Lets talk GEC!

gunstockjack said:
I hope you all had a great holiday!

GEC announced this morning that beginning in 2016, all stag knives will be sans shield regardless of classification. So whether natural or burnt, they will all look similar to the old "genuine" stag knives that had no shield.

Good or bad????? :thumbup: :) :thumbdn: :mad:
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noooo!!! i like the shield :(
 
I think on some knives it's cool, not across the board though because then they'll all look very similar except for the blades (types of pulls/nicks, swedges and etches).

I actually recently bought a 53 stockman for the shear fact that it didn't have a shield so I found it very unique. What's spurring this change?
 
gunstockjack said:
I hope you all had a great holiday!

GEC announced this morning that beginning in 2016, all stag knives will be sans shield regardless of classification. So whether natural or burnt, they will all look similar to the old "genuine" stag knives that had no shield.

Good or bad????? [emoji106] :) :thumbdn: :mad:
Click to expand...
Mr. Howard told me they were planning to institute this change when I was on a tour last summer, or earlier, I believe. I think it's a good move.
 
Jsega51 said:
I think on some knives it's cool, not across the board though because then they'll all look very similar except for the blades (types of pulls/nicks, swedges and etches).

I actually recently bought a 53 stockman for the shear fact that it didn't have a shield so I found it very unique. What's spurring this change?
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I was told it's because with the wide variations in Stag it can be very difficult to put a shield in at the right deoth, and it can detract from the aesthetic and ergonomics.
 
Overall I think it's a good move. Personally my favorite is a smooth metal shield, always, but they tend to use the stamped shields on stag knives and when its production getting the right shield depth for the stag is tricky I'm sure. So for GEC I think going without a shield is probably a good call. Not what I would order on a custom knife with stag, but for production it seems the best choice.
 
I'm assuming they will etch the blades with "burnt" or "natural" or "genuine" marks to differentiate them. I'd like to see them keep the acorn shield for the stainless knives, but it isn't a deal killer for me.
 
If you have a Stag handled knife, a well placed shield can further enhance it's look over no shield. It is time consuming to get the shield mounted just right in the uneven Stag surface. And what happens to those that get 'messed up' in the process ? I guess discard that piece of Stag and start over. All this adds to expenses.
I see dropping shields from all Stag handled knives as an acceptable move but not one that enhances the quality of GEC knives.
I wonder if SFO's will have the option of getting a shield on Stag. GEC could pass on the extra expense of a shield without fear that it will affect the GEC 'bottom line'.
kj
 
Not a deal breaker for me. The reasons given make sense. Maybe they will have time to make more knives if they don't have to fiddle around with shields on stag knives :D
 
Depends on the shield and knife I suppose. No big loss with their standard UN-X-LD shield.



But certain shields, like the one on the 2014 knife, enhance the overall appearance.

 
Cutting corners is rarely good for the buyer... and rarely ends up saving the buyer money. These are expensive knives and part of the money paid is for their skilled craftsmanship. Cutting corners like having precut pins in one length (and holes in the covers) and missing shields is not ideal. Depending on the price and the quality of the stag, I may or may not buy. I actually don't like most of their standard shields so it might actually be more desirable to me. But I would prefer classic shields. For example the shield on kamagong's 2014 forum knife is a nice touch.
 
This picture is fuzzy but this is the #53 that I was talking about. Much better without a shield I think. They'd have to fit it into that channel and would ruin the look, which is exactly why I bought the knife, it doesn't need the shield.



It makes me wonder how much better this 85 in Red Stag would look without this shield as it lays in a natural channel as well. I would have loved it without...

 
As I said before however, I do not wish away the shields on all of the stag knives. Some will look great without, others with a shield. I agree Jake, different shields being used instead of the same patterns over and over again would be a nice addition.
 
Jsega51 said:
As I said before however, I do not wish away the shields on all of the stag knives. Some will look great without, others with a shield. I agree Jake, different shields being used instead of the same patterns over and over again would be a nice addition.
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I agree !!! Some do look better without it , but I prefer the shields on them , but either way is not a deal breaker for me. Just keep making great Stag handled knives!!!!!!!!

Harry
 
supratentorial said:
Cutting corners like having precut pins in one length (and holes in the covers) and missing shields is not ideal.
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This statement sums up my initial reaction to reading that news. Is this just the next step in GEC's corner cutting? I get that inlaying a shield is harder on stag, but isn't that what we're paying a premium for? Isn't it easier to glue in all the shields than pinning them?

I don't really have an opinion on the missing shields on stag, as I don't buy a lot of stag knives. I'm just hoping that we're not seeing GEC go farther down the road of compromising their quality in order to save a couple dollars.
 
GEC is NOT about cutting corners. They make as fine as production knife as can be made in America todayl

I think this move is more about eliminating the complaints about "unevenly mounted shields" on stag with a lot of character. In some cases, there can be a fairly large 'step' down to the shield, which GEC always mounts SQUARE and PARALLEL to the knife frame. The shield can be below the stag at one side and flush on the other, but if it was high at the lowest point on the stag, it would be noticeable and folks would surely complain.

So, what to do? Eliminate that pesky shield on an uneven surface.

GEC still uses the best stag available on their knives, much better than commonly available. Their jigged bone, especially lately, is exceptional and takes a shield nicely.

JMHO as a collector/accumulator and why I love GEC. :D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D
 
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gunstockjack said:
GEC is NOT about cutting corners.
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They make a very fine product, but precutting pins and leaving sunken holes is cutting corners. There's no benefit to it other than lowering their costs. Leaving shields off of stag might be a decision based on aesthetics or corner cutting. I'm hoping it's the first.
 
Cory, Cory, Cory. Listen, back in the day, some manufactures pinned their shields with a minimum amount of inletting, if any, on their stag covered knives. They drilled the holes for the shield's pins, placed the shields on top of the stag covers and set the pins. As a result, some shields rode proud of the covers. It was not a matter of cutting corners. I have a Case that was done that way as well as an old Schrade. I don't have pictures of them so you'll just have to take my word for it.

I haven't read all the post above but I think GEC used to send their natural stag covered knives out with the shields loose in the tube.
 
wasnt there a few 2014s bladeforums knives where the shield sat proud because of the nature of the stag?
 
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