Case vs GEC and why?

I think Case has been a victim of their own success over the years. They have produced so many knives over so many years. You don't get to be in business that long without at some point streamlining or modifying your production processes to help keep costs down. The increased automation, coupled with what I feel is a softening of craftsmanship over the years, has led to their hit or miss QC issues. What made them special in the early years is, IMO, the same thing that makes GEC knives special right now. GEC is still somewhat of a "new" brand to the knife world, so most everything they make is "hot". Of course, it helps that the quality is also very good.

I am curious what will happen as the market gets more flooded with GEC knives. Will they continue to hold their extreme value? Who knows, certain ones I suppose, most of Charlie's SFO's come to mind. But eventually, there may be enough TC barlows (for example) in circulation that they don't get scooped up within 5 seconds on the exchange. Hopefully, companies like GEC will continue to produce QUALITY products as their brand recognition expands.
 
All knife manufactures produce duds at times. The Case knives I've purchased lately have rivaled and in at least two cases (pun not intended) exceed anything GEC has made. Just look at the latest run of GEC #71 Bull Nose knives. Plenty of complaints about hard pulls and some about blades not centered. Then there were complaints about the weak pulls on the #43s and there will probably be plenty of complaints about the upcoming #44s. It all evens out in the end. If I sound a bit biased toward Case, I am. I got my first Case knife in 1948.
 
22-rimfire said:
a whole host of other products that eventually head to the trash can or goodwill in the case of clothing, boots, and shoes.
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I've sent my share of knives to the trash bin.
Even threw away a GEC 25 when it developed blade play.
 
I only like the all steel cons
glennbad said:
I think Case has been a victim of their own success over the years. They have produced so many knives over so many years. You don't get to be in business that long without at some point streamlining or modifying your production processes to help keep costs down. The increased automation, coupled with what I feel is a softening of craftsmanship over the years, has led to their hit or miss QC issues. What made them special in the early years is, IMO, the same thing that makes GEC knives special right now. GEC is still somewhat of a "new" brand to the knife world, so most everything they make is "hot". Of course, it helps that the quality is also very good.

I am curious what will happen as the market gets more flooded with GEC knives. Will they continue to hold their extreme value? Who knows, certain ones I suppose, most of Charlie's SFO's come to mind. But eventually, there may be enough TC barlows (for example) in circulation that they don't get scooped up within 5 seconds on the exchange. Hopefully, companies like GEC will continue to produce QUALITY products as their brand recognition expands.
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Clearly there is room for GEC to up their #'s on popular patterns to help meet demand and squash the ridiculous flipping that takes place in some cases by the dealers themselves. These are at the end of the day production knives. People will get tired of the rabid chase and the flipping and loose interest. It's a game many don't want to play for a production knife. Either that or GEC should raise their prices significantly on limited or popular patterns. I've seen this once before with a production knife maker. I think he saw the writing on the wall and did what he had to to up his production to match demand and level out pricing across the board because people lost interest and didn't want to pay $900+ to a flipper for a $450 retail production knife.
 
If ( Value = Quality / Price ) then Case is greater than GEC.

Case has a far greater selection of currently available combinations of patterns, covers, grinds, and steel. They have available more of the less common patterns and variations like russlocks, half whittlers, half stockman, mid hunters, stockman with punch, etc. Their prices are better across the board, but if you want to pay for a premium quality, exotic material, finely finished, limited edition knife, you can do that with case too. Their service and support is at least as good as GEC. They have an excellent warranty and they offer a reasonable sharpening and out of warranty repair service. Their knives retain value. Their knives are easier to obtain. There are more Case dealers, so it's easier to find a place where you can actually hold one in your hand to test the pull, the walk and talk, and the grip in YOUR hand to see how the knife fits.

I'm sure that GEC makes a great knife, but I've never had a chance to handle one, and I'll bet I'm not alone in that respect. Unless something changes, I think the price and availability of GEC will end up making Case the choice for the vast majority of people for years to come.
 
I like both and I have both, both brands make knives that cut well. When it comes down to it both companies are capable of making nice knives with near perfect f&f. Neither are made quite the same way as knives of old, but still nice.
 
Gabriel Velasco said:
If ( Value = Quality / Price ) then Case is greater than GEC.

....There are more Case dealers, so it's easier to find a place where you can actually hold one in your hand to test the pull, the walk and talk, and the grip in YOUR hand to see how the knife fits.

I'm sure that GEC makes a great knife, but I've never had a chance to handle one, and I'll bet I'm not alone in that respect. Unless something changes, I think the price and availability of GEC will end up making Case the choice for the vast majority of people for years to come.
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I guess you forgot personal preference as a priority when choosing. Being able to actually hold a Case knife in your hand is certainly a big advantage. There is value there. I hope both Case and GEC prosper as cutlery companies.

People place value at different points. Relative to Case.... I like a nice walk & talk and most Case knives don't have that anymore. Blade centering... a problem for Case > sloppy QA/QC. Scales that don't come close to matching. Dyes on bone that are not consistent. I find that many Vic SAKs have better walk & talk than a Case knife. That should not be the case. Does any of this matter? Yep. I would rather spend twice the price for a GEC than be dissatisfied with a Case slippie of similar size and shape. The price is what kept me away from buying a GEC slippie when they first started out. I thought the price for Case, Queen, and GEC should be about the same. At first I saw little difference.
 
In my mind it’s all about the action. W&at and snap is where it’s at. GEC wins on actions. Case wins on lockup on their lockbacks.
 
I started with Case. I wanted to replace a knife from my childhood and turned to Case to satiate that desire for a great traditional slipjoint. I remember seeing GECs and thinking people were NUTS to pay close to $100 for such a knife when you could get a Case at half the price. It just seemed completely unnecessary to me at the time. But, eventually, I bought 1 GEC just to see what all the fuss was about. Then came a second...then a third. You get the picture. I still have several Case knives, but most I sold off to fund new GECs. So the question, then, is why (to the OP). Others articulated this already. I'll echo it. I think the designs + QC of GEC are the biggest factors for me. Take the #85, for example. Its lines are much more a esthetically pleasing than the tear drop Jacks made by Queen or Case. Take their clip point #15 Boys Knife (as a second example) and compare its lines to Canal Steet's medium sleeve board with a clip point. There's nothing wrong with CSC's version. But GEC's is just so much more refined. I don't know how great eastern Cutlery keeps pulling this off (not just on one or two specific patterns, but) knife, after knife, after knife. I think I would be a terrible knife designer, but I can appreciate it after someone else has done it. :D The care taken in design can appear subtle, but makes a HUGE difference to me. There are a couple of other things to consider. I think we all love GEC's shields. With Case, I would not mind an occasional "Case-branded" shield, just like I don't mind the occasional "un-x-ld" shield on a GEC. But I think most people love the classics (cloud, federal, bomb, and, yes, even the hotdog). With Case, these are the exceptions! Related, the way GEC did even their "branded" shields is so apropos for an old timey knife. It looks like something that could be on a knife from 100 years ago. Conversely, most the Case shields (not all) feel modern, whimsical, even sometimes silly. The location of GEC shields in the cover material is pretty much always perfect and this is often not so with Case. Additionally, the size of Case shields are sometimes not in correct proportion to the knife. In sum, I think whoever is designing GEC knives and selecting/sizing/positioning shields is actually got the eye of an artist. I'm not being hyperbolic here. It's actually quite wonderful and it would be easy for a knife maker to NOT take the time to get it right SO DARN CONSISTENTLY. I just freaking love Great Eastern Cutlery.
 
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Yes (everybody), I know I sinned, and I threw away a (GEC) knife.
I will say 12 Hail Marys, and 10 Our Fathers, for your forgiveness...
This was before I was on the forum and before I knew about the secondary market. I blew it. We can move on now!
 
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Quality-wise I'll vote GEC. But I honestly don't like an awful lot of their patterns. I dislike "stubby," wide knife blades (I much prefer long, slender Turkish clip-style blades). It also bugs me to no end that you can't just pick a GEC you like and then buy one. With Case, if I feel like buying a mini trapper with such-and-such handles, it's simple to find and purchase. It'd be nice GEC would maintain steady production of a core line of popular patterns.

-- Mark
 
The decline in QC is why I stick to buying vintage Case knives. GECs build quality deserves the highest praise. I don't recall having any issues with the fit, finish, or function of any GEC I've owned. I tend to be on the OCD side, especially with my knives, and I was always concerned about any damage or patina occurring with such nice GECs. I guess that's why I sold all but 2 of them and find myself carrying a Buck 560 or 110 along with a stainless slipjoint from Case, Camillus, Buck, Schrade...etc. in a pocket slip. I'll own a stainless GEC one day, but I always miss them in the FS threads. Plus, they sell for prices that could afford me a mint vintage Case, which I'll almost always prefer.
 
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