Case vs GEC

I own no GECs. I have several Case Queen Schrade Camillus etc. The GECs look really nice and while the "farm knife" patterns are cool, they don't strike me as terribly practical for my purposes. I have bought into the old "you don't need a big knife" meme pretty well with one exception: I have big hands and like a 3.5 or better handle. So now I'm into long and thin I guess. Anyway the early bulky GECs kind of set my mind; I know they have made a bunch of smaller thinner knives of late. And they finally made a decent looking spear (that parallel to a point olde English thing was horribad and would function like a spey, yucko). I'll come around.
 
MarkPinTx said:
I own no GECs. I have several Case Queen Schrade Camillus etc. The GECs look really nice and while the "farm knife" patterns are cool, they don't strike me as terribly practical for my purposes. I have bought into the old "you don't need a big knife" meme pretty well with one exception: I have big hands and like a 3.5 or better handle. So now I'm into long and thin I guess. Anyway the early bulky GECs kind of set my mind; I know they have made a bunch of smaller thinner knives of late. And they finally made a decent looking spear (that parallel to a point olde English thing was horribad and would function like a spey, yucko). I'll come around.
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I agree with GEC being too bulky. I like knives in the 3 3/4 - 4 inch range and all the knives they make in that size are a lot bulkier and heavier than the knives that case make in that size range.
 
Actually of late I've been carrying an old timer peanut! I've really will take a more pocket friendly knife than a pocket buster brick pulling my pants down. The little knife has done everything needed from cutting twine to castrating. Yes I cut some calves with a 2inch clip point blade!! Lol!
 
FarmKid said:
Actually of late I've been carrying an old timer peanut! I've really will take a more pocket friendly knife than a pocket buster brick pulling my pants down. The little knife has done everything needed from cutting twine to castrating. Yes I cut some calves with a 2inch clip point blade!! Lol!
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I just did a round up with 250 calves. We had to cut quite a few.

My custom folder did fine. My Scharade 73 with a spey blade did fine too. The best performer, and the one I will go to next time was an opinel. I convexed the edge and it is a slicing demon. The lack of a spring made it even better. I need to get one and grind the tip to more of a drop point or spey point, to make it perfect.



As to the OP's GEC vs Case question, if they were comparably priced, it would be more of a VS. As it is, I think the real question is why not both? (I prefer GEC......)
 
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Rox said:
Case's marketing campaign, which is based (in part) on knowing that an individual, hardworking American is making "your" knife.
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Marketing is marketing... I think Case has more individual, hardworking American robots making your knife than people, hence their ability to set their price point so low.
 
Don't think you can really use 'vs' in the thread title. These 2 companies are pursuing different market segments. Apples and Oranges.
Case is the master of the $40 dollar knife. Pretty good value. Gaps and off center blades are typical in my experience. I still pickup the occasional copperhead on impulse. Thier Stainless holds a much better edge than knife nuts will lead you to believe.
GEC has mastered the $70-$100 knife. F&F are spot on. Blades are well centered. 440C stainless and 1095 carbon, 'nuff said.
 
Case will always be the America's sweetheart, but they've got some serious catching up to do if they want to produce a better knife than GEC.
The only thing Case cuts these days are corners.
That overbuilt / clunky feeling of GEC knives is just the good quality that has been absent in Case knives for the past few decades.
As others have said, only vintage Case knives (or $300+ collabs) can compete with GEC.
 
Which is a better knife in your opinion case or GEC (great eastern cutlery) and give a reason why you think which is better
 
Great Eastern Cutlery, hands-down, makes a higher quality knife. Better craftsmanship, better materials.

But many Case knives are OK too, if you can buy them in person. And Case costs, on average, half as much.

As a compromise, very good and consistent quality with Case-like prices, look at Boker and their German imports.
 
This is being merged with a recent thread on the same subject
 
Growing up in S. Louisiana everyone carried a knife. At that point in time (pre-Leatherman) the Buck 110 was the knife of choice. But people still broke down into 2 camps - Case or Buck. Sort of like Ford or Chevy. So I grew up with those 2 as my primary exposure.

Not long ago, I bought a more "modern" knife (a Kershaw Blur) and got sucked deeply into the knife world. I gathered up all the knives I had lying around from over the years and started to add to that. Although I bought a lot of modern cutlery, one significant aspect of my collecting (BTW, I use what I collect with very few exceptions) was still trad knives. So, I had several traditional Buck and Case knives.

In a discussion with another forum member, he mentioned the GEC Workhorse Whittler. I had never seen one, but I looked it up and fell in love. When it came in, it seriously impressed me. Enough so that I will be buying more from that company. It is a near perfect knife. No flaws at all. F&F equal to knives that sell for far more. I love the feel, the heft, and the obvious care taken to build this knife.

So while I still enjoy my Buck and Case knives and know that I'll buy more of them, my concentration is going to move primarily to GEC. That impact tells me all I need to know to answer the OP's question. GEC hands down. But there is still a good place in the field for Case and Buck. My Buck 303 & Case mini Copperlock are still amongst my favorite knives. . I've never owned a Queen, but have my eyes on a Queen Mountain Man. Something for everyone and that is really a very good thing for all of us as knife enthusiasts. :)

JMO.
 
If you want "the best Production knife" get a GEC. if you want a good knife for $40 buy a modern production case. I like both at their price points, but GEC just feels more genuine. GEC is still a young company and have a bright future. Its like the difference between a top shelf GEC and a Tony Bose custom...... You get what you pay for. My opinion is that technically GEC is "better" meaning better overall quality, but at the price gap, it's a crap shoot. Buy what you can afford and enjoy their beauty!
 
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