Lets talk GEC!

[Cory Hess]

If I may ask... what about Queen do you like better? This is a perplexing opinion to me.

There is a list of pros and cons for each company when doing a direct comparison. In Queen's favor is their willingness to try to make a better knife. They're willing to step outside of their comfort zone. They will use 1095, D2, 420HC, 440C, 154CM, CPM 154, and a variety of other steels. The usefulness of the GEC lineup is severely handicapped by their inability to work with different materials. I recently pulled out my 23 to carve a handle for a new firesteel. It took about 5 minutes and left my knife with an edge that rolled in two different spots. The same task with a Queen knife would have left little to no noticeable blade wear. What's the point in a big hefty knife that can't handle even moderate-duty use? I really like my 23, but this last use really disappointed me. It hasn't been out of the drawer since.

I like that they will make the same knife for multiple years. If I want a #9 stockman in zebrawood I can find it at multiple dealers because they made it for four consecutive years. GEC might make the same knife over and over but they will use different covers each time in order to drive up the collector's market. I think that that's a big differentiation in the mentalities. I think that GEC makes a great knife to collect and Queen makes a great knife to use. I prefer to use my knives, therefore I favor Queen. I also like that they put out their catalog every year so that I can see what's going to come out and plan for it. They add in short runs here and there, but we have the basic game plan. As a contrast, we've heard from a dealer on this thread that GEC has their year planned out and their production schedule ends after the 15s that are currently being made. People come on and post about how we should feel lucky that GEC is so open and good at putting out info on upcoming knives, but I don't see it.

Their catering to collectors mentality carries over into where their priorities lie in terms of fit and finish. GEC doesn't even attempt to get their pins flush or domed. When I carry a GEC knife for any amount of time crud builds up in the pin holes. This crud holds moisture and the brass pins start to corrode. On stag knives this discoloration bleeds into the covers. Sunken pins don't matter if your knife sits in a safe or in a knife roll, but if you carry it does matter. Every company puts out a sunken pin here and there, but almost every GEC knife has sunken pins. They don't all have sunken pins. I have a 21 in Osage, a 79 in jigged bone, and a 77 barlow in sawcut bone that don't have sunken pins. Also, my 23 in pioneer bone is a rugged looking knife, so the sunken pins and tarnished pins fit right in with the knife and aren't a detriment in my mind. Others, like my 92 Eureka Jack have sunken pins but they're not sunken enough to cause any issues. However, most of their offerings are immediately disqualified from my collection due to their sunken pins. It's kind of understandable on knives with stag and some jigged bones, but on micarta or acrylic where the materials are a consistent thickness it's just plain lazy. They can achieve their goal of keeping all the pins the same length and not have sunken pins by simply making the covers thinner than the length of the pins. However, the synthetic materials usually have the worst pin holes.

I also like the way Queen does business more than GEC. Queen comes out to local knife shows and gives away knives to every kid that comes up to their table. They support the knife shows, and as a result local makers, and the collecting community, doing their best to ensure that this industry continues to be viable for future generations. I don't know of any similar GEC program, and they don't come to any of the knife shows in my area to support the shows and makers. I like that the Daniels family stands behind the Queen product, even if it was made well before they took over the company. They conduct themselves with integrity. It's never sat right with me that GEC will make 300 of a knife and etch 1 of 50 on a group of them and then pull one at random and etch it as a prototype and mark those knives up.

I can go on and on and on, but that's all I can stand to type in one sitting. I'd like to note that the question was why I prefer Queen to GEC. I don't mean to bash GEC at all, I'm a big fan. I could make a similar post listing the ways that GEC is better than Queen. I just find that Queen fits my likings slightly more than GEC, but it's a close call. At the end of the day I hope that both companies grow and prosper and become better and better. I don't think that happens when the collecting community attempts to put one company on a pedestal. GEC has a lot of room to improve, and in many ways they have. In other ways they've regressed, but that's the downside of dealing in reality where everything comes with a compromise. At the end of the day I think that both companies are putting out knives that are much better than what they were putting out five years ago. Here's to hoping that the same can still be said five years from now.

 

[Dr-Mabuse]

Thanks for speaking your mind, Cory. There's a lot of truth to what you wrote. Many of these things have been bouncing around my head over the past few months and I wish I'd realized then sooner. I'll always appreciate GEC but I really do feel like they are collector's and instagrammers knives first and users second.

 

[Ramrodmb]

There is a list of pros and cons for each company when doing a direct comparison. In Queen's favor is their willingness to try to make a better knife. They're willing to step outside of their comfort zone. They will use 1095, D2, 420HC, 440C, 154CM, CPM 154, and a variety of other steels. The usefulness of the GEC lineup is severely handicapped by their inability to work with different materials. I recently pulled out my 23 to carve a handle for a new firesteel. It took about 5 minutes and left my knife with an edge that rolled in two different spots. The same task with a Queen knife would have left little to no noticeable blade wear. What's the point in a big hefty knife that can't handle even moderate-duty use? I really like my 23, but this last use really disappointed me. It hasn't been out of the drawer since.

I like that they will make the same knife for multiple years. If I want a #9 stockman in zebrawood I can find it at multiple dealers because they made it for four consecutive years. GEC might make the same knife over and over but they will use different covers each time in order to drive up the collector's market. I think that that's a big differentiation in the mentalities. I think that GEC makes a great knife to collect and Queen makes a great knife to use. I prefer to use my knives, therefore I favor Queen. I also like that they put out their catalog every year so that I can see what's going to come out and plan for it. They add in short runs here and there, but we have the basic game plan. As a contrast, we've heard from a dealer on this thread that GEC has their year planned out and their production schedule ends after the 15s that are currently being made. People come on and post about how we should feel lucky that GEC is so open and good at putting out info on upcoming knives, but I don't see it.

Their catering to collectors mentality carries over into where their priorities lie in terms of fit and finish. GEC doesn't even attempt to get their pins flush or domed. When I carry a GEC knife for any amount of time crud builds up in the pin holes. This crud holds moisture and the brass pins start to corrode. On stag knives this discoloration bleeds into the covers. Sunken pins don't matter if your knife sits in a safe or in a knife roll, but if you carry it does matter. Every company puts out a sunken pin here and there, but almost every GEC knife has sunken pins. They don't all have sunken pins. I have a 21 in Osage, a 79 in jigged bone, and a 77 barlow in sawcut bone that don't have sunken pins. Also, my 23 in pioneer bone is a rugged looking knife, so the sunken pins and tarnished pins fit right in with the knife and aren't a detriment in my mind. Others, like my 92 Eureka Jack have sunken pins but they're not sunken enough to cause any issues. However, most of their offerings are immediately disqualified from my collection due to their sunken pins. It's kind of understandable on knives with stag and some jigged bones, but on micarta or acrylic where the materials are a consistent thickness it's just plain lazy. They can achieve their goal of keeping all the pins the same length and not have sunken pins by simply making the covers thinner than the length of the pins. However, the synthetic materials usually have the worst pin holes.

I also like the way Queen does business more than GEC. Queen comes out to local knife shows and gives away knives to every kid that comes up to their table. They support the knife shows, and as a result local makers, and the collecting community, doing their best to ensure that this industry continues to be viable for future generations. I don't know of any similar GEC program, and they don't come to any of the knife shows in my area to support the shows and makers. I like that the Daniels family stands behind the Queen product, even if it was made well before they took over the company. They conduct themselves with integrity. It's never sat right with me that GEC will make 300 of a knife and etch 1 of 50 on a group of them and then pull one at random and etch it as a prototype and mark those knives up.

I can go on and on and on, but that's all I can stand to type in one sitting. I'd like to note that the question was why I prefer Queen to GEC. I don't mean to bash GEC at all, I'm a big fan. I could make a similar post listing the ways that GEC is better than Queen. I just find that Queen fits my likings slightly more than GEC, but it's a close call. At the end of the day I hope that both companies grow and prosper and become better and better. I don't think that happens when the collecting community attempts to put one company on a pedestal. GEC has a lot of room to improve, and in many ways they have. In other ways they've regressed, but that's the downside of dealing in reality where everything comes with a compromise. At the end of the day I think that both companies are putting out knives that are much better than what they were putting out five years ago. Here's to hoping that the same can still be said five years from now.

Funny how 2 people can look at the same thing and see 2 totally different things.
I'll leave it at that as there is no need to argue.:thumbup:

 

[supratentorial]

Cory, We discussed this a bit so I think you might mean me when you say "People come on and post about how we should feel lucky that GEC is so open and good at putting out info on upcoming knives". I think it's fair to ask, what's going on at Queen right now? I have no idea! They may have a catalog but a lot of those knives aren't even available yet. There's not much talk about Queen. And I do think Queen would benefit from more regular weekly updates like GEC. As far as stock is concerned, I actually wonder if it's a matter of low sales instead of a steady supply. On some dealer sites, I see the same knives that they've had for a while. Some are individually photographed so I know they are the same ones. A lot of GEC knives are being sold before they're even made. It's possible that it has more to do with GEC's popularity and success. Queen has a lot great patterns that are very close to the oldies. I'm happy to have them around. We've lost a lot of good companies. I think we just need a GEC, Case, Queen group hug.

 

[Dr-Mabuse]

Cory, We discussed this a bit so I think you might mean me when you say "People come on and post about how we should feel lucky that GEC is so open and good at putting out info on upcoming knives". I think it's fair to ask, what's going on at Queen right now? I have no idea! They may have a catalog but a lot of those knives aren't even available yet. There's not much talk about Queen. And I do think Queen would benefit from more regular weekly updates like GEC. As far as stock is concerned, I actually wonder if it's a matter of low sales instead of a steady supply. On some dealer sites, I see the same knives that they've had for a while. Some are individually photographed so I know they are the same ones. A lot of GEC knives are being sold before they're even made. It's possible that it has more to do with GEC's popularity and success. Queen has a lot great patterns that are very close to the oldies. I'm happy to have them around. We've lost a lot of good companies. I think we just need a GEC, Case, Queen group hug.

I agree it'd be nice to hear more from Queen, I must say that while Chris did a stellar job of keeping up with inquiries, it's hard to get an answer from Queen sometimes.
I also agree that the companies that we still have need more love all around, it wouldn't take much for any one of them to disappear like Canal Street did.

 

[cbr1000]

Somebody should start a "Let's talk Queen" thread. Post some info about upcoming releases and general info.

 

[Cory Hess]

Cory, We discussed this a bit so I think you might mean me when you say "People come on and post about how we should feel lucky that GEC is so open and good at putting out info on upcoming knives". I think it's fair to ask, what's going on at Queen right now? I have no idea! They may have a catalog but a lot of those knives aren't even available yet. There's not much talk about Queen. And I do think Queen would benefit from more regular weekly updates like GEC. As far as stock is concerned, I actually wonder if it's a matter of low sales instead of a steady supply. On some dealer sites, I see the same knives that they've had for a while. Some are individually photographed so I know they are the same ones. A lot of GEC knives are being sold before they're even made. It's possible that it has more to do with GEC's popularity and success. Queen has a lot great patterns that are very close to the oldies. I'm happy to have them around. We've lost a lot of good companies. I think we just need a GEC, Case, Queen group hug.

I'm with you 100% on everything you've posted here, Jake. I didn't have you in mind, but I know that you're one that does like GEC's way of putting out info. I know that you and I have been down this alley before. It would be nice if Queen were more consistent in their announcements. It would also be nice to get an idea of when in the year each knife is going to be run. It's nice to get an idea of which of their knives I'm planning on buying, but it would be even nicer to know if that purchase is going to happen in April or October. They don't have a blog on their site, but they do have Facebook and accounts on several forums. Unfortunately, those aren't regularly updated.

Queen could also use some diversity in their cover materials, they could do a better job in the QC department, they could be more innovative in their pattern selection, etc. etc. etc.

The purpose of my original post wasn't to bash any particular maker. It was to point out that everybody has room for improvement, and we shouldn't put one maker on a pedestal over all the others. It really doesn't do either company, or the collecting community, any good. They both have things that they could learn from the other. I feel really blessed to have knives from both of these companies that I can enjoy. I am relatively new to knife collecting, but I've had enough exposure to older knives to know that we're in a golden age of American slipjoints right now. Between Buck's custom shop, Case's Bose collaborations, Queen's Ruple and Pardue collaborations, and every single run GEC puts out we're spoiled for fantastic production slipjoint knives. The fact of the matter is a person could spend a lifetime collecting just one of those four company's knives and end up with fantastic pieces that stand head and shoulders above what was being offered just a short time ago. We can nitpick Queen or Case as a means to promote GEC, but to what end? Isn't it more fun to enjoy all the knives regardless of who made them and marvel at all of the fantastic lines currently being offered? Despite all of the gripes I've aired here tonight, GEC makes some of the best darn knives I've ever had the pleasure to lay my hands on. Queen does as well.

 

[pmew]

Cory and Jake; Civilised, considered and intelligent discussion on this page of the thread which makes for a refreshing change. I find your opinions make a very interesting read, thank you gentlemen.

Paul

 

[Jsega51]

Just to point out, GEC does go to knife shows. They have a Show Schedule on their website so you can see ahead of time where they will be, and they do go to the small local shows in the area, I know because I live close.

Chris, is a one woman army for GEC. She can't make it to every show because the amount of work she does wouldn't allow for this.

I know you had a fortunate experience with getting a free knife for your kids with Queen, Cory, but they do it for every kid that walks up to the table?

(Just curious, I'm not siding with GEC in this debate)

 

[Camillus]

I've just been looking over some older threads, and some revived today, and when reading them it occurred to me that:

-the popularity of the STREK and the Beer Scout indicate we love secondary implements. Even the much maligned TL29 manages to grab our attention and $, despite issues with the screwdriver and pull weight.
-the knife that consistently rates highly as a user is the wonderful Schrade 897UH (similar to 98OT or 34OT)

I would greatly appreciate it is Charlie C or someone else would get on board with a new multi-blade design, and definitely someone should tell Bill we would like to see a SFO or regular run updated version of one of the most beloved of all slipjoints, the 897UH. The current demand for any GEC pattern with additional secondary tools is phenomenal.

 

[somber]

For the sake of argument, I have held literally thousands of Queen and Great Eastern Cutlery knives. Here are my thoughts:

There is a list of pros and cons for each company when doing a direct comparison. In Queen's favor is their willingness to try to make a better knife. They're willing to step outside of their comfort zone. They will use 1095, D2, 420HC, 440C, 154CM, CPM 154, and a variety of other steels. The usefulness of the GEC lineup is severely handicapped by their inability to work with different materials. I recently pulled out my 23 to carve a handle for a new firesteel. It took about 5 minutes and left my knife with an edge that rolled in two different spots. The same task with a Queen knife would have left little to no noticeable blade wear. What's the point in a big hefty knife that can't handle even moderate-duty use? I really like my 23, but this last use really disappointed me. It hasn't been out of the drawer since.

While Great Eastern Cutlery sticks with what they know best, 1095 Carbon Steel, Queen almost does a disservice by trying new materials. Whether because they lack the machinery or the skills, when using more complex materials they end up creating a knives that have poor grinds, poor finishes, or simply bad execution. Great Eastern Cutlery on the other hand generally has flawless execution of their knives because they're working with materials they have continually been working with since 2006.

Take ten knives from Queen knives and maybe one or two will be flawless "for a Queen". Some will be "okay", they'll have issues but some of them won't be "that bad". And a the rest will need to be sent back for repair.

Take ten knives from Great Eastern Cutlery and they'll all be perfect. If you were to take twenty, maybe one will have a poorly centered blade.

I like that they will make the same knife for multiple years. If I want a #9 stockman in zebrawood I can find it at multiple dealers because they made it for four consecutive years. GEC might make the same knife over and over but they will use different covers each time in order to drive up the collector's market. I think that that's a big differentiation in the mentalities. I think that GEC makes a great knife to collect and Queen makes a great knife to use. I prefer to use my knives, therefore I favor Queen. I also like that they put out their catalog every year so that I can see what's going to come out and plan for it. They add in short runs here and there, but we have the basic game plan. As a contrast, we've heard from a dealer on this thread that GEC has their year planned out and their production schedule ends after the 15s that are currently being made. People come on and post about how we should feel lucky that GEC is so open and good at putting out info on upcoming knives, but I don't see it.

You can find Queen Cutlery profiles at many dealers because the knives don't sell as well as Great Eastern Cutlery. Additionally, when is diversity a bad thing? You can hypothesize that Great Eastern Cutlery makes different handle materials on the same profile for collectability but it could just as easily be chalked up to material availability or evolution of their buyers desire. This year we saw a lot more acrylics than last year, which in the past hasn't been a popular material, but now they're selling better than ever. Queen Cutlery on the other hand is serving the same materials they always have: Stag, Jigged Bone, Zebrawood, Walnut, Buffalo Horn and Stag.

Their catering to collectors mentality carries over into where their priorities lie in terms of fit and finish. GEC doesn't even attempt to get their pins flush or domed. When I carry a GEC knife for any amount of time crud builds up in the pin holes. This crud holds moisture and the brass pins start to corrode. On stag knives this discoloration bleeds into the covers. Sunken pins don't matter if your knife sits in a safe or in a knife roll, but if you carry it does matter. Every company puts out a sunken pin here and there, but almost every GEC knife has sunken pins. They don't all have sunken pins. I have a 21 in Osage, a 79 in jigged bone, and a 77 barlow in sawcut bone that don't have sunken pins. Also, my 23 in pioneer bone is a rugged looking knife, so the sunken pins and tarnished pins fit right in with the knife and aren't a detriment in my mind. Others, like my 92 Eureka Jack have sunken pins but they're not sunken enough to cause any issues. However, most of their offerings are immediately disqualified from my collection due to their sunken pins. It's kind of understandable on knives with stag and some jigged bones, but on micarta or acrylic where the materials are a consistent thickness it's just plain lazy. They can achieve their goal of keeping all the pins the same length and not have sunken pins by simply making the covers thinner than the length of the pins. However, the synthetic materials usually have the worst pin holes.

Great Eastern Cutlery does dome their pins, but it depends on the handle material. If the handle material is smooth, they generally make flush pins because the handles are attached to the knife and then finished, instead of finished and then pinned.

I also like the way Queen does business more than GEC. Queen comes out to local knife shows and gives away knives to every kid that comes up to their table. They support the knife shows, and as a result local makers, and the collecting community, doing their best to ensure that this industry continues to be viable for future generations. I don't know of any similar GEC program, and they don't come to any of the knife shows in my area to support the shows and makers. I like that the Daniels family stands behind the Queen product, even if it was made well before they took over the company. They conduct themselves with integrity. It's never sat right with me that GEC will make 300 of a knife and etch 1 of 50 on a group of them and then pull one at random and etch it as a prototype and mark those knives up.

Every year I've been to OKCA Chris is always there. Additionally, as others have stated, Great Eastern Cutlery does attend many other knife shows: http://greateasterncutlery.net/blog/information/2016-gec-show-schedule/

As far as information or transparency, Great Eastern Cutlery releases a plethora of information compared to Queen Cutlery. On Great Eastern Cutlery it is known what knives are being produced in a month, what process the current knives are made, where you can find them, how many were produced the previous year, etc.

I would challenge you to find the same amount of information from Queen Cutlery or as much transparency as Great Eastern Cutlery.

I can go on and on and on, but that's all I can stand to type in one sitting. I'd like to note that the question was why I prefer Queen to GEC. I don't mean to bash GEC at all, I'm a big fan. I could make a similar post listing the ways that GEC is better than Queen. I just find that Queen fits my likings slightly more than GEC, but it's a close call. At the end of the day I hope that both companies grow and prosper and become better and better. I don't think that happens when the collecting community attempts to put one company on a pedestal. GEC has a lot of room to improve, and in many ways they have. In other ways they've regressed, but that's the downside of dealing in reality where everything comes with a compromise. At the end of the day I think that both companies are putting out knives that are much better than what they were putting out five years ago. Here's to hoping that the same can still be said five years from now.

Queen Cutlery's quality has been on the downturn, to the point that some dealers have stopped carrying their knives due to continual issues: http://www.collectorknives.net/news...-ugly-todays-american-pocket-knives-part-iii/

If you were to take a knife produced five years ago and compare it to their current productions you would notice an obvious difference. If you were to compare models from ten years ago to a current production it would be a stark comparison. Based on my experience I do not feel like the same could be said about Great Eastern Cutlery. It would be fantastic if Queen Cutlery could produce a knife like they had before, but whether it is an expertise issue or failure to recognize where their issues lie, it simply hasn't come to fruition. They have had the same issues for a long time now, but they have a large customer base who buy their knives regardless of the quality or better offerings.

Again, these are only my opinions based on these knives. I hope the best for Queen Cutlery and look forward to them turning the ship around as far as quality and fit / finish is concerned.

 

[Modoc ED]

Cory said:

........................................................... GEC doesn't even attempt to get their pins flush or domed.

I gotta agree with Cory on this. It does irritate me somewhat. With just a little more effort GEC could make their pins flush.

I don't agree about the knives marked "Prototype". It's my understanding that a dealer can request a knife be marked "Prototype" and that they are not randomly put out by GEC. I believe "knifeswapper" made a statement about "Prototype" marked knives some time ago.

 

[Macchina]

I too really enjoy reading this discussion. Kind of puts to shame the tone of most other debates on the internet.

Like Cory, I top have begun to realize that, though I love a good 1095 blade, I have a few drawers of the stuff and find Queen's D2 such a better user steel. Heck, with diamonds I'd dare argue it is EASIER to get a razor edge on D2 than 1095 due to the edge stability in D2 once you get that edge thinned down.

Don't get me wrong: I love the patterns and excitement that GEC had injected into the industry. At the end of the day knives are meant to cut and if I collect 100 different knives I'd love some variety in the steel that does the cutting.

 

[Cory Hess]

It's a good point, Jake. I know that GEC does knife shows. They just don't do the ones by me. I put that in there because I was trying to be honest about why I liked Queen, not as evidence of why Queen was better. I probably should have done a better job of making that clear. When the Daniels family was involved with GEC they were the ones that were going to the shows, so it makes sense that when they left GEC's involvement in the shows would falter a bit. It also makes sense that Queen would be at a lot of little shows across the country, because that's what the Daniels family does best. It does factor into why I like Queen though, and is something that I'd like to see GEC emulate.

They do hand out knives to every kid, after getting permission from the parents. They call it the Kiddo Knife Club. They have special packaging made up with a spot where whoever is handing out the knives can sign and date the box. They do a fantastic job with the program and not nearly enough to advertise it. I didn't know about it until I took my kids to a knife show that Queen was at and Courtney handed them each a knife. They seem to be factory seconds or prototypes or something. All of the knives my kids have ever gotten from them are ones that don't show up on their regular production reports and most have visible flaws. Nothing that affects the usage in any way, but things like discolored delrin where it looks like it got burnt when it was being sanded. It's another program that I'd be happy to see GEC emulate.

I should also make a note on the GEC etches that I'm leery of. It seems that these were being used more often in the early days of GEC, when Ken Daniels was an owner. GEC seems to have moved away from them somewhat in more recent years, at least I don't see as many from runs done in the last year or so. It's quite possible that Ken was the driving force behind those etches and that their falling out of favor is a result of his lack of involvement in GEC. I don't know, it's all guessing at this point. I'm just trying to be as honest as possible, and it's something that I don't like about GEC that Queen seems to not do. I attribute it to the company and not necessarily the people making the decisions at those companies, which in this case could be faulty reasoning.

I have presented all of these things as negatives for one company, but in my head I think of them as positives for the other. I don't think it's bad that GEC doesn't offer more steel choices, I think it's awesome that Queen does. I don't think it's a negative that Queen doesn't offer more patterns, I think it's awesome that GEC does. I don't know if that makes any sense, but it's significant to me.

 

[Macchina]

I'll say too: I think Cory's main points came to a head with me with the Northwoods Esky: sunken pins and 1095 steel on a $300 knife just isn't going to happen for me. At that price these PRODUCTION knives are directly competing with CUSTOM knives with CPM154 and perfect flush pins (on top of a custom fit and ride). Your really buying a name at that point with half your money and again you might as well but from a custom maker at that point if you really want to buy a name.

This is meant as no insult to GEC or NSF. They sold the knives really fast and therefore priced then appropriately. I just didn't see what made made the Esky twice as special as a standard GEC.

 

[Jsega51]

Ah ok Cory, I didn't know Queen did that. Thanks for the info!

And Macchina, I agree with you. I've paid some good money for some rare production knives but for the most part, I'd rather spend another $100-$200 and have a full blown custom made exactly how I want it.

 

[heefageLA]

Thanks guys for the conversation. Its been an informative morning!

 

[rma100]

Make no mistake about it, handing out free knives to youngsters is every bit a Marketing Tactic, as much as publishing mystery photos. And an obviously successful one. This is merely a comment, not a judgement.

 

[Cory Hess]

I don't agree about the knives marked "Prototype". It's my understanding that a dealer can request a knife be marked "Prototype" and that they are not randomly put out by GEC. I believe "knifeswapper" made a statement about "Prototype" marked knives some time ago.

I admit that I'm reposting what I've read before. It's entirely possible that I'm wrong on this, and if that's the case I owe everybody an apology. It's one of the things I hope to learn more about when I go to the rendezvous this summer. I'd be very happy if I learn that these knives are actual prototypes that they put together before the run to test the pattern, cover material, etc. and are then made available for sale after the bugs have been worked out and the regular run has been completed.

 

[knifeswapper]

Although I have bit my tongue on the biggest part of this conversation which could lead down rabbit holes for weeks if too many facts actually made it to light.... (humor)

I don't recall ever seeing randomly distributed prototype knives other than it seems like I recall having a couple of SFO's that I randomly substituted the prototype when shipping.