Lets talk GEC!

knifeswapper said:
It may not be representative these days, as the largest GEC dealers now were not carrying the brand 6+ years ago. But those that have been with GEC since day one do remember how slow SS models moved. I am actually thinking of a time well before the Navy knife. There was a time when SS wasn't relegated to niche knives (Navy knives, Bird Hook Trapper, etc.); and they would sit on shelves for months.

Things may be different today, maybe not. You only find out by making a few thousand SS knives and hoping they find a market. But, that is a game of chance, which some don't have a stomach for. Sure, there is a lot of posts about wanting stainless; but that is not a new phenomenon - and it doesn't historically correlate into volume purchases. Then, as is already being mentioned in passing, there will be the conversation about "why not use a good stainless"; which has been well discussed. Or, "I don't want that pattern, but if they make this pattern in SS - I 'd buy several".

I too would like some SS models; but since the recent history is still within the bounds of my memory - I don't push it with GEC. Just like I don't request more of my favorite pattern - the canoe. Another knife that was well chattered about on the forums right up until release; then crickets chirping. And the Lady Leg, the GEC let a large blue reseller talk them into - then crickets. I don't think everyone realizes the implications of small companies having tens of thousands of dollars worth of product sitting for months on the shelf.

In 2014 I had accumulated some cash in the business account and contacted GEC about buying some of their inventory. When the box arrived, it had a large percentage of 3-4 year old varying SS models. So they were carrying a lot of them on their books for several years. Thus, you can somewhat see justification for pause from them in a time where their runs need to be 2-3k knives for economy of scale.

2018 is a new day in traditionals and the SS market may be gang-busters now. And my actual experience may not be representative of others expected experience - but in my mind history still needs to participate in the thought process.
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How much of that was due to the limited choice in handle materials? The vast majority of stainless offerings were in Elk, Bocote, Walnut, Cherry or Amber Jigged Bone. The handle options/variety were nowhere close to either the Tidioute or Northfield lines.
 
knifeswapper said:
It may not be representative these days, as the largest GEC dealers now were not carrying the brand 6+ years ago. But those that have been with GEC since day one do remember how slow SS models moved. I am actually thinking of a time well before the Navy knife. There was a time when SS wasn't relegated to niche knives (Navy knives, Bird Hook Trapper, etc.); and they would sit on shelves for months.

Things may be different today, maybe not. You only find out by making a few thousand SS knives and hoping they find a market. But, that is a game of chance, which some don't have a stomach for. Sure, there is a lot of posts about wanting stainless; but that is not a new phenomenon - and it doesn't historically correlate into volume purchases. Then, as is already being mentioned in passing, there will be the conversation about "why not use a good stainless"; which has been well discussed. Or, "I don't want that pattern, but if they make this pattern in SS - I 'd buy several".

I too would like some SS models; but since the recent history is still within the bounds of my memory - I don't push it with GEC. Just like I don't request more of my favorite pattern - the canoe. Another knife that was well chattered about on the forums right up until release; then crickets chirping. And the Lady Leg, the GEC let a large blue reseller talk them into - then crickets. I don't think everyone realizes the implications of small companies having tens of thousands of dollars worth of product sitting for months on the shelf.

In 2014 I had accumulated some cash in the business account and contacted GEC about buying some of their inventory. When the box arrived, it had a large percentage of 3-4 year old varying SS models. So they were carrying a lot of them on their books for several years. Thus, you can somewhat see justification for pause from them in a time where their runs need to be 2-3k knives for economy of scale.

2018 is a new day in traditionals and the SS market may be gang-busters now. And my actual experience may not be representative of others expected experience - but in my mind history still needs to participate in the thought process.
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So maybe SS folks are just a few squeaky wheels. We need some grease! :D
 
Here is some grease for ya!

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The last one of these is my second ever GEC, that I took about two weeks to deliberate over while it sat in Bob Andrew’s store, and the navy knife is still widely available in stores. The little burnt orange bone clip 15 has to be one of the most photographed knives on these forums (not by me - its new owner loves it!).
 
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It's funny; where I work we make a few things out of steel and a lot out of alloy. People will often contact us and bemoan the lack of steel. I respond that we have lots of those Units and ask where they live so I can find a dealer.

Their response is always "Oh I already have one and I'm not looking to buy; I just think you should make more". So we don't make more of something that folks only want to see in catalogs to validate their opinion about a material.
 
I would much rather have stainless steel GECs over carbon steel. My favorite GEC is my #15 boys knife with a stainless clip blade. I think the stainless knives that aren't selling are strictly because the patterns aren't popular. A stainless 6, 14, 15, 25, 38, 68 etc... would fly off of shelves. Even a stainless barlow run would sell out immediately.
 
black mamba said:
Stainless #82 Dixies and #92 Eurekas in popular covers would sell like toys at Christmas!
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I'm on board with more stainless.

I have bought and gifted a couple Navy knives because the non knife enthusiasts I know VASTLY prefer stainless, to the point that they see carbon as not worth using for fear of rust/staining.

That said, I'd like to see more #81, #82, and #53 stockmen. I'd also like a small (maybe #66 sized) sowbelly stockman with low sitting blades. Would like to see the canoes run again in small size, or a full size canoe (an Abalone canoe sat on a dealers shelf for a while a while back and I still can't believe I didn't get it. Too much weight put on the rumors of lazy snap).

I'm looking forward to the gunstock
 
I would like if they used more stainless....does anyone care? Probably not. I still buy GEC, but I'm real selective of which models I get since I only carry them half the year. It is what it is...

At some point, machinery wears out and eventually becomes obsolete. Parts to fix machinery also become obsolete. As the make-up of steel progresses, companies that manufacture machinery to process steel components will progress as well. If the press GEC uses to stamp out their blades goes down for good, will they attempt to replace it with another old unit that still can't work well with stainless steels or will they upgrade to a current machine that will work well with tougher steels? If it's the latter, will they still only want to work in carbon? They make traditional knives the tradition way...but traditional tools will eventually be hard to come by. At some point, that's something they'll have to consider...
 
I’ve been keeping my eyes on GEC for several years now. I remember at one time there being a lot of stainless models on dealer shelves, just like @knifeswapper said. I always passed them up because my favorite line was and still is the Northfield trim.

The stainless models have always had their own differentiated look, just like the Tidioute and Northfields have their own. I think that’s the main reason that they warmed the shelves. They just don’t have that sexy look of a Northfield.

Stainless GEC’s will never have long pulls, they typically have funky looking grooved jigging on the bone and I don’t think I’ve ever seen them with pinched bolsters.

If they changed that around, I’d definitely buy their stainless, but otherwise I’m satisified with the carbon and think most people who buy their knives are as well.
 
Pinched and threaded on the elk 89s.
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draggat said:
I’ve been keeping my eyes on GEC for several years now. I remember at one time there being a lot of stainless models on dealer shelves, just like @knifeswapper said. I always passed them up because my favorite line was and still is the Northfield trim.

The stainless models have always had their own differentiated look, just like the Tidioute and Northfields have their own. I think that’s the main reason that they warmed the shelves. They just don’t have that sexy look of a Northfield.

Stainless GEC’s will never have long pulls, they typically have funky looking grooved jigging on the bone and I don’t think I’ve ever seen them with pinched bolsters.

If they changed that around, I’d definitely buy their stainless, but otherwise I’m satisified with the carbon and think most people who buy their knives are as well.
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