Explain GEC to Me Please

Lenny

Lenny

Gold Member
Joined
Oct 15, 1998
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2,487
This applies to GEC, Tidioute, and UNXLD.
Yes, I'm sure they're a step above Case, Mooremaker etc in terms of fit and finish.
But for the life of me, I don't understand their aesthetics.
Their choice of bone color and jigging is absolutely horrible.
Colors are either way too dark, or too light and featureless.
The jigging looks like a machine did it and doesn't look natural at all.
Pretty much all of the jigging marks line up like rows of corn.
Most of their frames are also boring and too straight with no character.
Finally, they have some of the strangest shaped blades I've ever seen.
Sure, they use 1095 and 440C which I feel is good steel, besides being appropriate for old style slippies.
And I'm sure the limited production and serialized runs adds to their cachet.
But I just don't get it.
Are they meant to be used, or just collected and put in a display case.
Really don't mean to offend anybody, and maybe they look much nicer in person.
I just really want to know what the draw to these knives are.
Thanks,
Lenny
 
They make good knives. I only have one at this point. Fit and finish is excellent. I agree with you about the scales. The samples I see online at least, tend to be almost black with just a touch of color at the edges and the jigging isn't the most natural looking. But other than that, they seem to be really well made knives. I'm sure others will have more to say.
 
Hmm, I've never seen bone that was naturally jigged?
I have quite a few different GEC knives and they actually have a great choice of jigged bone patterns. I'm not sure how they all look a like?
I think maybe if you were able to hold a few in hand, you'd see that they have a great selection of jig patterns.

Every knife company out there uses a jigging machine to cut the patterns into the bone scales. Case was on "How It's Made" and they showed the process of the knife scales, very awesome show.
 
Of the very few of them I have, the 2011 forum knife is the finest example.

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They are making the 2012 knife and I am getting one of those. Their colors do tend to the dark, but I have a "rusty red" white owl that is not dark, but the jigging is not so great.

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I also have a smooth yellow bone whittler that is very nice.

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Overall, I'd say that the knives are better quality than Case, but to my eyes anyway, not more aestheticly pleasing. Their standard trapper is a perfect size trapper in my estimation.

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Ed J
 
Handles that may appear dark or colorless on indoor websellers pics don't show depth of color the way natural lighting does. As far as the rest, get a GEC in hand and the appeal starts to make sense.

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OK, thanks for the replies all.
I also wanted to say, that to my eye, Case does a much better
job of coloring and jigging their bone scales.
I have an amber bone stockman that has gorgeous scales.
Guess I'll have to see one in person.
Lenny
 
Here is a really nice one - They really know how to do stag!

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And the other side is perfectly matched and just as nice!

:thumbup:
 
My GEC's are either stag or acrylic. I agree with you on the 'non brilliant' colors, but you can't miss the Texas Rose from a mile away.

Blade shape. The UNXLD line does indeed have some proud blades. I've noticed that the Tidioute line has more streamlined blades, though you loose the swedes with that line.

Using vs collecting. For me personally I use every GEC I have (#23,#61, #52) and will use the #54 Jack I just ordered. The acrylics are sitting in their tubes until my boys are a bit older.
 
GEC must do something right because they left Case in the dust.
I own about a dozen and every single one get used as often as possible.
No weak snap, shields falling off, or huge gaps in the liners... (like most newer case)
Vintage Case can compete, but are tough to find at a decent price.
Take GEC for a test drive and the bold colors wont matter anymore.
 
The Primitive Bone is naturally jigged... And Tidioutes have drawn instead of cut swedges. All 3 lines make great users.

For different types of jigging, perhaps you'd be more interested in the older horse cut, grizzly cut bone, or standard/stained green tea bones? Below are horse cut and standard green tea. I don't have older grizzly bone though. The last pic is a newer one.

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I, personally, love GEC's finer jigging.
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Perhaps you should also check out the Schrade Fire and Ice knives GEC made in 2006 in the #23 and #73 patterns. There are still a few around.
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I think my moose is one of the sturdiest slipjoints I own, a real workhorse, and I just revived a #62 courthouse whittler as a gift and I think it has some of the nicest scales I've seen. Just my opinion and you know what they say about that:-)
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To each their own, one mans trash is another mans treasure.
 
Lenny, here is my story and my thought evolution on Great Eastern Cutlery. Bear with me... it is a little long.

I can only say that I was skeptical also about the GEC lines being noticeably better than the Case line. My first exposure was with the principals present and I don't think they were really very pleased with my comments of apparent quality versus price. I didn't buy one. They know that not everyone is willing to spend "more" for what on the surface seems to be about the same slip joint knife as made by Case and I like Case knives and they aren’t cheap. You could take this reasoning a big step further and look at Frost Cutlery brand knives and compare to Case. Now you can tell a significant difference in quality, but at a significantly higher price point for the same pattern with Case. For many, spending $10 > $15 for a Frost slippie versus $50 > $80 for a Case is a big step in the justification department. The Frosts do cut…

I have even purchased a couple Frost Cutlery knives just to really look them over carefully. Of the ones I purchased, the Ocoee River brand Sunfish is a pretty good knife. It actually stays on my desk as a general purpose knife (like a need another general purpose slip joint?).

On this forum, it was GEC this and GEC that... and I recall asking what GEC meant. I didn't know. The knives are listed as Northfield and Tidioute, not Great Eastern Cutlery for the most part. Then there is the Northwoods brand. What’s with that? At first I believed they were another GEC brand… I believe they are made by Bark River. What about Bradford Cutlery? Bradford PA is where Case is, but the Bradford Cutlery knife I purchased is no “Case”. I have read that GEC made these knives for Smokey Mountain Knife Works (SMKW) and Bradford is one of the SMKW brands. But I am not positive.

My first purchase was a Bradford Cutlery knife which was in the same area at SMKW as GEC. I honestly believed it was a GEC knife when I bought it, but was not sure after getting it home. But it was in the same tube packaging as the GEC knives. I liked it, but it’s a nail breaker and for the most part is not even opened.

I needed a real GEC knife! The #73 (Tidioute branded) was my choice since the trapper pattern is my favorite. Price was important. I have to say that I was impressed, but the nudging on this forum certainly pushes me toward wanting to like it more. It was not until I purchased the #36 Sunfish that I was convinced that GEC knives are superb!

You are perhaps at the point where I was a couple of years ago. You will just have to learn on your own and decide if you want to spend $80 > $125 on a slipjoint.
 
Lenny said:
But for the life of me, I don't understand their aesthetics.
Click to expand...
You're not alone. I think most of their knives have weird proportions. Either too wide and stubby, or long and thin. But if you find a pattern and knife that calls to you (like the #73 does to me) go grab it. Aesthetic considerations aside, their quality is second to none in production slipjoints.

- Christian
 
22-rimfire said:
You will just have to learn on your own and decide if you want to spend $80 > $125 on a slipjoint.
Click to expand...

Great story 22!! Just one comment... You can find GECs that go for upper $50s and low $60s shipped brand new.
 
Yes they make awesome users.

Yes they tend to die rich dark colors vs Case pinks and whites.

Yes they have someone blah jigging compared to case peach seed.

Yes they can make some odd looking knives in comparison.

Yes, they are a high quality, american made, hand assembled and finished product.

Kevin
 
They are great knives but lately visually I'm not interested in any of them. And everything is a limited edition, which gets old.
 
I just bought a burnt stag #65 with the spear point at the Blade Show. Not everyone likes the spear point. But I am not lacking for choices. The #65 is large enough to use and still is easy in the pocket. My price ranges are just general guesses as there are usually cheaper designs and more expensive ones as well.

I agree that GEC has some odd looking knives and blade choices. I generally lean toward the more tried and true designs.

There are many that are not limited editions. I don't generally want limited editions. That is a collector thing.
 
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