also JMHO. :thumbup::thumbup:
 
In support of Bob's opinion, which is in my mind a perfectly reasonable assessment of GEC's product delineation, here's what the GEC web site says about the two brands.

Tidioute Cutlery:
They are good enough to collect, but our emphasis with this brand is with function and performance rather than cosmetic beauty.
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Northfield:
...Northfield UN-X-LD trademark, strictly to be used on only the most premium GEC traditional pocket knives. These new classic UN-X-LD knives have all the intricate cosmetic tooling and finishing you would expect to see on well made early 1900′s era pocket knives.
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So it's not unreasonable to expect that the Tidioute brand is going to be intentionally a little more plain looking than the Northfield brand. That's not cutting corners, it's the stated intention of the manufacturer.

Full info here: http://greateasterncutlery.net/blog/about/about-our-brands/

To stay on topic - I like the looks of the knife with the Chestnut Jigged Bone better than the Blender Pheasant look. I'd like to see what the higher-trim-line Northfield line looks like before I'd consider making a purchase.
 
Good point John.

I'd like to go the other way and see some shields along these lines....



from Ritchie and Stewart's "The Standard Knife Collector's Guide" 2nd Ed.
 
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I love a good shield myself, and while not a make or break for me, it does influence my purchase decision. I've already got "enough" knives so the more little points of interest like an interesting shield to create the "ooh, that's neat" factor, the more likely a knife design will pry open my wallet.

If I just want something to carry around to cut stuff, I've got plenty of choices already.

My point was that I don't think GEC is cutting corners with Tidoute. It's just that Northfield has more bling. Apparently with the design of this particular knife, they decided that a shield didn't fit the concept. The market or direct consumer feedback will educate them if they are wrong.
 
It's almost a thread in itself..............

Personally I'd love to be able to choose the shield (I guess that's where custom's come in!). Given the choice between a shield I don't like and none I'd go for none at all. I do think with the #78 frame in the simpler Tidioute form it's clean symmetry means the lack of a shield doesn't detract from it. If anything it brings it closer to a a good, honest knife which I like:)
 
filedog said:
Does anybody know when the dealers will have these?
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[within a couple of days]
Per a couple of the questions / comments. 1) I am not a huge acrylic lover to begin with, but for those that like a little pizzazz GEC has had some dandies. Some have been dogs (glitter gold) and some have been hits (dead skunk); but most have run a fairly tight race. Pheasant Feather has done quite well in both the whittler and hogan from a sales point of view. Their are a ton that I like a lot less than it.

2) The Tidioute shield experiment is just that. One of those things a company tries out to see if it will be beneficial to their line. They have the boys knives that have done so well, it leads one to wonder if that success can be lent to the rest of the line; and how. When you actually put pen to paper, omitting a shield does not save much money - but it was part of a no shield / no etch / no serial number test. I have spoken to them about this and my opinion was that most would just as soon have no etch or serial number anyway (although we lost the PPP program on this run due to this). But when it comes to shields, they are essentially running another good percentage of customers to the Northfield line by leaving it off the Tidioute models. And since that is not the intention, it should not be continued as an omission. Even if Tidioutes thrive without shields and become as collectible as they should be in 10-15 years; it is one of the things that a backyard counterfeiter cannot easily reproduce. Thus, if they make a run of 5 somethings that become more valuable due to the short run, they can't stop the crook from taking off the pheasant feather acrylic and putting on another slab to match the short run and selling them. Most backyard tinkerers can swap the slabs as long as they just need cover / backspring pins; routing and pinning on a shield is a whole other story. Thus, I think they have some negative distributor feedback on the books and will take that (and any other direct feedback) into consideration in the future.
 
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[within a couple of days]

2. They also have some positive feedback on the books.
 
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Generic answers on availability only, please dealers.
 
The Northfield version looks MUCH nicer....
781214EC-NORTHFIELD-AMERICAN-JACK-AFRICAN-BLACKWOOD.png
 
Not a fan of blender pheasant myself, although a lot of the acrylics GEC have used are great, it just looks a little plain to me. On the subject of shields, the 15s didn't seem to suffer from lacking them at all. I think, like most things that GEC seem to do, these will be a success regardless. It is the variety and limitless possibilities that GEC play around with, that make them the successful and growing company that they are.

Paul
 
Some tidy looking Red Acrylic seems to have turned up and I think I can see Northfield in Frontier Bone! Or is it Primitive Bone? Whatever, it looks just right.
 
I will have to say that the Northfield trim line is much more attractive overall in this pattern. I look forward to seeing pics of the finished knives with all of the handle options.
 
I don't see much difference between this one and the 85 Bullet Jack, except for a rounder butt and maybe a tad longer pen blade. Am I missing something obvious (other than cover options) ?
 
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