Great Eastern Cutlery Prices

glocktenman said:
What is going on everyone? I hope everyone is doing good and getting closer to finding that grail knife on the horizon.

So, I've been looking around the secondary market for a few GEC knives I like and they're demanding custom knife prices. For example, a GEC 46 whaler single blade I looked at was several hundred dollars. Even some of the newer knives five or six months after release are several times their original retail price. I've always felt that GEC makes and sells a good volume of knives even when they produce a new model. I just didn't think they had that much collectability. I recognize they do make numbered lots and those make some sense to me to increase in prices even at dramatic levels. I'm just missing the common issue GEC knife increasing in price so dramatically.
I see GEC selling with the following attributes -
1- Well made
2- US made
3- Interesting designs
4- Variety
5- Use of good materials and steels
6- Fair retail prices
7- Good volume
8- Develops relationships with customers

Sounds like a solid knife company!!!

How many other knife makers can claim those attributes?

So, what is the reason for the crazy prices on the secondary market? People are obviously buying them at those prices or the prices would drop, correct?

What do you all think?
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all what you listed
+ the charme of the good ol days vintage & ancient knives
combined with FOMO makes them really hard to come by.

+ edit: completely forgot the main key... Bill Howard is a GENIUS!


#NW Northwoods EskyZulu x6.jpg#85 Camillus Harness Autumn Gold.jpg#922213 JBF Champlin 1 of 15 Rosewood-5.jpgAutumn Gold Ginkgo #77.jpg#15 x5 Radio Jack Real Barlow TC Glitter RawCut No Shit Good as Gold Tidiute Book Cutlery Uni...jpg
 
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mrknife said:
For my sake, if i cant buy the knife from a dealer with at modest/fair adjusted price, I wont buy it. Its not worth the time and energy chasing these things.
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Using this strategy I have acquired 12 GEC in the last year. I was even lucky enough to score a #77 Mount of Olive and a #77 Stag - both beautiful. My last score, arrived yesterday, is a ToeNail in cocobolo - spectacular looking. I've even passed on offerings from dealers that have near secondary prices.

Collect what you like (and I don't mean just knives), buy what you can afford, is my way of thinking.

And the hunt, the free for all mad scramble sold out in seconds, to me, is the fun part ! : )
 
Will Power said:
Great Expectations Cutlery
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Sadly that’s about right. I have noticed a difference in pre COVID GECs versus post. I have one with the CKC stamp and an iron wood from the last run of steel bolster 77s both have noticeable quality differences from my B&S and H20 I picked up the last couple of years.

I wonder why they went from attention of detail like having blades with a smooth high polish finish on both sides to ones that can be almost as rough as a nail file with some obnoxious etch.
 
LOL! I though we discussed slip joints and things about them in the trads area. I guess my question could be feedback about the knife exchange although I'm not providing feedback on anyone specific for any deal I had here on BF. I haven't read each thread about the secondary prices either. I've just noticed this over the past year as I've looked around a bit more. Anyway...

I thought GEC was putting out a good volume of knives. That's definitely a misunderstanding of mine. I haven't looked at production levels compared to other slip joint knife companies. If GEC is putting out low volume high quality on each run of a model and selling out quick, they've got it made. How does GEC compare to say...Case, A.G. Russell, or Buck for run production numbers? There must be a big difference in run volumes.

A BBQ place I like does XXX amount of ribs, pork, chicken, and brisket each day. When it's it's gone it's gone. They sell out most days. They're doing well financially. They generally know their product cost each week and day. Bill Howard's business plan must be working well for GEC too.

JoKr - Great pics!
 
A lot of people like to blame GEC for their production output and a simple fact always gets glossed over. Their factory size. It’s small compared to Case, much like a family owned neighborhood store compared to a Super Walmart. GEC’s factory could fit inside the Case museum I bet. I live close to and have been to both, it’s quite a stark difference.

Looking at the GEC production totals from the last couple of years shocked me. When I was buying/trading/selling a lot of them the pattern production totals were roughly 100 or so for variants of a pattern. I was looking up the first 86 runs and saw they were totaling 500+ for some of the scale choices so they did make good on their plan to increase the general availability by reducing their SFO output.
 
glocktenman said:
What is going on everyone? I hope everyone is doing good and getting closer to finding that grail knife on the horizon.

So, I've been looking around the secondary market for a few GEC knives I like and they're demanding custom knife prices. For example, a GEC 46 whaler single blade I looked at was several hundred dollars. Even some of the newer knives five or six months after release are several times their original retail price. I've always felt that GEC makes and sells a good volume of knives even when they produce a new model. I just didn't think they had that much collectability. I recognize they do make numbered lots and those make some sense to me to increase in prices even at dramatic levels. I'm just missing the common issue GEC knife increasing in price so dramatically.
I see GEC selling with the following attributes -
1- Well made
2- US made
3- Interesting designs
4- Variety
5- Use of good materials and steels
6- Fair retail prices
7- Good volume
8- Develops relationships with customers

Sounds like a solid knife company!!!

How many other knife makers can claim those attributes?

So, what is the reason for the crazy prices on the secondary market? People are obviously buying them at those prices or the prices would drop, correct?

What do you all think?
Click to expand...

The reasons are simple. You mention above that they make a "good volume", except that's not exactly true (and by "not exactly", I politely mean "not at all"). They might make a few thousand of a particular model, but that might be broken up amongst three or four (or more in the "old days") cover materials, resulting in there only being a few hundred of that model covered in say, stag or jigged bone, etc. Now, consider that there are literally thousands of GEC fans who are trying to get one of those knives wherein there are only a few thousand total, and included in the overall number of fans, there are a significant percentage of them trying to get one of EACH of the covers. So, one person trying to get four or five knives....out of the few thousand total knives produced. See why each drop is such a clustereff?

So, ultra limited product, large fanbase = high prices on secondary.

Additionally, it should be noted that a significant number of the newer fanbase are all the worthless oxygen thief flipper middlemen who see a hot product and want in, so they can resell it on their Ebay store for those high prices. Stick around and watch the Traditional Exchange for awhile, and you'll start to see who those bums are.
 
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I have heard buyers say they are sick and tired of not so perfect work from lower end -priced custom hand made slipjoints ,and have turned to buying ,collecting and carrying GEC knives .
Now I can kinda agree with this ,except ....

The heat treat ,grind and steel most custom builders use is superior. Hand made items are just that ,and since it is ,you will have variation.
A factory knife has no "soul" in comparison to a hand made . There is also the relationship between the maker and buyer to consider.
I see ads FS saying " rare" ,only 200 made ,I kinda gotta laugh at that .
I have had a bunch of very well made GEC knives that really " wowed" me ,but at the end of the day I'd rather carry ,and in some cases like priced , hand made by someone I can consider a friend .

Life's too short for me personally ,at this point in life ,to carry a factory built slipjoint .

As far as collecting ,I guess GEC has offered a great thing for many " collectors " ,but after they ( GEC) has a " drop" of a new pattern ,a few days later in the market place here ,here they come with all kinda stories . Are those buyers really collectors or what ?
Well thanks for listening to my ramble . Buy what you like I guess , have at it ...
 
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