Let's Talk (about a different side of) GEC!

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ddallam

ddallam

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In mid-August I sent my 251208 Northfield Stag Barlow into Titusville for repair. This week they informed me that they would not be able to repair it, and provided no other option, even though I was willing to pay whatever they asked. They also told me that if I wanted my knife back I would need to pay them $5.00 for them to ship it back.

The knife is pictured here. Both blade have broken in half. Has anyone ever had a blade break? Both blades break? How brittle are the 2008 bladees? Were the tempered poorly? I know that they were just getting started in 2008, but I really didn't expect a company focused on quality to not be able to repair their own products. This is not the hallmark of a company focused on quality. it is the hallmark of a company that is struggling to make a profit.

So buy GECs for their quality, and care for them, but don't spend more than you're willing to lose: if a blade breaks it's disposable. Caveat emptor, I guess. (Imagine putting a 2008 Northfield Stag into a trash can.)

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How did the blades break? They make the knives in batches so I don’t think they really have spare blades/parts laying around for every model they ever made. Sorry about your knife though.
 
It's a 2008 knife that looks well used, and maybe abused. GEC is a niche company making small runs of ever changing patterns on the whim of the owner, leftover parts get built out into factory sale knives etc, so no parts to back up repairs. If a knife lasted 12 years before breaking and accumulated the patina shown, I cannot abide that it is a manufacturing defect, but would put the onus on the user as to how those blades snapped. Maybe this thread is a good candidate for the good, bad and ugly subforum...good luck there, it might get a little rough for the OP...
 
It was a friend’s dad’s knife, and he gave it to me in this condition, knowing my interest in pocket knives. So I don’t know how they broke, but I’m still surprised they did. Must have really been abused. I know what you mean Wharn, but it’s still surprising to know that they cannot repair their products.
 
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sitflyer said:
It's a 2008 knife that looks well used, and maybe abused. GEC is a niche company making small runs of ever changing patterns on the whim of the owner, leftover parts get built out into factory sale knives etc, so no parts to back up repairs. If a knife lasted 12 years before breaking and accumulated the patina shown, I cannot abide that it is a manufacturing defect, but would put the onus on the user as to how those blades snapped. Maybe this thread is a good candidate for the good, bad and ugly subforum...good luck there, it might get a little rough for the OP...[/QUOTE

so no repair support then! Got it.
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Dave Dallam said:
It was a friend’s dad’s knife, and he gave it to me in this condition, knowing my interest in pocket knives. So I don’t know how they broke, but I’m still surprised they did. I know what you mean Wharn, but it’s still surprising to know that they cannot repair their own products.
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Knives are not indestructible. My wife was given a stockman knife by her father when she was a child. Still has it, but the main blade is broken. She used it as a pry bar.
 
Only other gec ive seen with broken blade Is my avatar pic . It was a gift to a friend who used it as a pry bar. Gec had a extra blade so they were able to repair it . Had they not , I would of been in similar situation. I wouldn’t of fault them if they didn’t. It was a clear case of misuse. I explained to Chris at gec that it was from misuse and they still fixed it free of charge.
 

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So you start a thread to bash on GEC, and I have my own issues with them be that as it may, regarding a twelve year old knife, with both blades snapped off. Ad you don't even know how the blades came to be broken...SMH. Get a grip, obviously the knife performed well enough to earn the noticeable deep patina before it was mis-used in some fashion to break those blades, a picture is worth a thousand words...
 
I guess there’s a basic fallacy in the idea of stamping blades with a code that makes them non-exchangeable. I can’t believe they cannot find a pen blade and a clip blade that fit, or offer some other form of customer satisfaction that a customer is willing to pay for. But that's their call. You’re lucky then, txjohn. I didn’t really expect them to have two 251208 blades! I just expected them to help me in some way that I was willing to pay for, other than just charging me to send it back untouched. It cost me nothing, so no loss here. Just surprised.
 
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Dave Dallam said:
I guess there’s a basic fallacy in the idea of stamping blades with a code that makes them non-repairable. I can’t believe they cannot find a pen blade and a clip blade that fit, or offer some other form of customer satisfaction that a customer is willing to pay for.
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If someone gave me knife in that condition, I'd say "no thanks." Why not just buy a new knife?
 
sitflyer said:
So you start a thread to bash on GEC, and I have my own issues with them be that as it may, regarding a twelve year old knife, with both blades snapped off. Ad you don't even know how the blades came to be broken...SMH. Get a grip, obviously the knife performed well enough to earn the noticeable deep patina before it was mis-used in some fashion to break those blades, a picture is worth a thousand words...
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You are missing my point. I simply asked them to repair it at my expense. As others have pointed out here, they cannot replace a blade. That was a surprise to me.
 
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I doubt there was anything wrong with the steel. You see so many old knives with broken blades for a reason; people abused them. It’s not that hard to snap a blade.

I think it’s silly that they wanted $5 to return your knife.
 
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