A month without GEC

I'm astounded that people buy GEC knives not to use...o_O OK some you may want to put by for trade or sale but they make so many interesting patterns that it seems almost impossible not to use some?

But then, this thread is about being without a GEC :D (for a month..) It would be hard for me to keep to even though I've a number of other alternatives to hand:cool: Willpower or no willpower:D:D

On the Muskrat, it does seem like an oddity but in the 'real' past, skinners needed 2 identical blades so as not to have to sharpen them up all the time. I am a bit sceptical about this as I would've thought Trappers would always use a small fixed, who wants a folding knife gummed up with fur, blood, entrails etc?:eek::D

Don't know about Improved either but I suspect it was an advertising ploy from decades ago, all products are allegedly 'improved' I thought there was a Hawbacker or Dixie Muskrat that had a Sheepfoot or Wharncliffe blade instead of the 2 identical Turkish Clips, might be wrong there. If you are interested in a Muskrat then I think the Queen Cutlery one in Stagbone and D2 is THE ONE to get, single spring and nice long handle with thick grippy scales. I'd say the one I have is one of the best production knives I own, excellent W&T no gaps, play or blade rub at all.

Thanks, Will
 
Will Power said:
I'm astounded that people buy GEC knives not to use...o_O OK some you may want to put by for trade or sale but they make so many interesting patterns that it seems almost impossible not to use some?

But then, this thread is about being without a GEC :D (for a month..) It would be hard for me to keep to even though I've a number of other alternatives to hand:cool: Willpower or no willpower:D:D

On the Muskrat, it does seem like an oddity but in the 'real' past, skinners needed 2 identical blades so as not to have to sharpen them up all the time. I am a bit sceptical about this as I would've thought Trappers would always use a small fixed, who wants a folding knife gummed up with fur, blood, entrails etc?:eek::D

Don't know about Improved either but I suspect it was an advertising ploy from decades ago, all products are allegedly 'improved' I thought there was a Hawbacker or Dixie Muskrat that had a Sheepfoot or Wharncliffe blade instead of the 2 identical Turkish Clips, might be wrong there. If you are interested in a Muskrat then I think the Queen Cutlery one in Stagbone and D2 is THE ONE to get, single spring and nice long handle with thick grippy scales. I'd say the one I have is one of the best production knives I own, excellent W&T no gaps, play or blade rub at all.

Thanks, Will
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I agree, Will. I think the knives GEC puts out just beg to be carried and used. I do have some GEC's that are still new/uncarried, but that's only because I haven't gotten around to carrying them yet. :D

I've heard (and understand the logic behind) the idea that the Muskrat pattern was designed with idea that a trapper or sportsman could skin twice as many animals without having to stop and sharpen his knife, but like you, I always assumed that anyone who had enough animals to skin that they needed to worry about efficiency would be using something other than a pocket knife. :rolleyes: :D For the modern-day traditional knife user, I suppose you could keep a different kind of edge on each blades for purposes.

My Schrade Muskrat has been a good carry this past week. I'm planning on swapping it out for something else tomorrow morning. :thumbsup:
 
The quality of GEC's has improved almost every year. That was not the case with Queen in the late years. I thank Bill for what he did. He had a vision and took a huge risk to follow it. Not sure how he and Charlie tied up, but it worked so well. Always plan safety into everything you do.
 
Spending a few days with this old Camillus Scout knife, which was a gift from Randy (@r redden).

qFBu1YA.jpg
 
Nice Scout, Barrett! :cool::cool::thumbsup:
Is there a hidden fourth blade, or is it a 3-blade model?

- GT
 
Sorry I'm a couple days late wrapping this up. I finished off the month by spending a couple days with my new Ashley's Choice Lambsfoot in my pocket. This slightly smaller sized Lambsfoot pattern from A. Wright really hits the sweet spot for me in terms of pocketability. :thumbsup: (I'm almost positive that "pocketability" is not a word, but I'm going to use it anyways.) (Also, the photo is from the day this knife arrived, because I forgot to take a new one while I was carrying it.)

xVlGo6I.jpg


I won't lie, I'm excited to carry my GEC knives again now that the month is up. I actually bought five new (or new to me) GECs this past month, which is more than I've picked up in any one month in quite a while, and a couple of those have been itching to find their way into my pocket. For now, though, I'm starting back with what is probably my favorite GEC pattern, the spearpoint #25.

81wEwk6.jpg


This has been an enjoyable experiment, and I think in the long run it will help me to diversify my daily carry a bit more. I think the aspect that I appreciated the most was taking the opportunity to carry knives that have been gifted to me by some good friends here on the Porch that I hadn't really carried before. Thanks to all of you that followed along and commented. If you find yourself in a similar habitual comfort zone (doesn't have to be GEC, just any brand or type of knife that you normally carry that, to some degree, prevents you from carrying other knives in your collection), I'd encourage you to give it a try as well. :thumbsup:
 
I also enjoyed following you, in fact we share the same taste in matter of knives. Someday I will imitate you. Yes, someday! :thumbsup::D
 
I like your distinctive Ashley's Choice Lambsfoot, Barrett! :cool::thumbsup::cool:
Thanks for the interesting thread about your carry experiment.
I lost a bet with myself, though, about what would be the first GEC you'd carry when the month ended. I was betting on the Farm Boy! ;)

- GT
 
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