Great Eastern Cutlery steels

[silenthunterstudios]

I know that Great Eastern and Tidioute both use 1095, and that Northfield uses 440C. However, at the Chesapeake knife show, I bought a single blade hunter 23 Northfield, that was sold as having 1095. How do you differentiate the steels used. I have a couple other Northfields, are they 440C?

 

[Peruna1998]

To my knowledge, Great Eastern Cutlery has three in-house brands, Northfield, Tidioute, and Great Eastern. Northfield and Tidioute both use 1095. Great Eastern uses 440C. The other differences have to do with finish and materials. Northfields tend to have higher finishes than Tidioute, i.e., long pulls, pinched bolsters, and polished blades. Northfields also tend to have higher end materials, i.e., stag, snakewood, and primitive bone (for whatever reason, buffalo horn has typically been seen in the Tidioute line). Great Eastern is an odd duck. It usually has higher end finishes. It is also where you usually see elk.

Hope that helps.

Oh...if it is a Northfield, it is fair to say it is a 1095 blade.

 

[black mamba]

I'm afraid you got mixed up. The GEC branded knives are 440 C, while the Northfield and Tidioutes are 1095.

Also, the 1095 knives are tang stamped Titusville Iron Works, while the 440 C ones are tang stamped Cyclops Steel Works.
Easy to remember: Titusville = Ten95 and Cyclops = C 440.

 

[2Dead]

Jeff's right. With the GECs, you have to make sure its Cyclops Steel Works or it may not be 440c. I have a single blade #73 scout that was a SFO and it has 420 (as does a Cripple Creek Jack made by GEC). It doesn't have Cyclops on its blade. Also, GEC's newer fixed blades all have the acorn shield but are 1095.

Edit: And I think the new Sodbuster is branded as a GEC, not Tidioute and certainly not Northfield. It has an O1 steel blade.

 

[Blade_Crazy]

Hmmm i just learned all this! how is the new Northfield treating you?

 

[Spaceport]

All GEC (Cyclops Steel) stamped knives are 440C. They have made some special runs for Smoky Mtn. that were 420A. All of the knives I had made (Tuna Valley) were 440C.

 

[thejamppa]

and if GEC has acorn shield its very, very likely to have 440C so far all acorn shields in GEC's have been 440C.

 

[2Dead]

Not quite Jani. This #73 is actually a SFO and in 420 and the fixed blade is in 1095. Most of the pocket knives are 440c but there are exceptions. Some of the old fixed blades (50 series?) are 440c but all the newer ones have the acorn shield and are 1095 (H23 and H73)

 

[thejamppa]

thanks Trand, I wasn't aware of new Fixed blades arrangement on H23 and H73... thank you I stand corrected.

 

[2Dead]

No problem Jani. And here's another one... The Sodbuster just released in O1 is marked as a GEC. It doesn't have an acorn shield though.