I'm getting more and more skeptical of GEC knives.

Status
Not open for further replies.
jakemex

jakemex

Gold Member
Joined
Oct 19, 2011
Messages
1,286
I've not been here as long as many, but I'm not sure if I'll ever buy a GEC knife. Yup they look great as far as fit and finish and they do have appealing patterns etc. But as many as praise them there are as many that have problems with them. Maybe some of the problems that are posted here are picayunish and maybe some are really valid problems but the quantity of problems is turning me off. Am I nuts? Am I just seeing things? Am I just too cheap?
 
I would say just buy one. See for yourself. I have owned over 10 and have not had a single issue. On the otherhand I have owned 3 case knives of recent vintage and was only happy with one. I pass on Case now because of that ratio.
 
There are some patterns with quite a few parts and they are bound to turn out a few duds. Overall though, they make a heckuva knife and our great Grandkids are going to carry them.
 
May I suggest the GEC #15? If I were a betting man that should change your opinion.
 
GEC are high end, high priced knives for devoted enthusiasts. With any product targeted to enthusiasts, there's always going to be split opinions. Some will see high quality and say you get what you pay for. Others will claim the law of diminishing returns kicked in or worse that the quality fails to meet the heightened, or even unrealistic, expectations.

Pirsig got it right. Quality is that which gives you peace of mind. That's entirely personal.

GEC may not be for you. Plenty of other options at lower price points. Or at higher ones.
 
For a company which is only 5 years old, and which caters to some very knowledgeable (cough finicky cough) collectors, GEC does very well.
 
GEC's knives are fantastic IMO. Remember, far more people will complain about a problem than are happy with it. They put out one hell of a knife.
 
I've got 2 of 'em and know a few members here with quite a few of 'em, anyone that has ever had a problem with any GEC knife has always gotten complete satisfaction from their CS department.
 
I think that if you are a bit weary of GEC? then you will be of every other knife company that exists, GEC would be one of THE safest companies to buy a knife from.
Excellent Quality for a darn good price...that knife will last lifetimes if looked after with a couple of drops of oil in dem joints :D
Just buy one, and you will see.
 
Their infamous bear trap springs are getting a lot better. I alternate carry between a 73 single blade and a 72. Both are two of my favorite knives.
 
I have two, the first was a bummer IMO, the second is the best knife I own. If I based my opinion on the 85 special order harness jack I would say they make the best production slip joint period. I agree that because of their great reputation you have high expectations, that's why getting one of the few bad ones is so discouraging. To be honest, I think of the retail knife dealer as being the last in the line of quality control. For knives in this price range they should check every one as it comes in their door and for sure prior to sending it out to a customer. My three cents worth ;-))

Best regards and happy new year

Robin
 
Of the 20 GECs that I own, the biggest problem I have ever had was the occasional bit of blade wobble.
GEC offered to fix it free of charge, but I had the ingenuity and means to fix it myself. This happened maybe 7-10% of the time.

On the other hand 33% of the Queen knives I bought have had significant blade wobble. One of them had really jacked up bone covers, one of the 10 knives had really lazy springs.

Knife for knife and dollar for dollar I would bet on GEC every time.
Do not let the vocal minority steer you away from trying a GEC.

-nate
 
I'd buy another... I'll likely pick-up a #23, or maybe a single blade #45, in 2013.
 
Both my GECs were Forum Knives and both runs were reasonably large so there were some issues but AFAIK GEC satisfied all the customers, for a small company I think they make a great knife and I'll buy more.

The only issue is their rendition of Sharp Outta the Box, both knives I recieved were barely sharp but I sharpen everything I get anyway so it really wasn't an issue. ;)
 
GEC makes excellent knives, but no production slip joint manufacturer is perfect. If their knives are not up to your standard, then it might be time to step up to the work of custom makers.

- Christian
 
I have a couple of GECs and am really happy with most of them. Especially the newer runs seem flawless. On the other hand I am much less satisfied with my few Case and Queen knives (not a representative sample size, but it's unfortunately my limited impression :) ). I'm sure that all companies would correct any mistakes, but since I live overseas it's not really feasible. As it stands right now, GEC is the company in which I have the most confidence and have no reservations at all about ordering one of their knives.
My guess is that with their higher price we expect more and begin to nitpick, which looks like there are more problems than there really are compared to other makers.
 
You'd be doing yourself a disservice by discounting GEC.

To answer your questions directly - Yes, yes, and yes....
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top