Lets talk GEC!

Rockon75 said:
My sister is a Harvard Business School grad. Most highly educated stay at home mom I know. Anyhow, we talked about this and there is a business model, that I truly believe that Bill Howard does not even know his is following. Substitute the citations of 'Lululemon" in the Wall Street Journal article below (see link), with GEC. Only difference is that the paying dealers on BF are the "listeners".
http://www.wsj.com/articles/SB10001424052702303812904577295882632723066
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Excellent link .. I started to read it but will have to finish it later, the kiddos :D

Cory - Nailed it on the popularity issue. Throw in a few veterans who know more than the begginers and you soon have begginers like me hooked on them.

Sean - Also brought up a great point on competition. I have often wanted to try other brands but my funds are limited. I can't afford to drop $100 or so on a brand just to try. Take that and combine it with Cory's consistancy point and Im going to keep with GEC.

In all honesty though Im over the hype and have really started to focus on what I want to learn about and purchace. In short I have found the GECs I want and unless they come out with a scout or a classic Randall style fixed blade, I doubt I will pick any more up after the 83.
 
It sounds a lot like there is some belief that GEC knives are getting more credit than they deserve. Or are being promoted from somewhere other than the customer base. Although I can agree that the business strategy (done for economics and not for hype) that GEC has had from day one - does keep those knife nuts that are starved for a value product talking on the forums. I can't figure out how it is anything other than a naturally occurring interest in a product that has a diminishing market. You could just as easily say that if all the other companies had not gone broke or outsourced their name, GEC would not be getting as much interest. But if frogs had wings they wouldn't bump their butts - so what. In a time when the great makers from our past can't make a go of it - we have a couple of American makers that are succeeding in this "buggy whip" market.

Case makes at least hundreds of knives a day and probably thousands. They advertise/sponsor heavily and have semi current technology that can produce a good value knife in large quantities. They make the same patterns, with very few new variations other than slabs. They make very few limited editions and even their "Limited Edition" knife is at least 3000pcs which generally makes it one of the largest production numbers.

GEC makes around 70 knives a day, every working day. They spend nearly nothing on advertising and never have. A couple of blocks in an industry magazine here and there is about it other than with their core customers on their own website. They have 50-70 year old technology and do every stage by hand. They very rarely make exactly the same patterns and are driven by a man that makes knives he wants to make. Yes, once he hits something so popular that the appetite keeps customers coming back, they will make more. Yes, GEC has had some dogs; not necessarily in quality but in market interest. Compared to every other makers numbers, nearly every GEC knife is a limited edition. When most variations allow for 2-3 people per state to get one - that is limited. Why don't they provide a catalog of knives ready to ship - because they are a small company that can't inventory a million dollars worth of knives hoping someone shows up to buy them. And the guy running the place likes to make new patterns instead of having his schedule dictated to him by stock numbers. They gauge the interest from dealers BEFORE they start the production, which for a company that doesn't want inventory is very intelligent.

There are other makers that are trying to survive, but if you watch close enough you can see the writing on the wall. I have about killed myself trying to round up actual German made Bokers / Hen & Rooster knives and Queen / Schatt and Morgans from better times. But have ended up forced to expand my horizons in order to stay in a hobby that I love dearly.

Is one strategy any better? In my opinion they both have their place. Case makes a good value knife and some patterns are outstanding. GEC makes a tight knife that stirs the nostalgia of days gone by.

15 years ago my business was 70% Case and 30% German (Bulldog, Eye, Boker, HR). 10 years ago my business was 50% Case, 20% Queen, and 30% German. Today my business is 70% GEC, 15% Case, and 15% Other. So, for the dealers that sell mostly American and German slipjoints in a time when the makers are going away, does the chatter on the "Traditional Folders and Fixed Blades" forum seem out of balance with the real world customers - no.

When I started typing I thought that I was going to disagree with Cory. But as I finish I think I agree with him and just offer a different viewpoint of the same symptom. The way GEC produces knives and releases them does cause the appearance of "hype". But I don't think that is a fair word to use, when you actually consider where the industry has traveled in the last 15 years.

My question is "Do you really feel that in this forum alone the discussion of GEC is out of proportion to the brands we are putting in our pockets / collections?"
 
Nice post, Cory. It's a fun ride for knife enthusiasts but it's not sustainable. GEC started from scratch but they'll run out of new patterns eventually and find themselves in a relatively similar situation as Case, Victorinox, and other cutlery companies. Maybe then they'll start using less hot dog shields.
 
I love the quality of GEC and like their 1095, but otherwise have had practically zero interest in most of their patterns. I find most them lacking in some way... Most are too cumbersome and most are too eclectic for my tastes when all I really want is classic (mainstream) pattern. It seems like they crank out most old patterns just to be different... I realize they've done very mainstream patterns before, but they usually sell out quick, are very few and far between, and you're left scouring an old inventory of uninteresting and massive patterns. Have they ever made anything like a peanut or small stockman?!

This is in part why I love the catalog offerings of other companies. I can scoop up a Queen #48 whittler, one of my favorite patterns of all time, at a moments notice and know I'll have a great knife, and at a fraction of the price.

I must say, though, that the GEC 15 has been a breath of fresh air in the beer and soda scouts. I scooped up three and am contemplating getting a soda scout. But there again it's a fun useful pattern and fits the pocket well, especially being a beer lover... :thumbup:
 
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knifeswapper said:
It sounds a lot like there is some belief that GEC knives are getting more credit than they deserve. Or are being promoted from somewhere other than the customer base...My question is "Do you really feel that in this forum alone the discussion of GEC is out of proportion to the brands we are putting in our pockets / collections?"
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I read Cory's post and a couple of replies but I didn't read all of them or the linked pages so I'm sure I missed some stuff. I don't think there's any problem with what GEC or the GEC dealers are doing. If something negative was said, then I missed it. Actually, I don't think that most folks really care about anything other than "what's next?!" ...or atleast that's what I'm thinking. ;)
 
sierra The Queen No.48 is most certainly a very fine pattern indeed, well made all the three I've had too.

But GEC do make smaller patterns: the 09 Esquire Pen, the 06 Pemberton one or two blades (where have all the single blade versions gone) 22 Magnum and 33 Conductor single spring. The 66 is a Medium Stockman and could find favour with you. Agreed, CASE and Böker do a very decent Medium Stockman, so perhaps GEC have not wanted to take that niche on, just yet? Myself, I do wish they'd offer some tip bolster patterns or shadows to lighten the feel a bit and I hope it will happen. Sometimes, some of their patterns can feel a bit heavy but this is intentional I suspect.
 
For me it's really a simple matter of quality. I've got several GEC knives, all of which see actual field/rough use, and I haven't found anything which is as much of a joy to use.

Take, for example, my recent purchase of a NIB Winchester/Queen Sowbelly Stockman. Everyone who owns one of these late-80s vintage knives raves about the quality, and no doubt it's good - very good, in fact. Yet it still doesn't quite reach the level of my "pedestrian" #15 Tidioute.

I'm sure the "hype" draws some people in (it definitely influenced me!) However, it's the quality (fit, finish, and blade steel) that keeps me. I can't speak for others, but I suspect I'm not the only one.
 
Will Power said:
sierra The Queen No.48 is most certainly a very fine pattern indeed, well made all the three I've had too.

But GEC do make smaller patterns: the 09 Esquire Pen, the 06 Pemberton one or two blades (where have all the single blade versions gone) 22 Magnum and 33 Conductor single spring. The 66 is a Medium Stockman and could find favour with you. Agreed, CASE and Böker do a very decent Medium Stockman, so perhaps GEC have not wanted to take that niche on, just yet? Myself, I do wish they'd offer some tip bolster patterns or shadows to lighten the feel a bit and I hope it will happen. Sometimes, some of their patterns can feel a bit heavy but this is intentional I suspect.
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Thanks. I'll look into them.
 
Some great posts. I can see both Corey and Mikes points. I also like what Brett had to say.

When I was new to traditionals(3 years or so) and had very little past experience, I camped out and read all I could around here. I decided GEC was my best bet to get a quality knife with the least amount of hassle. I ohhhed and awwwed at everything for awhile. Bought a lot of patterns, sizes, blade combos. In due time I found my niche and the finer points that I care about. The hype and since of ergency was big at first but eventually I have learned that what looks amazing in pics doesnt always translate out to something I will carry and use. If my monetary situation was different I could see myself buying one of everything that caught my eye. Like most things in my life, the new is exciting. I jump in headfirst and start attacking that learning curve. With time I gain my own experience and learn to wade through the sea of options. Its kind of nice to grab a raft, lounge around a little and watch what floats by.

I believe the hype on how great these knives are is justified from my own experiences but I buy what I want and dont worry how popular one particular pattern over another is.
 
I would love more small stockman patterns from GEC. They are the most popular traditional pattern and the GEC offerings dont appeal. They may be wanting to differentiate from Case by not producing more?
 
Railsplitter said:
The folks at GEC just make knives. We create the hype ourselves.
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Well there's a fact:thumbup: Particularly as a tiny company like GEC has no giant corporate promotional (brainwashing..) machine behind it!

Or have they taken over the Internet with subliminal messages of indoctrination :eek::D:D:D
 
PythonDR said:
For me it's really a simple matter of quality. I've got several GEC knives, all of which see actual field/rough use, and I haven't found anything which is as much of a joy to use.

Take, for example, my recent purchase of a NIB Winchester/Queen Sowbelly Stockman. Everyone who owns one of these late-80s vintage knives raves about the quality, and no doubt it's good - very good, in fact. Yet it still doesn't quite reach the level of my "pedestrian" #15 Tidioute.

I'm sure the "hype" draws some people in (it definitely influenced me!) However, it's the quality (fit, finish, and blade steel) that keeps me. I can't speak for others, but I suspect I'm not the only one.
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In their time, the black box sowbellies were something special. Case didn't even make a sowbelly at that time. The last 6 Case sowbellies that I've bought were built much better than anything I've ever gotten from Queen and pretty close to the best that I've gotten from GEC for twice the price. The only real difference being that Case over polishes their blades and doesn't round the handles....and the blade steel of course. I'm hoping that GEC will also produce the pattern but I've been very happy with the Case knives.

Unlike GEC which started from scratch, Queen already has every pattern that they'll ever need. And many of Queen's patterns are much closer to the oldies than anything made by other companies so I'd love to buy their knives but they've lost my trust and they'll need to earn it back. I think a lot of folks feel the same way. Some say that their 2015 knives are excellent. Others don't. It's going to be a bit of a battle for them to regain trust and it's not going to be easy with so many bad ones still out there.
 
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Great post Mike, I have always like knives but I didn't start getting back into traditionals until a couple years ago. I immediately gravitated towards old or antiques. After ordering my first GEC I could tell the difference in fit and finish right away. I know they are pricey for a production knife but I love the attention to detail and quality that are obviously put into them and feel it is worth it. I am so happy for Bill Howard and his Companies success, and their love of traditional knives shows up in their quality. How many companies will actually go out of their way to show you their business with a tour. (Although I suspect that may not be possible for long given how busy they must be).
 
GEC makes knives that people actually want to buy? What a novel business model....:rolleyes: (I don't remember that much "hype" for the recent run of French Kates.)
 
pbeck15 said:
[...].

Short version: what's the deal with GEC?

[...]
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Short version: This.
GECGroupShot3_zpszlf9ubib.jpg



My interest in GEC was spawned by my interest in vintage knives (~1890-1940) from companies such as Camillus, Case, Cattaraugus, C. Platts & Sons, Dwight Divine & Sons/Ulster, Empire, New York Knife Company, Northfield Knife Company, Remington, Russell, Schatt & Morgan, Schrade Cut Co, Walden, Winchester.

Great Eastern Cutlery stands alone in doing something no other knife company is doing today... consistently making quality pocket knives that compare to the knives of that Golden Era.
 
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