GEC As Ground Blades??

As I wrote earlier, some Northfields and the Tidioutes have a satisfying matte finish, here bottom, a Northfields 38 Whittler.

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Humppa said:
IMHO (!!!!) Case is doing the things they do - and they do it well.
I think there is no need for "As Ground Blades" made by GEC. But that´s just me...
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I understand what you are saying. I am just a bigger fan of GEC and would like a non polished blade. I own lots of Tidioute blades that have the matte look, I just want that super flat look the as ground has on a GEC frame. A girl can dream, right?
 
For sure and I see what you are meaning. I don´t want to offend or anything like that. I have to admit that on some GEC pattern a matte look of a non polished blade might have a lot aesthetical potencial.
 
Humppa said:
For sure and I see what you are meaning. I don´t want to offend or anything like that. I have to admit that on some GEC pattern a matte look of a non polished blade might have a lot aesthetical potencial.
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No offense taken, buddy! I didn't want you to think I was bashing one company or the other. I just really LOVE GEC products and have been on the fence about purchasing a Case with as ground blades. I thought I'd ask here after not finding any GEC products with this blade finish on a search. Thanks, and I agree that the matte blades are awesome!
 
Buzzbait said:
I've never liked the look of polished blades. I wouldn't object to GEC putting out some working knives that aren't polished.
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GEC makes excellent knives, but they really need to work on their polishing technique. The blade swedges on the Northfield line lack crispness. I much prefer the finish on the Tidioutes or the BFC 2014 knife.



 
rma100 said:
Case has some VERY nice products now, and always have. My point is that Case does what they do, and GEC does what they do, and it's all good. Viva La Difference.
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Well stated. Different companies with different, but overlapping customer bases.
 
As ground, like, as is. It doesn't hits flap wheel or polisher, etc. Just, as ground.
 
If im not going for a mirror finish which I normally prefer, the satin on tidioutes is just about as good as it gets. The as ground in pretty nice too, but from what I have seen in person they look a little "dirty", if that makes any sense so im not a big fan of it. On a small side note does anyone here think case does a slightly better mirror finish than gec? I have noticed on all my examples that case has a higher shine than gec especially on the backsprings and the blades are less scratchy.
 
TheChunk91 said:
If im not going for a mirror finish which I normally prefer, the satin on tidioutes is just about as good as it gets. The as ground in pretty nice too, but from what I have seen in person they look a little "dirty", if that makes any sense so im not a big fan of it. On a small side note does anyone here think case does a slightly better mirror finish than gec? I have noticed on all my examples that case has a higher shine than gec especially on the backsprings and the blades are less scratchy.
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I'm not sure if this is correct but I thought Case tumble polishes and that's why everything is rounded, including the tip. GEC polishes manually which requires more labor (cost). For me the scratches on the polished blades aren't really important. I just want them to continue to pay attention to the primary grinds (I don't care about the edges since I'll sharpen them myself) and the mechanics... I would like them to change up their shields but that's another topic.
 
Case is tumbling the blades around the 1:56 mark and at 4:14 they're buffed..

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At the 18:30 mark, Bill from GEC talks about satin and mirror polish. I don't think they show the mirror polishing in the video. At that point, they already have the satin polish.

[youtube]ZeHWa5jyO74[/youtube]
 
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More specifically, I'm talking about the tang edges. They'll be square on GECs and rounded on regular production Case knives due to their tumble polish procedures.
 
I'm a fan of the as ground Case blades. I'm sure that also has to do with the fact that I use them a lot and I hate fingerprints. I have a Carhartt trapper and a Carhartt large stockman in the G-10 handle and I love both of them. The only drawback is the lack of the Case badge. I know it's a Case, but I think the Carhartt badge takes away from it a little. I just got a caramel bone trapper in the mail yesterday which has as ground blades and the Case shield together. I really like that one, even though it got sent back to Case immediately due to centering issues. The handle was more red than the caramel brown, which I didn't like but don't mind that much.

If you're going to use them all the time, the as ground blades are great. They don't show blemishes and you don't have to clean them every time you get close to touching them.
 
I love a machined finish(as ground) on stainless or D2, but with a high carbon steel I think I would rather it be polished.

rma100 said:
I don't think GEC needs to be more like Case?
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I agree, with the exception of their lockbacks. They could learn a thing from Case there.
 
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