GEC #15

E

Erik Norseman

Joined
Jun 9, 2017
Messages
78
Hi all,

I am seeing a lot of the TC #15 Sheepsfoot Barlows coming up in the Knife Exchange and have set my sights on getting my hands on this pattern (1531), or something similar, at some point in the future. I'm willing to wait (maybe a while) and play the lottery of trying to snag one at MSRP when another run of them is made.

The 15 seems like a common pattern, so I imagine I won't have too hard a time finding one with a single sheepsfoot blade w/long pull (a 14 or 25 would be nice as well).

How often can I expect something like this to pop-up? I'm new to the traditional knife world and don't fully understand the way that GEC does their runs.

If it's unlikely that this exact (or near exact) design ever shows up again, I may bite the bullet now. Will they only get more expensive? I love this design: is it a fool's errand to think that another batch of ones just like it will come up again?

Thanks in advance!

Best,
Erik
 
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Erik Norseman said:
Hi all,

I am seeing a lot of the TC #15 Sheepsfoot Barlows coming up in Knife Exchange and have set my sights on getting my hands on this pattern (1531 w/long pull) at some point in the future. I'm willing to wait (maybe a long time) and play the lottery of trying to snag one at MSRP when another run of them is made.

The 15 seems like a common pattern, so I imagine I won't have too hard a time finding one (a 14 or 25 would be nice as well).
Does anyone know how often I can expect them to pop-up? I'm new to the traditional knife world and don't fully understand the way that GEC does their runs.

If it's unlikely that this exact (or near exact) design ever shows up again, I may bite the bullet now. Will they only get more expensive?

Thanks in advance!

Best,
Erik
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where do you see these TC barlows? i just cant find any could you please link me some sites that sell them and also ship worldwide?

thank you
 
Kevin-B said:
where do you see these TC barlows? i just cant find any could you please link me some sites that sell them and also ship worldwide?

thank you
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They are in the Knife Exchange here on Bladeforums, going for close to double ($175-$195) their normal price (I'm assuming they are regular about $100 for the whole 60 seconds they're available haha).
 
Kevin-B said:
where do you see these TC barlows? i just cant find any could you please link me some sites that sell them and also ship worldwide?

thank you
Click to expand...
TC Barlows are all special factory orders. They usually sell out completely from dealers via pre-order. They are currently an exclusive to Charlie Campagna (Waynorth Cutlery) and sold either directly through him, or through dealers he works with. He posts here as user name @waynorth if you want to PM him for more details about how to buy his knives.
 
Kevin-B said:
where do you see these TC barlows? i just cant find any could you please link me some sites that sell them and also ship worldwide?

thank you
Click to expand...

Erik Norseman said:
They are in the Knife Exchange here on Bladeforums, going for close to double ($175-$195) their normal price (I'm assuming they are regular about $100 for the whole 60 seconds they're available haha).
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jc57 said:
TC Barlows are all special factory orders. They usually sell out completely from dealers via pre-order. They are currently an exclusive to Charlie Campagna (Waynorth Cutlery) and sold either directly through him, or through dealers he works with. He posts here as user name @waynorth if you want to PM him for more details about how to buy his knives.
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Good recommendation from John since this forum is for the discussion of knives, not where to buy them. There's a "wanted to buy knives" in the exchange. That might be a place to post.
 
Is my original post in the wrong place?

My OP wasn't where to buy them, but meant to open a general discussion about the way that GEC organizes their runs and more about SFOs etc.

My apologies if I started this thread in the wrong place!
 
Erik Norseman said:
They are in the Knife Exchange here on Bladeforums, going for close to double ($175-$195) their normal price (I'm assuming they are regular about $100 for the whole 60 seconds they're available haha).
Click to expand...
jc57 said:
TC Barlows are all special factory orders. They usually sell out completely from dealers via pre-order. They are currently an exclusive to Charlie Campagna (Waynorth Cutlery) and sold either directly through him, or through dealers he works with. He posts here as user name @waynorth if you want to PM him for more details about how to buy his knives.
Click to expand...
Peregrin said:
Good recommendation from John since this forum is for the discussion of knives, not where to buy them. There's a "wanted to buy knives" in the exchange. That might be a place to post.
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Thanks guys i've just made a new threat at the knife exchange, now i only have to wait untill someone answers.
 
In my experience you can expect 1-2 runs of TC barlows in a given year. However, the blades are usually cycled through to some degree. So if sheepfoot has just been run, I wouldn't expect to see another run for at least a couple of years.
 
tstaut said:
In my experience you can expect 1-2 runs of TC barlows in a given year. However, the blades are usually cycled through to some degree. So if sheepfoot has just been run, I wouldn't expect to see another run for at least a couple of years.
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honestly i know this sounds really cheesy but i love almost every tc barlow i love sheepsfoots, i love spearpoints, i love clippoints so it doesn't really matter to me what barlow i buy, it's my absolute favorite knife so i'd be happy just to own one.
 
Kevin-B said:
honestly i know this sounds really cheesy but i love almost every tc barlow i love sheepsfoots, i love spearpoints, i love clippoints so it doesn't really matter to me what barlow i buy, it's my absolute favorite knife so i'd be happy just to own one.
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Around here? Not cheesy at all! I'd say you're in for a 6 month to 1 year wait for the next run of TC's. Of course, it's not up to me but that's my guess
 
The 15s are a nice pattern, and have been made in several variants other than the SFO Barlows. They all carry and cut about the same. If you are especially enamored of the look of the TC Barlows, then you either have to wait until there is another run and find out from your dealer of choice how to order them, or pay the going rate on the secondary market.

As to the original topic - GEC is a relatively small company so their annual production output is limited. I don't know how they decide what patterns to make, when, or how many. The 15 is a pretty popular pattern and they seem to do a run of them about once a year or so. Lots of dealers seem to want to get in on the SFO market these days, so when GEC does a run of a pattern, in addition to the "general production" run, you'll often see a bunch of SFOs of the same pattern.

You can check their production schedule here: http://greateasterncutlery.net/blog/production-schedule/ Note that it is not always the most up to date, and some dealers have a better advance production schedule on their web sites.

As you can see, there is a run of 78s coming up soon. There are eight separate dealer SFO listed on that production run, in addition to four general production versions. It has been several years since they made 78s, so there is no guarantee of getting the pattern you want, when you want it.

You just have to wait until they are making something you want.
 
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Many official dealers still have plenty of the GEC navy knives available that are on the 15 frame with a sheepsfoot blade. These typically have a nail nick instead of a long pull, and they will have a (removable) bail, but otherwise could be an easy retail grab for you to get a feel for the pattern.

Edit: Also FWIW the TCs go for about $125 retail
 
Erik Norseman said:
Thanks for all the info.!

Based partially on what has been said, and partially on my weak will, I purchased a TC Barlow in Cranberry Sawcut Bone! Woohoo!

Erik
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It's always better to get what you want, because if you don't, you're usually going to end up getting it later, and spending more money, with a 50/50 chance of getting something else that you might not like.
 
traumkommode said:
It's always better to get what you want, because if you don't, you're usually going to end up getting it later, and spending more money, with a 50/50 chance of getting something else that you might not like.
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That was exactly my thought! I was thinking hard about getting a cap-lifter or beer scout and save about $100, but I'm not as crazy about them, so I'd risk ending up wasting all that I spent on it! Big loss in the long run.
 
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