GEC, Names on Blades, Good or Bad?

D

david childers

Joined
Sep 20, 2013
Messages
75
I may be being a bit nit-pickey here, but does anyone besides me not like the big lettering on the GEC blades? I have 3 Gec knives and like them all. The fit and finish is great and I do not regret buying them and will continue to buy more in the future, but I wish they would not put words on the blade of the knife. I think it just looks classier if the blade is plain. If there was nothing written on the blade, the quality would still speak for itself. The wording on the blade comes across as a wee bit tacky IMHO, on an otherwise beautiful knife. Kind of like a tattoo on a beautiful woman.
 
The etches are a bit overdone IMO. They disappear quickly with use though, so I don't mind them much.

- Christian
 
Yup. I'm with you guys. The blade etching really cheapens the look of the knives IMO.

Flitz removes most of it though.

.
 
It really depends on the etch. I'm glad most of them are easily removed, but am disappointed when I really like an etch (and what it adds to a given knife's aesthetics) but know it will disappear with use.

pertinux said:
Martineden recently asked in his Moose Thread,

martineden said:
Good infos, thanks all of you!

Question: how is your feeling about the large writings on the GEC blades? As I mentioned, I didn't like them. What do you think about them? I would like writings on the blades, but many many times smaller.
Click to expand...
The etch on my Northfield White Owl is well-proportioned to its blade, and its design itself is pleasing to my eye and consistent with the look of the knife. I am not buffing it out or treating it in any special way, and would be glad it it persevered.


6954209472_c66b2f41c6.jpg



7311497474_cab1e71a14.jpg



7421492516_dfc1044043.jpg



Thankfully, I am also fine with its fading-- a good thing considering that I can't use the knife and save the etch.


On the other hand, had the unfortunate emblems on my Tidioute wharncliffe Little Jack and #26 Tango not been removable, I would have been very disappointed about the former (especially since the billboard etch was crooked) and would not have purchased the latter.


IMG_2242.jpg



IMG_2308.jpg



IMG_2688.jpg



2526wharncliffe.jpg



IMG_2966.jpg


So to answer Alfredo's question, "It depends." If nothing else, I know not to buy a knife if the etch is the main draw (because I use my knives, and the etch would disappear sooner than later), nor to avoid one because of its etch.
Click to expand...

(More pictures and thoughts from others in the blade etch thread from which I quoted myself above. :))

~ P.
 
I guess some of them may be a little overboard, but I don't mind. After a bit of pocket time and use, you'll hardly even know they were there.
 
I quite like them actually.
They are traditional - blades have been marked, besides the tang stamps, for centuries. They do not hinder the function in any way, sometimes have a bit of humor in them, and some (not all) are very artistic.
They are often a reflection of the pride a cutler has in what he has created.
I find plain knives a little boring, actually.
As an etch fades, you can feel the passing of time, and the creation of memories!

I have suggested to custom makers that they etch their blades, but have so far seen few who have taken me up on the idea - I'll keep working on it!!
 
I think the blade etches are just fine for collectors who like to display, trade, or re-sell knives at some point to others of like mind.

I don't have a knife display and all of my knives are potential users, so I really prefer knives with no blade embellishments at all.
 
I'm not a fan of blade etchings but don't mind the smaller etches that GEC has been using lately on their blades such as this #72.

xdjs.jpg


It's the etchings that overpower a blade that I don't like such as those on some of the GEC Calf Ropers. Here's a before and after picture of a Calf Roper I have that I took the etching off of. I like the knife much better without the etching.

81ze.jpg
 
I'm not a fan of them either. I just flits them off my gec knives if i don't like the etch. Like ed above me posted GEC has been using much smaller etched lately. Looks much better imo.
 
For me, it depends on the etch. Some I don't mind, and they can even look good, the Charlow etches for example, others I'd have to actively remove, the Calf Roper springs to mind, as does the Bullwinkle etch which I think looks awful. It's not just GEC this applies to, I thought that the etch on my Aitor Castor made it look cheap and tacky, but it soon disappeared as the blade patinaed. I guess it's more of an issue with stainless knives, where removing them requires sanding or polishing, but I like the GEC squirrel etch :)
 
I reckon they should make a Rocky ,Boris and a Natasha to compliment the Bullwinkle.:p
Some are a bit OTT whilst some are kinda classy.
 
I dont own a lot of GEC,s but the ones i have,i have bought because the etch has been to my liking...ive been disappointed at how fast they fade with normal use.....not a dealbreaker but certainly an irk.................FES

 
The only issue I have with two Tidioute blade etchings I have, that they are so blocky and without an effort to any real style. I much prefer the old script version that gec used for tidioute blade etching. As for the ebony handled French Kate leg knife that I own, not having the etch would have killed my decision to buy it.... it just looks right to me on this knife :-) In the end, for me anyway, I take it on a knife to knife basis on whether I like or dislike an etching.... and no etching is fine on most knives I see :-)
 
Yes very nice. What pattern is that? I can only see single blade in clip point, but I much prefer yours.

festerfromnzed said:
I dont own a lot of GEC,s but the ones i have,i have bought because the etch has been to my liking...ive been disappointed at how fast they fade with normal use.....not a dealbreaker but certainly an irk.................FES

Click to expand...
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top