Great Eastern/Northfield #22 Magnum (or Similar Knife) Advice

einsteinjon

einsteinjon

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Dec 22, 2008
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Hi all,

Looking for some advice on this knife. My wife and I are looking to get a knife of this size for her dad for Christmas. I'm a "thumber" myself so need help on this style of knife. :) I've looked at GEC before but never owned/handled one. Is the 1095 steel easy enough to maintain with something like tuf glide? And does it hold it's edge well? I'm used to steels like S30V and CPM M4.

I've also heard GEC knives can be extremely hard to open. Do they break in and get easier over time? I've heard they don't come very sharp...is that the case?

I am open to suggestions if anyone has a thought on a different slip joint or similar knife. The main criteria are the blade length/s need to be under 2.5 inches since my father in law works in Chicago. Also he currently has a Case Peanut and has expressed distaste in the steel, so I'm looking for something better than that. I also know he isn't fond of 420HC (so he's told me). It would be nice to wow him with carbon steel, tool steel, or a higher end stainless. Don't mean to offend anyone here regarding steel, just looking for something he'll personally enjoy. :thumbup:

Thanks for the input from the traditional experts out there.
 
Look at the AG Russell Peanut if he likes the Peanut pattern. It comes in VG-10. Or Queen/Schatt & Morgan makes one in D2.
 
Gec 66 calf roper SLIM. It says the main blade is 2 1/2 long. It's on a single spring so it's probably not too strong of a puller. I don't own this knife, but I have a case pen knife that's the same pattern and I love it. If x-mas wasn't so close I would of bought one already (red sawcut). Gec is a great company
 
Love my GEC knives.

The 1095 is run hard enough that it takes a fine edge, and holds it decently. Not going to compare to super steels, but it is also very easy to sharpen up, and keep sharp.
 
A bit open ended on budget...probably under $200, maybe $300 or less for the perfect knife.
 
TurkishChubs said:
Gec 66 calf roper SLIM. It says the main blade is 2 1/2 long. It's on a single spring so it's probably not too strong of a puller. I don't own this knife, but I have a case pen knife that's the same pattern and I love it. If x-mas wasn't so close I would of bought one already (red sawcut). Gec is a great company
Click to expand...

This one looks intriguing too...
 
You mention he has distaste for the steel used in the Case Peanut. Is the 1095 used by GEC that much different than what Case uses?
 
I have a 22 Magnum, which was kindly gifted to me by another forum member - 'Old & In The Way'. I think it's an excellent small knife, great to look at, very discreet and pocketable, and with better ergonomics than many small knives. The 1095 steel is good, easy to sharpen and maintain, and it has a reasonable mirror finish. Factory sharpness of GEC knives varies, but the 1095 is very easy to sharpen, and my 22 was acceptably sharp out of the tube. The pull is not stiff at all, and it's very easy to open. I have large hands and some RA, and for me, it's a good small knife. I'd recommend it :thumbup:



 
Halfneck said:
You mention he has distaste for the steel used in the Case Peanut. Is the 1095 used by GEC that much different than what Case uses?
Click to expand...

It looks like he just doesn't like the 420HC so CV would be ok. I don't have a #22 but in my experience, GEC's 1095 holds its edge a little bit longer than CV. CV is a little easier to sharpen though. One thing I noticed is that if you use the blades for food stuff, once you get a patina, GEC's 1095 has less of a metallic taste than CV.

Like I said, I don't have a #22 but if would recommend you get a #33 if you can find one. Do note that they are really close to the 2 1/2" limit (depends on how its measured, tip to bolster or just the cutting edge. TtB is just at 2.5) but a little sharpening can take care of that. I'd suggest a pen knife either way because you still get 2 blades but also a slim profile. Here's a comparison shot I took with GEC's smaller pen knives. The #09, #33, #66, and #68 in order. The #22 would fit in between The #09 and #33


Also, I just remembered to ask... I mentioned about using the blades on food, does he do so? Does he need 2 blades even? An alternative to the #22 would be the #06 Pemberton. It's a small coke bottle instead of gunstock frame. The Northfields have 2 blades but the Tidioutes are single clip blade. Here's a pic of the 2 I used to have.
Edit to add: I just did a quick search on GEC's distributors and it looks like there aren't too many out there.

 
I should clarify his Case has stainless steel TruSharp blades. They have gotten to be a bear to sharpen even for me the knifenut in the family. However I will say this is probably because he has worn the blades so much we're now basically sharpening at least a third up the blade height from where the edge typically starts, and he hasn't maintained it very well so I was sharpening from a butter knife when I had my turn with it.

Regardless, I don't think he'd care about carbon steel maintenance since he is an old school guy, and in my experience it holds an edge and sharpens better than Case's TruSharp. I am speaking very generally here, but the point here isn't to debate steels. The point is I have a father in law who is stubborn and knows what he wants despite any arguments otherwise. :) What he wants is something that isn't the same Case SS he's already tried, and isn't Buck 420HC. Again my intent isn't to insult these, but rather to just focus on choices my FIL would want.

Anyway, my wife and I were thinking that getting him a new high end brand to try (like GEC) would be a nice gesture since he's mentioned he's sick of his worn Case. He's helped us tremendously this last year with fixing up our new house, so we wanted to go all out and get him a premium slipjoint that's a step up from what he has (at least in his opinion).
 
I second Trand's proposal for a 33 Conductor, bear in mind these come in their excellent 440c stainless (top and bottom knives with the acorn shield) which is a decent grade of steel and performs well.

You might consider GEC's 25 single blade but these certainly can be hard to open - no such worries with the 33 mind.

Another thought, why not contact any of the GEC dealers on their website and see if you can order a gift card, that way your father-in-law can browse through the catalogue and choose what he exactly fancies.

Queen Cutlery's No.2 Jack is another very nice small pocket knife with D2 steel, will be harder to sharpen but longer to wear down.

IMG_2829.jpg


Queen Cutlery D2 Jack bottom , 3 blade Stockman top, carved stagbone.

IMG_2765.jpg
 
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einsteinjon said:
Hi all,

Looking for some advice on this knife. My wife and I are looking to get a knife of this size for her dad for Christmas.
...
The main criteria are the blade length/s need to be under 2.5 inches since my father in law works in Chicago. Also he currently has a Case Peanut and has expressed distaste in the steel, so I'm looking for something better than that.
Click to expand...

Has he been happy with the Peanut, other than the steel? Does he like the size? Does he like 2 different blades? Or is he sick of the Peanut in general?

- GT
 
5K Qs said:
Has he been happy with the Peanut, other than the steel? Does he like the size? Does he like 2 different blades? Or is he sick of the Peanut in general?

- GT
Click to expand...

He likes the size and model but is sick of the worn out blades and has commented he'd like some steel a little better than the Case SS. I don't think # of blades matters to him, but I'd say the more the better as he wears out knives easily.
 
Ok, I have a couple of suggestions for you.

#1 - Canal Street "Eric's Jack" - it is essentially a 1-blade version of their Barlow. 3 3/8" closed, 440C steel and stag handles. BEAUTIFUL little single-blade knife. It was a special factory order and only available through Gunstockjacksknives.com. He has less than 20 of them left. I have one and really like it. It comes in a nice box with a velvet pouch and makes a wonderful presentation as a gift. Stag is unique so look at all pics of the knives before you pick one. Barry Johnson (the owner) is a member here and does a great job of photographing the knives from every angle, so you'll know what you are getting. http://www.gunstockjacksknives.com/Canal-Street-Erics-Jack_c12.htm.

#2 - Queen Cutlery #2 Serpentine Jack. 3 1/4" long so a little bigger than the peanut, nice slim 2-blade jack knife with D2 steel. Once sharpened, holds a great edge. If you are used to S30V, then D2 shouldn't be a big challenge to sharpen.

Edit - I see willgoy already mentioned the Queen #2. Well, consider mine another vote for it.

Also the GEC #33 Conductor is still available here and there in 440C steel and American Elk handles.
 
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Well, I ended up getting the Northfield #22 in Cocobolo. I've been showing all these options to my wife, and based on the overall positive GEC recommendations, she wanted to go with that choice. Thanks for all the input everyone!
 
That's a great, classy looking small knife and I'm sure he'll be very pleased with it. You really couldn't go wrong with any of the choices.
 
The Case Peanut is also available in CV, if the stainless steel is his only concern. Just a thought. I LOVE my peanut in CV.
 
einsteinjon said:
Well, I ended up getting the Northfield #22 in Cocobolo. I've been showing all these options to my wife, and based on the overall positive GEC recommendations, she wanted to go with that choice. Thanks for all the input everyone!
Click to expand...

I don't think you - or your father-in-law - will be disappointed :thumbup:
 
einsteinjon said:
…
The point is I have a father in law who is stubborn and knows what he wants despite any arguments otherwise. :)
...
Anyway, my wife and I were thinking that getting him a new high end brand to try (like GEC) would be a nice gesture since he's mentioned he's sick of his worn Case. He's helped us tremendously this last year with fixing up our new house, so we wanted to go all out and get him a premium slipjoint that's a step up from what he has (at least in his opinion).
Click to expand...

einsteinjon said:
Well, I ended up getting the Northfield #22 in Cocobolo. I've been showing all these options to my wife, and based on the overall positive GEC recommendations, she wanted to go with that choice. Thanks for all the input everyone!
Click to expand...

You're a good son-in-law, einsteinjon!! :D I think what you and your wife are doing for her dad is very thoughtful. I'll bet he's going to love the knife. :thumbup::thumbup:

- GT
 
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