Lets talk GEC!

[Matt Bernier]

Two more pics that I found from that morning. Now that I think about it, it was Bill who wanted to see the knives. That is when we pulled them out. He was amazed when we started pulling out so many knives. He was doubly amazed when he realized that was only half of them.

He we are talking about COVID. Bill said that we were the only people he had met who had any first hand experience with it (My 18-year son had it. He was fine. No symptoms). I guess things are fairly calm in that part of western, PA.

Here Bill is taking one of my knives in order to fix a pin crack that he noticed when checking out my collection. I would have never asked him personally, but he spotted it and offered.

After this we helped him load a few things up into his pickup and we all headed over to Mystic Park about two miles outside of town for the unofficial GEC picnic. *Thanks to Mike for capturing most of these pics. @llKRAKENll

What a cool experience. Thank you for documenting it.

And I'm glad your son came out the other end okay. I have several formerly healthy friends to whom it has been devastating, probably permanently in some cases. No deaths in my family yet, but two in friend's families. I'm also glad to hear their area has been spared so far.

 

[Travman]

Man, that’s a handsome pemberton! Makes me want one of the two blade variants!

I know, right? I have always liked the Pemberton's and have a few from both runs. Of course there were no “Special” knives in the GEC store this year, so we just picked up a few knives that we had been eyeballing for the past few months.

 

[Fox79]

Sure did. I had three slips tattooed with the Bootleg 2020 logo. Randy Bell of GEC brought the laser etching machine. Logan Stout of “Knife Thoughts” supplied the logo.

That’s cool. Thanks again for sharing pics from the “bootleg”.

 

[Travman]

What a cool experience. Thank you for documenting it.

And I'm glad your son came out the other end okay. I have several formerly healthy friends to whom it has been devastating, probably permanently in some cases. No deaths in my family yet, but two in friend's families. I'm also glad to hear their area has been spared so far.

Thanks Matt. Our son’s experience was kind of surreal. He and his three friends who contracted it didn’t show any real symptoms at all, probably because they are so young. We enjoyed our quarantine time after the first few days. I got a real tan for the first time in many years since I was working outside every morning with yard work.

 

[sunknife]

Stag #97!! A real tribute to traditionals by GEC!! Lotsa pages, lotsa knife talk!! Lotsa knife!!View attachment 1396853 View attachment 1396854 View attachment 1396855 View attachment 1396856

Beautiful and well matched stag on that one, Charlie.

 

[cbr1000]

I feel like I've been waiting forever for GEC to run one-arm razor again ...

 

[MCar]

I feel like I've been waiting forever for GEC to run one-arm razor again ...

AGREED. What I'd give for a new run of #15 Boys Knives with the one-arm blade.

 

[btb01]

I feel like I've been waiting forever for GEC to run one-arm razor again ...

AGREED. What I'd give for a new run of #15 Boys Knives with the one-arm blade.

I guess I’ve never really understood the appeal. I had this one for a while, ended up giving it to a friend who thought it was interesting. I don’t find the blade to be particularly useful, and that pokey spur is a pocket killer.

 

[JTB_5]

I guess I’ve never really understood the appeal. I had this one for a while, ended up giving it to a friend who thought it was interesting. I don’t find the blade to be particularly useful, and that pokey spur is a pocket killer.

I get it from a function standpoint for guys who got limbs amputated, but it looks like a knife with a broken tip to me.

 

[Matt Bernier]

I'd love a nice big spey, myself. It's one of my most-used blade shapes. When you want to protect something near a cut, or make a cut of controlled depth, there's nothing better.

 

[EngrSorenson]

I’d be game for a #15 in a long Spey, sheepsfoot, wharnecliffe or Turkish clip. I mention the #15 because so far that’s been the generic catch-all great pocket knife pattern; you could slap any blade in there and it’d just seem right. Not too long, not to short. Pleasing symmetry. Works with a cap or without.

 

[sitflyer]

I guess I’ve never really understood the appeal. I had this one for a while, ended up giving it to a friend who thought it was interesting. I don’t find the blade to be particularly useful, and that pokey spur is a pocket killer.

A few minutes with some sandpaper and that pokey spur can be tamed quite nicely. I've got two GEC's with one armed blades and I like to open them with my thumb in the rounded groove...to each their own, those blades are real slicers when sharpened up.

 

[sitflyer]

I have been away from pocketknives for a few years now, and recently got back into being interested in them. I had settled on carrying a single knife for the longest time and had just lost interest in getting anything new. Upon returning I became enamored by the GEC 97 Coke Bottle pattern, and today my Beavertail 97 arrived...I was very exited about this one as it is a big knife, not very much different than the 23 pattern size wise...but what an utter disappointment this knife was...the pull is totally anemic, to the point where I feel the knife is almost hazardously under sprung for such a large offering... to be a potential hazard to real life usage. I will beat the snot out of this beastly thing treating it as a friction folder, because the spring is so weak that it might as well be a friction folder. This may well be the very last GEC that I ever buy...and I have a boatload of them.

I take no pleasure in this post...

 

[Pàdruig]

I have been away from pocketknives for a few years now, and recently got back into being interested in them. I had settled on carrying a single knife for the longest time and had just lost interest in getting anything new. Upon returning I became enamored by the GEC 97 Coke Bottle pattern, and today my Beavertail 97 arrived...I was very exited about this one as it is a big knife, not very much different than the 23 pattern size wise...but what an utter disappointment this knife was...the pull is totally anemic, to the point where I feel the knife is almost hazardously under sprung for such a large offering... to be a potential hazard to real life usage. I will beat the snot out of this beastly thing treating it as a friction folder, because the spring is so weak that it might as well be a friction folder. This may well be the very last GEC that I ever buy...and I have a boatload of them.

I take no pleasure in this post...

I was very disappointed in the pull on the 97s as well - it imparted a large lack of confidence in such a large blade. The 23s are far more satisfying.

I moved my 97 along - my 23 isn't going anywhere.

 

[EngrSorenson]

I have been away from pocketknives for a few years now, and recently got back into being interested in them. I had settled on carrying a single knife for the longest time and had just lost interest in getting anything new. Upon returning I became enamored by the GEC 97 Coke Bottle pattern, and today my Beavertail 97 arrived...I was very exited about this one as it is a big knife, not very much different than the 23 pattern size wise...but what an utter disappointment this knife was...the pull is totally anemic, to the point where I feel the knife is almost hazardously under sprung for such a large offering... to be a potential hazard to real life usage. I will beat the snot out of this beastly thing treating it as a friction folder, because the spring is so weak that it might as well be a friction folder. This may well be the very last GEC that I ever buy...and I have a boatload of them.

I take no pleasure in this post...

I was very disappointed in the pull on the 97s as well - it imparted a large lack of confidence in such a large blade. The 23s are far more satisfying.

I moved my 97 along - my 23 isn't going anywhere.

I tried to tempt myself into getting one, but honestly big blades on folders make me weary. At some point to me a fixed blade is the way to go, and let’s not worry about the pin strength or spring strength of a large folder.

 

[sitflyer]

I was very disappointed in the pull on the 97s as well - it imparted a large lack of confidence in such a large blade. The 23s are far more satisfying.

I moved my 97 along - my 23 isn't going anywhere.

I love my 23's and have nothing but praise for them. Thank you for corroborating my impressions.

 

[Peter Cho]

I tried to tempt myself into getting one, but honestly big blades on folders make me weary. At some point to me a fixed blade is the way to go, and let’s not worry about the pin strength or spring strength of a large folder.

What’s the largest slipjoint you’re comfortable with?

 

[tmd_87]

I’d be game for a #15 in a long Spey, sheepsfoot, wharnecliffe or Turkish clip. I mention the #15 because so far that’s been the generic catch-all great pocket knife pattern; you could slap any blade in there and it’d just seem right. Not too long, not to short. Pleasing symmetry. Works with a cap or without.

Some #15 farm boys!!! That would be a sweet run!

 

[EngrSorenson]

What’s the largest slipjoint you’re comfortable with?

Great question! I’d say a 3 1/2” blade is about the biggest I’d go for before it starts breaking into that new category. That’s about 4” closed, which I’m fine with. Anything more and I’d probably just opt for a fixed blade.

 

[NewBlades16]

Great question! I’d say a 3 1/2” blade is about the biggest I’d go for before it starts breaking into that new category. That’s about 4” closed, which I’m fine with. Anything more and I’d probably just opt for a fixed blade.

Posted wrong spot.