GEC #25 Barlow Butterknives

J

jmaclaug

Joined
Dec 31, 2012
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10
Got a new stainless GEC EZ Open #25 with a spearpoint blade to use as an EDC. I'd estimate it had about a 45 degree angle on it, only problem was that it was about 15 degrees on one side and 30 on the other! Using a sharpie while sharpening was very revealing. After about 2 hours of work on my sharpmaker, it is almost to a 30 degree edge (15 per side). In my roughly 7 to 1 sharpening pass ratio on the fat angle side, I have now managed to run the ceramic bars across the blade etch numerous times, so now I either polish the scratches off along with the blade etch or just leave it. I'm inclined to leave the scratches.

Oh, and the GEC EZ Open #25 Wharncliffe that I also got is even duller out of the box than the spearpoint. Since it can hardly be used to cut, maybe I'll just use the prodigious back spring tension to crack walnuts next christmas season, or rig it up as a bludgeoning mousetrap.
 
My GEC EZ Open Barlow came dull too. Sharpened up just fine. Scratches don't bother me unless I plan on re-selling the knife.
 
Lol! My only experience with GEC so far is my 42, the edge wasn't horrible but it still needed a little work.
 
Thats GEC for ya, they are very hit-and-miss with the sharpening, but some folks (including myself) prefer it that way, so we can sharpen it exactly how we want. Seems like you got it how you like though
 
Yeah, the sharpest thing on those GEC 25s was the tang corner that sticks up when the blade is closed, nice edge on that! At least something came sharp on them from the factory.
 
Get a Lansky Diamond Sharpening kit and re-profile. I have to do it to all my GECs (except Charlies Barlows strangely enough). They I use my Sharp Maker and put a microbevel on that sucker and it shaves like a new razor.
 
all my GECs had a fairly obtuse edge, but it was always a consistent grind and even on both sides. I've just reprofiled a 440C knife and a 1095 knife on my new DMT diamond stone, and the edges came out really well. I wouldn't want to attempt this just with ceramic stones, as I couldn't keep the angle consistent for the number of passes required to change the edge.
 
It seems that this is an issue GEC should be looking at.
 
fatcorgi said:
all my GECs had a fairly obtuse edge, but it was always a consistent grind and even on both sides. I've just reprofiled a 440C knife and a 1095 knife on my new DMT diamond stone, and the edges came out really well. I wouldn't want to attempt this just with ceramic stones, as I couldn't keep the angle consistent for the number of passes required to change the edge.
Click to expand...

fatcorgi - which DMT do you use for reprofiling? The coarse?
 
jwren said:
fatcorgi - which DMT do you use for reprofiling? The coarse?
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I bought the extra coarse (with fine on the other side). I use extra coarse side to change the edge, then the fine side and the spyderco ceramic stones to smooth it, the result is perfectly smooth - I cover the blades and tang in tape to avoid accidental scratching.
 
fatcorgi said:
I bought the extra coarse (with fine on the other side). I use extra coarse side to change the edge, then the fine side and the spyderco ceramic stones to smooth it, the result is perfectly smooth - I cover the blades and tang in tape to avoid accidental scratching.
Click to expand...

Thanks for the info :)
I'm looking for a set up like this myself and was unsure if coarse or extra coarse would be the better choice
 
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My experience was similar, my single blade #25 came with a very obtuse edge, I estimate it around 60 degrees but the worst part was it thickness (same as my endura saber grind:eek::eek:)
Here it is when new
P1014201_zps7ce84541.jpg

After the reprofiling made with DMT Coarse stone all the way to 8k Japanese waterstone the bevel was too wide
83CBF974-A80A-4299-8FBB-9DAF1132F3C5-1978-00000371FC137007.jpg

I used it for a while like that but it wedged in every material even slicing paper
, so I regrind the sides of the blade to thin them out, 20 to 30 minutes flat on the coarse stone to achieve the desired thickness and then polish them through the grits,
This pic is today
CF826DAB-2535-492F-BAD6-E4A35B7A11FF-201-000000B8861A3E5B_zps94d5c60e.jpg

In the end I love the little guy but it's too much work for the initial cost of the knife,
And GEC as a maker can't put an almost 1 mm thick edge on such a small blade.
The only one,out of the 3 GEC I own, with an extraordinary grind is the 2012 bf knife.

Mateo
 
All of the new GEC's I've gotten have had a serviceable edge, some were razor sharp. The barlows were some of the sharpest I've seen.
 
Unless I'm mistaken, those stainless 25s were made a few years back. My experience is that their stainless then was hit or miss as to sharpness, but when it was good, it was very, very good. I do believe they've gotten better on more recent models, or maybe I've just gotten lucky with the ones I've picked up.
 
They did look at their final honing process a couple years ago and made some improvements. Looks like most of the complaints are on knives that pre-date that. But with everyone having their own preference of edge, I think they made a conscious decision not to increase the time / cost to put a perfect edge on them.
 
I concur with Glenn. GEC changed their sharpening techniques back in early 2011 (I believe) due to user complaints but most of my GECs, including the older ones, were very sharp or serviceable. The 440c #25s were made in early 2010.
 
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knifeswapper said:
They did look at their final honing process a couple years ago and made some improvements. Looks like most of the complaints are on knives that pre-date that. But with everyone having their own preference of edge, I think they made a conscious decision not to increase the time / cost to put a perfect edge on them.
Click to expand...
It could be right, mine is from 2009.
Mateo
 
knifeswapper said:
But with everyone having their own preference of edge, I think they made a conscious decision not to increase the time / cost to put a perfect edge on them.
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Similiar things have been said over and over again in the industry over the years, but for me there's never an excuse for blunt or badly ground knives getting past QC. In the case of GEC, I've just sharpened the Bladeforums 2011 knife gifted to me by Duncan, and their 1095 sharpens like a dream. For the effort involved, I can't see why they wouldn't do something about an issue that there is clearly some unhappiness about, and set a good example for the industry at the same time. Hope the issue is addressed (if indeed it hasn't been already) :)
 
2Dead said:
I concur with Glenn. GEC changed their sharpening techniques back in early 2011 (I believe) due to user complaints but most of my GECs, including the older ones, were very sharp or serviceable. The 440c #25s were made in early 2010.
Click to expand...

lutejones said:
It could be right, mine is from 2009.
Mateo
Click to expand...

Sorry, took me a long time to make my post above due to a bad internet connection. Hopefully all's well now, and good of GEC for listening to their customers and addressing the problem :)

Jack
 
Great job you did there on your 25 Mateo, I've got the same knife and it had the same issues. Did you take a little off the nose of the swedge? The proportions of this little spear just didn't work for me and I filed a bit off the top, and tapered the tip of the edge for more of a drop point profile and I'm really happy with it now. Of course I didn't do nearly as nice of a job as you did on sharpening the edge. Very nicely done.

~Jim
 
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