Lets talk GEC!

I think a lot of these feelings from new traditional buyers is the nature of the beast. They watch videos of dealers and other long time knife rubbers (like Rob) that have a tempered history with traditionals; and get a feeling of perfection. But it is a lot like getting cold in your house and walking out on a 105degree porch - then walking back into your house and feeling great. Traditionals made with historic equipment and craftsmen's hands, are not perfect. I don't know if I have ever seen a perfect traditional. But if you could have started hoarding in the 1980's or 1990's - and quite honestly maybe even the 1970's; today's GEC's would feel a lot like perfection. Each pattern has its intricacies, but I do not see many defects these days. Most complaints are for blade rub on 3+ bladed knives on 2 backsprings; a blade not perfectly centered; a smidge of blade movement in a lockback; some tiny shimmer of light between a backspring / liner or bolster / slab; etc.

The buyer has the right to decide what is acceptable to him/her for the money. But don't expect much slack, positive or negative, from this crew of knife nuts. And don't expect the dealer to lose money on very many returns before offering a little pushback on these ultra picky personalities. Good folks and good discussion.
 
Kitten Party said:
Not the lb but a 72 none the less
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Good looking bone on that knife! What model is the smaller LB next to it? I'm usually pretty good with GEC patterns, but I'm not as familiar with the various sizes of knives that are that same shape as the #72.
 
I realize GEC is the top manufacturer of traditional pocket knives, perhaps It's been the luck of the draw for me. I wasn't trying to start up a melee. My post was a frustrated off the cuff remark when I got my last two knives. My grizzly 72 is top notch btw.
 
BGBMike said:
I realize GEC is the top manufacturer of traditional pocket knives, perhaps It's been the luck of the draw for me. I wasn't trying to start up a melee. My post was a frustrated off the cuff remark when I got my last two knives. My grizzly 72 is top notch btw.
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I'm glad to hear that! I don't think the group is the melee type, it just seems you've got bad luck mixed with some high standards (which is fine, it's your money after all).
 
BGBMike said:
I realize GEC is the top manufacturer of traditional pocket knives, perhaps It's been the luck of the draw for me. I wasn't trying to start up a melee. My post was a frustrated off the cuff remark when I got my last two knives. My grizzly 72 is top notch btw.
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No worries here. ;) Honesty is always appreciated, though, as Frank mentioned, your post went against the given norm of other reports. Let us know how any other future ones turn out or if you need help figuring out how to post pics. Hope your luck changes. Again, welcome to the forum. :thumbup:
 
I may have a few GECs that I could say aren't perfect, but none that I would want to return. The only one that bothered me was my #89 clip point did not nestle completely between the scales, and was constantly jagging me. It took about 30 seconds for Chris to get it fixed for me at the factory.

I don't mind some minor imperfections here and there, as it reminds me that real people are making these.

If anyone watched Parks and Recreation, and is familiar with the character Ron Swanson - he made a beautiful wooden chair, then immediately smashed it because it was "too perfect" and nobody would know that it was made by man's hands.



Sent from my XT1585 using Tapatalk
 
I agree with everything Sabercat just said.
I had a #73 LB Clip in stag and it poked me pretty bad upon arrival. Filed the kick a bit and here I am carrying it off and on years later. There has never been a GEC flaw that I couldn't remedy myself, at least to my satisfaction.
And I liked your Parks and Rec reference quite a bit.
 
knifeswapper said:
I think a lot of these feelings from new traditional buyers is the nature of the beast. They watch videos of dealers and other long time knife rubbers (like Rob) that have a tempered history with traditionals; and get a feeling of perfection. But it is a lot like getting cold in your house and walking out on a 105degree porch - then walking back into your house and feeling great. Traditionals made with historic equipment and craftsmen's hands, are not perfect. I don't know if I have ever seen a perfect traditional. But if you could have started hoarding in the 1980's or 1990's - and quite honestly maybe even the 1970's; today's GEC's would feel a lot like perfection. Each pattern has its intricacies, but I do not see many defects these days. Most complaints are for blade rub on 3+ bladed knives on 2 backsprings; a blade not perfectly centered; a smidge of blade movement in a lockback; some tiny shimmer of light between a backspring / liner or bolster / slab; etc.

The buyer has the right to decide what is acceptable to him/her for the money. But don't expect much slack, positive or negative, from this crew of knife nuts. And don't expect the dealer to lose money on very many returns before offering a little pushback on these ultra picky personalities. Good folks and good discussion.
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Mike, I think this response sums up traditional knives very well. I have been collection knives for more than a decade now, I began as many have with modern knives and nitpicked any decision from perfection. A knife made by screwing slabs together should be perfect. I dabbled in Traditionals for a while but fell in face first about 3 years ago. At first I applied the same gauge to traditionals as I did with modern knives but then something changed in the way I saw a traditional knife and a modern knife.

A modern screw-construction knife is made by machines with the help of people. A traditional knife is made by people with the help of machines. I worked in the custom machine building trade for years and ran CNC machines, metal cutting lasers, CMM measuring machines, and also did a lot of hand work to get certain parts just right. A CNC machine can make a part that bolts and is dowled perfectly to another part all day long. This is expected. But when you start to weld a frame all bets are off. This work must be done by hand: saw cutting, welding, grinding, straitening, and even the transferring of the holes from that perfect CNC plate to the mounting holes in the welded frame. I see modern knives as a CNC part and traditional knives like the welded frames.

When I began to appriciate (and use) traditional knives as handmade works I began to not overlook what I once thought were flaws but actually embrace them. My favorite traditional is a TC New Day Barlow that has the Blackwood scales finished drastically differently on each side. This knife was clearly taken from slab-sides to a finished product by hand and I really appriciate the asymmetry for some reason. I'm not saying we should be accepting cracked scales or blades that wobble when shaken but when 2 blades that appear wider than the slot they fit in rub eachother or when there is a light gap in the backspring these are nuances of traditional knives and they are usually there for a reason. Blades rub because they fit so close together and gaps appear because many different forces (heat, compression, tension, bending) are all exerted on the knife during hand assembly and fitting. As Mike said: I've never seen a "perfect" production traditional knife but I'll add that I hope I never do. The day only machines make our traditionals is the day I stop being interested.

Edited to add: keep in mind that a modern folder is literally screwed together with a torque gun from parts bins. A traditional knife is squeezed, bent, pinned, peened, ground, sanded, and buffed during assembly/building. The parts of a traditional knife look like tinker toys when they arrive on the assembler's bench... and a knife when they leave.
 
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Macchina said:
Mike, I think this response sums up traditional knives very well. I have between collection knives for more than a decade now, I began as many have with modern knives and nitpicked any decision from perfection. A knife made by screwing slabs together should be perfect. I dabbled in Traditionals for a while but fell in face first about 3 years ago. At first I applied the same gauge to traditionals as I did with modern knives but then something changed in the way I saw a traditional knife and a modern knife.

A modern screw-construction knife is made by machines with the help of people. A traditional knife knife is made by people with the help of machines. I worked in the custom machine building trade for years and ran CNC machines, metal cutting lasers, CMM measuring machines, and also did a lot of hand work to get certain parts just right. A CNC machine can make a part that bolts and is dowled perfectly to another part all day long. This is expected. But when you start to weld a frame all bets are off. This week must be done by hand: saw cutting, welding, grinding, straitening, and even the transferring of the holes from that perfect CNC plate to the mounting holes in the welded frame. I see modern knives as a CNC part and traditional knives like the welded frames.

When I began to appriciate (and use) traditional knives as handmade works I began to not overlook what I once thought were flaws but actually embrace them. My favorite traditional is a TC New Day Barlow that has the Blackwood scales finished drastically differently on each side. This knife was clearly taken from slab-sides to a finished product by hand and I really appriciate the asymmetry for some reason. I'm not saying we should be accepting cracked scales or blades that wobble when shaken but when 2 blades that appear wider than the slot they fit in rub eachother or when there is a light gap in the backspring these are nuances of traditional knives and they are usually there for a reason. Blades rub because they fit so close together and gaps appear because many different forces (heat, compression, tension, bending) are all exerted on the knife during hand assembly and fitting. As Mike said: I've never seen a "perfect" production traditional knife but I'll add that I hope I never do. The day only machines make our traditionals is the day I stop being interested.
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I really like this post; it puts many things in perspective. I'll personally try to keep this in mind more often. :thumbup:
 
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Macchina said:
When I began to appriciate (and use) traditional knives as handmade works I began to not overlook what I once thought were flaws but actually embrace them. My favorite traditional is a TC New Day Barlow that has the Blackwood scales finished drastically differently on each side. This knife was clearly taken from slab-sides to a finished product by hand and I really appriciate the asymmetry for some reason. I'm not saying we should be accepting cracked scales or blades that wobble when shaken but when 2 blades that appear wider than the slot they fit in rub eachother or when there is a light gap in the backspring these are nuances of traditional knives and they are usually there for a reason. Blades rub because they fit so close together and gaps appear because many different forces (heat, compression, tension, bending) are all exerted on the knife during hand assembly and fitting. As Mike said: I've never seen a "perfect" production traditional knife but I'll add that I hope I never do. The day only machines make our traditionals is the day I stop being interested.
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I feel like there was a thread about this… :D
 
I'm wondering if we're ever going to see this "Jigged Dog Bone Violet" #72. No in-progress photos, despite the fact that all the other #72's are finished. Heck, I'm mostly just wondering what exactly it is; the "dog bone" thing confuses me, and violet?! :eek: :D Everyone else can see it on the production schedule too, right? It's not a figment of my imagination?
 
The violet dog bone is to be similar to the 'muscle bone' or 'pioneer bone' in that it will have the natural surface - they will not be jigged (that is a misprint). GEC is trying to make them look more like camel bone, with a variegated or speckled colored surface. They are next up for production. Should be very cool! :cool:
 
That purple looks cool! Hopefully, that material makes its way onto a smaller knife in the future. I need a purple knife to carry while my LSU Tigers are puking all over the field...
 
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