Great Eastern Cutlery Availability, Dealers, "Drops", Etc.: A Place for People to Vent

I think a small percentage of owners found something about the knife they simply didn't like, but I think the vast majority of those sold so far, especially on eBay, were purchased purely to be flipped for a profit.

Something I am curious about is what will happen with the secondary supply of these. Will they continue to circulate, or will they disappear into collections as "keepers" and become even harder to procure? Personally I think that the design is so nice, and the cover selection so appealing, that once true collectors get them they will not be resold very often.
 
Jeremy Clipsham said:
I think a small percentage of owners found something about the knife they simply didn't like, but I think the vast majority of those sold so far, especially on eBay, were purchased purely to be flipped for a profit. Something I am curious about is what will happen with the secondary supply of these. Will they continue to circulate, or will they disappear into collections as "keepers" and become even harder to procure? Personally I think that the design is so nice, and the cover selection so appealing, that once true collectors get them they will not be resold very often.
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I think your guess that these knives will mostly fall into the hands of more serious collectors and mostly fall out of sight on the secondary resale market after a while is correct. I think the number of these knives that we’ll see going through the secondary resale mill a year or two from now will be a small percentage of the numbers we’ve seen recently.
 
Eventually the users and collectors get their knives and they will only pop up occasionally after that.
You used to see hoards of Big and Little Bays, among others, and they are hard to find now.
 
Stumpy72 said:
I think your guess that these knives will mostly fall into the hands of more serious collectors and mostly fall out of sight on the secondary resale market after a while is correct. I think the number of these knives that we’ll see going through the secondary resale mill a year or two from now will be a small percentage of the numbers we’ve seen recently.
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...as far as final results/when the dust settles, I think you've nailed it. For example, I'm thinking Signal Jacks - you hardly see them for RS now....and I was really wondering why most of the resales were Giraffe bone - expectations of a different color but just quickly grabbing the "closest" one with without enough time to "shop"?
 
southriv said:
....and I was really wondering why most of the resales were Giraffe bone - expectations of a different color but just quickly grabbing the "closest" one with without enough time to "shop"?
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Just a guess, but I’d guess dedicated flippers may have taken a shot at a Giraffe bone because it’s “semi-rare” and they might actually have a shot at getting one---as opposed to trying for a Mammoth, which is extremely rare, much more prized and the probability of actually getting one is very close to zero.
 
81 mammoth made and 131 giraffe bone, which might add something to your point. I know one guy traded his sawcut because he did not like the grind at the tip. I just traded for a giraffe bone and the dude had gotten two and kept the one he liked.
 
Jiki said:
81 mammoth made and 131 giraffe bone, which might add something to your point. I know one guy traded his sawcut because he did not like the grind at the tip. I just traded for a giraffe bone and the dude had gotten two and kept the one he liked.
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Just out of curiosity, where can I find the production run numbers that you refer to?
 
Curiosity only here: I got a peek at the extra handful of Waynorth Black Jacks that dropped over at Gunstock Jack’s this evening and was wondering, was that the price these sold for from all dealers? (I’m other words, is this the new “standard” price range for these SFOs?) The prices were $225 for the standard two blade, $245 for the single blade, and $195-$215 for an “S” model. I know the dealer prices for Charlie’s SFOs have gone up over the last year or two, from being almost the same as standard GEC knives to $150 or so, but $225-$250 is quite a big jump!
 
btb01 said:
Curiosity only here: I got a peek at the extra handful of Waynorth Black Jacks that dropped over at Gunstock Jack’s this evening and was wondering, was that the price these sold for from all dealers? (I’m other words, is this the new “standard” price range for these SFOs?) The prices were $225 for the standard two blade, $245 for the single blade, and $195-$215 for an “S” model. I know the dealer prices for Charlie’s SFOs have gone up over the last year or two, from being almost the same as standard GEC knives to $150 or so, but $225-$250 is quite a big jump!
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What you are seeing are not production knives rather one off models.... Hence they don't follow production run pricing
Sort of like GM building a Corvette with left over parts in the skunkworks department...
 
HEMI 49 said:
What you are seeing are not production knives rather one off models.... Hence they don't follow production run pricing.
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The “S” models are Store models. They have been deemed to have aesthetic defects in the finish. They are not special one offs. Normally the “S” models are sold cheaper for this reason. I got a stag 86 “S” for $115, the standard models were roughly $135.

Also, there were 2 blade standard models, same as other dealers got but his were priced at $225. The original allotment he got he sold at $155. So he marked these up for no reason other than they were the only ones available at any dealers.

The single blades, yes, I agree they were a special run.
 
Jsega51 said:
The “S” models are Store models. They have been deemed to have aesthetic defects in the finish. They are not special one offs. Normally the “S” models are sold cheaper for this reason. I got a stag 86 “S” for $115, the standard models were roughly $135.

Also, there were 2 blade standard models, same as other dealers got but his were priced at $225. The original allotment he got he sold at $155. So he marked these up for no reason other than they were the only ones available at any dealers.

The single blades, yes, I agree they were a special run.
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Where did the knives come from?... The "Big" run was done and those knives were sent to the dealers.... These are knives that were created after the main production run was over.... Made in a "Skunkworks " environment from left over materials... Hence GEC isn't going to sell to a dealer for the same price as a production knife... Basically they are few knives more than what were available yesterday .... (thumbs up)
TKC buys knives from other dealers and marks them up regularly.... They even put the disclaimer in the knife description.... If people don't want to pay it they can pass on it...
 
Here is an example from TKC page on 92 Eureka.... Note the mention of procurement cost..... Screenshot_20200123-231835_Chrome.jpg
 
Jsega51 said:
The original allotment he got he sold at $155.
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Thanks, that answers my main question. :thumbsup: I didn’t really follow these when they were released, so I was mostly just curious what the “normal” price was. $155 seems right in line with what I would expect one of Charlie’s SFOs to cost from a dealer.

HEMI 49 said:
What you are seeing are not production knives rather one off models.... Hence they don't follow production run pricing
Sort of like GM building a Corvette with left over parts in the skunkworks department...
Click to expand...

HEMI 49 said:
Where did the knives come from?... The "Big" run was done and those knives were sent to the dealers.... These are knives that were created after the main production run was over.... Made in a "Skunkworks " environment from left over materials... Hence GEC isn't going to sell to a dealer for the same price as a production knife... Basically they are few knives more than what were available yesterday .... (thumbs up)
TKC buys knives from other dealers and marks them up regularly.... They even put the disclaimer in the knife description.... If people don't want to pay it they can pass on it...
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I get what you’re saying, particularly with regards to the single blade (those’ll certainly be rare, maybe a single digit number on next year’s production totals?), but “S” models (essentially a factory second) for $40 more than the standard run? That’s a head scratcher. :confused:
 
HEMI 49 said:
What you are seeing are not production knives rather one off models.... Hence they don't follow production run pricing
Sort of like GM building a Corvette with left over parts in the skunkworks department...
Click to expand...
I'm not ashamed to display a complete lack of automobile production knowledge.
What is a "skunkworks" and how does it relate to this subject? I don't think GEC has more than one production department.
Are you saying that these knives were assembled by GEC, but in a short run of leftover parts? (I read that the small number of white bone 86s were made because they ran short of usable stag)
 
r8shell said:
I'm not ashamed to display a complete lack of automobile production knowledge.
What is a "skunkworks" and how does it relate to this subject? I don't think GEC has more than one production department.
Are you saying that these knives were assembled by GEC, but in a short run of leftover parts? (I read that the small number of white bone 86s were made because they ran short of usable stag)
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R8shell,
A skunkworks is a place where discrete, one off work can be preformed.... Typically for research and development..... Often utilizing a regular senior production employee, group leader or, in large facilities, a dedicated staff... Every shop has some little corner where this can be done... GEC is a mom and pop operation so there isn't a lot of redundant equipment.... When a certain operation needs performed the line is broken into and the operation is completed....
In my world, prior to retirement, we did many skunkworks projects on Saturdays or after hours when equipment was available.....
In many facilities the skunkworks area is highly guarded due to the nature of the work preformed within.....
I'm sure Bill Howard performs many skunkworks projects at GEC.... In all likelihood he himself built the one blade 86's while his production guys cranked out 62's.....
 
HEMI 49 said:
R8shell,
A skunkworks is a place where discrete, one off work can be preformed.... Typically for research and development..... Often utilizing a regular senior production employee, group leader or, in large facilities, a dedicated staff... Every shop has some little corner where this can be done... GEC is a mom and pop operation so there isn't a lot of redundant equipment.... When a certain operation needs performed the line is broken into and the operation is completed....
In my world, prior to retirement, we did many skunkworks projects on Saturdays or after hours when equipment was available.....
In many facilities the skunkworks area is highly guarded due to the nature of the work preformed within.....
I'm sure Bill Howard performs many skunkworks projects at GEC.... In all likelihood he himself built the one blade 86's while his production guys cranked out 62's.....
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Thanks for the explanation, HEMI.
 
HEMI 49 said:
Where did the knives come from?... The "Big" run was done and those knives were sent to the dealers.... These are knives that were created after the main production run was over.... Made in a "Skunkworks " environment from left over materials..
Click to expand...

The “S” model knives are almost always released after the main run. They pop up at many dealers after the original release, they aren’t some super secret production run.

Those standard 2 blade knives could have been knives that were held back for a little fine tuning and then sent out. They also could have been received by Barry earlier and held back for a later drop just like this. They could have been extras that Charlie received and then sent to Barry to sell. Lots of possibilities.

The single blade knives are the special release and prob warrant the price but not the others, especially the 2 blade “S” models.


Just curious, have you been to the GEC factory?
 
This explains the single blade knives but not those extra 2 blade knives and the 2 blade “S” models sold for a markup. HEMI 49 HEMI 49 You’re right, people can pay it or not, but funny you’re taking the opposite side of this when you, earlier in this thread, spoke out against people flipping knives. But hey, people paid it! I didn’t for a reason.

waynorth said:
Just to keep the record complete, Bill put 20 Black Jacks together for me without the pen blade!:oops: 12 of them are 1st grade, and 8 were marked with an "S" meaning they are "Store" quality - Bill doesn't like to call them seconds, and I could find little or nothing wrong with them! I sent some randomly to a couple of dealers, and saved some for my local club!!
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I know this is nothing new to those in the know, but I’m new so a lot of common knowledge is still news to me.

I just discovered that when DLT gets their SFO 62’s (Desert Ironwood, Snakewood, Blue Camel Bone and a Micarta) in stock, they'll do a customer email notification and then they make all those knives available at the one pre-announced time specified in their email. I haven’t gone through this kind of release routine with them before, but I just went through the recent Northwoods feeding frenzy. My guess is that the SFO 62’s that DLT offers will disappear pretty quickly and that the DLT SFO 62 release will be very similar to the Northwoods frenzy. Maybe not totally the equal of it in terms of intensity and speed, but probably pretty close.

So... my question for those in the know about how these DLT SFO releases go... Is my guesstimation above fairly accurate or is the DLT release a more relaxed, leisurely thing than I’m picturing?
 
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