Help me choose

matthew krissak

matthew krissak

Joined
Nov 11, 2005
Messages
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Im planning on joining the traditional knife world and im thinking either a GEC 73 or a Queen's Mountain man. Let me know what you guys think is the better choice.

Thanks in advanced.
 
I would go with the GEC, have heard both good and bad things about queens mountain man.
I am sure it would be worth picking up down the road, however as an introduction to traditional folders, GEC is a surer bet you won't get a lemon.
 
The Mountain Man with D2 is a good value and a nice knife. The #73 is noticeably smaller than the Mountain Man depending on what your size preference is. Their #23 pattern would be closer in size. GEC offers more handle options than Queen if that makes a difference.

Either would be a fine choice.
 
The Mountain Man is a half inch longer closed than the #73 is. The GEC #42 Missouri Trapper is the same size as the Mountain Man.
 
A Mountainman is on my radar but am hesitant to order sight unseen. A fresh run of 73's are now available as well as 72's and I do have a couple of them coming.
 
I have no experience with the queen mountain man, but ive got a handful of 73's and a 72. I think it's hard to go wrong with a GEC 72 or 73, they offer tidioute and northfield versions and come in many different handle materials (choices of bone or wood). I'm partial to the 1095 that GEC uses because it's easier for me to sharpen. Not to trash on Queen, I own one and like it, but I have a heck of a time sharpening their D2. GEC has fewer quality issues, and I have heard a lot of blade play talk on the mountain man knives.

Enjoy picking your new knife! Update us when you pick!
 
matthew krissak said:
Im planning on joining the traditional knife world and im thinking either a GEC 73 or a Queen's Mountain man. Let me know what you guys think is the better choice.

Thanks in advanced.
Click to expand...



I have both a 73 in 440C and a 23 in 1095 GEC. I also have both lockback and slipjoint versions of the Queen Mountain Man in D2.

The 23 and the Mountain man are the same length. The 73 is a good deal shorter. IMO, the Mount Man and the 23 really need to be carried in a sheath rather than in the pocket.. They are large knives.

Of the four knives, my favorite is the Queen slipjoint Mountain man. I like the blade shape better, and in a knife that size I prefer a single blade. For me the Queen handle fits my hand better and is more comfortable for heavy cutting because it is more rounded.

However, the GEC knives have better fit and finish and took a lot less work to put what I consider to be a serviceable edge on them.

I really like the 73, and it probably gets carried more than the Queen because the 73 is a smaller knife which I don't need a sheath to carry. But I still actually prefer the Mountain Man.
 
The knives in question are two different animals.

The 73 will have better fit and finish, in my experience, and is a much smaller knife. None of mine have had any problems with blade play, although one (a Northfield Farmer) had the blade slightly touching the backspring. The pulls are about a 6 on the ones with a lanyard tube (never use lanyards on them) and a 7+ on the ones without a tube. They can be easily sharpened, but will not hold an edge as well as Queen's D2. I carry mine in the watchpocket of my jeans.

The Mountain Man I have came with horizontal blade play and the cutting edge was hitting the backspring, causing a deep dent in the blade's edge. Ten minutes of work took care of the play, but removing enough D2 to clear the backspring took ages. The work was worth it and resulted in a solid, hard working knife that is a pleasure to use (easily pinchable with gloves and a pull of about 5). If I feel the edge starting to dull, all it takes is a few swipes on my butcher's steel to bring it back to sharp. Never wait until the knife is dull to dress the edge. Mine carries unobtrusively in my back pocket next to my wallet with a short lanyard.

Both are great knives, albeit very different knives. Find examples to handle and then choose.
 
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