Great Eastern Cutlery Scout

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daedge804

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Dec 28, 2009
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I'm thinking about buying Great Eastern Scout (#73) and have a few questions. My questions are: Are Great Eastern Cutlery knives good quality? How sharp are they out of the box or should I say tube? Are they easy to resharpen once they get dull? How would I keep the 1095 blade from rusting, pitting, and staining? and are they suitible for EDC or are they just for collection purposes?
 
They are very high quality knives and are perfectly suitable for EDC. They do not come very sharp, but are easy to sharpen. The 1095 blades will stain and rust, but keeping them oiled and clean will help alot.
 
The 73 pattern may be even better as a jack (large main blade and smaller secondary blade). You could even get a 1-blade locker or slippie. A very good EDC size for the pocket and the hand.
 
Note that I own a one-bladed linerlock version. The #73 is a very EDCable folder. The edge was pitiful when NIB, but sharpening the 1095 resulted in a hairsplitting edge. I negated any minor rust issues by first using the Scout to cut up a pineapple, so a patina would form. Excellent, excellent knife. You may find that you'll have to open and close it a number of times so the nailbreaking spring loosens up a little though.
 
You just need to hold one in your hand to realise they are absolute quality! Especially for edc-purposes ,a minor flaw that might bother a collector is of no concern when you decide to use it. I have 3 of this pattern so far and all of them are top notch! The steel will take a patina though, so if that bothers you, you can look for the GEC brand instead of Tidioute or Northfield (UN-X-LD).Those are in 440 I believe.
 
susantigoon said:
you just need to hold one in your hand to realise they are absolute quality! Especially for edc-purposes ,a minor flaw that might bother a collector is of no concern when you decide to use it. I have 3 of this pattern so far and all of them are top notch! The steel will take a patina though, so if that bothers you, you can look for the gec brand instead of tidioute or northfield (un-x-ld).those are in 440 i believe.
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440c .
 
joe-bob said:
They are very high quality knives and are perfectly suitable for EDC. They do not come very sharp, but are easy to sharpen. The 1095 blades will stain and rust, but keeping them oiled and clean will help alot.
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This has been my experience with (several) Northfield and Tidioute knives.

BTW, I used Tuf-Cloth on a couple of my #23 Pioneers, and though they've seen use the blades still look like new.
 
Yes, single blade ones are particular suited for EDC. You might look out for one of the flat bolster models as they are even slimmer. Many handle choices,they come also as liner locks or lockbacks together with the usual slipjoint option.

Carbon sharpens very well. I had a quality issue with one knife and it was replaced immediately(and I live in Scandinavia)so that's very reassuring. The Liner lock I have in Bonestag is used a great deal. I would like to see a few more options in stainless as well but I suppose I'm in a minority here.

I particularly admire the square-end construction of these knives, that's certainly Old School.
 
i.m.h.o. gec is making the finest factory knife in the world. these knives are first & foremost designed to be great hard use products. heavy construction & quality materials are combined with fantastic fit & finish. for hunters, construction workers,farmers & ranchers the gec is friend that can be depended on in any demanding situation.smaller models carried by the white collar cadre are still made to withstand 10 megaton forces.the excellent product coupled with beautiful materials & finish has certainly caught the eye of collectors. most edges come with some effort needed to bring out the amazing cutting ability of the quality of the superbly heattreated 1095.persons that dislike the coloration that carbon steel acquires after use can clean & dry blades immediately to keep the shine . personally a patina is a feature that doe'st bother myself, i just prevent heavier rusting with a little common sense.
 
I gave a single blade GEC Scout as a gift to a friend who's a working cowboy, and he loves it. The last time I asked him about it, he said it had become his go-to knife, and he's used a lot of knives.

James
 
How well does the carbon steel hold an edge? I tend to like steels that keep their edge longer than 440c, like 154cm or ATS34 or VG10.
 
JAlexander said:
I gave a single blade GEC Scout as a gift to a friend who's a working cowboy, and he loves it. The last time I asked him about it, he said it had become his go-to knife, and he's used a lot of knives.

James
Click to expand...

I do a little cowboying myself, and my GEC yellow Rose Scout is about my favorite carry knife these days.
 
arty said:
How well does the carbon steel hold an edge? I tend to like steels that keep their edge longer than 440c, like 154cm or ATS34 or VG10.
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No straight Carbon steel is going to hold an edge longer than 440C. Not a happening thing. Carbides. 440C has them. Carbon steel don't.

But edge geometry rules over alloy choice. GEC has outstanding geometry.


I have not been able to get a hardness measurement of GEC 1095 because GEC anneals the tang of the blade to give it better longevity.

I have compared the edge retention of GEC 1095 to both non-stainless and stainless steels. The comparison involves slicing manila rope. All edge bevels the same. Because it is rope, other differences in blade profile do not affect the comparison.

GEC 1095 had better edge retention than the following:
Carbon V
Schrade 1095
Case CV

GEC 1095 had maybe a tad better edge retention than AUS8 at 59HRC.
It was a definite step below that of Buck 440C at 58HRC.
Mind you this is manila rope slicing and 440C has better abrasion resistance because of the carbide content, so it is going to shine here.

One other caveat. The results above are purely the steel performance. Differences in geometry are negated by the test method.

And GEC blade have outstanding geometry. Real slicers. The edge thickness right above the bevel is ~0.020". I measured both Queen and Camillus stockman blades and they were both ~0.030. This difference can be very significant in cutting things like cardboard.

I think you will be pleasantly surprised by the cutting performance and edge retention of the GEC. Highly recommended.
 
kudos to knarfeng on the concisive & clear explanation of edge holding & the relative performance of gec 1095 & related alloys. i could not have said it better. thanks frank.
 
I was curious about edge holding, because the 440c knives that I have are not so hot at that. Mine are older Gerbers, and I have used them for fishing. This can be tough on a knive blade.
I have a couple of books on knife making, and they have 440C pretty high on edge holding, and not much behind a steel like 154CM - but it does depend on heat treat.
I may go for one of the lockbacks - I am really tempted.
 
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