Case vs GEC and why?

TattooBlade said:
Just curious your thoughts. I carry mostly customs, but I have my share of both CASE and GEC. Just curious what you like and dislike about them and why. My only gripe with GEC is the price. For the price of a couple you can have a custom. Though I do like their selection. CASE to me just seems like the all American classic and a piece of history so I'll always have a place for them.
Click to expand...
I’d love to hear where you buy your customs. I’m still looking for someone to make me an enormous locking Sodbuster!

Also, regarding this thread, my recently acquired Case Large Stockman is a great value.
 
My thoughts on the subject are this. My favorite part about case knives is that they are readily available at local dealers so I can actually handle the knife. I have figured out that case knives are very hit or miss and I like to make sure I'm getting a good one so I don't regret the purchase. I had purchased a new trapper recently online and was disappointed in the quality. With GEC you cannot buy local like case but ordering a knife online usually yields a great knife. I enjoy hunting for the right knife from both brands I just have to hunt for them in different ways!
 
DoubleAught said:
My thoughts on the subject are this. My favorite part about case knives is that they are readily available at local dealers so I can actually handle the knife. I have figured out that case knives are very hit or miss and I like to make sure I'm getting a good one so I don't regret the purchase. I had purchased a new trapper recently online and was disappointed in the quality. With GEC you cannot buy local like case but ordering a knife online usually yields a great knife. I enjoy hunting for the right knife from both brands I just have to hunt for them in different ways!
Click to expand...

That reflects my general thoughts as well, although I tend to prefer Case's CV variants, and I can only rarely find those locally.

The only thing I'd add is that for me, my Case knives (partly because of price, partly because of availability) are a little less 'precious' than my GECs, and just feel like good workingman knives that I can throw in a pocket for just about anything and not worry about it. I use all of my GECs as well, for sure, but I would certainly be more bummed if I lost one, as I don't really consider any of the GECs I have to be replaceable at this point. There's something to be said for a knife I can enjoy, and will serve me well, but that I don't have to worry about too much.
 
I enjoy having both brands, as others have mentioned.
I have more Case knives because of price and availability.
GECs have gotten so hard to get that I can't replace the ones I have or experiment with different ones.
I can buy a Case knife, try it out, and send it down the road if I don't like it. The next one is just a bid or click away.
I truly wish GEC was easier to get ahold of, I'd still be collecting and trading them, which I really enjoyed doing. But not any more.
 
Over the last decade or so, whenever I dropped into a particular local hardware store near me, I would check out at least a couple of knives in the Case case. I really wanted to like them - the history of the brand is cool, and they have very attractive designs. But the quality was so bad that I never bought any (I mostly remember woefully uneven grinds; giant gaps between springs, liners, and handles; the point was rounded off on nearly everything).

Recently, I decided, what the heck, I want to try some Case knives anyway, and decided I would just deal with whatever quality issues come up. If I can love my Klein TL-29 despite it's many manufacturing flaws, I can probably put up with whatever I get from Case, too. So I told my wife about a couple of knives I might like to have one or the other, and she surprised me by giving me both of them for my birthday.

I am quite surprised by the fit and finish on both of these. The Zippo Peanut is really good - maybe not quite at GEC levels, but not far behind (I'd say it's about at the same level as Boker slipjoints). The Case Large Stockman is as well-made as my Tidioute branded GEC knives - it's not perfect, but neither are they. I can find flaws if I look for them, but they are so slight as to not impact either the function or aesthetics of these knives.

I don't know if I just got super-lucky with these, or if I was just super-unlucky with the ones in the hardware store, or if Case has turned a corner on quality. A sample of two isn't enough for me to make broad statements about Case quality, but a narrow statement will do: they are capable of making really nice knives. And you can order one pretty much whenever you want, and you don't have to pay flipper prices. I'm not done with GEC, at all, but I would have no problem buying other things from Case at this point.
 
Tyson A Wright said:
I don't know if I just got super-lucky with these, or if I was just super-unlucky with the ones in the hardware store, or if Case has turned a corner on quality.
Click to expand...
I've said it many times... Case went though a bad time where their QC was horrible, but that hasn't been the Case for the last couple of years. There's still some old stock out there, so you have to be careful. But they once again make a great knife at a good price.
 
JohnDF said:
I've said it many times... Case went though a bad time where their QC was horrible, but that hasn't been the Case for the last couple of years. There's still some old stock out there, so you have to be careful. But they once again make a great knife at a good price.
Click to expand...
I agree, I have picked up some recent case knives that have been great out of the box. I believe they are back on track producing some fantastic knives.
 
Elgatodeacero said:
Case offers a very nice product with bone covers at the lower end of the price range, in the 25-50 dollar range. The Case Chrome Vanadium line up is good looking and sharp our of the box.

But.......for me there is no comparison between GEC and Case products, and in my experience GEC quality and finish is so much better than Case that the 80-120 GEC price is well justified.

Also, even when Case tries to do stag or another high end cover material they just never seem to get it right to my eye and everything gets overpolished and washed out including the exotic covers.

Case is a good first slip joint if you are not sure you want a non-locking knife, and also a good knife for a young kid that might misplace it.

Jec88, i recommend you pick up a new GEC 15 with ebony, bone or micarta covers - you will fall in love. They are selling for 65-70 dollars, which is a bargain.
Click to expand...
Wish they were still selling there. Now they are like 125-150
 
Haha, K Kvk09 that post was 6 years ago ……. Debasement of our currency will destroy this country, but at least my GEC’s are keeping up with inflation!
 
I love vintage Case which are still widely available. New ones are hit or miss and I actually own some Rough Ryders that have better fit and finish at a quarter of the price. I find Case to be a brand I prefer to buy in person, or from an honest seller who actually knows what blade play is.

GEC is a growing source of frustration for me. New Drops are gone in 30 seconds and it seems like more than a coincidence that the same people always end up with the most desirable patterns when they drop. If GEC isn’t going to up their production, they should consider releasing less patterns and greater quantity of what everyone wants.
 
coolhand68 said:
I love vintage Case which are still widely available. New ones are hit or miss and I actually own some Rough Ryders that have better fit and finish at a quarter of the price. I find Case to be a brand I prefer to buy in person, or from an honest seller who actually knows what blade play is.

GEC is a growing source of frustration for me. New Drops are gone in 30 seconds and it seems like more than a coincidence that the same people always end up with the most desirable patterns when they drop. If GEC isn’t going to up their production, they should consider releasing less patterns and greater quantity of what everyone wants.
Click to expand...
Agree. Wish I never heard of GEC. Not even much better than case. I have gotten some great new ones that are just as good and wasted money on the GEC hype
 
Case and GEC have different sales philosophies; Case sells to collectors by changing the materials (primarily scales) and other small features (stamps, shields, etc.), where GEC is more driven to change the patterns (although they do the details thing also). Until they brought in Tony Bose Case hadn't introduced a new pattern (of a traditional pocket knife) in decades. The closest they'd come is to pull a pattern out of "the vault" and do a run. There are Case ads from 100 years ago that show patterns they haven't made since WWII. GEC went looking to resurrect patterns that were not available anywhere else, and the market responded. Case finally caught on to this, but you can tell it's not their focus.

Another aspect is this, Case is about moving volume through an old established distribution system. This isn't as strongly developed with GEC. Case makes a lot more knives than GEC. Case has a lot more trouble with QC as a result. This can be seen in the huge difference in quality between the hand inspected knives vs. the factory runs in the Bose patterns. It's also the reason the ones Tony Bose signed off on sold for 3-4 times the price. You can easily find Case knives for less than 50% of the manufacturers retail price; that's a result of the distribution system and the volume. You can even find them cheaper if you consider used. The Case knives that will cost you money are those from 50+ years ago. GEC doesn't have this issue to the same extent, but you can still find retailers in their distribution system who sell for less than suggested retail if you look around.
 
Interesting thread revival.
I also feel the frustration of the GEC 'drops'...main reason I keep the defribulator on the hairy chest of the annual forum traditional Porch knife....Seriously for the last 5 years its been the last one ever....I firmly believe that this is not some insidious GEC marketing strategy....More a hysteria created by an evergrowing crowd of pitchfork wielding torchwaving villagers ( aaah the good ol days 😁)..and who can blame? WHO doesn't want to see 'heritage' survive .Who doesn't want to see Tradition continue? Who doesn't want investment quality with practicality ...functional art...Everything comes at a price...even heritage...This is a niche market for collectors/enthusiasts/dare I say hobbyists? It seems nowdays the quality and tradition are available at half the price ...without the heritage value ..?
 
GEC started in 2006, and is the baby of one, aging, person. It is very likely to disappear, in its current form, in a few years. I am not aware of any family continuity, but I hope to be wrong.
 
I like both, to me GEC patterns are better looking, and they are made in the same style you would expect a knife made in the late 1800's to early 1900's. Case is obviously more affordable and easier to obtain. As far as fit and finish I own several GEC knives now, and I really cannot say that they are noticeably better than my Case knives. I have blade rub on a couple of my GECs, and my most recent Case purchase of a CV trapper is flawless from what I can tell. I think Case excels in a consistent walk and talk where some of the GEC are uncomfortably stiff.
In reality I like both, but I do think Case is a better value. I see GEC knives that I love but the price and availability is a turn off for me personally.
 
Case has some neat patterns, and I usually carry one or another old family Case. I appreciate looking at individual Case’s being displayed locally. I’m looking for stag covers with two CV blades.
Prior to the shutdown, GEC had neat patterns and the availability was available. A few months ago, here in Traditionals, I saw folks obtaining and displaying one run - before it was released (well, I never saw it actually released or available). Good for them, but the dynamics have changed. Our annual knife seems the only way to get one now.
Both Case & GEC have great patterns I really, really enjoy, and some patterns best suited for other folks. Moving into our futures, I’ll see what is available.
 
chevyrulez1 said:
I like both, to me GEC patterns are better looking, and they are made in the same style you would expect a knife made in the late 1800's to early 1900's. Case is obviously more affordable and easier to obtain. As far as fit and finish I own several GEC knives now, and I really cannot say that they are noticeably better than my Case knives. I have blade rub on a couple of my GECs, and my most recent Case purchase of a CV trapper is flawless from what I can tell. I think Case excels in a consistent walk and talk where some of the GEC are uncomfortably stiff.
In reality I like both, but I do think Case is a better value. I see GEC knives that I love but the price and availability is a turn off for me personally.
Click to expand...
Agree totally on this. My case trapper is mint. Owned a GEC 71 that was a 9 pull and was frustrating. Now have a pony jack that is nice but 3 times the price
 
El Jay said:
Case can't make knives with proper fit and finish and they can't repair them correctly either. GEC does it right the first time although I won't play the game of trying to get one. Case makes knifelike collectables.
Click to expand...
I respectfully disagree with everything you've said in the quoted comment, except for the part about how acquiring GEC knives has become a game. Often, it feels like a rigged one.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top