GEC vs Northwoods

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Nader E

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Jun 2, 2010
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Northwoods (with the exception of a few made by Queen?) is made by GEC so the quality is pretty comparable/interchangeable. I have a few by both.
 
If I could only have one traditional knife I'd pick the Fremont, but that is 100% personal preference (there's a reason it was my first slippie). The only differences are appearance and the Freemont is easier to open. You can't go wrong either way.
 
GEC makes the Northwoods knives for KSF nowadays so F&F and quality should be the same, it's just a matter of your taste really.
Polished vs the rustic look.
I like the Northwoods rustic look & the arrowhead shield personally.
 
I'm not a big fan of how the "rustic" treatment on the freemont's blades are. Just not my thing. It looks to be a little more pocketable than the 72 though.

I'd probably opt for the 72 of the two choices. Quality will be on par. It looks like a GEC made Northwoods. Is it not?
 
The first link points to the #47 Viper, not a wharncliffe #72 lockback which KSF still has. As already stated, the current Northwoods knives have been made by GEC so they should be comparable. Also, GEC has a single wharncliffe #92 Eureka patten knife on the production list you may want to consider. No pics yet still a few weeks out at least (#22 and another #72 run before the #92s).
 
Some of the Northwoods are made by Queen and some by GEC. Which company makes the Fremont Jack?
 
2Dead said:
The first link points to the #47 Viper, not a wharncliffe #72 lockback which KSF still has. As already stated, the current Northwoods knives have been made by GEC so they should be comparable. Also, GEC has a single wharncliffe #92 Eureka patten knife on the production list you may want to consider. No pics yet still a few weeks out at least (#22 and another #72 run before the #92s).
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Woops , good catch..I am not a fan of the #72, I think the lockback actually takes away from the beauty of the handles
 
Beekman said:
If I could only have one traditional knife I'd pick the Fremont, but that is 100% personal preference (there's a reason it was my first slippie). The only differences are appearance and the Freemont is easier to open. You can't go wrong either way.
Click to expand...

Thanks for the input , So freemonts are easier to open?
 
Equal quality, materials, and performance b/w those two. So it really comes down to aesthetics. Buy the one that "speaks" to you. No one can tell you which one that is but you.... And then buy the other one just to satisfy your curiosity!! Because that's just how we do 'round these parts....
 
I like the Fremont by the looks, but both look great.
 
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Easyrider said:
Some of the Northwoods are made by Queen and some by GEC. Which company makes the Fremont Jack?
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Great eastern cutlery made the Fremont. I think they're really nice, love the rustic blade but I'm not a fan of the Northwoods logo. Wicked looking sheepcliffe though :)
 
Nader Elhayek said:
Thanks for the input , So freemonts are easier to open?
Click to expand...

The Fremont's blade profile (which Derrick describes as "modified sheepsfoot") makes it easier to open... in fact, you can easily pinch it open.

The Fremont and the Viper side-by-side for comparison:

fremontviper001_zps631d6b18.jpg


fremontviper002_zps7462e309.jpg


fremontviper003_zps1a518a36.jpg


As others have noted, they are both high quality knives made by GEC and it really comes down to personal preference. I prefer both! :D

Hope this helps.
 
I don't think you'll find a quality difference either, personally I prefer the long pull on the northwoods, but would find it a hard call between the two anyway.
 
Aesthetically, I think the #47 has a more elegant blade, and the swayback handle shape gives it nice flowing organic lines. The Freemint looks like a down to business work knife. These are really just my personal opinions, I have a #47 and plan on getting a Freemont eventually.
 
If I was putting my money down on one I would buy the Fremont over the Viper but although similar in shape, I think they are two different kinds of blades. The Viper is a Wharncliff, and the Fremont according to Derrick, is a modified Sheepfoot. I like both but would prefer the Fremont from a looks standpoint, but also it looks like it's easier to open for me.
 
Have both and like the Fremont better for edc. It's a flatter and smaller knife that packs a decent sized blade. As others have noted it's pretty easy to pinch open.
The Viper is larger overall and the blade is longer and thinner. The crescent nail nick on the Northfield Vipers (like the ivory one above) can be tough to manipulate. The swedge make the blade thinner where the nick is set. I have to pinch the blade against my index finger on the backside of the blade to open it. It's my only gripe with the pattern. The Tidioute Vipers are a bit easier to open because they don't have the swedge.
 
I really wanted to like the Freemont, but just could not. The rustic finish on the blade was just not to my liking. Yeah the Northfield Viper can be tough to open, I have found I just carefully pinch the blade and found how to make it work, but I do like the knife. Steven
 
Thank you all for the responses. Since its going to be my first traditional I'm not too sure how much "draw weight " it takes to open up a normal blade. I think I'll let this go through my head a few more days before pulling the trigger.
 
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