Lets talk GEC!

HFinn said:
There is a GEC model Northfield Moose. Nice looking knives, but what is the point of having spear point and clip point at opposing ends? Can someone explain the usefulness of this configuration?

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Oh boy, I sure can, as this is my favorite GEC to date!

So firstly, having a clip point and a spear point is great because they're good at such different things. Clip points are awful at a lot of things spear points are good at, and visa-versa. Having two full size blades means you have two very functionally different full-size pocket knives at your disposal. Two blades also means a thicker knife, much more comfortable to hold and use. I like to put a thicker edge on one blade and make it the beater, and a finer edge on the other, for skin and wood work. Neither blade is so long that I can't hold it like a surgeon scalpel, my fingertips on the tip, the web of my hand in between the bolster and the kick.

Having the blades on opposite ends means I'm never squeezing on the other blade's tang. That's not a huge issue on some same ended knives, but it's nice to not have it be an issue at all. It also makes the knife much safer to clean. I can open it up all the way without having to deal with closing two open blades on the same side.

Anyway, that's why I so eagerly awaited this run once they were announced, and why it's my favorite GEC to use. Maybe my favorite folding knife to use.
 
It's funny how the Beer Scouts sold so quickly, yet the Crown Lifters are a total dud. I know why I went for the Beer Scouts; because I'm a freak for bails. But most people seem to treat bails like the plague, yet the Crown Lifters remain on shelves.

I really don't think that GEC should judge the viability of a run of Beer Scouts by the sale of Crown Lifters. Do a new run of Beer Scouts, and change the blade shape to a clip or a spear. Offer some good non-acrylic cover options, and they'll sell like hotcakes. Make them in stainless, and people will be crawling over each other to get to them.
 
Matt Bernier said:
Oh boy, I sure can, as this is my favorite GEC to date!

So firstly, having a clip point and a spear point is great because they're good at such different things. Clip points are awful at a lot of things spear points are good at, and visa-versa. Having two full size blades means you have two very functionally different full-size pocket knives at your disposal. Two blades also means a thicker knife, much more comfortable to hold and use. I like to put a thicker edge on one blade and make it the beater, and a finer edge on the other, for skin and wood work. Neither blade is so long that I can't hold it like a surgeon scalpel, my fingertips on the tip, the web of my hand in between the bolster and the kick.

Having the blades on opposite ends means I'm never squeezing on the other blade's tang. That's not a huge issue on some same ended knives, but it's nice to not have it be an issue at all. It also makes the knife much safer to clean. I can open it up all the way without having to deal with closing two open blades on the same side.

Anyway, that's why I so eagerly awaited this run once they were announced, and why it's my favorite GEC to use. Maybe my favorite folding knife to use.
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I had first trouble understanding spey blade on trappers, until I used it on foodstuffs. In your opinion what are the different uses for clip and spear? I want an expert opinion, therefore I ask. I like the looks of the pattern. Maybe I could like also the function.
 
To me the spear is a utility blade, in that it does everything OK. It's not as good as the long spey for food use, it's not as good as the clip for piercing or getting into small spaces, it's not as good as a trailing point for skinning, it's not as good as a sheepfoot for precision cuts, but it does them all reasonably well. To me it's the best choice for a single blade knife because of this. Even slightly better as a Zulu spear, with the tip lowered.
 
Buzzbait said:
It's funny how the Beer Scouts sold so quickly, yet the Crown Lifters are a total dud. I know why I went for the Beer Scouts; because I'm a freak for bails. But most people seem to treat bails like the plague, yet the Crown Lifters remain on shelves.

I really don't think that GEC should judge the viability of a run of Beer Scouts by the sale of Crown Lifters. Do a new run of Beer Scouts, and change the blade shape to a clip or a spear. Offer some good non-acrylic cover options, and they'll sell like hotcakes. Make them in stainless, and people will be crawling over each other to get to them.
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I like the long pulls/shield on the Beer Scouts, but I am not a fan of bails. I actually really like the Crown Lifters and really don't understand why they don't fly off the shelves too.

And yes, clip point Beer Scout in smooth bone or ironwood, please...
 
Buzzbait said:
It's funny how the Beer Scouts sold so quickly, yet the Crown Lifters are a total dud.
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It's the 'Beer Scout Knife' shields, I think. Beer is pretty popular right now. Not just for drinking, but people have beer as a hobby or something. People incorporate beer into their self identity. I think a lot of beer scouts got bought up by people to give as gifts.
 
The 46 has the blade on the opposite end of the 45 you show there and is larger. FYI

Norcaldude said:
They are pretty big knives. I suppose some people carry them as users but I suspect most are for collectors.

Here is a picture of a 45, which I believe is the same as a 46.

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HFinn said:
I had first trouble understanding spey blade on trappers, until I used it on foodstuffs. In your opinion what are the different uses for clip and spear? I want an expert opinion, therefore I ask. I like the looks of the pattern. Maybe I could like also the function.
Click to expand...
It's mostly to do with using the blade spine to control a cut, either by using it as a guide to control depth, or as a fulcrum to apply a twisting force. There's also the issues of tip control, and piercing capability.

I think of it as a spectrum between spey blades, then spear blades, and then clip blades.

Spey blades (Used for neutering, ironically) offer a short section of steeply angled swedge above the termination of the belly. They ALMOST don't have a point, so much as a sharp transition between the sharpened belly and the swedge. They can be pierced with, but mostly only deliberately, especially because the almost forward facing swedge makes it to easy to NOT pierce; all you must do is cant your wrist slightly, and harmless dull metal is presented to the work. You can use the swedge as a guide and a very fine depth gague. I've zipped long slinters out of my skin this way, or cut bits of skin from my cuticle with no harm to any surrounding nail or tissue. You can press very hard and still make a shallow, uniform cut in tough material. Hence the shape's popularity in skinning.

The spear blade, if it isn't TOO pointy, offers some of that same utility, but a bit more awkwardly, and with a bit more danger of sticking oneself. You can still use the swedge as a depth guide, but it's fiddly. There's a definite point now. But what you lose in the abilty to avoid piercing, you gain in, well, piercing ability. You can drill or make fine holes, and with a twisting motion, the swedge will act as a fulcrum to help you force your way through curved cuts in wood. It's a great carving shape. The best all-purpose shape, really.

Clip points are amazing at piercing. Super pointy. It's also hard to make a clip point NOT poke things. They're not the best for hygiene or skinning tasks. You can't force a twisting cut as easily. You can control the tip with skill, but it forces the wrist into all sorts of contorted angles and odd positions. But for straightforward piercing and slicing, they're great.

Then you have muskrat clips and wharncliffes. In a clip point, the standard formula is the tip is "clipped" down about a third of the way down the breadth of the blade. But with wharncliffes and muskrat clips, you have a section of spine that can be used as a guide, but you also have very pokey points. Muskrat clips almost have the pierce control of a spear, and wharnfliffes have the spear's ability to force a twist with the spine, but with a straight and very fine point, instead of with a belly.
 
we need some more beer scouts!

LpOVIDY.jpg


As you can see with a comparison to this Camillus, the spear point would look awesome.

As would an end cap. I really like the extra weight you get.

And in stainless of course (perhaps wishful thinking, but so important for a knife that is regularly gifted to non-knife people who don't know how to care for carbon steel).

And finally, in some traditional jigged bone!! Where has that traditional jigging gone that GEC used recently?!? I am tired of buying a traditional knife with jigging that looks like the the flooring of a Chinese pickup truck.
 
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Hfinn,

My interest in knives comes through my love of hunting, wilderness survival and backpacking. My first GEC pocket knife (just bought it 4 weeks ago and it won't be my last) is the #54 Big Jack.

The Clip point is the perfect blade for skinning a deer or other small game and food preparation, while the spear point excels at woodcraft tasks like making wood spoons, tent stakes or wood shaving to start a fire.

These two blades really compliment each other.

BTW, GEC fixed blade knives are the best sleeper on the market. I have the #73 upswept point for hunting and the #23 drop point for camp chores (I always have a small hatchet and saw with me for larger work). They deserve a lot more love. People get to hung up on super steels. The 1095 holds a great edge and strops back scary sharp fast.

Geoff
 
Buzzbait said:
It's funny how the Beer Scouts sold so quickly, yet the Crown Lifters are a total dud. I know why I went for the Beer Scouts; because I'm a freak for bails. But most people seem to treat bails like the plague, yet the Crown Lifters remain on shelves.

I really don't think that GEC should judge the viability of a run of Beer Scouts by the sale of Crown Lifters. Do a new run of Beer Scouts, and change the blade shape to a clip or a spear. Offer some good non-acrylic cover options, and they'll sell like hotcakes. Make them in stainless, and people will be crawling over each other to get to them.
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My sentiments exactly!
 
Buzzbait said:
It's funny how the Beer Scouts sold so quickly, yet the Crown Lifters are a total dud. I know why I went for the Beer Scouts; because I'm a freak for bails. But most people seem to treat bails like the plague, yet the Crown Lifters remain on shelves.

I really don't think that GEC should judge the viability of a run of Beer Scouts by the sale of Crown Lifters. Do a new run of Beer Scouts, and change the blade shape to a clip or a spear. Offer some good non-acrylic cover options, and they'll sell like hotcakes. Make them in stainless, and people will be crawling over each other to get to them.
Click to expand...

If memory serves, it was a bit more complicated than that. The Crown Lifters were an open order, meaning the dealers got pretty much what they ordered. And most dealers ordered a ton because they knew they would sale consistently over time - which they have. But the Beer Scouts were more of an allocated basis. No doubt they were the more popular of the two, but I wouldn't send any Crown Lifters back to GEC if they asked for them.
 
Matt Bernier said:
It's mostly to do with using the blade spine to control a cut, either by using it as a guide to control depth, or as a fulcrum to apply a twisting force. There's also the issues of tip control, and piercing capability.

I think of it as a spectrum between spey blades, then spear blades, and then clip blades.

Spey blades (Used for neutering, ironically) offer a short section of steeply angled swedge above the termination of the belly. They ALMOST don't have a point, so much as a sharp transition between the sharpened belly and the swedge. They can be pierced with, but mostly only deliberately, especially because the almost forward facing swedge makes it to easy to NOT pierce; all you must do is cant your wrist slightly, and harmless dull metal is presented to the work. You can use the swedge as a guide and a very fine depth gague. I've zipped long slinters out of my skin this way, or cut bits of skin from my cuticle with no harm to any surrounding nail or tissue. You can press very hard and still make a shallow, uniform cut in tough material. Hence the shape's popularity in skinning.

The spear blade, if it isn't TOO pointy, offers some of that same utility, but a bit more awkwardly, and with a bit more danger of sticking oneself. You can still use the swedge as a depth guide, but it's fiddly. There's a definite point now. But what you lose in the abilty to avoid piercing, you gain in, well, piercing ability. You can drill or make fine holes, and with a twisting motion, the swedge will act as a fulcrum to help you force your way through curved cuts in wood. It's a great carving shape. The best all-purpose shape, really.

Clip points are amazing at piercing. Super pointy. It's also hard to make a clip point NOT poke things. They're not the best for hygiene or skinning tasks. You can't force a twisting cut as easily. You can control the tip with skill, but it forces the wrist into all sorts of contorted angles and odd positions. But for straightforward piercing and slicing, they're great.

Then you have muskrat clips and wharncliffes. In a clip point, the standard formula is the tip is "clipped" down about a third of the way down the breadth of the blade. But with wharncliffes and muskrat clips, you have a section of spine that can be used as a guide, but you also have very pokey points. Muskrat clips almost have the pierce control of a spear, and wharnfliffes have the spear's ability to force a twist with the spine, but with a straight and very fine point, instead of with a belly.
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Thank you. I see now how this blade selection makes sense.
 
g123 said:
Hfinn,

My interest in knives comes through my love of hunting, wilderness survival and backpacking. My first GEC pocket knife (just bought it 4 weeks ago and it won't be my last) is the #54 Big Jack.

The Clip point is the perfect blade for skinning a deer or other small game and food preparation, while the spear point excels at woodcraft tasks like making wood spoons, tent stakes or wood shaving to start a fire.

These two blades really compliment each other.

BTW, GEC fixed blade knives are the best sleeper on the market. I have the #73 upswept point for hunting and the #23 drop point for camp chores (I always have a small hatchet and saw with me for larger work). They deserve a lot more love. People get to hung up on super steels. The 1095 holds a great edge and strops back scary sharp fast.

Geoff
Click to expand...

Thank you too for an explanation. My interests come also from outdoor, allthough I don't hunt anymore (used to, a bit). It's more hiking now, making day hikes, small excursions. EDC use of knives while in the city. Using knife as everyday tool at summer cottage is big part of the fun. I also enjoy the beauty of a well made knife, it's functional art I can carry.

I can think of many uses where a spear point is for me more usefull than a clip. Spear would be the main blade, clip more specialised, a spare. Two different size spear points might make more sense, but I have to think about this.
 
g123 said:
Hfinn,

My interest in knives comes through my love of hunting, wilderness survival and backpacking. My first GEC pocket knife (just bought it 4 weeks ago and it won't be my last) is the #54 Big Jack.

The Clip point is the perfect blade for skinning a deer or other small game and food preparation, while the spear point excels at woodcraft tasks like making wood spoons, tent stakes or wood shaving to start a fire.

These two blades really compliment each other.

BTW, GEC fixed blade knives are the best sleeper on the market. I have the #73 upswept point for hunting and the #23 drop point for camp chores (I always have a small hatchet and saw with me for larger work). They deserve a lot more love. People get to hung up on super steels. The 1095 holds a great edge and strops back scary sharp fast.

Geoff
Click to expand...
Oh yes, I have two GEC fixed blades, an H20 drop point and a Hess Pioneer (Blade by GEC, same Peter's heat treat) and they're tremendous blades.
 
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