GEC #66 Stockman vs Case Med Stockman with Punch

Lenny

Lenny

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OK, I'd like to make a very unscientific review of these 2 recently acquired knives of mine.
The Case is Amber Bone, the GEC is Blood Red. .
Here goes:
- Fit and Finish: the GEC is noticeably better; Case has small gaps between spacers and springs; small gaps between bone and bolsters; Case also had unevenly colored handles which I took care of with a judiciously applied torch flame. I must say that the back of the Case has a much more highly polished finish to it though.
All of the Case blades have a tiny bit of side to side play; the GEC's blades are rock solid.

- Walk and talk: Case wins here with all blades about a 6 pull, and good strong snap back; I had to send the GEC back for an exposed/high pivot pin; it came back cosmetically perfect, but the main clip and wharncliff blades came back a little sticky upon closing, with the wharncliff having a weak snap back. It does seem to be loosening up and snapping back stronger with time, though

- Blades: although I like the size and shape of the GEC's better, I think having the Punch instead of a Spey blade is the way to go.

- Ease of sharpening: this is a tie as both are easy to keep razor sharp on my Spyderco Sharpmaker

- Appearance: although I love the color and jigging of the Amber Bone on the Case, the GEC's Blood Red scales look so classy and understated.

- Edge Holding: Both seem similar to me; I haven't used them hard yet so time will tell

- Ergonomics: 6 of one, half a dozen of the other: the Case is a bit longer which feels nice, but the GEC is a little thicker which feels a bit more secure. It also feels a bit heavier which makes it feel better (maybe that's only in my head though :D )

- Cost: as you all have surmised, the GEC cost almost 2 times the Case

Bottom line, Case gives you a great knife for the $.
However, if I had to pick my favorite, I'd go with the GEC.
Comments, questions.
Lenny
 
Last edited by a moderator:
Thanks for the review. Glad to see that most things I assumed were right. Now I'm even more confident about what I want.

A GEC stockman on the #66 frame, with a "Case" pull, a punch instead of the spey blade, and in 440C. Oh, and possibly not too expensive :rolleyes:

Fausto
:cool:
 
quattromori said:
Thanks for the review. Glad to see that most things I assumed were right. Now I'm even more confident about what I want.

A GEC stockman on the #66 frame, with a "Case" pull, a punch instead of the spey blade, and in 440C. Oh, and possibly not too expensive :rolleyes:

Fausto
:cool:
Click to expand...

You've had good success with your Wishing Well as of late, so one just never knows. ;)

~ P.
 
Nice comparison Lenny. Every time I see one, I think that blood red bone by GEC is some of the most beautiful being produced today!

If I could get a serpentine jack 66 in blood red I would be delighted.
 
Nice little review; I could live comfortably with either one! My old Case 18PU had miss matched scales as well.
 
I forgot to mention one other aspect of the comparison, Blade Rub.
The GEC had slightly more than the Case.
If anybody else has had any of the "minor defects" I've noted in their Case or GEC knives, I'd like to hear about them.
Thanks all,
Lenny
 
Very interesting review, thank you. Was actually brooding about making a very similar review/survey myself between CASE Small Texas Jack, (Amber Bone) GEC 66 Jack (Rotten Banana Bone) and Queen Cutlery's No.51 Dogleg Jack. (WCSB) I'd like to give some observations of my own even though these are very similar knives to the ones in your review.

They're all almost the same size closed. The CASE has their CV the GEC 1095 and the Queen D2. Weights are 65g 75g and 65g respectively. So the GEC is the most burly. Its bolsters and handles are broader and the big difference is the blade width too, the GEC has a far broader Clip blade. The Queen seems to have the longest edge though. The Queen has a half-stop too the other don't (which I personally prefer). The GEC is the most costly but has Longpull, slant bolsters, pinned Cloud shield and impeccable fit&finish. The CASE and Queen have crescent nicks and glued shields but well radiused bone and all 3 have satisfying W&T the Queen having the strongest pull but it's no barbaric... The GEC and Queen have blades that open out in a straight line, the CASE droops more.

However, the three knives have very different secondary blades, even if they are Pens. Here the CASE trounces all its rivals. The Texas J has this wonderful modified Pen blade much broader and useful than the other two. The GEC's secondary is for me, a let down. Too narrow and very pointy like an embryo Zulu Spear. Some will like it, I find it disappointing. The Queen has a long Pen blade but not as slight as the GEC., its blades and springs are identical thickness whereas the CASE and GEC have different Master and secondary thicknesses All knives are good, all worth owning for sure, and the different styles of the manufacturer's give them individuality:thumbup:

Thanks, Will
 
Will,

Thanks for the comparison and review.

And yes, I did just have to go find some pictures of a 66 Jack to see what an "embryo Zulu Spear" looks like. Very evocative description. :)

~ P.
 
Lenny--is there much of a difference in thickness between the Case and the GEC? I own the GEC and love it. But he is a rather stout fellow.
 
SubSpace said:
Lenny--is there much of a difference in thickness between the Case and the GEC? I own the GEC and love it. But he is a rather stout fellow.
Click to expand...

Sub,
They're virtually identical in thickness.
The GEC, however, feels larger because it's frame is wider.
Lenny
 
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