Best production slip joint company

Will Batayte

Will Batayte

Joined
Jan 8, 2007
Messages
640
So lately I've been whittling and I found myself digging out the slipjoints that spent so much time in my pockets as a kid. Pocket clips, thumbstuds, opening holes, flippers, g10, micarta, titanium framelocks, and super steels had chased them all the way to the back of the drawer. Well I'm glad to say that using them again had renewed my interest. So now I want to add some new ones to the carry rotation. But I want to upgrade from the Old Timers, Uncle Henrys, and Bucks from my youth. All of these being nice knives I'm looking for something with excellent fit and finish, great steel (carbon or stainless as long as it gets nice and sharp and holds the edge). I've been looking at 5 blade sowbellys by queen, schatt and morgan, and moore maker. Also looking at GEC. I'm in love with their primitive bone handles. Anyway which company has the best f&f and QC? other companys welcome. Also if anyone knows of a bigger 5 blade sowbelly I love to hear about it. I'd like a 3.5 inch blade in there somewhere.
 
Lol still interested in answers but I ended up getting a hemlock bone weaver jack from gec. Can't wait to get it!
 
Schatt and Morgan by far.....try their Kentucky shiner. A new blade. I got one and love it.
 
coldblooded357 said:
So lately I've been whittling and I found myself digging out the slipjoints that spent so much time in my pockets as a kid. Pocket clips, thumbstuds, opening holes, flippers, g10, micarta, titanium framelocks, and super steels had chased them all the way to the back of the drawer. Well I'm glad to say that using them again had renewed my interest. So now I want to add some new ones to the carry rotation. But I want to upgrade from the Old Timers, Uncle Henrys, and Bucks from my youth. All of these being nice knives I'm looking for something with excellent fit and finish, great steel (carbon or stainless as long as it gets nice and sharp and holds the edge). I've been looking at 5 blade sowbellys by queen, schatt and morgan, and moore maker. Also looking at GEC. I'm in love with their primitive bone handles. Anyway which company has the best f&f and QC?
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I have to this GEC is the leader of the pack at this point. That company is on a serious roll. Also, depending on your budget, don't rule out the Case/Bose collaboration knives.

Also, welcome to the "dark side" of traditional knives.

-- Mark
 
I own Bucks,Schrades,S and M,Case,Puma etc etc...I had not even heard of GEC two years ago,and had not handled one until a year ago...I now own several but i must say that they are not any better than a good knife from any of the other companies that i have mentioned.....Just my 0.2..............FES
 
I don't think you will be disappointed with any GEC. Very well made and the heat treat and carbon steel is excellent. Others to try are Queen, S&M and Northwoods (GEC and non GEC). Case if you can see it first. All are nice in my experience but GEC is tops for me.
 
Gec makes nice knives, I would take a look at northwoods knives too. Small company that sells on knives ship free, very nice with top notch steels
 
For the best fit/finish in a traditional knife, the Case Bose annuals are the best IMHO.
 
I feel that at this moment GEC puts out the most consistently high quality product. Canal Street, Case, and Queen can also put out some real head turners but also seem to let the most QC issues walk out the door too.
 
I have been very pleased with my GEC Northfield Missouri Trapper #42. It has about a 3" blade and the overall knife length is 4 1/4" closed. Pretty good pocketful.

GEC seems to be producing a very consistant product in terms of QA/QC. As others have mentioned, I'd also consider Queen, Schatt & Morgan, Canal Street, and Case.
 
What's with all of the writing on the blades with some of these companies? You don't see that on older traditionals. Is this trademark writing to appeal to people who don't actually use the knives?

It's hideous. Does the writing on a GEC or a Queen wear off, or is it easily removable as on a carbon Douk Douk?
 
It will wear, get covered by patina, or you could polish it off. There are many old knives that had etching on the blades but when you find them now all traces of it are gone.
 
Fit and finish consistency with high quality materials...GEC. I love S&M but there are some shoddy pieces still coming out.
 
Blade art is nothing new. I don't much care for it either. If you use a knife it will come off with use, or you can polish it off. I am sure many knife companies are happy with the idea that some people collect knives so they add those little extra touches to make them more collectible or perhaps more display-worthy. And collecting is not a new concept, there have been embellished blades for quite some time.

Of the current companies I'm familiar with, they all seem to have reasonable fit and finish for the price point. GEC knives typically cost 2 or 3 times as much as a similar Case knife, so you'd expect better overall quality. Any company can turn out a lemon, some more frequently than others, and any company can turn out a gem, within the limits of the materials.

Depends on your budget. Probably GEC right now is the best overall with F&F, but there are plenty of people who would be happy with the Old Timers and Uncle Henrys of your youth!
 
check out A.G. Russell, when you get to his site click on folding knives. A mix of traditionals and modern.
 
Thanks for all the great answers. I do own a case knife. Its a little linerlock with a one hand opener like a straight razor. Pretty ugly blade shape but it's a nice little knife. Mostly what I don't like about case is the blade steel. In the models I've handled they dont seem to get as sharp as my carbon steel old timers. In fact the sheepsfoot on my little old timer stockman is the knife I whittle with the most and is by far the sharpest knife I own. I reprofiled the edge down super thin then brought it to a mirror polish using a strop worth flexcut gold compound. Now it will grab and start to cut hair without touching skin. And can pushcut newspaper in squigley cuts without supporting it. Its funny that a $15 little stockman I've had since I was like 7 is outproforming some 3-5 hundred dollar knives.

Anyway now as soon as my 3 blade Weaver Jack comes I'm going to make it a nice wet moulded leather sheath. I already have some oxblood leather stain that will compliment the hemlock jigged bone really nicely.
 
No one has mentioned Boker yet? For about half the price of a GEC, Boker offers very good and consistent quality.
Of course if you buy a Great Eastern, I promise you'll be impressed with the quality.

Quick ranking based on recent purchases, taking into account quality, materials, comfort, value, and aesthetics:
Great Eastern
Boker
USA-made Old Timers (pre-2004)
Canal Street Cutlery
Queen City / Schatt and Morgan
Case

Happy shopping! :)
 
As others have stated, GEC offers a superb product. My #56 Dogleg Jack is spot on, as far as quality control is concerned, also Case does an excellent job with the Tony Bose models, like the Swayback Jack, and Back Pocket.
 
Locutus D'Borg said:
check out A.G. Russell, when you get to his site click on folding knives. A mix of traditionals and modern.
Click to expand...

Seconded. A year or two ago this forum was pretty flush with his latest slipjoint releases like the gunstock lockback and sowbelly trapper but that seems to have tailed off and they don't spring to mind as quickly as they once did. The quality of his branded traiditional knives is excellent and definitely worth consideration.
 
Every American & German brand has knives that are values in their price range.

Case and Boker do a very good job finishing their product to a perfect mirror polish; in doing so they also round all the corners. They have fairly tame snap and will sometimes have minor gaps and rubs. Make sure and pay attention to the small print, as the German made Boker knives are what I reference. Current German made Hen & Rooster are also made by Boker.

Queen / S&M do a great job on their products, generally. The standard line they have been making day in and day out for years are well executed. Can't go wrong with the ACSB or Curly Zebra line. The Mooremaker 5Blade Sowbelly from 10+ years ago are a real workhorse.

Great Eastern are far and away the boys to beat these days. They are much tighter made knives that feel more like a workhorse than most others. If you don't have a stout thumbnail, be very selective in which model you get, as they will politely remove it for you if not careful. They don't tumble blades, so even on the mirror finish expect to see some grind lines under the shine. But also expect perfectly square joint connections.

In short, Case makes the best $20 Sodbuster and Queen (Moore Maker) makes the best 5 blade Sowbelly. Everything in between is personal preference and value based. I handle many knives a day and send many back to the factories. By far the smallest percentage going back are GEC, with current Case offerings coming in next. But there is not a knife made that you can't find something you don't like if you put it under a microscope.
 
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