GEC #56 Dogleg Jack Spear

This pattern is going to look even better over time as the wood ages and the blades develop some patina.
 
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Mine arrived yesterday (or rather, the Postie couldn't get it through the letter box,had to wait until this morning to retrieve it from the P.O. a sleepless night grrh!:eek:)

SOME GENERAL OBSERVATIONS: Seems lighter in weight than the usual GEC offering, this might be due to ebony being lighter than bone??

PULL, those people having a hard time with the usual GEC nail extractors will be pleased with this. It suits me too ,even though I like heavy springs. The absence of the half-stop(I'm starting to query HS actually!)gives a very smooth opening indeed. SNAP is good. The minor blade is a nice long pen,suits the look and good dimensions.

FINISH, excellent well contoured and hafted scales. Advances finish to a new level-this example at least- NO gaps anywhere, NO blade play either.Centred blades,springs and liners smooth, flush in both positions. A lot was talked about the step down or underbladed construction on the Clip version(actually if you read one of Wellington's/Mick's posts in the Sheffield thread you will see it was used by cutlers in Sheffield&is not actually a build fault,appearance is another matter..)This knife has very little if any of this feature. The enhanced bolster really goes well with the Barehead style too,as does the longpull and swedge, not quite so keen on the rather deeply engraved No.12 however. i don't collect by numbers so unserialized would suit me too.

The Ebony is a fine match both sides, not jet-black(my preference) but shows pretty grain and light striping. Can't wait to get the lemon oil on this.I'm a bit nervous of giving it the usual warm water/soap bath that bones&stag get, maybe wood might not fancy this treatment? Got to get that generic GEC gunk out of it though:D

CONCLUDING. First class build quality, very ,very nice to look at and hold(so comfortable in the palm) Amazingly sharp too:eek: Clearly they listen and learn at GEC:thumbup: Would like to get the Spring Green Bone too but finances rule it out just now. I can strongly recommend this knife, it pleases me and doesn't compromise anywhere. Right.
 
Here's my dogleg ebony spear blade that came in the mail today. Pretty much as others have described. The scales aren't black enough for my taste but pretty much even from side to side. No sense putting up multiple pictures as others have shown the heck out of it so I'll post just one.

gecnfdoglegjackspearbla.jpg


willgoy -- We need to see a picture of yours.
 
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I just picked up an amber bone Tidioute in EDC condition from a well known knife collecting dealer. At first I was a little worried thinking that I should have saved up and got the ebony Northfield. But then it showed up, and it knocked my socks off. Haven't been this happy about a knife in a while.

GEC really knocked this pattern out of the park. Not only are they listening to their customers/collectors about out-of-the-box sharpness, but they're really dialing in their blade grinds too. My plain-Jane Tidioute has a near-zero grind. The edge is THIN!! The last time I saw something like that on a production traditional slipjoint was the Case Tony Bose tribal spear, and before that it was on a custom Kerry Hampton.

Point is that I can't really say enough good things about GEC lately.

-nate
 
I opted for a stag dogleg so that the extra thickness of the stag wouldn't make the knife feel so girly to me. Pretty poor stag on the one I received and the pen blade is just a millimeter away from rubbing the outer liner. The stag does make it nicer to hold but for the extra 25 bucks it should be better. Didn't exptect great stag, just better than burnt, flat horn.
The walk and talk on the master blade on my issue is pretty good with a fairly strong spring which is a plus to me. The pen is OK, but not great. I have strong doubts of it being useful after a year of normal use. I have been trying to get some photos that makes the stag look good but haven't been able to. I'll keep trying but you can only do so much.
I don't really think it would do much good to send it back to the online seller for a replacement due to his reluctantce to part with a buck in in the past. I should have known better than to buy a knife without seeing it in person to start with and I doubt it will ever happen again. I urge you to do likewise.

For anybody that is looking for a hard use Dogleg jack to use daily, can't find an original from the 1900's and isn't interested in being part of the newbie "I got one now" crowd, get yourself a Case/Bose Dogleg. You get at least 4 times the knife that any manufacturer has to offer today. That may change in the future but for now, that's the reality. A poor man can't afford to by cheap shoes. Think about it.
Greg
 
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Best I could do guys. Cool knife, but would you pay over a hundred bucks for It? I'd really like to know.
Greg

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Modoc ED said:
Here's my dogleg ebony spear blade. Pretty much as others have described. The scales aren't black enough for my taste but pretty much even from side to side. No sense putting up multiple pictures as others have shown the heck out of it so I'll post just one.

gecnfdoglegjackspearbla.jpg


willgoy -- We need to see a picture of yours.
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Yeah I know:eek: But I'm one of the very few people who doesn't own a camera and has no ability in photography.
You lot do it so much better:D

Greg, must say the knife looks a lot better in Ebony or Bone, that stag is un-subtle. I still say it's an outstanding pattern though.
 
seems that ebony is going strong at gec's huh?
don't usually like woods but snake and ebony on the recent knives look good, I bet they also feel good

Maxx
 
With nearly a week of pocket carry, my black dog is working well. Crazy sharp, it whips through tasks with ease. And I hardly know its in my pocket. I hope GEC keeps this model long term and broadens its choices of handle material. It's a winner!
 
Greg: Those pics make that knife look pretty good to me. I see where you are coming from about the quality of the stag, but it's still a nice knife. You sure get more for your $25 with the stag than you do with Case's "Johnny Cash" blade etch. Thanks for the pics. I like the knife.

Ed
 
The more pictures I see of the spear version open the more the relative straightness and symmetry of that blade makes the handle curves seem less dramatic to my eye. That plus the lack of an endcap makes the spear's handle look longer. The curves from tip to tail on the clip version look good but just not as attractive to me as the barehead spear.
 
frankly i do'nt see a problem with the stag. woods , bone , & stag all have various degrees of of texture & color. i've never had a problem with any gec distributor & ca'nt understand your so called misjustice. i'm sure the distributor will exchange the knife if you do'nt like it. but if the stag is'nt cracked i ca'nt see any misrepresentation. case is a decent knife but in most models ca'nt compete with gec.--dennis
 
mckgreg said:
Best I could do guys. Cool knife, but would you pay over a hundred bucks for It? I'd really like to know.
Greg

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Yeah, I'd pay over a hundred bucks for that knife Greg. I'm kinda with Dennis on this one. It's my .02¢ that the stag on the knife pictured is better than anything you'll get from Case. A little Formsby's Lemon Oil or even a little mineral oil will bring that burnt stag right up to snuff.

I think it's a good looking knife but if the other issues you mentioned with the knife are a deal breaker for you, you might take Dennis' advice and return it to the dealer you got it from for a swap.
 
I have to say that the two super countersunk holes on that stag stick out like a sore thumb. I just don't see why those can't be evened out at the factory.
Just sayin'. :o
Still a great knife. :thumbup:
 
I carried mine today and thought I'd throw up a pic since it's a little different. I'm not a big fan of blade etching so I usually polish off any etching if I know it will be a user. I gave this one a nice satin finish and did the bolsters while I was at it. Mine has a little lighter wood and the two pins are over sunk as well but I really like it over all. I have been impressed with all the GEC knives I have so far.

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oeser said:
Mine has a little lighter wood and the two pins are over sunk as well but I really like it over all.
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The pins aren't over sunk the wood is under sanded :D

I expect the pins are a specific length, saves the time of snipping pins and peening on both sides (inside liner and outside slabs). Wouldn't it make more sense to start with a pin of a certain length pre-flattened in the inside; once the slab has been drilled drop the pin in from the inside and spin it into a tapered slab on the outside? Much less chance of cracking the slab due to less peening and a set depth on the spinner bit. My guess is all slab pins are done that way, just the shallow end pins get the heads taken off when taking stock down to the ends of the slabs to meet the bolster. Obviously backspring pins are peened after assembly.

Thicker handles, deeper counter sunk pins.... They are not actually sinking them, they are just taking the spinner down to meet them. Don't most quantity makers do the same thing to speed attaching slabs to liners significantly? I have some Case stags that I didn't think even had pins they were sunk so far; had to get a flashlight. And since time is money, that is a good thing.

Personally I like nicely spun surface pins all around; no grit getting down in the holes. But that would take the extra time to cut / peen both ends in-place; and the extra risk of cracking during said peening.
 
Great info Mike and thanks for getting this one to me so quickly. The pins don't bother me a bit I just mentioned it for those interested to know. But it is good to know some of the process by which it all comes together. After seeing the excellent fit and finish on the rest of the knife I knew this couldn't be a flaw or mistake, but merely the way these are made.
 
First post after lurking a long time. Just ordered a 56 Spear Point in ebony. A first move away from the Spydies I've been carrying and towards a more "gentlemanly" pocket knife. Thanks to all here for the info and guidance to a former lurker.

Any advice on care and handling when I first receive the knife?
 
Got mine today. I am impressed and aw'ed for the quality. Its pretty much like willgoy said, but mine has just few lighter shades. Generally dark and pretty, but its not jetblack as my BF2010 forum knife, still awesome.

Jared, what you done to your knife impressed me. I really prefer satin finished blades over mirror. If I would live in the states, I would send whole bunch of my knives to you so you could make 'em satin finished :D
 
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