Giving GEC another try

kamagong said:
You're definitely not alone. I've owned three GECs -- a Big Jack, a spearpoint #72, and a single blade #73. Although the quality was excellent on all the knives, only the #73 kept my interest.

I think it's the fact that GECs don't pass the eyeball test. I don't have any problems with GEC's craftsmanship, but the proportions on their knives seem off. Most of them are either too fat and stubby or long and skinny. Very few of their knives look right to me.
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It's weird. The GECs look so great in the pictures, but most of them don't feel right in my hand. Based on the huge fan base enthusiasm here in this sub forum, I try about every other gun show to find a GEC that I can't live without. Some of them are really nice and well built, but just off some way. Maybe it is too many decades of CASE and Bokers. As the kids say, "back in the day" I couldn't tell the difference between the two in hand.

The closest I got to actually buying a GEC was a medium stockman, but the pulls drove me nuts. The main blade was easy to open, but one of the secondary blades was really stiff, and the other was impossible. The seller is a known dealer that makes a multiple state circuit of shows, so no names.... but in his profound stupidity tried to sell me a blade pick (made and marked by GEC of course) for another $15. That way, if I ever needed to actually use that blade, I could fish around and find the official blade pick and use it to open the knife. Not much chance of that happening...

kamagong said:
I don't understand you being a Case and Schrade man though. The best knives are made by Queen. ;)
- Christian
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As mentioned above, talk about being in the minority!! Still, you don't need to convince me. The last several knives I purchased have been Queens and I have been extremely pleased. I bought a Dan Burke medium stockman and a half whittler that are like little swiss watches. Delicate, but great cutters. Another winner is my DB Barlow. Ditto an S&M large whittler with a wharncliffe blade, and a Queen branded gunstock. Even the Country Cousin I bought is quite nice.

I am hoping that across the board they will be great knives with new ownership. I absolutely love D2 and certainly hope they keep it as well as the old designs. I am hoping they don't go the plastic handled/pinned route at the cost of their existing catalog. I'm not through getting the ones I want!

Robert
 
sierra11b said:
Being a devout Queen 48 D2 whittler fan, at least in the production department, I find this information a bit disconcerting considering I was literally about to take the plunge on a clip blade Geppetto Whittler. :(
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Do it.

I have 6 GEC, and not a bad one in the bunch.

I love them to death. Not so much with the Queens.
 
The 66 Jack is quite a hefty knife despite being a smaller pattern, so too is the 56.

I'm a big fan of the 33 Conductor and 68 White Owl, these are slim lighter knives but with a lot of decent blade on board. I'm looking forward to GEC's Half Whittler, hope it's single-spring.

GEC, CASE, Queen, Böker have all provided me with decent knives that all have their individual feel.
 
I have 5 GECS in my rotation. I haven't pulled the trigger on the #66, but it looks like a fine serpentine frame that'll compliment your other stockman/jacks.
 
Doug- Try a Bucklite on for size.
My 422 gets more pocket time over my other traditional folders.
Rolf
 
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Hm... another GEC #66 Serpentine Jack on the way - that sounds good. You (all) know how I think about that knife. It´s my alltime-favorite already for a long time. You can´t go wrong with that one.

:)
 
I think you'll like the #66 Doug. I have the Calf Roper version and when carrying it, it rides totally unnoticed in my pocket - plus it is stout enough to handle most, daily, routine, tasks.
 
Lycosa said:
Doug- Try a Bucklite on for size.
Mine 422 gets more pocket time over my other traditional folders.
Rolf
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Rolf, I was thinking along those lines but more towards the classic 112.

I'm not suggesting it as an alternative to the GEC 66 as it's a very different knife. But I was reflecting on the posts to this thread about something being off with some GEC knives and other knives feeling perfect in the hand.

My Buck 500 pockets better than my 112 since it's thinner.

My Buck Ecolite 112 (the modern and prettier imo replacement of the 422) is lighter than the 112 and is fantastic in every way as a user (as I'm sure the 422 is).

But no knife I've ever owned or used gives me the emotional response of perfection that the classic 112 does. It's so odd. There are so many things that, on paper, should bug me about the 112, the weight being at the top of the list. But every time I put my hand on it, I'm happy.
 
I have 3 GECS now. #53 Cuban in Brimstone jigged bone. #25 Barlow in black horn and a #89 Gents Whittler. The Cuban is a club of a knife. Well built but carries like a small car. The Barlow is nice, secondary blade almoste requires machinery to open. Its thicker than it need be too. The Gents Whittler carries nice for its length because its slim and I love the long Wharncliff blade. So not much downside to that knife. All in all, GECs are great but like many have said, the proportions compared to patterns from other manufacturers (like Case) is a bit off.

Still...gonna give the EO a try soon. I like the look of that knife!
 
Hi Doug,
I hope you like the ones you get!! Here's 2 comparison shots I took for the comparison thread. Top to bottom in first pic is a #65 Ben Hogan, #89 Executive Whittler, #48 Jack, #85 Jack, #66 Jack, #33 Conductor. The second pick has the #66 Jack, #68 White Owl, #56 Jack and a #25 EO Jack.
IMG_3056.jpg

IMG_3102.jpg
 
Thanks Trand. I may yet regret getting two 66s instead of a 66 and a 56. I really like the frame shape, size, and blade configuration of the 56.

But if the Moose turns out not to be what I had hoped, I guess I could pass it on to someone else and pick up a 56.
 
Another suggestion: since you like the CASE Texas Jack (most of us are fans too) how about GEC 76 Outlaw?
 
You know Will, I am back and forth on the Outlaw. I love the copperhead bone, but for some reason the reverse gunstock frame from what my Case knives have just doesn't sit well with me. I can't explain it rationally, something about it just does not work for me. And at the price I would pay for it I would need to be convinced it was right for me.

Maybe once I got one in my hand, all those hesitations would disappear, but that is a bit of an expensive gamble, and I don't have that kind of extra $ right now.
 
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