Gec bullnose or case carbon fiber

Joined
Apr 21, 2012
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On the case forum i had a few clowns that laughed when I posted my bullnose over in other knife catagory cause it was a 53 dollar sodbuster those same member bought the 75 doller carbon fiber sodbuster so my question is which is better i like the bullnose for lanyard hole steel and halfstops it trully is a great knife
 
I own both and the Bullnose is better hands down. Better steel, better ergonomics and better price. The only thing the Carbon Fiber case has is its slim profile and light weight. Don't get me wrong, the Case is nice but there is no comparison really..imo.
 
Truthfullly, neither one is better than the other. The GEC may be a tad stronger but the choice between the two is mostly a choice between those that buy them. Do you like delrin or do you lke carbon fiber. Do you like black or do you like orange. Do you like a lanyard hole or not - that type of thing.

Just pay the guys in the Case forum a compliment on their knives and move on. The guys in the Case forum that are worth a hoot will do the same for you.
 
Well I like both brands....I just think 75 dollers kinda high but each is own ...You are right Ed the few on that forum thats worth a hoot will say nice knife and move on
 
If I recall correctly, the carbon fiber sodbuster is linerless and ultra-light so it's a different animal than the normal sodbuster or the Bullnose. I don't have either one but I have a regular sodbuster and a couple '70s sodbusters from Case. Not everyone will be happy with a $20 yeller sodbuster, an $8 Opinel, or $7 Rough Rider. This forum would be very boring if we all bought the cheapest knife we could find. Buy what you like and can afford.
 
Most of the time brand loyalty is all you need to pick something that is "better" then the next. Sometimes you need something specific like the weight of a knife. Other times a personal prefference is all it takes i.e. Handle thickness. It all boils down to whats best for you. If I think the case is better how does that effect you? Now me listing why would possibly be beneficial to you in your decision like some of the points Trev touched on. Best is very subjective. I can say I chose to purchase the gec version based on steel and crafstmanship.
 
Yall got some good points...I am in no way bashing case or gec just some open thoughts...Is carbon fiber more expensive to make than the bull nose which is derlin but diff steels just trying to get cost factor down...Lots of people say it is light weight so that would be 1 draw to it
 
I think carbon fiber is way more expensive than delrin. I also think supply and demand sets most costs. If you broke down dollar for dollar, it would probably be within a couple bucks the cost to make either version. But a premium different case is something they know they can make a bit more profit on. Trendy profit. Once carbon fiber becomes just another handle material then the price will adjust. I will give the case version another look if I ever need to cut weight in my gear.
 
How does O1 at 57-59 compare to Case's steel choice ;-)

Fanboys will be fanboys. Knife nuts will look at the actual specs, real life performance, ergonomics and so on.

Don't let it bother you. The bullnose IS a better knife.
 
I had a large seller tell me GEC is garbage because she had never heard of them. That she only sells Case and GEC could never make it. Within three months of her telling me that tons of sellers have picked up on the brand. GEC has received lots of positive recognition worldwide, not just on forums ;)
 
I don't have any insider info but based on the prices of the materials from a dealer of knife making supplies, carbon fiber is a much more expensive material than delrin. If I understand correctly, the carbon fiber sodbuster has the same blade as the normal Case sodbuster so you're basically paying for the handle material and the cost of a relatively small run. I think small runs will always be more costly for a company but I'm sure they also jack up the prices for special handle materials because they are good sellers. There are lots of collectors who are willing to pay a premium for the handle material even though the knife is otherwise identical to the yeller delrin variant of the pattern. Case and GEC keep closed books but I suspect that the cost of making a knife is much less for Case than GEC because of the size of the company and their production numbers. If I'm not mistaken, a dealer member of this forum, Mike, started the bullnose pattern with a special order to try to create a low price GEC knife. And GEC has started regular production of the pattern under the Redneck trademark. At around $50, it's $10-20 cheaper than the least expensive GEC knives that I have seen. The O1 is nice steel... I think it falls somewhere in between 1095 and D2 for hardness and corrosion resistance. Queen uses D2 in their Country Cousin sodbuster which is about $15 less expensive than the Bullnose. Although I don't have either knife, I do have knives from both companies and I suspect that the grind on the Bullnose is probably better based on my experience with other knives from the manufacturers. The pivot pin on the bullnose looks a bit fishy to me but I've heard that there is no blade wobble... sometimes it takes a while for blade wobble to develop and these are new knives so I'm looking forward to hearing more about these knives after more time has passed.
 
Thanks Jake for that info i alwaysed wondered on the 01 steel but would fell stupid if I asked LOLOLO
 
Thanks Jake for that info i alwaysed wondered on the 01 steel but would fell stupid if I asked LOLOLO

Never feel stupid for asking questions, how else do you learn when reading a screen? The search feature answers questions for me daily ;) and since your name is Gec fan well, go ahead and order that bullnose already lol

Jeff
 
GEC Fan,

I too used to go on the Case forum all the time. Then I came here and learned that there are MANY different (better?) knife companies than Case! I have many case knives and was a big fan of them until I came here and discovered all the others. I also used to "collect". Now I USE. I still love case, but that doesnt blind me from other companies.
From what Ive noticed on the case site is that some of those guys are die hard case men and to them case can do no wrong and no other company is as good. I have been enlightened by being here and i feel sorry for them for being so short sighted. I dont take them seriously. Good to see you here and I think you got a way better deal with your knife. Ive also seen you on AAPK.
 
Hmmm... both are nice knives.
The CF Soddie is not worth the price, imo, but Red Micarta would be. :D
 
Gec bullnose or case carbon fiber

I dunno. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder. For looks, pick one.

As to performance, while I haven't compared the O1 to the CV for edge retention, I think the O1 will hold an edge a fair bit better than the Case CV. I have compared GEC 1095 to CASE CV and I know that the GEC 1095 did hold an edge better than CV.
 
I dunno. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder. For looks, pick one.

As to performance, while I haven't compared the O1 to the CV for edge retention, I think the O1 will hold an edge a fair bit better than the Case CV. I have compared GEC 1095 to CASE CV and I know that the GEC 1095 did hold an edge better than CV.

I thought that the CF Case was in stainless though.
 
Frank,
I know this is unscientific, but... O1 is a much better steel than the Case SS
Do we have to prove it?
 
Although they're both sodbusters, they're 2 rather different knives. Apart from the slight length difference, the CF Case is linerless, while the GEC has liners and rather thick delrin scales. I haven't seen a side-by-side, but I imagine the Case CF is far thinner. The Case has stainless steel, the GEC has O-1 carbon steel. The GEC, oddly IMO, is a rather refined knife for a "working" tool, with the half-stop and the subtle swedging on the spine.

I don't really think one can be considered "better" than the other; one has to weigh their personal preferences.

It is rather silly that someone would scoff at a $50 sodbuster simply because it's a $50 sodbuster. When you look at the quality of materials, construction, and refinement of the GEC, it's obvious where the extra money goes. Do they scoff at a $40 Queen sodbuster, or do they let the extra cost slide because it has D2 steel? If they're looking for a cheap, disposable, hardworking knife, then a Case sodbuster is a good buy at $20. But a Queen Country Cousin at $40 and a GEC Bullnose at $50 are also good buys.
 
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