Had something show up in the mail today. Been eyeing this pattern for a long time, and since there are so many variations on this frame, it took a while to narrow it down...
So you see... It's a GEC 15! But which one? There are so many! Huckleberry Boy's Knife, Scout Knife, Tom's Choice Barlow/"Charlow", Harness Jack, Radio Jack, et al and each with different blade configurations...
Why, it's a two bladed easy-open sheepsfoot Scout, of course! In antique yellow jigged bone, no less!
I'm a sucker for sheepsfeet and wharncliffes on traditionals/slippies, and when I saw the grind on the main blade of this knife, I knew I HAD to have a 15 with a sheepsfoot blade. The combination of the long pull, the hard cut swedge, and the satin finish equaled love at first sight for me. I'm usually a fan of single blade knives with this blade style, but alas, the single blade version is nowhere to be found. Anyway, with a pen blade as backup, I'll always have an unused, laser sharp edge in the off chance that the main blade gets dull, and I need to cut something but don't have a way to sharpen the main blade up!
The fit and finish on this knife is easily on par with the other two GEC made knives I own (47 Viper and a Northwoods Fremont Jack), in other words, it is top notch. As a Tidioute branded knife, it doesn't have all of the bells and whistles (threaded/rat tail bolsters or pinched bolsters, high polished blades, brass liners etc.), but I like the way that this knife looks like a real user like my granddaddy would have carried in his pocket when he was a boy. The springs are firm, but not nail ripping. The blades snap closed with just the right amount of authority. The half stops are very positive, making one handed closing a breeze with no concern of finger-loss. They are also flush in all three positions on both blades (closed, at half-stop, and opened), which can't be said for many of my Case knives, and certainly not of my Schrades, Rough Riders, or Bokers. Neither blade rubs, though the pen blade is just a hair off center towards the middle liner. These are all cosmetic things, that have no effect on the performance of the knife, so they are simply perks that ease my obsessive-compulsion!
Once I had made my mind up that I had to have one of these Scout knives, the next issue was that of the cover material. There are a couple of different materials that were produced, and while I love them all, this antique yellow jigged bone was the one that immediately jumped out at me as being both the most beautiful, and the most rugged. The variation in color, from honey yellow to dark brown, to almost black in the recesses makes for a very attractive knife that seems a shame to hide in the palm of my hand when holding it!
I was impressed to find that the knife was VERY sharp, right out of the tube. Both blades were easily able to slice phone book paper, something that cannot be said for its big brother, the #47 Viper, which took some work to get to the same level. The Fremont Jack came scary sharp, but I figured that was because it was produced for someone else, and maybe Northwoods had touched up that edge before shipping... Maybe not? Here is my new Scout next to its siblings. Like I said, I'm a total sucker for sheepsfeet and wharnies on slipjoints...
I know that I, for one, will be seeking out more and more of this pattern. It fits perfectly in my hand, and with the huge variety of blade styles, and covers offered on this frame, you could practically build a collection of only 15s and never run out of options.
Anyone else love the #15?
So you see... It's a GEC 15! But which one? There are so many! Huckleberry Boy's Knife, Scout Knife, Tom's Choice Barlow/"Charlow", Harness Jack, Radio Jack, et al and each with different blade configurations...
Why, it's a two bladed easy-open sheepsfoot Scout, of course! In antique yellow jigged bone, no less!
I'm a sucker for sheepsfeet and wharncliffes on traditionals/slippies, and when I saw the grind on the main blade of this knife, I knew I HAD to have a 15 with a sheepsfoot blade. The combination of the long pull, the hard cut swedge, and the satin finish equaled love at first sight for me. I'm usually a fan of single blade knives with this blade style, but alas, the single blade version is nowhere to be found. Anyway, with a pen blade as backup, I'll always have an unused, laser sharp edge in the off chance that the main blade gets dull, and I need to cut something but don't have a way to sharpen the main blade up!
The fit and finish on this knife is easily on par with the other two GEC made knives I own (47 Viper and a Northwoods Fremont Jack), in other words, it is top notch. As a Tidioute branded knife, it doesn't have all of the bells and whistles (threaded/rat tail bolsters or pinched bolsters, high polished blades, brass liners etc.), but I like the way that this knife looks like a real user like my granddaddy would have carried in his pocket when he was a boy. The springs are firm, but not nail ripping. The blades snap closed with just the right amount of authority. The half stops are very positive, making one handed closing a breeze with no concern of finger-loss. They are also flush in all three positions on both blades (closed, at half-stop, and opened), which can't be said for many of my Case knives, and certainly not of my Schrades, Rough Riders, or Bokers. Neither blade rubs, though the pen blade is just a hair off center towards the middle liner. These are all cosmetic things, that have no effect on the performance of the knife, so they are simply perks that ease my obsessive-compulsion!
Once I had made my mind up that I had to have one of these Scout knives, the next issue was that of the cover material. There are a couple of different materials that were produced, and while I love them all, this antique yellow jigged bone was the one that immediately jumped out at me as being both the most beautiful, and the most rugged. The variation in color, from honey yellow to dark brown, to almost black in the recesses makes for a very attractive knife that seems a shame to hide in the palm of my hand when holding it!
I was impressed to find that the knife was VERY sharp, right out of the tube. Both blades were easily able to slice phone book paper, something that cannot be said for its big brother, the #47 Viper, which took some work to get to the same level. The Fremont Jack came scary sharp, but I figured that was because it was produced for someone else, and maybe Northwoods had touched up that edge before shipping... Maybe not? Here is my new Scout next to its siblings. Like I said, I'm a total sucker for sheepsfeet and wharnies on slipjoints...
I know that I, for one, will be seeking out more and more of this pattern. It fits perfectly in my hand, and with the huge variety of blade styles, and covers offered on this frame, you could practically build a collection of only 15s and never run out of options.
Anyone else love the #15?
