GEC #77 Medium Barlow Impressions

[MerryMadMonk]

Y'all, I had one of them nice, new shiny 77s once.

Look what I done to it...

Congrats to all the new owners of the Northfield 77 Barlows! They are second to none!

 

[Buzzbait]

The new pocket candy!!!! Hard to capture the colors of the covers. I am extremely excited to have one!

Excellent!!! I’m glad you were able to get your hands on one. I’ve been able to work some deals myself, and have knives on the way.

 

[Pàdruig]

^ Sweet mug too Dylan!

Thank you! It is a favorite of mine, holds just the right amount of coffee before getting too cold. I tend to be more of a sipper than a gulper.

I have to agree with you on the Showstopper being the Desert Ironwood , but I am admittedly biased in my opinion .
I also would have been pretty happy to have gotten one like you are showing in your very nice photo above . It would have fit right in place with some of my other Red Sawcut 77's .
I also commend you for selling your least like new 77 at a Non - Flipper Price . WELL DONE young man . You made somebody very happy I am sure .

Harry

Thank you so much, Harry, for the kind words. Honestly, I simply was doing what I imagine any decent sort would do. The value on these knives will certainly increase on their own, legitimately over time. I got three when I only wanted two and I was very happy to pass one on to an enthusiastic gentleman who was unable to procure a reservation of his own.

77's with matching 78's

I really wish that the hues of all of the Elderberry Camel Bone 77s had the same dark rich tone that yours does. Would have been even better had it more closely resembled the 78. Makes me wonder if it had been bovine instead of camel, would we have gotten more consistent dyeing? Makes the camel bone a bit off-putting to me overall...

Regardless, a terrific picture of a stellar assortment of knives. Very nice.

 

[tmd_87]

Buzzbait glad you got some headed your way...I'm a fiend for some saw cut! The color is so rich on these covers!

 

[007hunter]

Thank you! It is a favorite of mine, holds just the right amount of coffee before getting too cold. I tend to be more of a sipper than a gulper.



Thank you so much, Harry, for the kind words. Honestly, I simply was doing what I imagine any decent sort would do. The value on these knives will certainly increase on their own, legitimately over time. I got three when I only wanted two and I was very happy to pass one on to an enthusiastic gentleman who was unable to procure a reservation of his own.



I really wish that the hues of all of the Elderberry Camel Bone 77s had the same dark rich tone that yours does. Would have been even better had it more closely resembled the 78. Makes me wonder if it had been bovine instead of camel, would we have gotten more consistent dyeing? Makes the camel bone a bit off-putting to me overall...

Regardless, a terrific picture of a stellar assortment of knives. Very nice.

Thanks Dylan, really appreciate the nice comments...I do think the 78 Elderberry is a beautiful deep color and hoped the 77 would match. I'm thinking GEC would have used the exact same dye mixture but maybe the camel bone accepts it differently, dunno?? BTW, your photo of the red sawcut above is incredible and being a fellow guitarist love the way those Dunlops set off the photo

 

[Old Engineer]

Y'all, I had one of them nice, new shiny 77s once.

Look what I done to it...

Congrats to all the new owners of the Northfield 77 Barlows! They are second to none!

It is great to see your Old Red again Al . You and your postings of your 77's have been missed . It is also great to see you again my friend !!!! Did you get any of this last run ????

Harry

 

[MerryMadMonk]

Thank you, Harry! The same, my friend! I missed out on this round, but remain hopeful for the next iteration

 

[Sabercat]

I really wish that the hues of all of the Elderberry Camel Bone 77s had the same dark rich tone that yours does. Would have been even better had it more closely resembled the 78. Makes me wonder if it had been bovine instead of camel, would we have gotten more consistent dyeing? Makes the camel bone a bit off-putting to me overall...

Regardless, a terrific picture of a stellar assortment of knives. Very nice.

Camel bone is more dense than cattle bone, and has more inconsistent density to boot. This is why there is so much variation in the handles from knife to knife, and often within a single handle.

Simply speculating here, but I'm assuming GEC used the same dye as they did on the 78s, but the camel bone didn't take it the same.

These turned out about the color I expected, which I actually kind of like - even if not the same "elderberry" we experienced with the 78s.

I might be in the minority, but from time to time, I like varied specimens of bone handles.

 

[JTB_5]

I gifted one of those to my buddy. He’s older and forgot it was in his pocket as he went to the new Mercedes Benz Stadium. It was enter and throw it away or go home after a really long line. He chunked it in the trash. Shortly after, I saw one being offered out here from someone close to the area and exact time. Not sure if related, but you don’t see those for sale often.

I wish I would’ve kept it. He probably would’ve liked a $100 more. I had to prove a point I could find a knife he’d like.

I miss that knife.

That’s the kind of story where you make up your own ending. . .

“And then this little kid knocked over the trash can and saw a shiny object sitting under sone papers. Could it be? Was it really what he thought it was? Yes, it was! What a find! He’d always wanted a knife of his own but Dad had been content to let him borrow. ‘Dad!’ The boy cried as he began picking up the mess. ‘Can I keep it!?’ ‘One man’s trash is another man’s Treasure, son. I don’t see why not; it’s yours!” And that’s how the boy came by his barlow.”

 

[Norcaldude]

That’s the kind of story where you make up your own ending. . .

“And then this little kid knocked over the trash can and saw a shiny object sitting under sone papers. Could it be? Was it really what he thought it was? Yes, it was! What a find! He’d always wanted a knife of his own but Dad had been content to let him borrow. ‘Dad!’ The boy cried as he began picking up the mess. ‘Can I keep it!?’ ‘One man’s trash is another man’s Treasure, son. I don’t see why not; it’s yours!” And that’s how the boy came by his barlow.”

And then he sold it on Craigslist and used the money to buy 2 new video games.

 

[MrBitters]

My only loto pick from this run... however, it was one of the Ironwoods.
Very happy.

 

[Half/Stop]

Y'all, I had one of them nice, new shiny 77s once.

Look what I done to it...

Congrats to all the new owners of the Northfield 77 Barlows! They are second to none!

Just like Harry Old Engineer said, it's great to see you around Al!! Your Red Sawcut definitely has developed some character since we started using them! Mine has some patina but your Sawcut has changed more! I believe you have used yours more than Harry or I have!

 

[JTB_5]

And then he sold it on Craigslist and used the money to buy 2 new video games.

 

[cbr1000]

You answered whether GEC would allow it with "why not?" as a rhetorical question. But that's why I prefaced my query by observing uniqueness of the fluidity of the Tidioute Cutlery barlow compared to the rest of the GEC line. Considering this, it'd be more natural to as "why" (not "why not?") would the #15 barlow don BOTH Tidioute AND Northfield trim without changing the TC stamp on the bolster?

I feel I have as good an understanding as anyone (meaning a general idea with nothing concrete) as to how the TC barlow came to be (partnership/agreement between Waynorth and GEC), so I'm not seeking clarification on that back story. Rather, I'm observing that this is a departure from what GEC does with 99 percent of their offerings. Most every model is produced in two primary lines: Tidioute and Northfield. If they were to follow their model with the #15 barlow, we'd have an initial release #15 Tidioutes (with a TC bolster) and crescent nicks...followed by a release of their Northfield counterparts (a #15 barlow with a NF bolster and longpull + swedges!). But GEC has departed from this when it came to their #15 barlow (almost certainly because of their partnership with Waynorth). But in light of this, the question is not "why not," but rather...."wow, interesting...an anomaly" (in other words, "why?" when they basically never do this on any other model (I realize there are some one-off exceptions)).

I mean, if we take the vast majority of their catalog as an indication, GEC may say they don't want Northfields having standard nail nicks, as a brand/product line thing. Case in point: canvas micarta, which they do not want on Northfields moving forward.

But if we take the #15 barlow as an indication, they may be fine with "Tidioute trim" on a knife with a "Northfield" mark.

So, I don't think it's a "why not" question. But I do think it's an interesting question....for GEC and for knifeswapper.

I was fortunate enough to get two of these 2018 #77 barlows. They are amazing and they even represent the blade configuration I was hoping for (and suggested....along with many others) back in 2017. Love the longpull. Love the 2-blade clip/coping barlow. But seeing my modest collection of #77 barlows with these 2 new additions, I can't help but wonder what's next , even as I enjoy what's in front of me. And my FAVORITE #15 barlow is a single clip point with a crescent nail nick.

And so....I begin to dream.....of what could be....on the #77 frame.

My impression (right or wrong) some significant variations from the standard GEC fare is available on SFO's. I guess I answered "why not" because I see a lot of dealers not running the standard options for SFO's. I guess that's the point anyway - If you run an SFO why would you want it to be the same as the standard run. The 77 NF Barlow with no blade etch and satin blades has a bit of Tidioute in it already. I could see GEC being okay with a nail nick on the 77 Barlow. If I recall correctly the last run of 85 NF from Mike was a match strike nail nick. I prefer the long pull myself, but sometimes the end result of variations on a pattern end up better than I thought. I understand what you are saying and it is an interesting topic. If only we could be a fly on the wall at GEC to understand the decision making processes. Either way, I sure hope we see a 77 NF barlow next year. Two years is too long to wait for these wonderful knives.

 

[Pàdruig]

Camel bone is more dense than cattle bone, and has more inconsistent density to boot. This is why there is so much variation in the handles from knife to knife, and often within a single handle.

Simply speculating here, but I'm assuming GEC used the same dye as they did on the 78s, but the camel bone didn't take it the same.

These turned out about the color I expected, which I actually kind of like - even if not the same "elderberry" we experienced with the 78s.

I might be in the minority, but from time to time, I like varied specimens of bone handles.

This is what I have heard also, in regards to camel bone versus cattle bone. I do not mind variations in dye either, I just have to expect that there will be some examples that I like and some that I do not. In the case of the Elderberry I got, it wasn't my cup of tea, so to speak. Which is pretty much what I was expecting. My pictures of it did a pretty decent job of capturing its true hues, and the picture below is precisely what came to mind...

 

[Johnny brown]

It took this run for me to realize that I don't like the look of the match strike pull, I think I'm in the minority but I can't get past it, I also prefer the other style clip blade that were on previous runs. I mean the single blade red sawcut above is just 100 times more attractive and more classic looking than this most recent run, just my opinion, but now that the newness has worn off I just don't love this run like I like previous runs.

 

[rdave]

Thank you! It is a favorite of mine, holds just the right amount of coffee before getting too cold. I tend to be more of a sipper than a gulper.



Thank you so much, Harry, for the kind words. Honestly, I simply was doing what I imagine any decent sort would do. The value on these knives will certainly increase on their own, legitimately over time. I got three when I only wanted two and I was very happy to pass one on to an enthusiastic gentleman who was unable to procure a reservation of his own.



I really wish that the hues of all of the Elderberry Camel Bone 77s had the same dark rich tone that yours does. Would have been even better had it more closely resembled the 78. Makes me wonder if it had been bovine instead of camel, would we have gotten more consistent dyeing? Makes the camel bone a bit off-putting to me overall...

Regardless, a terrific picture of a stellar assortment of knives. Very nice.

But, but, but, er, apparently not all Elderberries are created equally as I have seen at least one that is to die for. Well, may kill for? LOL I've seen a really good one for sure.

 

[315]

Well, I had one for about 24 hours. It's headed to a new home. About the time it gets there I should have the red sawcut I traded for. I will say this though, if I actually had the Micarta in hand before we came to an agreement to trade, I probably would have kept it. I liked it a lot better once I saw it in person!!

 

[Pàdruig]

It took this run for me to realize that I don't like the look of the match strike pull, I think I'm in the minority but I can't get past it.

Aesthetically, I really like it. It demonstrates an attention to detail that often can get overlooked in production/factory knives. When I look at it, it speaks towards the skill of the cutler and the manner by which the blade was milled.

That being said, I only have a few knives with match strike pulls, the 77s and a 56. The pull on the 56 almost feels shallow, I find myself not getting as much of a purchase with my nail as I would like to and I kind of attribute that to the match strike. The 77s though are different and I can't really understand why. Visibly, there doesn't seem to be much difference, but I can certainly pull on the 77 blades with a lot more certainty.

 

[Pàdruig]

But, but, but, er, apparently not all Elderberries are created equally as I have seen at least one that is to die for. Well, may kill for? LOL I've seen a really good one for sure.

It really does please me that you are happy with the knife. It may have not been my preference but it is certainly in better hands now and not sitting in my case getting unused or unloved.