Lets talk GEC!

I'm pretty excited. I hadn't bought a GEC since the 35 Cattle knife last year. Now i have a muskrat clip beeswax micarta H20 arriving today and just managed to order both a wood and a bone 72 Cody Scout.
 
lithicus said:
I'm not certain the best place to post/ask this. If I need to make a new thread, let me know and I'll delete this post. I tried scouring the forums, but mostly found information on pin cracks. The information I could find about longitudinal cracks were usually in reference to giraffe or camel bone, horn material, or things like ivory.

I just picked up this 72 cody scout from the post office and out of the tube found what I believe would be described as a longitudinal crack. One end terminates at the bolster. The other end is not terminated but seems like it would terminate at the liner if extended. In my opinion, it was already cracked at the factory and not a result of shipping/handling as there is some polishing compound in the crack near the bolster.

QaTSGPJ.jpg


Is this crack in danger of spreading? It seems like it could lead to a pretty significant chip if it managed to make its way to the liner. I heard thin super glue or epoxy can help stabilize cracks. So, I presume that would help in this case.

Kind of related, I imagine if I contact the dealer they will just issue a full refund. But, odds are I will not score another one of these knives. I've heard GEC is not great at turning around replacement covers due to stock. But, would I have better luck sending it in now while the run is still happening?

Sorry for all the questions. I only own half a dozen GEC knives and they've all been top notch. This is the first time I've ever had to deal with anything I'd maybe consider a defect and I'm not certain how to proceed. If it were Case or some other mass produced knife, I'd just exchange it for another (which I have done before for Case knives with cracked bone handles). But, as difficult as it is to obtain GECs I don't see a quick exchange happening? Anyway, thanks everyone for your input!
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Elgatodeacero said:
I would put a couple dabs of crazy glue into the crack, wipe excess off and then enjoy the knife.
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^This^ I would clean out the polishing compund with some rubbing alchohol and a toothbrush, allow the alcohol time to evaporate, and superglue it. I think once it is cleaned and glued it will be both unnoticeable and well stabilized. Looking at the orientation of the crack, I doubt it would grow or cause any problems even if nothing were done to it. Congratulations on scoring a nice lockback!
 
L lithicus My view is that it should not be tolerated or laughed off I'm afraid. As you say, it looks like it has polish compound in it so it was a factory damage not damage in transit. It's a long crack near the bolster and sufficient opening/closing will result in a 'nice' splinter falling off.

Alright, you may say let's glue it, ok on a used knife or a really old example but new out of the tube?? Uh uh. GEC should replace the scale slab under warranty or provide you with an alternative. These are not marketed or regarded as some two a penny knife you can just not care about because you can pick up another tomorrow :rolleyes: I'm sure you have plenty of other cheap knives that can fill this role where needed. It's a factory fault, either missed in final inspection or dropped on the floor when being put in tube, they should fix it. Simply because they are rare or difficult to get should not give them a free pass on standards/quality very much the opposite. If you found you didn't like the knife or wanted to trade it then that type of crack would make any deal tricky.

I would NEVER be happy or satisfied with getting a brand new knife in that condition , I can't believe I'm alone either. Get onto GEC and say you want it fixed!

Thanks, Will
 
lithicus said:
I'll probably shoot GEC an email now and hopefully hear back from them sooner rather than later.
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I contacted them once and they inquired if I purchased it at an authorized dealer. It seemed like that was important to them and I'm not sure if they will be of assistance if it were bought on the secondary market. My was from an authorized dealer and they were happy to help.

Best regards,
 
Sventhelumberjack said:
^This^ I would clean out the polishing compund with some rubbing alchohol and a toothbrush, allow the alcohol time to evaporate, and superglue it. I think once it is cleaned and glued it will be both unnoticeable and well stabilized. Looking at the orientation of the crack, I doubt it would grow or cause any problems even if nothing were done to it. Congratulations on scoring a nice lockback!
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Will Power said:
L lithicus My view is that it should not be tolerated or laughed off I'm afraid. As you say, it looks like it has polish compound in it so it was a factory damage not damage in transit. It's a long crack near the bolster and sufficient opening/closing will result in a 'nice' splinter falling off.

Alright, you may say let's glue it, ok on a used knife or a really old example but new out of the tube?? Uh uh. GEC should replace the scale slab under warranty or provide you with an alternative. These are not marketed or regarded as some two a penny knife you can just not care about because you can pick up another tomorrow :rolleyes: I'm sure you have plenty of other cheap knives that can fill this role where needed. It's a factory fault, either missed in final inspection or dropped on the floor when being put in tube, they should fix it. Simply because they are rare or difficult to get should not give them a free pass on standards/quality very much the opposite. If you found you didn't like the knife or wanted to trade it then that type of crack would make any deal tricky.

I would NEVER be happy or satisfied with getting a brand new knife in that condition , I can't believe I'm alone either. Get onto GEC and say you want it fixed!

Thanks, Will
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I understand I asked a very opinionated question and am glad everyone has remained respectful discussing it.

Sventhelumberjack Sventhelumberjack its good to know, even for similar situations in the future, how a crack like this could be handled. And, it seems like you have some experience in saying it would stabilize well. I was particularly curious about the orientation of it as I could not find much information on these longitudinal cracks (I think I'm using the right term here). Most of the information I've seen relates to pin cracks, which are an entirely different situation as those are caused by undue stress. Your experience is greatly appreciated!!

And, Will Power Will Power , I highly respect your opinion on the matter and appreciate you chiming in. It was, in fact, some of your posts from years past that made me to want to reach out to GEC as soon as possible and without delay. My hope being that I could catch them early enough in production that they still have covers to do the repair under warranty. I know you have struggled with GEC's lack of materials and being told to play the waiting game with some of your knives. Lastly, I agree that it's completely backwards for me to hold mass produced knives such as Case to a higher standard just because they can be easily replaced. I cannot explain this any other way than "convenience", which isn't fair to companies like Case or GEC. In truth, GEC being more costly should result in higher quality product and increased accountability. I have reached out to them and hope to hear back soon.

Pollack said:
I contacted them once and they inquired if I purchased it at an authorized dealer. It seemed like that was important to them and I'm not sure if they will be of assistance if it were bought on the secondary market. My was from an authorized dealer and they were happy to help.

Best regards,
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I did purchase from an authorized dealer. So, hopefully that will all be good and I would certainly appreciate it if they were happy to help me out as well!! It's good to hear that some here on the porch have had good experiences with them. Thanks!
 
lithicus said:
I'm definitely considering it. I'd rather have the knife than not. And, if I can stabilize that crack so it doesn't result in a giant chip, my cutting tasks would be none the wiser. Even small chips wouldn't bother me so long as they weren't uncomfortable in the hand. This seems like it could result in a pretty large and uncomfortable chip though if I was unable to stabilize it and the worst case scenario happened.


I love this response 😂 It rings so true. Having a knife with flaws does certainly have its benefits. It's like that first scratch on a car or the first rock gouge in a canoe. Once it's done and over with you can kind of breathe easy. Perfection is the enemy of good, and there's nothing wrong with leaving well enough alone. I intended on it being a user anyway. So, it was never going to stay perfect.

I hadn't considered just getting it recovered in some nice gnarly stag if it ever does chip badly. I love a good stag knife and it would be one of a kind at that point with the memories of putting it to hard use to go along with it. I do think I'll reach out to GEC just to see what they might suggest. But, I think I'll have a hard time returning it for a refund and being left empty handed so to speak (not like I don't have a few dozen other knives to use but you get my point).

Again appreciate the comments and the best wishes. It is a cool knife, lockbacks hold a special place in my heart, and the timing of me placing the order on my grandfathers birthday means a lot to me. I'll try to keep everyone updated! Thanks again!
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I’ll have to agree with birdsbeaks birdsbeaks here. If something were to chip off the cover I would just leave it be or repair (fill the crack/hole with another material) it myself, if the cover is still firmly attached of course, if it’s loose get wild and have some nice covers put on it. I have a lot of perfect and imperfect knives and it’s always the imperfect I reach for first. Anyways good luck with it👍
 
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lithicus said:
I'm not certain the best place to post/ask this. If I need to make a new thread, let me know and I'll delete this post. I tried scouring the forums, but mostly found information on pin cracks. The information I could find about longitudinal cracks were usually in reference to giraffe or camel bone, horn material, or things like ivory.

I just picked up this 72 cody scout from the post office and out of the tube found what I believe would be described as a longitudinal crack. One end terminates at the bolster. The other end is not terminated but seems like it would terminate at the liner if extended. In my opinion, it was already cracked at the factory and not a result of shipping/handling as there is some polishing compound in the crack near the bolster.

QaTSGPJ.jpg


Is this crack in danger of spreading? It seems like it could lead to a pretty significant chip if it managed to make its way to the liner. I heard thin super glue or epoxy can help stabilize cracks. So, I presume that would help in this case.

Kind of related, I imagine if I contact the dealer they will just issue a full refund. But, odds are I will not score another one of these knives. I've heard GEC is not great at turning around replacement covers due to stock. But, would I have better luck sending it in now while the run is still happening?

Sorry for all the questions. I only own half a dozen GEC knives and they've all been top notch. This is the first time I've ever had to deal with anything I'd maybe consider a defect and I'm not certain how to proceed. If it were Case or some other mass produced knife, I'd just exchange it for another (which I have done before for Case knives with cracked bone handles). But, as difficult as it is to obtain GECs I don't see a quick exchange happening? Anyway, thanks everyone for your input!
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IMO, that anomaly will never worsen..... It is drawn in tight to the liner with the rivet.... In order to open up, you'd have to lose all the clamping force from the rivet, which is unlikely ....
 
JonesJorgen said:
I’ll have to agree with birdsbeaks birdsbeaks here. If something were to chip off the cover I would just leave it be or repair (fill the crack/hole with another material) it myself, if the cover is still firmly attached of course, if it’s loose get wild and have some nice covers put on it. I have a lot of perfect and imperfect knives and it’s always the imperfect I reach for first. Anyways good luck with it👍
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Much appreciated! All knives that are put to use develop character. But, I do still think there is something special about imperfect knives. I certainly own quite a few. At the very least, they are uniquely my own! And while I have never had a knife recovered, if anything were to happen to this knife it would be a perfect candidate. Something about a stag lockback just rings true to me.

HEMI 49 said:
IMO, that anomaly will never worsen..... It is drawn in tight to the liner with the rivet.... In order to open up, you'd have to lose all the clamping force from the rivet, which is unlikely ....
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This seems to align with what Sventhelumberjack Sventhelumberjack was saying and also kind of with my intuition now that I'm thinking back on it. I stated before that this does not seem like a stress induced crack. So if that is true, there would inherently not be any stress causing the crack to open further like you might get with a pin crack. I think the biggest risk with a crack like this is honestly me dropping it on accident, in which case all bets are off anyway.

Given that it is early enough in the run, I have decided to reach out to GEC just to get their take on things. I imagine they may still have some left over material. And, I certainly don't mind paying a small shipping fee for a knife without this kind of anomaly. But, if GEC does not repair it and an exchange is not possible through the dealer, I do not think I could return the knife. I've been waiting on an 83/72 for sometime now and the improved lockup on these 72s made them even more desirable. I feel more confident after hearing some comments here that I'd be able to stabilize the crack and it would be unlikely to get any worse. Thanks again everyone! I greatly appreciate this community and the wealth of knowledge being shared.
 
L lithicus Glad you're going to contact them. I once got the brush off from them when I asked about a repair: the very moment I hastily opened a new packet with a 73 Ivory Bone liner lock ,I dropped it on the doorstep cracking a scale :eek: I told them it was my fault and would pay postage & cost of scale replacement (pile side so easier than mark) but I more or less got told to disappear. They didn't hold stock for repairs and it's my fault anyway so...I was very offended by that attitude and hope that it was aspect that has disappeared.

By contrast, I got a 73 one of 25 ,from the dealer I used to be with. After 3 days out of the tube it developed a centre pin crack , mark side - these were a special 73 with angled edges to the scales not the usual radiused ones. He took it back sent me a replacement and said he can return the damaged one to GEC and they will be able to replace the slab. Very good, if they could do that then 2009 they can/should do it now.

Whatever the outcome , all that matters is that YOU are satisfied with it. It is also instructive to discuss these kind of scenario here as part of the totality of GEC ownership, not just the euphoria of new ownership- enticing though that is 😍

Thanks, Will

gePWJsJ.jpg
 
I noticed this image in the "What's In Production" area of the GEC website. Any thoughts on what this spring is for? It doesn't look to me like it belongs to the 72's...

IMG_7865.jpg
 
jlester76 said:
I noticed this image in the "What's In Production" area of the GEC website. Any thoughts on what this spring is for? It doesn't look to me like it belongs to the 72's...

IMG_7865.jpg
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I bet those are locking bars for 72s, they just weren't cut yet. If you ever seen how GEC's lockback mechanism looks like, you'll understand what I mean. They definitely don't look like any backspring for slip joint construction.

Couldn't find a disassembly pic, so I drew from memory. Blue line represents the cutout, more or less. Locking bar and backspacer are single piece construction. At least they were in some previous runs, because GEC told they've redesigned the thing in recent 72s. No idea what was changed, that's the question for those who own one already. If someone happen to disassemble one, hope you won't mind sharing with us here, would be very interesting to look at.
image5.jpg
 
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