Lets talk GEC!

I thought the original purpose of a (blank) metal shield on the side of a bone or stag knife was to provide a place for a gentleman's initials to be engraved on it? That would have been before brand names became common, of course. And the enterprising young man could of course still figure out how to personalize his knife, as we know from the skilled hand of EARL. :)
 
ALLHSS said:
No shields have a practical application, they are all aesthetic. That's one thing Mr. Howard mentioned on this topic.
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They could be practical though..... I'm thinking about those ones with a compass instilled as a shield.... or you could texture one for striking matches.... or maybe for sharpening fishing hooks.

I'm just thinking out loud.
 
I too prefer without in that example, but I think that's mostly due to them being bareheads. My preferences would vary depending on the pattern and the stag and the chosen shield on each knife. kamagong's examples are both barehead but the shields look great on those knives.
 
Since I don't like GEC's "UN-X-LD" shield or most of their other standard shields (hotdog, cloud, Tidioute), I'm not sure it matters much to me. I would greatly prefer a classic shield like on kamagong's example. For me... their acorn, crest, federal, hound's tooth, bowtie, propeller, and other classic shields would be a welcome addition to most knives. Some shields are *traditional* on some patterns.
 
supratentorial said:
Since I don't like GEC's "UN-X-LD" shield or most of their other standard shields (hotdog, cloud, Tidioute), I'm not sure it matters much to me. I would greatly prefer a classic shield like on kamagong's example. For me... their acorn, crest, federal, hound's tooth, bowtie, propeller, and other classic shields would be a welcome addition to most knives. Some shields are *traditional* on some patterns.
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yes, indeed, i think someone has shown a knife with a shield that looks like a cool chess piece!
 
ALLHSS said:
No shields have a practical application, they are all aesthetic. That's one thing Mr. Howard mentioned on this topic.
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Ummm...I disagree with that. In a multi-blade knife, the side with the shield is the side with the main blade, so the shield marks the side with the main blade. (Is that not why it is called the "mark side"?)

Personally, I find that marking useful, especially since I swap out what I am carrying frequently. I'm not always intimately familiar with the knife I am carrying.
 
knarfeng said:
Ummm...I disagree with that. In a multi-blade knife, the side with the shield is the side with the main blade, so the shield marks the side with the main blade. (Is that not why it is called the "mark side"?)

Personally, I find that marking useful, especially since I swap out what I am carrying frequently. I'm not always intimately familiar with the knife I am carrying.
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I thought it was the mark side because it was the side most often etched/stamped with the brand or model name.

I never thought of that use, but I can see it being useful. I don't think I've ever used it that way, but I'm not sure.

I'm not quoting him, but Mr. Howard seemed to think they were mostly aesthetic and served little purpose. He seemed to think they just added cost to the buyer, and could detract from the Stag (he said pretty much that, but it was a while ago so I'm just paraphrasing)

From talking to Mr. Howard and his son I really believe they take genuine pride in their workmanship and the product they produce, and don't think they would make a decision to "cut corners" without considering the best interest of the product and customer.
 
ALLHSS said:
I thought it was the mark side because it was the side most often etched/stamped with the brand or model name.

I never thought of that use, but I can see it being useful. I don't think I've ever used it that way, but I'm not sure.

I'm not quoting him, but Mr. Howard seemed to think they were mostly aesthetic and served little purpose. He seemed to think they just added cost to the buyer, and could detract from the Stag (he said pretty much that, but it was a while ago so I'm just paraphrasing)

From talking to Mr. Howard and his son I really believe they take genuine pride in their workmanship and the product they produce, and don't think they would make a decision to "cut corners" without considering the best interest of the product and customer.
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i thought it was called that because the nail mark/pull was on that side! interesting!
 
mrknife said:
i thought it was called that because the nail mark/pull was on that side! interesting!
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Your comment matches the intent of mine. In my experience, the shield is on the same side as the nail nick for the main blade. I have a few dozen knives made by many makers. They all conform to that statement.
 
Actually, back around 1890, a man named Mark Thomas had two dozen single blade Sheffield knives made for him and had his first name "Mark" inscribed under the nail nick of the blade. That's how that side of the knife became known as the "Mark Side".
 
Modoc ED said:
Actually, back around 1890, a man named Mark Thomas had two dozen single blade Sheffield knives made for him and had his first name "Mark" inscribed under the nail nick of the blade. That's how that side of the knife became known as the "Mark Side".
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I hope nobody bought that!!!:rolleyes:
 
ALLHSS said:
I thought it was the mark side because it was the side most often etched/stamped with the brand or model name.

I never thought of that use, but I can see it being useful. I don't think I've ever used it that way, but I'm not sure.

I'm not quoting him, but Mr. Howard seemed to think they were mostly aesthetic and served little purpose. He seemed to think they just added cost to the buyer, and could detract from the Stag (he said pretty much that, but it was a while ago so I'm just paraphrasing)

From talking to Mr. Howard and his son I really believe they take genuine pride in their workmanship and the product they produce, and don't think they would make a decision to "cut corners" without considering the best interest of the product and customer.
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I'm sure they have good reasons but I bet that "remove things with no purpose other than aesthetics" isn't a primary reason.

If so, they would want to scrap the Northfield line and stick with the plainer Tidioute and Farm and Field brands. Many of the things people are willing to pay up for in the Northfield brand are specifically things that add aesthetic appeal that add cost to the buyer. Lined bolsters, polished blades, long pulls, swedges, upscale handle material, blade etchings. All add cost but don't help you cut anything.
 
jc57 said:
I'm sure they have good reasons but I bet that "remove things with no purpose other than aesthetics" isn't a primary reason.

If so, they would want to scrap the Northfield line and stick with the plainer Tidioute and Farm and Field brands. Many of the things people are willing to pay up for in the Northfield brand are specifically things that add aesthetic appeal that add cost to the buyer. Lined bolsters, polished blades, long pulls, swedges, upscale handle material, blade etchings. All add cost but don't help you cut anything.
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Everything is cost benefit analysis. They must have decided that more people will buy the Stag knives at a lower price due to lack of shield. That's better for both the producer and the consumer; more people get to experience fine cutlery and GEC's market share grows. We have to remember that forum type knife enthusiasts are not the only, or most likely even close to the majority, of knife buyers.

I'm guessing in the whole market a higher percentage of buyers are more turned off by uneven, proud, or unaesthetic shields in Stag than the percentage represented by those on this forum who are turned on by shields enough to overlook (or appreciate) those things.
 
Regarding gunstockjack's pictures: i prefer the 2 Stag knives with a shield. They just look more 'finished' or 'complete'.
Having some Stag knives with a shield and some without (does not have to be 50:50) is best.
Having only Stag without a shield takes away the option of a shield for those of us who like a shield.
GEC is top of the heap as far as Traditional style knives are concerned. Please do not start to drift down by removing various options here and there.
Please do a few shields on every Stag run.
kj
 
supratentorial said:
Since I don't like GEC's "UN-X-LD" shield or most of their other standard shields (hotdog, cloud, Tidioute), I'm not sure it matters much to me. I would greatly prefer a classic shield like on kamagong's example. For me... their acorn, crest, federal, hound's tooth, bowtie, propeller, and other classic shields would be a welcome addition to most knives. Some shields are *traditional* on some patterns.
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I agree with this 100%. I don't like the unxld and tidioute branding on the shields so much that I generally don't buy the knife. So, for 2016 I will likely end up buying a stag GEC of some sort. I would prefer an acorn or bowtie as you have said, but would prefer nothing if it is stamped with unxld.
 
kootenay joe said:
GEC is top of the heap as far as Traditional style knives are concerned. Please do not start to drift down by removing various options here and there.
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That right there is a fantastic way to say what I was trying to say. Buck recently made the decision to move some production offshore in order to hit a price point. From what I understand they're bringing it all back. I guess it didn't work out the way that they'd hoped.

We've seen enough companies in all different fields slide down the slope of worrying more about the price point and less about the quality. The sunken pins have already moved GEC down a tad. Some might say it doesn't bother them, others might buy more knives because of the couple bucks it saves, but I haven't once heard anybody say that they prefer sunken pins.

Being able to knock $10 off of the price of a $150 knife by not adding a shield might bring in a couple more customers. I sure hope that it works out for them. I'm guessing that they don't have the margin for error that a company like Buck has.
 
Well, if they get enough customer requests or if the sales of the shieldless stag knives are not as brisk, then they can always undo the decision and start putting shields back in. Their dealer network will be able to gauge the customer sentiment for them.

I've got two GEC knives in stag, both with shields, and I am happy with them. No plans to add more, but that has nothing to do with shields or lack thereof.
 
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