Lets talk GEC!

Markeologist said:
Best for me and that's all that matters to me...please see my note above. I did not introduce the "best" discussion, I was just responding...so much hot air around and folks get their panties in a bunch on a topic that is completely subjective. Buy what you like and just don't buy stuff because you think its the thing to do (not aimed at you Harry/Old Engineer, folks in general).
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No problem my friend .

Harry
 
Pàdruig said:
I think any discussion surrounding "What's the best GEC?" is going to involve a considerable level of subjectivity. I don't have a single GEC that I would say, "That's the best knife that GEC has ever made!" - they are handmade knives and each of them have their own number of small imperfections that come to light under any significant scrutiny.

That said, we can certainly look at trends and see where certain patterns that GEC produces have enjoyed a fair amount of popularity over others. The #15 pattern would be such a pattern - made in a wide swath of configurations and handle variants, it is attractive to the collector and user alike. Barlows and other SFOs aside, the #15 has historically presented an excellent value - its all steel construction and overall practicality have placed it at a very fair retail price point.

The #15 hits the sweet spot for many folks, other patterns hit that spot for others. 'Tis hard for me to say if I even have a favorite - I enjoy so many of them. I will say this though, the #44 run set a pretty high standard with regards to GEC's capabilities - if I liked the pattern more, it would be pretty darned near perfect with its excellent action, perfect pulls, and beautiful F&F.
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Well said Dylan...best? Ron Half/Stop showed off a pair of 2015 #77s with oily bone handles that pretty much rises to the occasion...
I made a career of not following the leader and that's why the #77 and #92 fit the bill for me. They are both seemingly simply basic knives with nice lines. The #92 has curves that fit in the hand for detail cutting and the #77 has the heft for a real solid feel...I'll go with those 2 - #77 &#92.
 
Old Engineer said:
No problem my friend .

Harry
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I'm worried that GECs knives are starting to become like beanie babies...we seem to have folks out there who are buying GECs in a knee jerk fashion, they don't want to miss the next big thing even if it ends up being a turd...its just a "I have to have it" mentality without ever seeing the knife. I understand the frustration but this behavior feeds the flippers, drives up prices...rinse and repeat, a never ending cycle. As such, I don't take part in the frenzy, waiting for the drop and getting frustrated by my internet connection or the retailers system if I don't score a knife. My practice has also meant that I have paid above retail for some knives...but those are knives that I have looked into, determined that they were worthy of my ownership (I've never sold or traded away a knife). I set a limit at what I'll spend on a knife including calculating the time I would have spent waiting for a drop...I'm not retired so time is money and sitting there for an hour or more to try and score a knife on a drop is a cost that should be included in any calculation. If you are patient, sometimes you score...if you don't, there will be something else that catches your fancy.

I'm hoping GEC's new business model is to make much larger quantities of high quality knives where supply more closely matches demand.
 
Leslie Tomville said:
Markeologist Markeologist , if you go by the prices on the secondary market to judge the best knife, the 74 pattern must be in the running.

Seriously, because there are so many great GEC patterns, it is simply a personal preference concerning which is the “best.” I believe that is the point Harry is making up above right Old Engineer Old Engineer ?


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I had that knife book marked, no intent to buy, just to see what the final sale price is...somebody is playing games here, driving up price and frenzy. I've seen this several times on Northwoods knives the last several months...Ebay should be investigating this crap...check the price now ... a drop of nearly $300...such BS.

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rdave said:
Well said Dylan...best? Ron Half/Stop showed off a pair of 2015 #77s with oily bone handles that pretty much rises to the occasion...
I made a career of not following the leader and that's why the #77 and #92 fit the bill for me. They are both seemingly simply basic knives with nice lines. The #92 has curves that fit in the hand for detail cutting and the #77 has the heft for a real solid feel...I'll go with those 2 - #77 &#92.
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The Oily Creek 77 & Washington Jack would be in my top 10. Love the 92 as well.. pics because we all like pictures :)

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Markeologist said:
I had that knife book marked, no intent to buy, just to see what the final sale price is...somebody is playing games here, driving up price and frenzy. I've seen this several times on Northwoods knives the last several months...Ebay should be investigating this crap...check the price now ... a drop of nearly $300...such BS.

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huh, interesting. I saw a Giraffe Esky bid for over $1000 early this year.. figured if that's the bid then it sold for that much.
 
Markeologist said:
I'm worried that GECs knives are starting to become like beanie babies...we seem to have folks out there who are buying GECs in a knee jerk fashion, they don't want to miss the next big thing even if it ends up being a turd...its just a "I have to have it" mentality without ever seeing the knife. I understand the frustration but this behavior feeds the flippers, drives up prices...rinse and repeat, a never ending cycle. As such, I don't take part in the frenzy, waiting for the drop and getting frustrated by my internet connection or the retailers system if I don't score a knife. My practice has also meant that I have paid above retail for some knives...but those are knives that I have looked into, determined that they were worthy of my ownership (I've never sold or traded away a knife). I set a limit at what I'll spend on a knife including calculating the time I would have spent waiting for a drop...I'm not retired so time is money and sitting there for an hour or more to try and score a knife on a drop is a cost that should be included in any calculation. If you are patient, sometimes you score...if you don't, there will be something else that catches your fancy.

I'm hoping GEC's new business model is to make much larger quantities of high quality knives where supply more closely matches demand.
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Tend to agree, the FOMO Factor seems to corrode things very badly, can't admire it.
Initially at least, the new business model or strategy appears only to be stoking the FOMO hysteria. Look at the 33 Conductor run: 400 Bone 400 Stag, not long ago that would've been more than enough for some time, especially such a large issue of Stag. But there's been fearful talk generating yet more panic buying that everything will be sold out in 23 seconds...:rolleyes::poop:
 
Will Power said:
Tend to agree, the FOMO Factor seems to corrode things very badly, can't admire it.
Initially at least, the new business model or strategy appears only to be stoking the FOMO hysteria. Look at the 33 Conductor run: 400 Bone 400 Stag, not long ago that would've been more than enough for some time, especially such a large issue of Stag. But there's been fearful talk generating yet more panic buying that everything will be sold out in 23 seconds...:rolleyes::poop:
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I think I was the only one on the thread to voice concerns for missing out on the #33, so I just figured I’d chime in here. My FOMO wasn’t a legitimate need- just a frivolous desire. The panic people have and lengths we go through to get another treasure is shameful. You’re absolutely right! I should probably be donating that money to a worthy cause instead.

My point is, we scramble like dogs after scraps to get a knife we want- we always do. You’re correct to point out how shallow the scramble can be. I’ll just go another small step further and point out no one truly needs more than 1-2 pocket knives to make it through life. Some people never have one... if you call that living...

So your comment is right on the money, and I feel accountable. I’m part of the scramble problem, or at least I’m guilty this time around, but the problem goes so much deeper than that! It’s just a symptom. The real problem is greed. I accumulate knives.
 
It is more than all of this though. Over in a Facebook group people trade knives all the time. A new guy comes in and has no knife capital to trade but has a pile of cash. So they buy the 33#, or whatever is being ran in hopes of having something to trade. With little knowledge of what is going to be desired for trading just hope.

It's just flipping with a different form of currency.

Some wise man said on here "buy what you like".
 
Hmm. Food for thought. I am in a phase of collecting where I can watch a knife go by knowing it is not gonna change my life if I own it, but I certainly had ‘the bug’ for a while there. Can be hard to shake.
 
One of the nice things about collecting or accumulating GECs is that, while it does cost money, that is money that you can usually get back if you quit the hobby and that is mainly due to GECs being difficult to get and more people want them than GEC makes.

If they started making enough GECs that they were on hangers at the check out at Walmart, when you bought one it would lose value as soon as you opened the plastic clamshell. Even if they were somehow able to keep the quality as high as it is now.
 
Norcaldude said:
If they started making enough GECs that they were on hangers at the check out at Walmart, when you bought one it would lose value as soon as you opened the plastic clamshell. Even if they were somehow able to keep the quality as high as it is now.
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I think you're right... though I'd absolutely loose my mind if I saw a #15 hanging near the checkout at Walmart in a clam shell package. I wouldn't be able to help myself. I'd probably turn to total strangers next to me, and while frantically pointing at the package exclaim, "Do you see this?! DO YOU SEE THIS!? amazing!" and then start putting one in everyone's cart, and probably 2 in mine.
 
GEC definitely has some greatest hits... This list is inevitably subjective but I think many will agree that some patterns are more popular than others.

#15 in almost all iterations, #23 large trappers, #33 Conductor, #35 Churchill, #47 Viper, #48 trapper, #66 serpentine, #68 White Owl, #72 lockback, #73 Scout, #74, #77 jack, #85, #92 Eureka...

Then there are a great subset of patterns that are beloved by some, but may not have been around long enough or be universally popular enough to be in the top category. Knives like the #14, #25 mini-barlows, #38, #53 and #54 equal ends, #62, #78, #81, #86, etc.

And then there are the niche patterns... knives that either haven’t been run in a very long time, or just aren’t that currently talked about, like the #06, #09 Esquire, #18, #61 Congress, #89 melon testers, #97 Wall Street.... basically every other pattern they make. And not a single one is a “bad” knife.
 
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