GEC #89 Melon Whittler

[Speas]

Seems like a good office knife to me. I dont need blade width but length comes in handy at lunchtime. A nice stablemate for my Queen cocobolo utility knife, and more useful too given the short blades alongside.

 

[abiggs]

I really like their knives. I do wish they would make one in the 3 1/2 to 4" variety. Like a jack knife with a couple of blades.

They do

Do a little searching, many of their distributors are selling them. :thumbup:

 

[brownshoe]

1095 for a fruit knife makes one wonder if they expect it be used with fruit. Hundreds of years ago they made fruit knives out of silver due to the rust problem. What about this does GEC not get?...Oh, I see, it's a safe queen.

AG Russell sells a single blade one in ATS34, thus you can use it for fruit, for considerably less money.

 

[moonwilson]

That's an interesting point, but GEC's safe queens? Hardly. I'd be interested in hearing your opinions on makers of traditional folders that are more suitable for hard use, Brownshoe.

 

[brownshoe]

I was referring to this particular model being designed as a safe queen. Why else would one use 1095 on a fruit knife? Other GEC don't strike me as safe queens, however their overall product line sometimes seems more collector orientated than user.

The best hard use slipjoint I own is the Tony Bose Yukon skinner in bone. The ATS34, steel frame and bone handles takes a licking. The big flat ground blade is a great slicer and the strong spring needs no lock. I also like Schatt/Morgan's ATS34 line, particularly the 2000 toothpick and the 2005 English Jack.

For carbon steel, I like Queen or Schatt/Morgan. I have a Vintage Knives swell center jack (like a moose) in 1095 made by Queen and it's a tank.

Case has never let me down.

I don't own any GEC, but have fondled many. In the beginning, their fit/finish problems turned me off. When they conquered that problem, their wider frames, and "harder" edges did not appeal to me, thus I have yet to find one that called to me to come home.