GEC knife springs?

I have an older Tidioute 73 trapper that has a perfect pull, it is just about right dead on for me, I did however buy it from a knifemaker and I don't know if he did any mods to it, or it just wore down over time. I have another 73, a single blade with a lanyard hole, that is the smoothest opener right out of the tube from them I've ever had. Most of my other, recent make Great Easterns, are great users. The only two exceptions are my favorites. Both 23 Northfields, one a single blade and the other a two blade trapper. I don't use or carry either because I am afraid that they could close on my fingers. Too damn tight, I am thinking of contacting GEC in regards to making them a little easier to open.
 
I read somewhere on here that someone went to the factory to get their barlow adjusted, the pen blade was just too stiff for him, he handed it to the GEC cutler to examine, and he opened the pen blade effortlessly. This is of course a man who works with these knives every day, but it leads me to think that maybe solving the stiff spring problem is as much about increasing our manual dexterity by practicing opening the blades as changing the spring tension on the knives. As knife knuts we are already stronger than we know, we don't think twice about opening a SAK for example, but I know when I hand a pocket knife to a friend to look at, they always have difficulty opening it, and here I m not talking about a GEC, but things with lighter pulls e.g. SAKs or Case knives. My friend left the can opener of her SAK open in the kitchen at all times, because she was afraid of opening it up and closing it. In fact I wonder if the time we spend 'loosening up a knife' by repeatedly opening closing what we are actually doing is training our muscles and fine motor coordination to open the knife easier and it is this that makes the perceived difference: its a question of what is more plastic, our neuronal wiring for motor coordination or the tempered spring steel. I have an old model #73 with classic bear trap springs, but am accustomed to opening it and closing it all the time, even when the weather is freezing cold.
 
I'm not going to weigh in on the "whys" of GEC's backspring stiffness, or lack thereof, but will give my take on the three I currently possess for informational purposes.

#33 Conductor = very nice walk and talk on both the main and secondary blades. Mid-range pull, which is ideal for a 3" pocketknife. The walk, and especially the talk, is deceptively good given the middle-of-the-road pull on the blades. I'll say a pull of roughly 5 for both blades. I believe the year of make is 2011.
#57 Geppetto Whittler (wharnie) = light pulls on all 3 blades. The 2 secondary blades have very light pull but acceptable, maybe a 3. Actually not too bad of an attribute considering their small size and shallow nail nick. Main blade is light but OK, maybe a 4 or so. The talk is much less pronounced on this knife but still acceptable. Another 2011 if I'm not mistaken
#12 Toothpick = very nice walk and talk with a slightly harder pull. I'd give it a 6. The slightly stiffer spring on a larger knife is ideal to me. Keep in mind that the stiffness of the spring is offset by the placement of the nail nick way down the blade, providing great leverage to open. I think this one is a 2009. This is the best constructed of the three. Centered blade, great grind, and an almost immaculate fit and finish.

In conclusion, despite the very small sample size, I have some varied designs (single spring/2-blade, splitback 3-blade whittler, and a larger sized single blade) and all are within the midrange on pull for a pocketknife. All compare similarly with the Case's and other brands I possess. I may just be lucky or maybe my tolerance for pull is wider than others. Either way, I've been satisfied with my GEC knives.

Matt
 
I complained about mine awhile back when I noticed the same fingernail breaking spring on my blades. I tried to work it loose for awhile, but the spring lasted longer than my fingernail.

I took a small steel wire wheel to the inside corner of the blades, and everything has been notably smoother and my fingernail is back. (not a GEC but this is location that fixed it for me)

polished.jpg
 
I have a GEC Executive Whittler with perfect springs my #25 is stiff and the secondary blade is almost a nail breaker. I also have a GEC Cuban stockman that is inbetween, a little stiff.
 
If you really want a light pull get one of the GEC lockbacks. I have the 42 Missouri trader in ebony and it can easily be pinched open. So easily in fact, that if I really needed to get it out in a hurry I could (using two hands). Nowhere near falling open though.
 
Already said a time or two, but I am in the firm and stiff = happy camp.

I like about a 7-8 pull.

All my GEC's are at or below this. I had one #73 that was a bit above when new. It also had an inconsistent blade pull. It would be fine one pull, then much harder, and not smooth the next.

I kept at it, and it spit out a metal shaving out the top. It was the metal on metal with a bit of metal stuck in between that was causing the issue. Now they are both about a 6-7. That same blade, that I can open with literally any fingernail, including my pinky nail, is a "nail breaker" for my big police officer swat team friend! He handed it back and said he could not open it, and it bent his nail. I opened it with my pinky, and handed it back.

So it is all relative. I believe many of others nail breakers would be just where I want it.

I have all about 7 GEC, in years from 2007 up, and they are all great for me pull wise (and fit and finish wise too). I have a couple scouts, pioneers, #25 (barlow), Sunfish patterns, so I am no high volume expert, but I sure love them!

The only GEC pull I did not love was a Tideoute #25 in Bocote. It was a bit soft for me, but perfect for my dad (probably about a 4-5 on my scale). I had purchased it for him as a gift, so it was a great coincidence.

My hardest pull is on a Burke/Queen collab Grandaddy Barlow. My worst pulls are also on a queen, a Pardue/Queen canoe pattern. The snap was pretty week on one, bit better on the other spear, and perfect on the coping blade. The blades had a wiggle, so I tightened the bolsters and peened the pin. The snap is basically non existent now. I will have to spend some serious time working those blades to get them to loosed a tiny bit so they have a bit of snap again.
 
My Bullnose was very easy to open. It was one of the early runs though so it might have changed. My 2011 #73 scout on the other hand was a nail breaker. EXTREMELY difficult to open. I considered buying one of those nail nick opening tools but decided to just return it.
 
I have three GEC. One barlow ,one F&F and one outlaw. I also have a Case Sway Jack and a Queen Teardrop.

I should say the springs of GEC ,especially tat of main blade , is a little tighter than Case's ,but not than Queen's.

And the power of springs of GEC is pretty aceptable to me ( I am no "muscle guy" :P ) . And I am sure you will enjoy the click when it fully opened.

And if you still have worry about it ,at least the power of spring of secondary blade is aceptable to everyone. Even only considering
the finish and design of GEC , it worths a try.
 
Another suggestion is that try a "F&F tool" first. In my opinion it's the best shape of all sodbusters.
 
So far I've only had two experiences with GEC springs.
The first one was with my elk #25. In the beginning, I found it very stiff, while with time I seemed to open it more easily. Still, I believe that's the main reason why this knife eventually flew to other shores (I sold it).
The second experience has been with my HJ6...which is another story. It's still a bit harder than I'd like it to be, but nothing that can keep me from keping it :rolleyes: I do prefer the backspring of my Buck 303...
As a personal note, it seems that I'm way down the percentile road in terms of "perfect spring tension". I've learned that most American knife lovers are used (and prefer) stiffer springs. As for everything else, it's a matter of taste. I'm among those who get by just fine without any backspring :)

Fausto
:cool:
 
puukkoman said:
Robin,
How long have you had that one? Have you tried to tweak it at all? If not, maybe a thorough flushing out/cleaning the joint would bring some snap back to the coping blade...
Alex
Click to expand...

Hi Alex, I've had it for well over a year and flushed the joints and oiled them. Cleaning and oiling helped slightly but the coping blade went from no snap to virtually no snap (slides open and closed from about 1/4 inch). I take it out of it's tube to check for rust. ;-(

Best regards

Robin
 
I have a # 23 that's impossible to open with a finger nail. Its a # 23 buffalo horn bronco charlie 2007 model # 124 of 250, I saw there were only 96 made in buffalo horn. Its a beautiful knife that's use less because I cant open it with out my hands with using a padded pliers to protect the blade. I even sent it back to great eastern but it returned with same results. I will never buy another Great Eastern knife.
 
The farm and field 71s were a real hassle to open. I had to send it packing because was too frustrating for me. Now I have a 68 pony jack that is easier but may have a bit of a soft close. I carry my buck saunter and 55 more than any other knife. No issues with those.
 
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