Lets talk GEC!

Love that sawcut bone! I sure wish they'd make more sawcut handles... Dark red, caramel brown, chestnut brown, gotta be others that are equally beautiful. Speaking of handle covers, does anyone know what "Copperhead Pony Cut Bone" looks like? Better yet, can anyone post an example? It sounds fantastic, remembering the recent 82 copperhead bone that was so good looking. What's "pony cut" mean?

Lee

 

I am happy to see GEC has stopped producing patterns I like for a while. I don’t mean this facetiously, but I have often wondered why go to the trouble of making an intricate and expensive knife in an unappealing pattern and a boring handle scale (like the 47 with a pruner blade and plastic handles) when you don’t have to, and could spend your time doing the opposite.

Sure, the demand for the more special patterns goes up, but there is a huge opportunity cost involved in denying the collector market the knives they want.

Likely someone understands the market dynamics better than I.

 

Why do you assume they don't have to? It was asserted they were running some patterns they had leftover parts for. Due to not having material for the current run. So an owner saving work to keep from shutting down for a week due to logistical delays to keep a pay check in his employees pocket, sounds like good business to me. Not to mention they are selling just fine.

 

This is Chestnut Pony Cut. Copperhead pony cut would likely be fairly similar.

 

I don’t have the time in this hobby that most of you do but I like the current paradigm of producing runs big enough to meet demand while also putting out SFOs in numbers limited enough to satisfy collectors. I enjoy buying both and don’t plan on slowing down.

 

You can clean your teeth with them.

 

I chose the wrong knife to use as my example.

I fully endorse those short parts runs, and the mix of large runs and short filler runs.

My comment about ‘don’t have to’ is a reference to large runs of more standard knives, which could be made more interesting - the most obvious example being the decision on colour and choice of jigging pattern. I think Knifeswapper and the others with SFOs give a really good illustration of this. Their knives are no more expensive but so much more flavoursome than the more standard offerings.

 

I understand your point now thanks for the
clarification.

 

I'd love to go back through this thread and map the ups and downs of opinion on the size of runs etc. etc.

I've seen a few of the hills and valleys. I have little opinion on it. I have not really seen a big difference in my access to the knives I want.

The one good thing about the shorter runs is that I could get a knife and be sure that if I didn't like it I could sell it easily without losing money. But I also appreciate the other side of that coin, that there are knives available on shelves.

 

I dont feel the 97 model 5000 piece run is that crazy large of a run, since there were 11 or 12 variations, with some variations being short runs, and others like stag also limited.

Buck, one of my favorite makers, makes millions of knives each year and even they are still collectible due to short runs of high volume models.

Not reasonable for GEC to survive, improve process and machinery, continue great design, be profitable for owners, etc. on runs of 25, 100 or 1250 knives.

also, 97's will not be made for a long time, though I am hoping for a lock back version 97LB.

As GEC continues its success, even the runs being made currently in "large for GEC" numbers will be very hard to find.

 

A 97 mid-lock would be phenomenal.

 

Dear GEC,

Please make an gabon ebony toothpick. Also I'd like a Northfield Pemberton in jigged elderberry. A #38 Special in white bone might be nice as well.

Thank you,
~Me

 

Please make something in snakewood with a cap lifter

 

What a wonderful idea !

 

I have one arm. Single blade knives are so much easier to open. If I see a cool two or three bladed knife , I buy it.

 

sold out in less than 4 minutes

 

I bought 11 #97s.

 

Chestnut is a poor choice for knife scales. Too soft , not really a hard wood.

 

They stabilize any wood handles to strengthen the material. Basically impregnating the fibers with resin under pressure.

 

ft

They should with single blades.