Lets talk GEC!

There is a forum for complaining... Good, Bad, Ugly in the Knife Exchange. Beating a dead horse is encouraged in there.
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knifeswapper said:
For that kind of money I could go to a psychologist and get programmed to not give a flying flip what anyone else thought.
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Now that is funny! Hahaha.

I think it is a mistake to not let us loyal customers know what is going at the factory and inside BH’s head. We love this company and want to understand it better and the processes and compromises involved, makes GEC a very human and relatable story. I also love the fact that GEC basically pretends to ignore all of us and does whatever it wants, that is Fonzi level cool.

@Jolipapa my limit is 1.5 cents per day.
 
EngrSorenson said:
Besides the whole “civility” thing, we’re really good at beating expired horses instead of burying them. If there’s still more to be said here perhaps there should be (or already is) a knife business discussion which could be more dedicated to the interesting (yet never ending) topic?
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Unfortunately, this is a conversation that is occurring all the more frequently. However, if one can sift through all the banter back and forth, there are certainly insights to be gleaned - particularly from those who have been in the industry or at least have been monitoring such things for a long time. I find the input Mike has shared to be rather interesting and some of it has even confirmed my own unexperienced perceptions.

Jiki said:
If you bought just one of these knives and carried it every day, how long would it last you? 10 years? 20, 30, more?
If I said you were going to buy only one and carry it for 20 years but it cost $200, would you? For less than 3 cents a day? I would.

But we are talking about collections and multiples.

Who is Bill making knives for? Users or collectors?
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I don't have too much issue paying 200 bucks for a knife I know that I will keep and use with lots of regularity - I have done so and will continue to as well. However, the knife needs to be worth that and I would say that most GECs that command a very significant price hike on the secondary market are not worth that to me. Just as an example: I recently shelled out over $600 for a pair of kitchen knives and have a third one being made that will incur further cost - these kitchen knives will last a number of lifetimes though and the expense is well worth it to me.

Ultimately, for me, I shouldn't have any concerns about tossing a GEC in my pocket for the day to be used for whatever task that might come my way. If I paid 400 bucks for a 65 dollar knife though, I would be thinking twice about that.

There have been members here who have shared their user stories. From one who wore out a blade and had the factory replace it to another who has sharpened his sheepfoot blade so much that it has developed a bit of a recurve or even yourself with your whittling - these are stories that I make note of. They demonstrate that GEC is more than capable of building a knife that is not only well worth the investment(retail) but that they are built to be used as tools and one shouldn't be afraid to utilize as such.

I think there is room for GEC to cater to both the user and the collector and if their shift in direction is any indication, it appears that they definitely want to satisfy the user side of the market. I will miss SFOs but I will enjoy a greater availability of knives, particularly if they get made in patterns that interest me. Though I would consider myself both a user and a collector, I am still a user first and a collector second.

I suppose it remains to be seen whether the market will accommodate their pursuits or not.

r8shell said:
Don't sell GEC short. ;)

I'm thinking if I can get a #15 Huckleberry, I might pay one of our fine modders to have it re-covered in glitter gold. I think that cover would best suit a Boys Knife like the #14, but don't think I can bear to change out the ebony covers on mine.
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Does anyone know if the new #15s will all be single bladers?
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Re-covering that luscious Ebony should be a crime... :D
 
Just my opinion, while I can have one. Why do we buy GEC knives? I have one GEC that I carry, and quite a few safe queens some call them. For me anywho, I love that they are made in the US, are almost handmade by folks skilled in their craft, and the production numbers are low. And you can swing into the factory and nose around. Cool! Yes, it's hard to get them, sometimes, but to me that's what makes them interesting also. If I want a good user, I have a lot of other brands to choose from. I think GEC are a cut above most in the traditional "non custom" category. Are they perfect, no, but darn close. The secondary market is just that, market, as in free market. I'll admit though, for an item I enjoy to own, collect, fondle as I see fit, I would rather someone turning a big profit stay out of it and let us enjoy the experience. But I get it I guess. The dealers are hiking prices to try and discourage this. Maybe GEC should have dealers abide by a strict MAP price. GEC could profit a bit more and leave room for the dealer to profit more. If a particular model isn't moving, not many but some don't, allow the dealer to discount as they see fit after a certain amount of time past a release. It has become a bit of a rat race (maybe could be a new model, the Rat Race). We all try to watch for a release, everybody rushes to shut down a dealer's site because it can't handle the traffic. So some offer reserves, then everyone rushes for that, same thing. Now one is offering a raffle or drawing, kinda cool too. For me, I'll get what I can. My hopes are I get to enjoy them, in my own way, and someday when I decide to turn it into one I always wanted, or cash for whatever reason, they at least hold their value. I fear if they become too big, or pump out too many of one style, many of us may move on to something else. Thanks for the opportunity to express my thoughts.
 
r8shell said:
Don't sell GEC short. ;)

I'm thinking if I can get a #15 Huckleberry, I might pay one of our fine modders to have it re-covered in glitter gold. I think that cover would best suit a Boys Knife like the #14, but don't think I can bear to change out the ebony covers on mine.
Y1zOy19.jpg

Does anyone know if the new #15s will all be single bladers?
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I need a simple ebony 14 or 15 user jack in my life. Very nice looking knife.
 
r8shell said:
Don't sell GEC short. ;)

I'm thinking if I can get a #15 Huckleberry, I might pay one of our fine modders to have it re-covered in glitter gold. I think that cover would best suit a Boys Knife like the #14, but don't think I can bear to change out the ebony covers on mine.
Y1zOy19.jpg

Does anyone know if the new #15s will all be single bladers?
Click to expand...
For love of all that is holy, please don't change the ebony covers for glitter anything.
 
Angry Angus said:
Maybe GEC should have dealers abide by a strict MAP price. GEC could profit a bit more and leave room for the dealer to profit more.
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GEC for 13 years had a "DSR" (dealer suggested retail) which was the same as a "MAP" (minimum advertised price). They do enforce it the same. Recently they have attempted to help (I feel it had the opposite affect) by introducing a minimum price along with a suggested price. Some dealers stuck to the minimum price and others went with the suggested price; while others went full flipper price. I talked to the factory a good bit a couple weeks ago about bumping their margin and settling on one MAP style price for dealers. But they are implementing their own plans to try and confront the problem. If that doesn't work as planned maybe we can talk them into something else.
 
knifeswapper said:
GEC for 13 years had a "DSR" (dealer suggested retail) which was the same as a "MAP" (minimum advertised price). They do enforce it the same. Recently they have attempted to help (I feel it had the opposite affect) by introducing a minimum price along with a suggested price. Some dealers stuck to the minimum price and others went with the suggested price; while others went full flipper price. I talked to the factory a good bit a couple weeks ago about bumping their margin and settling on one MAP style price for dealers. But they are implementing their own plans to try and confront the problem. If that doesn't work as planned maybe we can talk them into something else.
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Well we might do a lot of "sitting around complaining", but it's nice to know there's people with the energy, desire and ability to actually contribute to helping. Thank you Mike.
 
knifeswapper said:
GEC for 13 years had a "DSR" (dealer suggested retail) which was the same as a "MAP" (minimum advertised price). They do enforce it the same. Recently they have attempted to help (I feel it had the opposite affect) by introducing a minimum price along with a suggested price. Some dealers stuck to the minimum price and others went with the suggested price; while others went full flipper price. I talked to the factory a good bit a couple weeks ago about bumping their margin and settling on one MAP style price for dealers. But they are implementing their own plans to try and confront the problem. If that doesn't work as planned maybe we can talk them into something else.
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Maybe some of the folks here who have been vocal ought to try opening up a knife shop and becoming dealers. :)
 
Also, it is fun and interesting to hear everyone else’s terrible ideas for “fixing things at GEC”, though a bit frustrating that my own brilliant ideas are ignored by Bill H. and everyone else.
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The yearly Case vault concept would be interesting to adapt at GEC. Pick a pattern to produce all year along side the regular release schedule strategy. It would ease instant demand for that vault pattern knowing more drops would occur. It could build shelf stock on that pattern. ie. don't like the jigged bone 48 producted this week? wait for the iron wood version in 2 months. Or the stag version in 3 months. Or the acrylic version november. Yeah i know.... frequent tooling changes aren't logical and this would require a dedicated line for that one pattern.
 
Peregrin said:
This thread is on the verge of being closed. If we can't have a civil, respectful discussion, there'll be no discussion.
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Honest question, is this thread solely for photos and questions about patterns? If yes, I will absolutely refrain from anything off that topic. My bad if my posts related to the business side derailed the thread.
 
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