GEC Yellow Rose Scout--First Impressions

C

Coonskinner

Joined
Mar 28, 2001
Messages
2,491
Well, the Yellow Rose #73 Scout got here today.

I was as excited as a kid at Christmas time when I got home tonight after being gone all day and found the long awaited box here!

When I opened it up and unwrapped the knife, two things stood out to me...the kinife was a tad slimmer and smaller than I had envisioned, and the yellow bone was very deep, rich, and vividly colored.

My biggest concern was the stiffness of the backsprings, and so I opened it to see how stiff they really were.

No big deal. Perfect. A Mooremaker large trapper I used to have was a lot stiffer.

Great, authoritative snap, but not a nail breaker by any stretch.

The grinds and the swedge are flawlessly executed. perfection.

It isn't very sharp, but in the same ballpark as a lot of production slippies. No big surprise there. I expect to have to sharpen a new slipjoint before it suits me.

The only teensy negative I can really find is a small, but noticeable flaw or crack coming off one of the pins. It is small, but you can feel it with your fingernail.

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My biggest concern was the stiffness of the backsprings, and so I opened it to see how stiff they really were.

No big deal. Perfect. A Mooremaker large trapper I used to have was a lot stiffer.

Great, authoritative snap, but not a nail breaker by any stretch.

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Remind me never to get in a rasslin' match with you, John! ;)

I'd have to say that my #73 feels pretty stiff to me - not quite a nail breaker, but certainly stiff. May be a difference in knives, but more likely a difference in men.

Nice looking knife! :thumbup:
 
I need to learn how to take better pictures. It really is a beautiful knife.

I am already plotting my next GEC purchase.

As of right now I think it will be the muskrat furtaker, or perhaps one of the Cuban stockman or Moose patterns.

Did I say I really loved the swedged blade?

:)
 
Coonskinner said:
Did I say I really loved the swedged blade? :)
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Skinner, in that case you should always look at the UN-X-LD brand over either Tidioute or Great Eastern--they not only have more swedged blades, but usually better handle scale material as well. They are definately habit forming!
 
I have the slightly larger Pioneer in the Banana Peel yellow. GEC has a winner with this style of blade.

Congrats on your purchase, enjoy.
 
black mamba said:
Skinner, in that case you should always look at the UN-X-LD brand over either Tidioute or Great Eastern--they not only have more swedged blades, but usually better handle scale material as well. They are definately habit forming!
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Actually it is a Northfield UN-X-LD.

I guess I have fallen into the habit of referring to them all as Great Easterns.
 
It looks like the sheild is in a rose shape, if I'm correct? Very nice touch for the yellow rose of Texas. I like those scouts but don't have any. "and vividly colored".....Yea! That is bright yellow! Where's the battery pack to keep that thing lit up? That's going to be a tough one to loose. :D
 
I have the linerlock version of this knife. Regarding the "cracked pins" you've mentioned....Mine has some inconsistency in countersink depth. Some are polished flush with the scales, some are countersunk so deep they have no shine to them at all, while others are partially countersunk and polished. The pin closest to the nail nick appears to be swaged over slightly causing a slight gap at the head giving the illusion that it is cracked. I've compared this knife to some I've seen online and this appears to be normal with GEC. I don't view these inconsistencies as flaws at all.
 
Coonskinner said:
I need to learn how to take better pictures. It really is a beautiful knife.

I am already plotting my next GEC purchase.

As of right now I think it will be the muskrat furtaker, or perhaps one of the Cuban stockman or Moose patterns.

Did I say I really loved the swedged blade?

:)
Click to expand...

Turn off the flash. White or grey background. Indirect white lighting.
 
glocktenman said:
It looks like the sheild is in a rose shape, if I'm correct? Very nice touch for the yellow rose of Texas.
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Yes, it's a rose, and the blades have a special etch, and they have unique packaging as well.

and BTW -- The color isn't really that bright. Those photos make it look neon yellow, but it's more of a banana color.
 
I don't want to derail this thread and add to the lore of GEC nailbreaking backsprings but I got a single-blade Tidioute #73 w/ bocote scales and I literally broke my thumbnail. Admittedly, this was after a half dozen pulls. That said, it doesn't really worry me that much. I'll just up my calcium intake.

However, I think my next will be an EZ open instead of a barlow...
 
Well, after carrying and using this knife for a few days, I am liking it even better.

It is very slim and pocketable, and is taking on a nice patina after peeling taters and slicing up some onions for dinner the other day.

I have a hair popping edge on it, and it is a cutting machine.

No negatives to report whatsoever.
 
Coonskinner said:
Well, after carrying and using this knife for a few days, I am liking it even better.

It is very slim and pocketable, and is taking on a nice patina after peeling taters and slicing up some onions for dinner the other day.

I have a hair popping edge on it, and it is a cutting machine.
No negatives to report whatsoever.
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They do a superlative job heat treating the 1095. I can't get a hardness measurement because they anneal the tang. But it really holds an edge. It holds an edge better than my Cold Steel Carbon V stockman.

One thing for sure, it'll be hard to lose that guy unless you leave it in a banana tree.
 
That is a very cool sheild. I was just giving coon a hard time about the bright yellow. I noticed the pic by ChrisY and I bet coon's is similar in color. Coon, enjoy that thing!

joe-bob said:
Yes, it's a rose, and the blades have a special etch, and they have unique packaging as well.

and BTW -- The color isn't really that bright. Those photos make it look neon yellow, but it's more of a banana color.
Click to expand...
 
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