GEC should get back to basics

M

Memphis Tiger

Joined
Sep 21, 2013
Messages
63
I'm a big fan of GEC folding knives, but I wish they would get back to basics. What I mean is, it seems they don't produce enough quantity or variety of standard traditional patterns and finishes. It's hard to find a mid sized stockman like the #66, #68, #56 or #81 with a long pull clip blade in a more than one or two colors.

Runs in yellow jigged bone, pumkin seed, red jigged bone, or white smooth bone are long over due. I also wish they'd offer an option in these traditional patterns with 154 CPM stainless, or something equivalent at least to Bucks 420 HC.

What I'd like to see is more variety in finishes and blade steal among traditional patterns, instead of the variety of many obscure patterns.

Anyone else feel this way? Hoping someone at GEC is reading.
 
And you don't need a super steel if you know how to sharpen and strop 1095 carbon was the standard for years
 
My wish list is that gec would come out with some more fixed blade options with handles that my only wish
 
I like what GEC is doing, they make knives that I saw in catalogs as kids with what feels like better quality.

Personally I hope they keep on doing it.
 
My mother used to tell me I had a lot of patience (because I never use any). It may be a year or two but your knife configuration will come up!

As far as 1095 I rather enjoy it

Enjoy the hunt
 
I like what GEC is doing but I can definitely see your point. Many of us want more stainless options (I'm ok with GEC's 440C) and I think it would be great if maybe certain patterns were made on a regular basis. For example, I can get a Case Peanut any day of the week. I can't say the same for most of GEC's patterns but that is part of what makes them unique.

On the other hand, I have or have had all the GEC patterns that I've ever wanted. I don't recall completely missing out on something I wanted from GEC just because there weren't enough made. If I don't get one when they are released I end up finding one eventually but I know that lady luck was on my side in some of those cases.
 
Anyone else feel this way? Hoping someone at GEC is reading.
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Hmmmm. Not really. I love the variety of patterns GEC produces even though I'm not always interested in them. I will admit it can be frustrating to find a particular pattern in a particular color or scale material. If they started cranking out what everyone else is doing, I wouldn't have much interest in them.
 
I would like to see more steels used than 1095, O1, 440C and 420HC. 440C is just Cyclops and they have done runs in 420HC. However, I've heard Bill Howard, the owner, stated that he was not interested in using super steels, and wanted to keep the knives similar to the way they were made years ago. So, I wish they offered more patterns in 440C, and with greater availability, but they seem to be doing just fine.

I'm most happy that they shied away from big bulky patterns on steroids of the early days, and are now giving Queen a run for their money in looks factor. They are at the top of the production game in regards to fit and finish or walk and talk. If they were using high end steels, I surmise that they'd be called a mid tech company.
 
I'll add that we have already lost too many American knife companies. I think GEC should do whatever it is that keeps them in business, regardless of what I think they should do.
 
I like 1095 it is easy to sharpen and holds a good edge for me. I think the fact that GEC does limited runs helps drive the secondary market so if one decides to sell a knife not much money if any is lost unlike so many other brands. I also believe that most of GEC knives are sold to collectors and knife knuts because of price. The average person won't spend $100 plus for traditional a pocket knife and that limits the market for them. If they flood that market they will tie up their capitol in inventory which will limit profitability and possibly cause their demise. I believe that has happened to many other American companies and that is why after so many years after closing their doors we can still readily find new old stock. Just my 2 cents worth.
 
Railsplitter said:
I think GEC should do whatever it is that keeps them in business,.
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Agreed. They're doing a fine job & I hope they keep up the great work. I'd encourage anyone that has suggestions to email them. I tend to think they care about what their customers think though that doesn't mean they'll make your favorite 6 bladed peanut with a punch & bottle opener.
 
I get what you're saying. If you're actively seeking out a GEC knife and you have a specific pattern and material in mind it can be very frustrating. One thing to keep in mind is that GEC caters to collectors, so if you see that the knife you want has already been made in the handle material you want it's possible that they won't run that combination again. It's also possible that you'll be waiting a couple of years for any one specific pattern to come up on their production schedule. For example, they're about to run 85s, which their website shows was last run in 2013 and even then it was made with a one-armed razor main blade. If you're not a fan of that blade and missed out on the previous clip run you'd have had to wait 4 years in between runs, and this is for a pretty popular pattern. If you happen to favor a pattern that's not as popular the wait can be longer. This can be very frustrating.

On the other hand, GEC seems to sell out of just about everything that they make. I don't see any real motivation for them to change what they're doing. It's not an easy thing to run a successful cutlery company nowadays. Furthermore, any change can set off a firestorm of opinions, just look at GEC's recent decision to exclude shields from stag for evidence of this. If you hit lightening in a bottle the way that GEC has there is a lot to lose by switching course midstream. When Bill Howard sits down to contemplate the direction of his company, making a decision that has little upside and huge risk factors probably isn't something he's going to consider.

The way I see it, if you're a fan of GEC and don't mind too much what specific knife you're buying, what they do works out great. You get to buy a lot of neat patterns that you won't find many other places. If you want a specific pattern and you're not able to find it sitting on the shelf of one of the dealers, you're probably better off looking to a different maker. There are still plenty of companies making great slipjoints. As consumers we have options. If you aren't excited about what one company is doing it's a lot easier to look at a different manufacturer than hope for the one you've chosen to change course.
 
It would be nice to see yearly or every-other-year runs of a selection of popular patterns, I agree. If they did a run of 73s, 15s, 66s, 68s or 33s, and maybe 48s on a predictable basis, with greater quantities, I think more people might start seeking out GECs as users, because there would be enough popular patterns, mostly always available, that Average Joe could expect to find one at almost any time in a selection of covers. As it is though, the situation isn't unbearable, you don't have to work too hard to pick up a 73, 66, 15, or even 48 if so inclined, especially if the secondary market is taken into account. I think the economics simply aren't there. If you don't keep collectors interested with new stuff, and you and your dealers tie up large sums of money in inventory, a slight rock in the boat might send the whole ship to the bottom.
 
I found it somewhat surprising that they did a run of pruners in the middle of the winter instead of another pattern. But there are a lot of factors to consider... like a SFO from a leather working company etc and other 47 pattern variants that they ran at the same time. It probably streamlined production to run them all at the same time... even though many of us won't have any use for a pruner for several months.
 
I would only suggest they make larger runs of their popular patterns. But I want GEC to do whatever works for them and be successful as a business.
 
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