- Joined
- Dec 17, 2004
- Messages
- 1,212
Well, I was wanting to finally get a GEC, took me a couple hours to narrow it down from 4 different ones.
And then I had to go through 4 dealers before I found one, and then to another dealer when I couldn't get a secure site connection at the first...
What I decided on was the one I really wanted last year, Beaver Tail 1 blade Trapper in Beaver Pond Bone and 1095. It was easy to find that pattern, the hard part was finding one in that bone... With only 250 made(I got #133), I almost waited too long to get one.(dealer I got it from only had the one in stock too).
Wow. BIG knife.
I knew how long it would be, and obviously had seen the pics and knew the proportions of it, bu this thing is Long & Wide! Verry hand filling handle, more than enough room.
The last big knife I got was the 1985 Remington Woodsman Moose, and it was wider/thicker/longer than the one I had been carying. Here they are together;
Yikes.
Yet surprisingly thin.. not too thin, it still handles well. And pockets amazing for its size.
Snap is great, and did take some getting used to, to close, and also to open.
I didn't expect the spring and tang to fit flush with each other, and the end of the bolster.. nice old world touch.
That feature alone though reduces leverage against the spring, and having to pass those square tang corners really explains the snap. I doubt the spring itself is actually much stronger than other knives, its the geometry of its relationship to the tang in play.
Unfortunetally; on to the nitpicking.. Bone to bolster could be better, the bone dips in a little at that point, you can feel the edge of the bolster a little. Blade isn't perfectly centered when closed.(never seen one that is..) And it was fairly un-sharp. verry high angle edge, and fair on the straight of th blade, but the curve and tip barely had any edge.
Now honestly, I love it. Its more gorgeous than I knew it would be, bone and all.
The reason I see those things is because of the hype they seem to carry "better than Case fit" "razor sharp out of the box" etc.. Better than Case? No. Just as good, 50/50 quality between them? Yes. :thumbup: I have Case, Bear, RR etc, all with the same "problems". They are not problems to me, but I have become trained to look for these things.
Don't get me wrong, its one heck of a well crafted knife! damn solidly built, And I will deffinetaly have more of them. :thumbup::thumbup:
In all practicality, the knife is perfect, and rivals build of the great companys today. I am impressed.
Anyway, it spent its fist evening with me carving sticks for stirring the campfire, and for roasting bacon over the fire. Also was my dinner knife for bar-B-Qed beef ribs (cooked over that same campfire). Starting a nice patina already. Its third evening with me tonight after running a ceramic rod for a bit to improve the edge, it was used to push cut split kindling for the fire, whittle fuzz sticks, and test cut steaks for rareness.
G.
And then I had to go through 4 dealers before I found one, and then to another dealer when I couldn't get a secure site connection at the first...
What I decided on was the one I really wanted last year, Beaver Tail 1 blade Trapper in Beaver Pond Bone and 1095. It was easy to find that pattern, the hard part was finding one in that bone... With only 250 made(I got #133), I almost waited too long to get one.(dealer I got it from only had the one in stock too).
Wow. BIG knife.
I knew how long it would be, and obviously had seen the pics and knew the proportions of it, bu this thing is Long & Wide! Verry hand filling handle, more than enough room.
The last big knife I got was the 1985 Remington Woodsman Moose, and it was wider/thicker/longer than the one I had been carying. Here they are together;
Yikes.
Yet surprisingly thin.. not too thin, it still handles well. And pockets amazing for its size.
Snap is great, and did take some getting used to, to close, and also to open.
I didn't expect the spring and tang to fit flush with each other, and the end of the bolster.. nice old world touch.
That feature alone though reduces leverage against the spring, and having to pass those square tang corners really explains the snap. I doubt the spring itself is actually much stronger than other knives, its the geometry of its relationship to the tang in play.
Unfortunetally; on to the nitpicking.. Bone to bolster could be better, the bone dips in a little at that point, you can feel the edge of the bolster a little. Blade isn't perfectly centered when closed.(never seen one that is..) And it was fairly un-sharp. verry high angle edge, and fair on the straight of th blade, but the curve and tip barely had any edge.
Now honestly, I love it. Its more gorgeous than I knew it would be, bone and all.
The reason I see those things is because of the hype they seem to carry "better than Case fit" "razor sharp out of the box" etc.. Better than Case? No. Just as good, 50/50 quality between them? Yes. :thumbup: I have Case, Bear, RR etc, all with the same "problems". They are not problems to me, but I have become trained to look for these things.
Don't get me wrong, its one heck of a well crafted knife! damn solidly built, And I will deffinetaly have more of them. :thumbup::thumbup:
In all practicality, the knife is perfect, and rivals build of the great companys today. I am impressed.
Anyway, it spent its fist evening with me carving sticks for stirring the campfire, and for roasting bacon over the fire. Also was my dinner knife for bar-B-Qed beef ribs (cooked over that same campfire). Starting a nice patina already. Its third evening with me tonight after running a ceramic rod for a bit to improve the edge, it was used to push cut split kindling for the fire, whittle fuzz sticks, and test cut steaks for rareness.
G.
