First GEC, initial impressions

Thanks to this thread i just picked up a 2009 Bulldog USA EO Jack on ebay for about 1/2 or less what the same GEC pattern would likely have gone for.
anybody have one of the 2009 Bulldog USA knives ? i wonder if the quality is as good as the GEC knives ?
roland
 
I'm a complete noobie to traditional knives but after lurking for a bit, I have a question:

What makes GEC knives so nice?

I know that this is a silly question but I'm awaiting my first Case knife (my first traditional slipjoint) and have begun looking at other traditional knives. I hear a lot of Queen and GEC. The price is considerably higher for GEC over Case/Queen. Is it the steel, handle materials, F&F? I hope some of you old fogies can provide some insight with your great knowledge. :p
 
rprocter, I bet the quality will be nearly identical...

GEC made those for Bulldog and that was Buzz you bought it from (if you bought the little cherry bone model). That is the great thing about eBay these days; collectors can get them cheaper than the makers ;)
 
knifeswapper, yes, from Buzz, and "Cherry bone" describes it but the listing says "Amber bone" and length was not given but handle pins are the same as the GEC EO so i'm sure it's the same length(whatever that is).
in the pics provided, the knife is not quite as immediately attractive as most of the GEC models, but i went for it because once the word gets around, i doubt $32 would be a winning bid.
i'll post back when i have it with my impressions of F'nF etc.
roland
 
D1omedes said:
I'm a complete noobie to traditional knives but after lurking for a bit, I have a question:

What makes GEC knives so nice?

I know that this is a silly question but I'm awaiting my first Case knife (my first traditional slipjoint) and have begun looking at other traditional knives. I hear a lot of Queen and GEC. The price is considerably higher for GEC over Case/Queen. Is it the steel, handle materials, F&F? I hope some of you old fogies can provide some insight with your great knowledge. :p
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All of the above. Superb bone or wood (have both), excellently heat-treated 1095 steel, and fit and finish that rivals some customs I've seen. Case makes an excellent knife to the price point, but GEC makes one that's simply better.
 
D1omedes, read the other GEC threads here and you'll hear of the excellent designs(patterns), great F'nF, etc. but the only real way to understand, is to buy one. something happens when you receive it, see it, and hold it.
almost certainly you'll get what i call the "Holy Shoot reaction". as in, without thinking, the words "Holy Shoot is this Ever a Nice knife !" will immediately be blurted out. once you have this experience, then you will understand better than reading someone else's description.
roland
 
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If you want to try one out go to collectorknives.net and check out the "EDC" section of his GECs. EDC's are slightly not-perfect (though I have two and can't find a flaw) and are less expensive than the others. There are a couple there around $50. I thought Case was great too until I picked up a couple GECs. The quality is MUCH better on the GECs. Try one, if you don't like it, you can always sell it!


D1omedes said:
I'm a complete noobie to traditional knives but after lurking for a bit, I have a question:

What makes GEC knives so nice?

I know that this is a silly question but I'm awaiting my first Case knife (my first traditional slipjoint) and have begun looking at other traditional knives. I hear a lot of Queen and GEC. The price is considerably higher for GEC over Case/Queen. Is it the steel, handle materials, F&F? I hope some of you old fogies can provide some insight with your great knowledge. :p
Click to expand...
 
abiggs said:
If you want to try one out go to collectorknives.net and check out the "EDC" section of his GECs. EDC's are slightly not-perfect (though I have two and can't find a flaw) and are less expensive than the others. There are a couple there around $50. I thought Case was great too until I picked up a couple GECs. The quality is MUCH better on the GECs. Try one, if you don't like it, you can always sell it!
Click to expand...

Thanks for all the help guys. I just checked that site and the prices really are amazing. Have you picked up one of those EDC's? It almost sounds too good to be true.

It looks like I better start saving up for a GEC. Is any model superior to the rest?
 
D1omedes said:
Thanks for all the help guys. I just checked that site and the prices really are amazing. Have you picked up one of those EDC's? It almost sounds too good to be true.

It looks like I better start saving up for a GEC. Is any model superior to the rest?
Click to expand...

The one I just received was listed as EDC. For the life of me I can't figure out what makes it "EDC" instead of "mint".

Frank
 
D1omedes said:
How is the strength of the spring? Is there a solid half action and snap when open?
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Oh yeah! It's about as stout as it gets without being a real nailbreaker. The half stops are super crisp. It opens with a kind of click-clack. I paid as much for a carbon Boker stockman that was nowhere near as nice. Don't worry about the "EDC" listing.

Frank
 
I have two, both are virtually flawless!


D1omedes said:
Thanks for all the help guys. I just checked that site and the prices really are amazing. Have you picked up one of those EDC's? It almost sounds too good to be true.

It looks like I better start saving up for a GEC. Is any model superior to the rest?
Click to expand...
 
SilverFoxKnows said:
A red barn board bone two blade scout. This thing is nice. It was listed on Collectorknives as EDC condition, instead of mint. Honestly, I'm not sure why. Its fit, finish & jigging is as nice as any Case or Boker I've ever handled, better than most. From the way the bone meets the metal to the way the blade tangs meet the springs. Outstanding. I had read the springs on GECs were like bear traps. Boy, are they. You could lose a finger if you weren't careful. The whole knife is more substantial than it's length would lead you to believe. It's only 1/4" longer than my Case Cheetah Cub but far more robust in build and weight. I'm impressed. This may be the first but it won't be the last.

Frank
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I just got my EDC Red Barn-board bone two blade Scout 3 3/4"
My first trapper pattern from GEC
I cannot add much more to the excellent review of the knife

On this knife there are two cosmetic flaws.
  • The bone has a crack from one on the back pins to the end of the knife (minor)
  • The shield is high and sharp, so is uncomfortable to hold, I will need to sand or buff the sharp edges.


The springs are strong, but that was ok
The problem was both the blades were rubbing against the joints and it was very difficult to open.
So it has taken me hours of oiling the joints working the blades open and closed, then wiggling the blades against the bolsters.
So I have finally to loosened the blades to make a normal opening possible!!


The price of this EDC 2007 now, was the same price of what they were going for 1st quality in 2007!
Now the prices for a 1st quality trappper in bone seem to me high to me.

All in all, a fine knife.
 
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neeman, if it has a crack on one of the back pins I'd return it.

I bought a GEC 73 Single Blade in rather slimmer config than the usual knife. It developed a crack from the centre pin to the liner in a couple of days.I hadn't dropped it or banged it but I suspected it was the monster spring that caused a stress fracture. The dealer replaced it immediately even though I'd put a patina on the blade.
 
Here is my 2009 Bulldog EO Jack. made by GEC so i thought the GEC fans might like to see how it looks:

camillus003-13.jpg

camillus007-13.jpg

camillus008-12.jpg


Not bad, eh ! pretty much the same as my other GECs, with 1/2 stop and very nice blade action.
roland
 
Those easy-opens are sure easy on the eyes! Rprocter- I like that one! Bulldog is smart to be using Great Eastern as a manufacturer. The bone looks very nice, and I dig the bomb shield, and the match-striker nail nick too. Also, they didn't swedge the blade- which I've found can make the easy-opens less easy to open. I think the #25 frame is my favorite from Great Eastern so far. :thumbup:
 
These 2 Scouts (73 pattern) made by GEC are for Cumberland Knife Works, the ram's horn 2-blade, and for Bulldog USA, the crow's foot bone 3-blade. Both super nice and the equal of anything they put their own brand on.
GECscouts-1.jpg
 
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