Lets talk GEC!

Tilley Knife said:
I really enjoy the traditional subforum. It has always maintained a level of integrity in civil discussion and it generally lacks the personal vitriol that often plagues other areas of bladeforums. That being said, this thread is for the discussion of knives made by gec.

This thread is relatively long withstanding and in the interest of it not getting locked, we'd appreciate it if you all will continue conveying your relatively strong opinions of each other via pm, email, or in the feedback subforum.

I believe I speak for most of us when I say that we porch dwellers enjoy everyone participating in intelligent discussion and we don't want anyone to be excluded, self imposed or otherwise, due to hot tempers and excitement. Opinions are one thing, personal attacks are another.
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Well said Daniel. PM or email is where these things belong. I understand it escalating and when it gets to that point it's time to take it off forum:thumbup:
 
I truly am sorry that you felt personally attacked. Although we still disagree, I truly do wish you a Merry Christmas. Best wishes.
 
Jake, you are a class act and a true asset to the forum. Thanks for all your contributions!

I nabbed all the Crown Lifters from the last run and all came very sharp. GEC has definitely stepped up their sharpening game.
 
Ironbut said:
Anyway.....



My Crown Lifter came very sharp & with an even grind. The Beer Scout came just as sharp, but with about a 3/8" area of uneven grind close to the pivot. It's not noticeable until you look at it closely in the right light. It's not a big deal & I can live with it.
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I look forward to getting my Crown Lifter, but I don't think it will make it for the tree, still in that Chicago place...(seems to want to retain European bound knives these days...:() Good news that yours was sharp, mind you, with a completely straight edged blade like this and no cutting secondary, they ought to be sharp & evenly ground :D :rolleyes:

Regards, Will
 
Is there or has there been more info on the regular CK iteration of the GEC #74 Mustang? possible jig colors? (of lesser importance to me; shields being considered? Assuming Northfields will have a swedge and the lined/grooved bolsters, maybe the long nick too.)

I know I'm grasping at straws here, but I will likely have to lock in a blind choice soon if I want one at all. I am Canadian and have an extra hoop or two if we want the CK offerings. Between the two jig bone offerings I don't want to be locked into one of the same color as my Autumn Leaf saddle trapper. Even a "one"(NF or T) or "neither will be red" would greatly help me lol.
 
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No I didn't know that but thanks for the insight. I'm plagued with all manner of ills but fortunately, arthritis is not one of them, but I've seen the pain and frustration in others' I hope she is OK in her new capacity, training others is vital.

Still that knife is in Chicago, what are they doing there with it for 6 days?? Having a re-count??:D:D;)
 
KBA said:
So, how bout the grinds on GEC new ones. It's been a while since I've bought a new one. Are they coming any sharper out of the tube?
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Brett,

The last GEC I bought new was the recent run of 77 SFO pinchable clip Barlows. The edge was ok but benefitted from additional sharpening. I just touched up the very narrow (almost micro) bevel but did not need to thin out behind the edge. It just needed some smoothing out of the factory scratch pattern and deburring afterwards. For most uses, it would have been pocket ready out of the tube.

The primary grind is great, with a full flat grind that thins out nicely though it is a bit thicker towards the tip. There is some distal taper but they left enough steel behind the tip to prevent it from being overly fragile. So basically, a good overall blade grind for a pocket knife. Some of that may be due to the blade profile itself and not necessarily applicable to all GEC blade shapes and sizes.

Hope that addresses your question - at least for that one particular knife.
 
KBA said:
So, how bout the grinds on GEC new ones. It's been a while since I've bought a new one. Are they coming any sharper out of the tube?
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I would like to think they have improved slightly. My last few purchases have been a slight improvement although my very last boys knife came with a rolled edge. Nothing a few strokes on the sharpmaker couldn't fix.
 
Some autumn orange jigged bone for one of the upcoming #74 variations. It has a nice basket weave look to it.

 
Rob, I enjoy your YouTube channel and I'm glad I was able to pick up one of the SFOs. The word traditional implies the knife is based on a design from the past which I believe most "traditional" knives are. Anyways, I'm excited to see how these turn out
 
#74 Mustang

Shields: Tid Bone (Tidioute), Ebony (Hotdog), NF Bone (UNXLD), Cocobolo (Cloud), YR (YR)

Bones still undecided.
 
TheApostleP said:
I don't know if you all are aware of this, but GEC's long time sharpener, Patty, left that position in the spring of 2015 due to advancing arthritis in her hands. She is now sort of a floater, filling in for a variety of jobs in the factory and training new employees. There might have been a bit of a training curve for the new lady at the honing station, and perhaps even some of Patty's work wasn't her best at the end, as she struggled with the pain of arthritis.

But things are definitely looking up in this regard. The last several months of GEC production have produced some of their sharpest, most consistent edges ever. Of course, the good news is that regardless of the factory edge grind, GEC's primary blade grinds are always wonderfully thin and of consistent thickness at the edge, so the end user/sharpener is quickly rewarded for a little work on the stones with a fantastic cutting edge, tip to hilt. It's one of the things I love most about their knives.
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I didn't know they had changed sharpeners and I can imagine that would result in some inconsistencies. Most of the GEC knives I receive are "pretty sharp" and with some stropping they are just fine for my uses. (I do love my knives that have The ApostleP edge though!)

Oddly, the sharpest knives for me out of the box have been Case. The only new knife I purchased that could truly be called dull was a Tuna Valley Gunstock Jack.
 
2016 Has produced the sharpest straight-from-the-factory blades I've seen from GEC. Noticeably improved and much appreciated.

Standouts: The punch on the 35s will put an eye out by looking at them, and the coping blades on the 85 SFO are just ridiculously slicey.
 
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