Help Needed

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dza

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Feb 14, 2017
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Need some advice from you guys who are knowledgeable about traditionals. I just got interested in traditionals and would like to get something I can edc. The problem I'm running into is that I have decently large hands and most traditionals seem on the smaller size. I carry a large sebenza right now and like the 3.5 blade length. I love the look of the northwoods knives but the Lincoln Jack I recently purchased is way too small for my needs. I would love to get a Madison Barlow but those seem difficult to find for sale. So, I would love to hear some suggestions of knives that might be good edc with a decent blade and handle length.
 
The first thing that springs to mind is the Case folding hunter. Mostly you see these with two blades, but I feel it really shines as a single blade pattern.

I think I have seen the single blade available in yellow delrin fairly recently. The handle length is similar to the large Sebenza, but since I just checked, I can say the folding hunter is larger closed.
 
Boker folding Hunter, AG Russell sowbelly looks substantial, a Sodbuster could work
 
Folding hunters are available from a number of makers. I personally like the older Schrade USA examples. The Buck 110 and it's imitators are good if you don't mind the weight, the Mountain Man from Queen is nice if you can find one ( I prefer the non-locking version myself). GEC made something similar, but I'm not up on their pattern numbers so I can't say what it was.
 
GEC will be running these 43's in the near future. They are very similar to the Madison Barlow.
R7nvgz3.jpg
 
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I too came from "tactical" knives and prefer the larger traditionals. One thing that I have learned though is that traditional knife size and handle shapes lend themselves to different tasks and as time went on the size of a knife became less of a consideration and a I found a few "smaller" traditionals that I edc frequently. I still gravitate towards the larger tradionals ,some to conider:

GEC #53/54, can be found in single and two blade variants, my #1 EDC is a 53 moose. These can be found on the secondary market pretty frequently.
Northwoods Forest Jack, a grail of mine and built on the GEC #54 frame, but not easy to find like the Madison Barlow
Smith and Sons Mud Bug, recently released , sold out, but avaialble on the secondary market
GEC #43 Oregon, coming soon
GEC #81 moose, recent relaease avaialble
GEC #47
Case Grad Daddy Barlow
Case 52075 sp Moose

Full size griptillian at the top and GEC 15 at the bottom for reference
LargeTrads.JPG
 
GEC 23 models are about the most comfortable in hand for me, as I too have rather large hands. I recently acquired a Queen Mountain Man, and it is the same size as the 23, with the blade being made in D2, but the grind on my MM is rather thick compared to the GEC 23's. That may or may not matter you depending on what your intended uses are. The GEC 23's are great slicers.
 
A traditional knife that matches the size of a modern one - even a smallish modern one - is going to be quite large. It varies from knife to knife, and brand to brand, but generally you can add about an inch of closed length (traditional knives are typically measured this way) to the blade length to figure how big it'll be, give or take a bit. So for a 3.625" blade like your Sebenza, you're looking at probably at least 4.5" or so. That, as I said, is quite large for a traditional. Yes, they exist. Granddaddy barlows, large folding hunters, English jacks, etc. Probably 3-4 ounces, at least. That's quite a heavy brick to have loose in your pocket. A knife clipped to your pocket can weigh several ounces and not be a burden to carry because it's suspended. Loose though, and you might not like something that large and heavy unless you have some different means of carrying it (slip pouch, clip sheath, suspension lanyard, belt sheath, etc).

I'm not trying to dissuade you, I just want you to understand what you're asking for and getting yourself in to.
 
I've also recently come over from moderns to traditionals and prefer 3.5" blades where possible. A few single bladed traditionals with blade lengths in that range would be:

GEC #21, #23, #42, #43 (pre-release still)
S&M Granddaddy Barlow
Other Granddaddy or Grand Daddy and Daddy Barlows
Smith & Sons Mudbug (i just got one and it's a phenomenal knife)
Large sodbuster patterns in general
Otter Messer 161, 162 (Don't expect GEC levels of fit and finish though!)
La Fidele Pradel (again, don't expect GEC levels of fit and finish)

I use a leather pocket sheath with a clip on it to allow me to carry large traditionals where I carry moderns with pocket clips. It works for me.
 
Planterz said:
A traditional knife that matches the size of a modern one - even a smallish modern one - is going to be quite large. It varies from knife to knife, and brand to brand, but generally you can add about an inch of closed length (traditional knives are typically measured this way) to the blade length to figure how big it'll be, give or take a bit. So for a 3.625" blade like your Sebenza, you're looking at probably at least 4.5" or so. That, as I said, is quite large for a traditional. Yes, they exist. Granddaddy barlows, large folding hunters, English jacks, etc. Probably 3-4 ounces, at least. That's quite a heavy brick to have loose in your pocket. A knife clipped to your pocket can weigh several ounces and not be a burden to carry because it's suspended. Loose though, and you might not like something that large and heavy unless you have some different means of carrying it (slip pouch, clip sheath, suspension lanyard, belt sheath, etc).

I'm not trying to dissuade you, I just want you to understand what you're asking for and getting yourself in to.
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Great point and something I have considered. I have seen some pocket sheaths with clips on them and very much would like to go that route once I find a suitable knife.
 
nyrico said:
I too came from "tactical" knives and prefer the larger traditionals. One thing that I have learned though is that traditional knife size and handle shapes lend themselves to different tasks and as time went on the size of a knife became less of a consideration and a I found a few "smaller" traditionals that I edc frequently. I still gravitate towards the larger tradionals ,some to conider:

GEC #53/54, can be found in single and two blade variants, my #1 EDC is a 53 moose. These can be found on the secondary market pretty frequently.
Northwoods Forest Jack, a grail of mine and built on the GEC #54 frame, but not easy to find like the Madison Barlow
Smith and Sons Mud Bug, recently released , sold out, but avaialble on the secondary market
GEC #43 Oregon, coming soon
GEC #81 moose, recent relaease avaialble
GEC #47
Case Grad Daddy Barlow
Case 52075 sp Moose

Full size griptillian at the top and GEC 15 at the bottom for reference
View attachment 845977
Click to expand...
Very informative post. Thanks for the suggestions. I was trying to snag a mudbug but missed out. All these damn knives are so hard to actually buy.
 
dza said:
That looks great. Where will those be available?
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They are on the schedule so I would guess probably within the next few weeks.
You can check the website occasionally for updates or pictures of them in production under the "whats happening" tab.
Oh, where... I think all the dealers should have them when they become available.
There is a list of dealers on the website as well. http://greateasterncutlery.net/blog/
 
Thanks everyone for all the great suggestions. I have decided I really prefer the single blade knives and like the looks of the GEC 21 Bull Buster, Smith & Sons Mudbug, and the GEC 43 Oregon.
So, now for the hard part. Where the hell am I supposed to find these things? Aside from the For Sale forum on this sight is there anywhere else I could be looking for one of these to pop up?
Thanks again for all the help navigating the confusing world of traditionals!
 
dza said:
Thanks everyone for all the great suggestions. I have decided I really prefer the single blade knives and like the looks of the GEC 21 Bull Buster, Smith & Sons Mudbug, and the GEC 43 Oregon.
So, now for the hard part. Where the hell am I supposed to find these things? Aside from the For Sale forum on this sight is there anywhere else I could be looking for one of these to pop up?
Thanks again for all the help navigating the confusing world of traditionals!
Click to expand...

All of the GEC knives are made in small batches and their production schedule is on their website. They also have a list of distributors. Otherwise you can find Case knives in a ton of places and well stocked.
 
dza said:
Need some advice from you guys who are knowledgeable about traditionals. I just got interested in traditionals and would like to get something I can edc. The problem I'm running into is that I have decently large hands and most traditionals seem on the smaller size.
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Only you know what is best for you but keep an open mind to trying different knives and different sizes. A large knife might fit better in your hand but is a large knife necessary for your intended use? A walking stick fits better in my hand than a toothpick but something the size of a walking stick isn't necessary for picking your teeth. ;) In the years that I've been a member here, I've seen lots of "in use" photos of huge knives but can't remember a time when I saw someone using a huge knife because they actually needed a huge knife. Maybe it will take time for you to get used to a smaller knife. Or maybe not.

dza said:
I carry a large sebenza right now and like the 3.5 blade length. I love the look of the northwoods knives but the Lincoln Jack I recently purchased is way too small for my needs. I would love to get a Madison Barlow but those seem difficult to find for sale. So, I would love to hear some suggestions of knives that might be good edc with a decent blade and handle length.
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Opinel makes knives in a very wide range of sizes. The largest size will be too big for anyone to carry... it's makes your Sebenza look tiny. Try a size 10.

Folding hunters come in a wide range of sizes but that would be a good pattern to consider. The large percentage of modern knives are really derivatives of folding hunters.

Most modern knife guys who cross over into traditionals are looking for single blade traditional knives since that's what they are used to. But the GEC Texas Camp Knife and other knives built on that frame are good size multi-blade knives.
 
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