How do you like the softer pulls on recent GEC knives?

[Railsplitter]

Like others have said I t’s all dependent on the user, the knife and its intended use (or lack there of).

I have one of the early 43 frontier bones and love the pull. I wouldn’t want a stronger spring on it. There was a 1/2 of the blade already hitting the spring when I first got it. I got the knife as a user so that was more irritating to me than the sound it makes when I open it. That being said it does have a very authoritative snap when closing. So much so that the last time I let it close on its own everyone at my office stopped and wanted to know what was going on.

That's some good snap right there!

 

[pearl2291]

GREAT POLL HERE.

I voted that it doesn't matter but, I think the choice needs to be expanded on.

My feelings about pull strength really vary depending on the specific pattern. I really like the smooth 5 on the #56 I have in my pocket right now but, I would be disappointed with this same pull on a #77. Everybody's opinions will differ on this sort of thing.

One of the biggest factors that I have found that really effects the pull is the blade opening aid. Nail nicks tend to be sightly further forward on the blade than long pulls and because of this will greatly effect the pull weight on the exact same knife with all other things being equal. A lot of GEC's patterns come in various trims (GEC, Tidioute, and/or Northfield) with different blade opening options. With these different trim options there is a good chance if one does not work out to your satisfaction one of the others will. This is one of the many wonderful things about GEC.

My biggest worry would be if there was no consistency within the same/trim and pattern. I think GEC definitely has there consistency down way better than most manufactures. Especially considering the amount of hand work that goes into each knife.

If all you wanted was a 5 pull on everything I would very quickly recommend getting a Victorinox SAK.

 

[Kiro]

Great idea for a poll, Rick! I'm on board with black mamba and Burnt Stag! The Pull and snap on the calf roper was unacceptable to me. I sold both of my, otherwise great knives, for that exact reason. -Lance

See, this is interesting, because I bought your calf roper, and I friggin love it. The main blade is a medium pull and still has a good snap. The two smaller blades are definitely soft, but I don't really mind. It's tight getting in there and the ease of opening is helpful. That said, I don't think I would want something that soft on a single blade knife. My new Beaver 43 is close to being too light for me.

 

[sitflyer]

I only have two recently made GEC's, the 81 moose (2017) and the 74 Mustang 440C (2016)
the Mustang has a nice firm pull somewhere in the middle 0f my imaginary scale, with affirmative half stop and nice clack upon opening, and closing. The action is very smooth. the 81 has softer pulls, it is the Northfield version, and the pulls and closing forces remind me a bit of the pulls on some of my SAK knives, but perhaps a tiny bit stronger than them. Again, the action is extremely smooth on this knife, I like it a lot. To me they matched the actions on these two knives to compliment each frame, if they can do this consistently, that would be a good thing.

 

[Shurke]

I like a knife I can open easily even when my hands are cold and stiff or my nails are slightly weakened from being submerged in water. A pull in the 5-7 range, depending on the specific knife, seems perfect to me. I love the action on my Churchill.

 

[The Fort]

See, this is interesting, because I bought your calf roper, and I friggin love it. The main blade is a medium pull and still has a good snap. The two smaller blades are definitely soft, but I don't really mind. It's tight getting in there and the ease of opening is helpful. That said, I don't think I would want something that soft on a single blade knife. My new Beaver 43 is close to being too light for me.

I'm glad that you like. It's a very individual thing. I just recently sold another, non GEC, knife because the pen blade was to hard to open. To each his own, I guess. I don't think there's a right or wrong, only different preferences. -Lance

 

[sitflyer]

I find the poll results interesting, 63 percent prefer stronger pulls, and 15 percent it doesn't matter, only 22 percent happy with the current direction. There's different ways those numbers could be interpreted. Seems you can't please all the people all the time, but if you can please most of the people most of the time, that'd be a win, wonder if we will be seeing stronger pulls in the future from GEC? I wonder sometimes if they ever come here and lurk and see what's up...

 

[kamagong]

I don't have any recent GECs. But as a rule, I don't like soft pulls. If you consider the large main of an SAK a 5, I like a 6-7.

 

[Railsplitter]

I find the poll results interesting, 63 percent prefer stronger pulls, and 15 percent it doesn't matter, only 22 percent happy with the current direction. There's different ways those numbers could be interpreted. Seems you can't please all the people all the time, but if you can please most of the people most of the time, that'd be a win, wonder if we will be seeing stronger pulls in the future from GEC? I wonder sometimes if they ever come here and lurk and see what's up...

That's one of the reasons that I posted the poll aside from my own curiosity. I know Bill Howard would never post a poll and he probably gets good feedback from dealers on various issues but I thought some results in actual numbers might help him gauge the direction that he's chosen. Or not but it can't hurt.

I'm pretty sure somebody from GEC, if not Bill himself, frequents this sub forum but I have no evidence to back that up.

 

[Josh K]

I would like the pull on my 43 if it was a bit stiffer. This may be a “grass is greener” thought.

 

[22-rimfire]

The pull on older GEC's seemed to vary with the frame for the most part. The pulls are what often set GEC knives apart from Case. Case pulls tend to be too soft for me and I generally don't buy them that way. That's why I buy Case knives in person versus online. I only have a couple GEC's to compare to.... the 14's were perfect for the knife. The 48's were near perfect for the knife. The pull on my 43 is a bit light for my taste. Would prefer it just a bit stronger, but it functions perfectly as it is.

My very first GEC was a 56 and the pull on it required a pair of pliers to open. It loosened up a bit with time. If that was typical of GEC's that I later purchased, I probably wouldn't have bought as many as I have.

My vote was it "doesn't matter", but that isn't completely true. Overall I like a 7ish pull; 9 is too hard. 5 is too soft. The SAK that I use daily has a stronger pull than my new 43. That shouldn't be the case.

 

[RayseM]

I'm pretty new to this "pull" consideration. Have been a IKBS pivot guy with all my one handed work knives - which I really, really like. BUT - just bought a Lionsteel Shuffler and have a Boker 1021 lock back in coming. The Shuffler pulls open with a solid feel and snaps to the 1/2 and full closed with a solid thunk.

I have no idea if I'm talking 5 or 9. I'm guessing - a 6. Maybe Gary Graley who sold me the Shuffler can chime in and enlighten me. In any case - I like the level of pull and the solid snap closed of this one.

Sorry - that I'm not writing about GEC knives but I've been eyeing them and it would be valuable info to know what to expect,
so please indulge my sideways participation. I did not vote .

Cheers, Ray

 

[Gary W. Graley]

about a 5/6 on the pull of that Shuffler, which I do miss by the way
G2

 

[Lansky1]

not a fan ... much prefer a stout snap

 

[MerryMadMonk]

Stronger pulls, faster horses, younger women and older whiskey.

 

[r8shell]

It depends on the knife. If it's a big blade that can be pinched open, I'm fine with a hard pull. On smaller knives and secondary blades, I hate having to struggle to open it, and I'd rather have it too light than too heavy. (I started carrying little penknives when I was a kid because I have weak nails, and couldn't scrape and pry things with my nails like I saw other girls doing. Heck, I've seen women with long fake nails open packages with them and thought "I guess you don't need a knife.")

If you think about it, the corner of the tang that makes a knife hard to open is not the same corner that makes it hard to close. Ideally, I like a knife that pulls easily and then snaps to attention into the open position.

 

[black mamba]

Stronger pulls, faster horses, younger women and older whiskey.

Al, I like the idea, but to indulge in all that . . . I'd need a younger ME!

 

[r redden]

Pull is so relative though, your 9-10 might be some one elses 5-6...

I agree that pulls are objective Jack I have bought knives off of the exchange that the seller states a 8-9 pull and to me it's 5-6 at best.

My newest GEC knives are a 66 Calf Roper and a 78 American Jack and both of these have IMO of around 6-7. As I have aged my fingers tend to fumble a bit and my nails are much softer so a lighter pull works much better for me.

 

[mrknife]

Stronger pulls, faster horses, younger women and older whiskey.

now that is living life to the fullest!

 

[Railsplitter]

Thanks to everyone who voted and/or replied. The poll is open for a couple more days if anyone else wants to participate.