GEC warranty experience

[Jsega51]

Why not just keep the heavier pull knives as the collector items and put the easier pull knives in your user rotation, since you have multiples of each pattern. Ya know?

 

[btb01]

Why not just keep the heavier pull knives as the collector items and put the easier pull knives in your user rotation, since you have multiples of each pattern. Ya know?

Or sell them on the exchange. It’s fairly easy to recoup your money (or even make a couple bucks) with most GEC patterns.

 

[PirateSeulb]

Depending on a few things the only issue I see is the $5 charge but that would only be an issue if this charge was not disclosed when suggesting sending the knife to them. Your knife should not suddenly be held ransom but if you were informed that there would be a $5 return charge if there was no fault found or just a general $5 return charge then there is nothing wrong with the response.

 

[craytab]

Talked to Joan over at GEC about a 92 and a 14 that were nail breakers ,she said to send them in for them to check out. I explained to her that I had another 92 and 2 -14's that were easy to open . Her reply is below, no need to say I am very disappointed in the customer service and will no longer be a customer of GEC.

Tony,

We have received the knives you sent to us. After looking at them we have determined that the stiffness of the pull is the nature of the knife as it was made. We will not be able to loosen them for you.

There is a $5.00 return shipping fee, you can pay by check or call the number below to use a credit card. If you would prefer Paypal, our address is sales@greateasterncutlery.net.

Their response seems perfectly reasonable. I have a bull nose that is quite stiff. With practice and use, it has either loosened up or I've gotten better at opening it. I think they make special vitamins that are for you nails (vitamin E?). If you keep the knives, I'd suggest some of that along with practice and use.

There is no reason in the world you should have to fight your knife to open it.

I'm quite sure GEC well knows they have a reputation for heavy pulls.
They could make them lighter across the board, if they wanted to, and make their knives safer.
You are more likely to cut yourself with a knife that has a heavy pull than with one that has a light pull.
Like it or not, that is a fact not an "opinion".

Another "PASS" for GEC, I see.

How many times has CASE been bashed on the forum for having a heavy pull, and "everyone" agrees it is "Defective" and should be sent back?
More times that I can count.
Yet the same problem/defect on a GEC, and y'all are defending GEC, and are coming down hard on someone who has a complaint about their GEC.
It is disgusting.​

CASE adjusts the pull under warranty, from all I've read here in the forums.
Even if it means taking the knife apart and replacing the backsprings, or thinning them down a little on/from the inside surface.

Hate me if you like, Ban me, if you so choose! I don't care. I'm out of here.

Don't let the door hit you...

Depending on a few things the only issue I see is the $5 charge but that would only be an issue if this charge was not disclosed when suggesting sending the knife to them. Your knife should not suddenly be held ransom but if you were informed that there would be a $5 return charge if there was no fault found or just a general $5 return charge then there is nothing wrong with the response.

This is my thought as well. Return shipping charge should be disclosed. It's not clear if it was or wasn't though. I don't see that GEC has done anything wrong.

 

[Murdamook]

Depending on a few things the only issue I see is the $5 charge but that would only be an issue if this charge was not disclosed when suggesting sending the knife to them. Your knife should not suddenly be held ransom but if you were informed that there would be a $5 return charge if there was no fault found or just a general $5 return charge then there is nothing wrong with the response.

I’m also not so sure that, should he complain, GEC wouldn’t just waive the 5$ return shipping fee. However, most companies are charging for return shipping costs and warranty knives.

 

[Grateful]

There is no reason in the world you should have to fight your knife to open it.

I'm quite sure GEC well knows they have a reputation for heavy pulls.
They could make them lighter across the board, if they wanted to, and make their knives safer.
You are more likely to cut yourself with a knife that has a heavy pull than with one that has a light pull.
Like it or not, that is a fact not an "opinion".

Another "PASS" for GEC, I see.

How many times has CASE been bashed on the forum for having a heavy pull, and "everyone" agrees it is "Defective" and should be sent back?
More times that I can count.
Yet the same problem/defect on a GEC, and y'all are defending GEC, and are coming down hard on someone who has a complaint about their GEC.
It is disgusting.​

CASE adjusts the pull under warranty, from all I've read here in the forums.
Even if it means taking the knife apart and replacing the backsprings, or thinning them down a little on/from the inside surface.

Hate me if you like, Ban me, if you so choose! I don't care. I'm out of here.

It’s clear to me that you don’t really understand the difference between a opinion and a fact. That’s ok tho, we are all here to learn right? I suggest you start with a dictionary.

 

[Quiet]

There is no reason in the world you should have to fight your knife to open it.

I'm quite sure GEC well knows they have a reputation for heavy pulls.
They could make them lighter across the board, if they wanted to, and make their knives safer.
You are more likely to cut yourself with a knife that has a heavy pull than with one that has a light pull.
Like it or not, that is a fact not an "opinion".

Another "PASS" for GEC, I see.

How many times has CASE been bashed on the forum for having a heavy pull, and "everyone" agrees it is "Defective" and should be sent back?
More times that I can count.
Yet the same problem/defect on a GEC, and y'all are defending GEC, and are coming down hard on someone who has a complaint about their GEC.
It is disgusting.​

CASE adjusts the pull under warranty, from all I've read here in the forums.
Even if it means taking the knife apart and replacing the backsprings, or thinning them down a little on/from the inside surface.

Hate me if you like, Ban me, if you so choose! I don't care. I'm out of here.

You sound like you really hate GEC. You're in the distinct minority. I'm fairly new over on the Porch, but have seen you reel off this same screed there also. One more thing, underlining the word fact doesn't somehow turn your braying donkey's ass opinion here into an actual fact. Just figured I'd let you know.

Also, I'll take a GEC knife with a firmer pull all day long over the nicest pulling Case on the planet. I can tell you THAT for a fa...sorry, a fact.

 

[Fonedork]

I'll just add that I sent a #63 mako in to GEC for centering and it came back centered, for free. Maybe I paid shipping. I remember it as being free and awesome. GEC rules. Also, if you want to loosen the pull you should put a couple drops of nano oil in the pivot and work it, you can also store it half opened (before a half stop, if applicable) for a while to physically stretch the spring and loosen it.

 

[Postlapsaria]

Yeah let's bash an American company that stands behind their products because they won't rebuild your knife, that's undoubtedly within tolerance, to meet your whims and preferences.

Sarcasm aside, one of the many great things about GEC is that there's a healthy secondary market. Throw it on the exchange, disclose the heavy pull, and I'm sure someone will pick it up. Then use those funds to pick up another that someone lists with a light pull.

 

[B.F.U]

I really don't think we need to pile up on people with dissenting opinions. I am a big supporter of GEC, but no person or organization is perfect. And it doesn't help to call names and such.

I'll just add that I sent a #63 mako in to GEC for centering and it came back centered, for free. Maybe I paid shipping. I remember it as being free and awesome. GEC rules. Also, if you want to loosen the pull you should put a couple drops of nano oil in the pivot and work it, you can also store it half opened (before a half stop, if applicable) for a while to physically stretch the spring and loosen it.

I don't really think the leaving it open works. It seems to me it would only work if the spring wasn't actually heat treated to a spring temper.

 

[bonky]

Of the few (Ok, 300+) GECs I've purchased over the years I have returned exactly one for warranty service. I called Ms Christine on the phone to ask her if they would be able to tighten the liners on a #53 Cuban.

It took about 2 weeks from the day I mailed it out to receive the knife back. They didn't charge me a dime, did a great job and I still have the knife in my collection today. They earned my respect with their products. They earned my loyalty with their service.

And that's all I have to say about that.

 

[knifeswapper]

I really don't think we need to pile up on people with dissenting opinions. I am a big supporter of GEC, but no person or organization is perfect. And it doesn't help to call names and such.
I don't really think the leaving it open works. It seems to me it would only work if the spring wasn't actually heat treated to a spring temper.

Amen and Amen. In our sub-forum, which I am assuming this got moved from, typically things are very courteous. But, GBU does bring out a little more of the snide side of those that find no commonality in the comments being made. I don't blame the OP for sending the knives back if wanted them tuned a bit. But, I do know that GEC retains some facts as to their response that we may never hear directly. Generally somewhere between the two - is actuality. The dot may fall very close to one end or the other; but it is generally in between. I am a knife nut and hoarder; and I sell knives - thus I know a little bit about both expectations. Thus, GEC and the OP need to have a conversation and come to their conclusion.

A couple notes. Some time back (at least a year now), GEC changed their stance in that customers will pay return shipping. For U.S. customers I think that is first class at $5. They have also been flooded with returns for issues that were simply within factory specs when the knife was produced and are still within factory specs. They will do their best to satisfy the customer; but cannot be expected to lose money (or an hours labor) fixing a problem that they do not concur is outside of their specs.

But, if they are being difficult, let's call them out. Tell the factory to send me the two knives in my next box and I will put them on a pressure gauge to check the backspring strength - then post it here.

 

[jlauffer]

You sound like you really hate GEC. You're in the distinct minority. I'm fairly new over on the Porch, but have seen you reel off this same screed there also. One more thing, underlining the word fact doesn't somehow turn your braying donkey's ass opinion here into an actual fact. Just figured I'd let you know.

Also, I'll take a GEC knife with a firmer pull all day long over the nicest pulling Case on the planet. I can tell you THAT for a fa...sorry, a fact.

psst...hey Forrest...you forgot to underline

 

[11tonytiger]

You’re reply has gone unnoticed because you replied in the quote. You presented an unwarranted bashing of GEC claiming the pull to be a nail-breaker. Now you’re attempting to dogpile this silly “dangerous” nonsense. Pull-preference is all over the board. They’re not a custom knife company; you shouldn’t expect them to customize your pull to your specifications

Finally, you posted your opinion on a forum and didn’t get the response you wanted and now you’re school-marming and finger-wagging forumites who don’t agree with you and suggesting through your rhetoric (“ashamed”, really?) that there’s some sort of moral deficiency on the forum among the defenders? Get out of here with that nonsense. I wish this was in W&C so I could tell you how I really feel, but rest assured you’re a zero in my book, guy. Get bent. Hell, the only reason you even hitched your wagon to this “dangerous” nonsense is because some other known troll mentioned it. Had no one else said anything about it then it likely would have never even popped into your head.[/QUOT

Really classy intelligent reply there

 

[Murdamook]

Far more classy and intelligent than anything you’ve posted. You can’t even post in the right area. You keep posting within the quote.

You came into a forum and whimpered about how a strong pull was just too much for you even though it isn’t out of spec according to the maker. Then you bashed said maker for not tooling your knife to the spec you had in your head even though they’re a small-batch maker and not a custom shop. Then you had the gall to tell everyone here that they should be ashamed of themselves for defending a company who manufactures knives with “dangerous” pull weights and doesn’t cater to every individual nut job with a laptop and a credit card. What’s more is you never even mentioned how pull weight was dangerous until another troll brought it up. So, you piggy-backed off of said troll. You can’t even formulate your own complaints.

Everyone here (myself excluded) has been extremely cordial to you regarding your problem. Many have given well thought out responses and even been on your side regarding the shipping fee. Your response was to finger wag and tell them they should be ashamed of themselves for defending GEC. That’s abhorrent. Pull weight is entirely subjective. An 8 for you could be a 5 for me. Is GEC supposed to balk every time someone sends a knife in with too strong a pull? They have a range for their spec and that’s all we can ask of a production company.

Your reason for complaining is laughable. Your replies have all been passive aggressive at best. This entire thread is a joke, honestly. FYI: you have yet to refute a single explanation for GEC denying the work.

 

[craytab]

11tonytiger Please don't write in the quote of other people. Please go back and fix the quotes you have messed up. It would really help in the discussion. Thanks.

 

[skyhorse]

Lots of bad karma here for a company that sells knives we so often see flipped for twice what the original owner paid , just saying.

 

[Mayonardo]

My experience has been that the GEC pulls have been increasingly lighter and have reached that “just right” point for me. The only GEC that has a pull too heavy for me is the 44, a pattern I love but don’t have for that reason. That is more a function of my capabilities rather than any shortcoming with the build.

 

[Mitchell Knives]

Other than cycling the knife repeatedly or leaving it 1/3 open for a while, the only way I could think to reduce the pull would be to manually over extend the spring.

You could possibly break the spring doing that and it likely would no longer sit flush.

 

[Railsplitter]

It's kind of a moot point at this stage of the game but both of the op's "nail breaker" knives have half stops which means that the squared corners of the tang that rotate against the back spring could be causing some resistance when opening and closing the blade.

If the op could find a way to gradually round those corners without scratching the liners, that might loosen the pull just enough to make it manageable.

I've never tried this because I know I would scratch the liners but it seems like it might help if that could be avoided.