AFAustin
Gold Member
- Joined
- Jun 8, 2004
- Messages
- 2,505
In a recent thread (http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php/913154-GEC-73-Scout-Need-Advice-Please), this GEC rookie requested opinions on the #73 Scout single blade. It didnt take long after that for me to pull the trigger on a very nice one in cocobolo.
With that acquisition under my belt, I got curious about the 2-blade #73s. I dont mind a firm pull but nail breakers are not my thing, and Id read that #73 2-blades could be bear traps (I lucked out with my single blade #73---it has a Goldilocks pull---not too stout, not too soft .just right). So, I inquired about that, and Jim (Boggs) gave me a mild a__ chewing for asking that question for the 100[SUP]th [/SUP]time on the forum. He then followed it up with just about the most generous offer you can imagine---he decided to send me a few of his #73 2-blades so I could get a first hand answer to my question.
Four of Jims beauties (all virtually untouched from the distributors) arrived on my doorstop yesterday, and now after having had a good feel of them, I know the definitive answer to my question about the pull on these knives: It depends. Here they are, posing with my single blade coco. My apologies for the mediocre photos, which are mainly due to lack of skill, but also to my haste---first grandson and his parents are here for the weekend and its been a bit hectic (although very enjoyable).
Jims coco #73, which you can see is way darker than my coco, has a moderate pull---if anything, a bit softer than my single blade. I believe this knife also has steel liners and bolsters, but Jim please correct me if Im wrong. The Great Eastern stainless knife is a good bit firmer---at about the limit for my tastes. The Schrade (made by GEC) number is a little beyond that. Finally, that pretty stag is, well, yes, a real bear trap. I think it might require a medium size car jack to get the spey blade out on that one.
A few other random observations: I enjoyed seeing the different swedge treatments. Jims coco and stag start their swedges at very different points, and my single blade starts somewhere between those two. Also, if I have the chronology on these knives right, it confirms what others have said about GEC recently paying more attention to putting a decent edge on their knives out the door. But, that said, even the sharpest of this quartet, the dark coco, will benefit once Jim puts his own edge on it.
Finally, and for a rookie Im really going out on a limb here, but I would like to see another #73 variant: a stouter single-blade version. What I have in mind is one with a thicker blade, no swedge (or a very subtle one), and thicker scales. If you dont need 2 blades, it would be nice to have a wider grip without having to wrap your hand around the second blade. I was surprised at first when longbeachguy commented that my single blade is something of a gents knife because it is light, slender, and perty, since my initial impressions of the #73, just from reading and the pics Id seen, was that it was a very stout and rugged knife. While I do like the slim, light, and perty attributes for many purposes, I believe that a nice addition to the line-up would be a more robust single blade #73.
To wrap up, I should return to the original subject of all this: the pull on the 2-blade #73s. The lesson that Jim has taught me is a pretty simple one, I guess---it depends! In the future, if I consider buying this particular knife, or probably any GEC model which has a reputation for stout pull, I will likely take the plunge only if: 1) I can handle it first in person; 2) a kindly dealer or aftermarket seller assures me the pull is manageable; or 3) there is a no questions asked return policy!
Thank you, Jim, for your incredible generosity in giving me the chance to handle this nice variety of #73s. And thanks for the education.
Andrew
With that acquisition under my belt, I got curious about the 2-blade #73s. I dont mind a firm pull but nail breakers are not my thing, and Id read that #73 2-blades could be bear traps (I lucked out with my single blade #73---it has a Goldilocks pull---not too stout, not too soft .just right). So, I inquired about that, and Jim (Boggs) gave me a mild a__ chewing for asking that question for the 100[SUP]th [/SUP]time on the forum. He then followed it up with just about the most generous offer you can imagine---he decided to send me a few of his #73 2-blades so I could get a first hand answer to my question.
Four of Jims beauties (all virtually untouched from the distributors) arrived on my doorstop yesterday, and now after having had a good feel of them, I know the definitive answer to my question about the pull on these knives: It depends. Here they are, posing with my single blade coco. My apologies for the mediocre photos, which are mainly due to lack of skill, but also to my haste---first grandson and his parents are here for the weekend and its been a bit hectic (although very enjoyable).
Jims coco #73, which you can see is way darker than my coco, has a moderate pull---if anything, a bit softer than my single blade. I believe this knife also has steel liners and bolsters, but Jim please correct me if Im wrong. The Great Eastern stainless knife is a good bit firmer---at about the limit for my tastes. The Schrade (made by GEC) number is a little beyond that. Finally, that pretty stag is, well, yes, a real bear trap. I think it might require a medium size car jack to get the spey blade out on that one.
A few other random observations: I enjoyed seeing the different swedge treatments. Jims coco and stag start their swedges at very different points, and my single blade starts somewhere between those two. Also, if I have the chronology on these knives right, it confirms what others have said about GEC recently paying more attention to putting a decent edge on their knives out the door. But, that said, even the sharpest of this quartet, the dark coco, will benefit once Jim puts his own edge on it.
Finally, and for a rookie Im really going out on a limb here, but I would like to see another #73 variant: a stouter single-blade version. What I have in mind is one with a thicker blade, no swedge (or a very subtle one), and thicker scales. If you dont need 2 blades, it would be nice to have a wider grip without having to wrap your hand around the second blade. I was surprised at first when longbeachguy commented that my single blade is something of a gents knife because it is light, slender, and perty, since my initial impressions of the #73, just from reading and the pics Id seen, was that it was a very stout and rugged knife. While I do like the slim, light, and perty attributes for many purposes, I believe that a nice addition to the line-up would be a more robust single blade #73.
To wrap up, I should return to the original subject of all this: the pull on the 2-blade #73s. The lesson that Jim has taught me is a pretty simple one, I guess---it depends! In the future, if I consider buying this particular knife, or probably any GEC model which has a reputation for stout pull, I will likely take the plunge only if: 1) I can handle it first in person; 2) a kindly dealer or aftermarket seller assures me the pull is manageable; or 3) there is a no questions asked return policy!
Thank you, Jim, for your incredible generosity in giving me the chance to handle this nice variety of #73s. And thanks for the education.
Andrew
