If You Snooze You Lose... New 72 or 73?

Got the 72 Wharncliffe in Cocobolo today. Like it a lot. Carried it today and got some use out of it. The Cocobolo is much darker and more uniform grain than the 73. Almost like rosewood or cherry (not as fine as cherry). I filed the kick down some since this photo so the blade rides in the handle more when closed. Came with a usable edge, but I'll give it a good sharpening. The 73 is harder to open, but either my thumbnail is getting stronger, or the spring is getting nicer (since I leave it in between stops). I like that one too.
cocobolo_zps8a12b17e.jpg
 
I was wondering how the lock and blade play compare to the previous 72's? My 2010 has very slight horizontal and vertical play that was improved upon with the 42 release. Just curious if the new 72's followed suit? Long weekends are just that when you have knives in the mail!
 
blademan 13 said:
I was wondering how the lock and blade play compare to the previous 72's? My 2010 has very slight horizontal and vertical play that was improved upon with the 42 release. Just curious if the new 72's followed suit? Long weekends are just that when you have knives in the mail!
Click to expand...

This is my only 72, so I have no comparison there. There is the slightest blade play, both vertical and horizontal. Not enough to matter, but it's a matter of fit and finish. Not even play really, just a palpable "click" if you try to wiggle it, but it's there. The 73, of course, is rock solid. I've been carrying the 72 since the mail arrived, since it has a serviceable edge, though not shaving sharp. I got some use of it today cutting twine to secure chairs in the truck that the wife purchased for the dining room. The guy at the antique shop had the twine, but couldn't find a knife or scissors, which astounds me. Also opened a sack of sunflower seed for the bird feeder.
 
I've received a 73 and a 72, both in cocobolo, from the runs being currently sold. I have to say that I'm disappointed, for the first and second times ever, in GEC. The 73 had horizontal blade play, which I've never had in any GEC knife before, and the 72 has vertical play, which I knew was possible in this pattern from GEC (although, I have lockbacks from Buck, Schrade, Case, Boker, Canal Street, Moki and Spyderco that all lock up solidly). I fixed the 73 but the 72's problem is beyond my meager skills. I know that they'll fix it , if I send it back, but if other makers (except Queen) can produce flawless lokcbacks, I don't understand why GEC seems to have problems with the design and execution of this pattern. I wanted one of the 42's being produced now, but suddenly, I'm not so sure I need one.
I'm interested to know if others have noticed these problems with wobbly blades, associated with the latest runs of 72's and 73's.
 
In this run of 72's, I haven't had any with Lateral blade play. I have had a couple with minimal Vertical blade. IN MY OPINION, a MINIMAL amount of vertical blade play is acceptable in a Lock Back knife. Vertical blade play in a lock back knife does not result from a problem with the pivot pin. It is a result of MINOR excess tolerances in the locking mechanism. IN MY OPINION, this type of blade play will not worsen with time or use. As most knives are used with force basically applied in one direction, use should not have an effect on vertical blade play. These comments are not made for argument, but as a statement of my personal opinion. You may or not may not agree.
 
Bob, good information on the lateral play. I was hoping things improved. I have eagerly awaited this run of clip point #72's as they are one of my favorite patterns. I love lockbacks and these are the perfect size for EDC. Have a stag, bone and wood inbound and my expectations are high.
 
rma100 said:
In this run of 72's, I haven't had any with Lateral blade play. I have had a couple with minimal Vertical blade. IN MY OPINION, a MINIMAL amount of vertical blade play is acceptable in a Lock Back knife. Vertical blade play in a lock back knife does not result from a problem with the pivot pin. It is a result of MINOR excess tolerances in the locking mechanism. IN MY OPINION, this type of blade play will not worsen with time or use. As most knives are used with force basically applied in one direction, use should not have an effect on vertical blade play. These comments are not made for argument, but as a statement of my personal opinion. You may or not may not agree.
Click to expand...

That's been my experience over the years. A small amount of vertical play is not unusual in a lockback and is not necessarily a sign of poor quality control.

This seems to be a minority opinion around here.
 
knarfeng said:
That's been my experience over the years. A small amount of vertical play is not unusual in a lockback and is not necessarily a sign of poor quality control.

This seems to be a minority opinion around here.
Click to expand...

Some amount of minimal vertical play is fine by me as well. For a knife I intend to use for simple knife tasks, I just don't see it adding any specific risk or developing into a larger problem. For others, that may not be the case, but I tend to think that it's just a function of the internet that you'll hear more from those that think something is a problem than those that don't think it's a big deal.
 
KP said:
Some amount of minimal vertical play is fine by me as well. For a knife I intend to use for simple knife tasks, I just don't see it adding any specific risk or developing into a larger problem. For others, that may not be the case, but I tend to think that it's just a function of the internet that you'll hear more from those that think something is a problem than those that don't think it's a big deal.
Click to expand...

:thumbup: What he said! :cool:
 
These knives are lovely. Very pocket friendly with superb fit and finish!

9636170431_313ea22f43_b.jpg


9639409122_b4da4f02c6_b.jpg
 
Last edited:
Regarding blade play on the GEC lockbacks, I've noticed that the tighter the individual knife locks up, the stiffer it is to unlock. A minor amount of play in the blade of these knives is the norm and is necessary to enable easy opening/closing and doesn't (or shouldn't) reflect on the quality of the knife. It doesn't affect the knife in use whatsoever.

On another note, I have had at least two or more lockback knives that have failed, either with a broken lock bar or spring, and some were of very high quality (Al Mar and Schrade USA) . I have not had this problem with GEC lockbacks nor have I heard of any such issue. JMHO :)
 
Just for the record, I have 19 lockback knives from eight different cutlery companies and the only one with any vertical play or stiffness when operating the lock is the GEC 72.
 
Last edited:
Oh that's OK. I have a dozen or so lockbacks and only a couple don't have a bit of vertical play. It averages out if you get enough knives amongst enough users.
 
This one came with a bit of vertical play and what I guess I'd call an unfinished pin that stood out quite noticeably. I wouldn't say it was proud as there was an angle on it so only half protruded out and created an edge. First GEC I got that needed a little TLC to finish it off, but hey, it was kind of fun to work on it a little bit and now it's just fine and has that bit of instant aging and personal investment that makes it all mine. I do like the slim and easy carry for a 3"+ blade and the added insurance of a lock in case I do something I shouldn't. I got a few more of these 72s and this is the only one that had any issues. The others are very well done.



 
Last edited:
I really like both the Cocobolo and Ebony 72s. The clip blade to handle ratio seems perfect on these models. I'm also a big fan of the darker cocobolo examples. The 72 I ended up keeping is the darker of the two that I received. The lighter ones are beautiful as well, but I really like dark wood covers on my knives, and I think the Northfield knives look fantastic with dark wood handles.

I'm also itching to try out one of the 73s with the drop point blade. The 73 kind of looks like a fancy sodbuster to me.
 
burnside said:
I'm also a big fan of the darker cocobolo examples. The 72 I ended up keeping is the darker of the two that I received. The lighter ones are beautiful as well, but I really like dark wood covers on my knives, and I think the Northfield knives look fantastic with dark wood handles.
.
Click to expand...

Just carry and use the cocobolo handled knives, and those lighter handles will darken significantly with time. Virtually every cocobolo handled knife I own has done just that.
 
Just thought I would bump this thread. Gotthe top 2 today and the spear point last year. Love this pattern!

IMG_20130905_183541.JPG
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top