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Great Eastern Cutlery - More user or collectable?

E

Epicurian

Gold Member
Joined
Sep 12, 2010
Messages
442
Looking for advice on GEC pocketknives. All the research I've seen says they have a great fit and finish etc. What about the quality of their heat treat on the 440 and 1095? Do their blades come sharp from the factory? Are they meant to be used? How do they stack up against Case, Kershaw, Buck etc...?

Any input appreciated, as I've been more of a fixed blade kinda guy up to now.
 
I don't have any personal experience with the 440C. The 1095 that they use is done very well. Even though they make a lot of small production runs which would make you think they are geared toward collectors, they are about the best you will find in a production knife and are more than up to the tasks of daily use. For a short while people were complaining that the edges weren't very sharp out of the tube. It seems like the more recent knives don't have that problem. While I believe that a knife should come sharp already, these are fairly easy to get a nice edge on (unlike Queen's D2).

Here's a thread I started a while back asking for pics of users. There are quite a few people here who use their Great Eastern knives and are more than happy with them. There are others who collect them as safe queens and some people do both.
 
I own two GECs with 440 and I use them. They have held up well and I will buy more when they are offered.
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I don't own any GEC 440, but I do have 9 GEC patterns in 1095.
Their factory grinds aren't the best, but after you touch them up, they can't be beat....at least not yet.
I don't even consider their potential value as a collectors item because I don't plan to ever sell them.
IMO...GEC is in a completely different league than the basic Case slipjoint.
 
I have both steels and many patterns. These steels are excellent, I do wish they'd offer more stainless knives as their stuff is particularly good.
Usually sharp from new, is harder than CASE cv or Böker carbon to sharpen, so higher Rockwell I assume. Nothing like Queen D2 to get there, and GEC grinds them well.

Are they 'better' than those other brands? Argument can go on to infinity on this one as it's subjective. I do find the QC to be stricter at GEC though, never (yet) had a knife with 'my' issues, doesn't mean there aren't poor ones but you don't hear that much about them.

They most certainly ARE for use, lot of people here EDC them and they show the marks of honest toil to prove it. Mine have all worked flawlessly since 06. They can be 'collected' (I like to look at some of mine but don't use all) but if this will yield investment is open to ponzi like question. They release small numbered batches that some people are eager to collect by specific number or by scales. They don't go in for some of the more vulgar kitschy themes that CASE sometimes goes in for, does pull in the money I believe. GEC does offer some very bizarre patterns from time to time, some are 'special'/ acquired taste but they're authentic not some marketing contrivance.

Finally, they are of heavier gauge in construction than most of their competitors, I think they make the best production Traditionals at the moment, but, there are plenty of other very decent brands too. Good for choice, bad for our wallets!

Regards, Will
 
I have two Tidioutes and they are users. The 1095 is done very well. For edge holding their 1095 is only second to the Queen D2 in my opinion. But I personally may like the 1095 a little better as I do like that it takes a patina. I'm mainly a user when it comes to getting a knife, but I could easily collect these as I like them so much. :)
 
I carry and use my GEC's side by side with Case, Schatt & Morgan, Queen, Canal Street, Spyderco, Kershaw Benchmade and Buck. They are certainly nice enough to display, beautifully finished but also heavy duty and ready to use.

Not all of mine were sharp enough out of the tube, I wish they were as sharp as my Spyderco's out of the tube, but oh well. Gives me the opportunity to sharpen them. The more you work with your knife, the more it becomes a part of your life, IMHO of course.
 
I use my GEC's. They are well built, but not so extremely high-end that I would be afraid to put a scratch or patina on them. But they are better across the board than the companies you mentioned in the original post.
Seriously, I don't know how much of a market there will be in the future for collecting production knives with a plan of socking them away and watch them gain lots of value. Too many folks are clued in to the collecting scene these days and lots of people are buying and putting everything into the safe. After watching the comic book and baseball card scene implode years ago, your best bet is to get a GEC and use it lovingly.
 
I can't recall ever getting a factory edge I considered "sharp enough" from any company, but compared to Queen's safety edge, my GECs have been razors. They are well made, take a nice edge and hold it fairly well. Mine are definitely users.
 
You got that right Corey! I've watched the bottom fall out of the Zippo collector's market. I haven't been looking to sell, but lighters I was bidding on 10 years ago that went for north of 100 bucks are now selling where they are really worth, around 30 to 50.

Good for me, bad for those sellers :D

I'll still collect Zippos because I love to collect and display 'em, but knives (and watches) I'll use and enjoy.
 
Sure they make great users.

I kind of compare the GEC 'style' to that of Queen's Cozy Glen & other SFO lines, which you might expect judging from similar personnel and materials used. Outstanding metals, 1095, D2, etc and very well done bone or stag. Both make great user knives and as a MOF my current users are all from these two lines. So far the blades on the GEC I carry has taken an amazing edge and kept it pretty well. I bought a style that I figured to fit my hand well and it has. Great knife that will be carried for a long, long time if I don't lose it.

OTOH take this with a grain of salt, I am prone to use a knife regardless of its collectors value if it strikes my fancy. The knife I have used to get my deer freezer ready for the past 6 or 7 years has been a Queen genuine Red Stag trapper SFO in D2. Most perfect knife I ever handled and I just couldn't bare to stow it away for good so every year it comes out of hiding when the leaves turn and the deer get frisky. Processed a lot of deer with it and aside from the obvious non factory edge it still looks perfect.

I guess what I'm saying is that even a great safe queen can be an outstanding user.

Will
 
I would have to agree with what everybody else has had to say, GEC knows how to make a knife and they make one that is meant for work. I have used all of my GECs, but one. The knives have always been great, they stand up to a lot of abuse and they are easy to sharpen. The Edge retention has been great on the three steel choices I have tried, 1095, 0-1 Tool and the 440. I carry a 440 everyday and I use it for food prep, it holds a great edge and only gets touched up once every few months. I use only my 440 #12 toothpick for trout season and I am always extremely pleased with it.

My 1095s are always great in their usability, I have taken them through some tough stuff and they really do great. They are my work knives on the farm and my hunting knives in the field. I have been using GEC since I first started with this brand and they are hard to leave behind.
 
If only we could get them to release more models in 440-C! There are some of us who find neither patinas nor rust particularly appealing and the modern well-heat treated stainless knife steels can at least hold their own against non-stainless grades. I'm not arguing against the 1095, just for more 440-C.
 
I'll agree with that, I would love to see more 440 SS knives out for GEC. I know they would sell and I think people would be extremely pleased with having the Stainless option.
It would take the Case competition away as well.
 
I only have one GEC and it's set aside for "looking at," but I think it'd make an excellent user.

As far as price, I found that Great Eastern costs only a little more than a Case but the difference in quality can be night and day. GEC uses better steel too.
And compared to the guys in the General forum and the typical "EDC" knives discussed there, Great Easterns are priced like bargain basement closeouts or factory seconds. Just try to find a Benchmade with natural handles for under $100...
 
I'm not much of a collector but I would never continue to support a knife company if I haven't first tested out their product in an EDC fashion. I continue to support GEC if that says anything.
 
I just got one GEC til now. But it became my favorite EDC immediatelly. It makes a great user. But I think it would also be nice in a collection, as a safe queen. But all of my knives are users. So this one also. The used 1095 is a pretty good steel. Imo better than Case´s CV. To the 440C which GEC is using, I cant say anything. As I told you, I only just got one GEC.

Kind regards
Andi
 
I have hot into the traditional scene a couple years ago. At that time I was introduced to gec. Overtime I started to carry my gec knives exclusively and currently they are the only knives I carry daily. I looked at the other brands and watched many video reviews of each but they have never sung to me like gec has. I love the looks of the traditionals of the past but feel most of the current brands do not do it for me. Since I haven't held them first hand my views could change but gec just sings my tune. I have used my gec knives for camping, food prep and carving. Most came with a decent to good edge. My scagel fruitport was sickly sharp. They are easy to sharpen and the 1095 holds an edge well. For the most part I strop my knives weekly to keep them shaving sharp. Every once in a while I touch them up on my sandpaper to fix anything the strop can't. Bottom line is they make great users. No idea on collecting value as this is not a focus for me
 
I am not a collector either, I buy them to use them. I have owned three GEC knives. The Northfield 72 and 73 had much better edges than the Tidioute 68. I never really got to use the 73 as it was nearly impossible to open, sent it back and got the 68 in its place. The 72 and 68 are both single spring knives, but the length of the 68 makes it more practical for daily carry. I really like the cocobolo and ebony woods, and enjoy carrying and using both of them.
 
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