Let's talk Northwoods

[GunGraber]

Gungraber, you like this more or less than the lincoln Jack?

I say I like both about the same. I like the Lincoln Jack as far as my blade preferences go since I love a clip point but I like the Delta because it's an easily pinchable blade. They both fit well in the hand. If I had to pick one for every day chores I would pick the Delta.

 

[HST]

GunGraber Thanks for your responses and posts.

 

[GunGraber]

You're Welcome!

 

[JB in SC]

GunGraber thanks for the info

 

[kaput]

Kinda disappointed with the last few Northwoods releases quality... blades not centering, bolsters need more buffering and micarta not flush with emblem with some pin issues too.

Seems like they're getting these out more often, but the quality has seen a decline?

The pictures they post specifically of the micarta option (since they only photograph one, the nicest one of course) always look amazing, then it's a crapshoot on what you receive. I'm kinda bummed. My two are, well, just ok :/

For reference my Michigan Jack, Esky Zulu and Fremont Jack are all spectacular and what really turned me on to the line. But now I'm not feeling as specially attached to future releases.

But, the new delta feels similar to the fremonts, so that's good. Nice feeling knife all in all.

Am I wrong here?

 

[Kas99]

I have to agree sometimes i feel like GEC puts more time into there own knives and i see more flaws with the Northwoods. The delta will be my third one in a row and my first with the bone scales so we will see how it is. I have to say though it makes me second guess buying anything in mammoth...

 

[NewBlades16]

I have to agree sometimes i feel like GEC puts more time into there own knives and i see more flaws with the Northwoods. The delta will be my third one in a row and my first with the bone scales so we will see how it is. I have to say though it makes me second guess buying anything in mammoth...

My blue camel that I received yesterday has such a soft close that it actually does not close with authority. I know I know, a good flushing with mineral oil will cure but just saying..

 

[kaput]

I have to agree sometimes i feel like GEC puts more time into there own knives and i see more flaws with the Northwoods. The delta will be my third one in a row and my first with the bone scales so we will see how it is. I have to say though it makes me second guess buying anything in mammoth...

I agree. If I don't absoloutley love the pattern from here on out, I'll just wait for secondary market where you can see the actual quality of the specific knife as it's getting hit or miss unfortunately...

Hope this trends not long lasting..

 

[Alchemy1]

I got a Hawthorne earlier this year on the secondary and then a 2 Little Bays and 1 Lincoln Jack directly. The Hawthorne is good, but all 3 of the other knives have issues. Primarily blade grind issues. I’m not even paying attention to the drops anymore until I start to hear/see that the quality has increased. If we don’t vote with our dollars, why would anything change?

 

[Kas99]

Also i bought a new tc barlow. One of the new ones in ebony but the spring was pretty weak and the blade was way off center. You buy a new regular gec and they are really nice. I dont get it

 

[Will Power]

Quality really should be high as these are sought after and often costly 2nd hand. My standard release GECs I've bought this year 15 Crown Lifter, Micarta Bullnose, 13 Clerk in Micarta, and recently the 35 Tidioute Churchill have ALL been excellently finished: gap free, no play, no sunk pin holes, great radiusing of the scales, bone going in to the bolster and they've all been sharp enough to shave hair. Completely satisfied. Nor were they difficult or expensive to obtain. Moreover, as a buyer from Europe I have to pay extra postage costs& import tax so I don't want to be getting a knife with issues because returning it is tricky. If you think the latest Northwoods are lacking in quality or have issues you should say so here and take it to GEC and the SFO sponsor, otherwise the collectability aspect could get compromised.

 

[MessOnAMission]

Maybe I'm in the minority, but I haven't noticed a change in quality from one GEC-made Northwoods batch to the next. In my experience, they all come with a terrible and sometimes uneven grind but otherwise good fit and finish. I hope that I'm not just getting lucky every time.

 

[HST]

These are handmade objects and will have inclusions. Get a diamond in VVS1 or IF, they cost 5 times as much sub VVS1. I doubt GEC has ever made a perfect pocket knife and even more so for less than $200. This isn’t to mean as a consumer we don’t expect the best, especially when we’re paying premium, but it is a handmade object made mostly with human hands. There’s gonna be “Character flaws.”

As to these Delta Jacks. I find the blade spot on for the handle. I’m not sure it could’ve been much bigger. The grinds on mine are as good as it gets from GEC. No uneven grinds, but if I were to be totally neurotic, my Green Burlap has a millimeter off on the top swedge grind. The action on my Micarta(s) were abysmal, at first. After cleaning and nano-oil, they are acting perfectly. Even after washing, drying, and new oil, there’s still some muck being pushed out at the top of the knifes spring and joint. Not a lot, but it does leave dirt on a white towel. Repeated working the knife and oil while wiping the top and that’s remedied. Almost every GEC I get I have to do this to and only with Queen do I still get muck from time to time when re-oiling.



I collect Northwoods and use them without regard. Never had a problem. Even if I did, you have GEC’s and KSF’s lifetime guarantee. KSF’s customer service is the best in the knife world. I’ve never had a problem or concern that wasn’t resolved to my complete satisfaction. Complaining out here is where you should not complain first, call KSF, and I bet, you won’t have a complaint any longer.

I digress, here’s my knives fresh out of service. Of the three which one for the Holidays?

 

[HST]

Has anyone else noticed the copper coins have a different knife? It looks different than any other Northwoods...I wonder if it’s the new Bark River Northwoods collaboration silhouette?

I also like that Derrick went back to the older style “knife purse.”

 

[Burnt Stag]

HST,
That red burlap really seems like a x-mas color. That one would get the holiday pocket time if it were me!

Burnt Stag.

 

[MCar]

Maybe I'm in the minority, but I haven't noticed a change in quality from one GEC-made Northwoods batch to the next. In my experience, they all come with a terrible and sometimes uneven grind but otherwise good fit and finish. I hope that I'm not just getting lucky every time.

I have to smile at this discussion a little. A year or two back, it seemed that people on the porch were CONVINCED that GEC put extra effort into SFOs. I never saw it. But many, if not most, felt that the factory somehow "dug down deep" and made TC barlows, for example, better than...say...a #15 boys knife. I thought it was just silly. Sure, some runs come together better than others, but I've seen nothing that is "trackable" (such as SFOs as a category seeing better fit and finish than non-SFOs). Now we're reading suggestions going the opposite direction. My take is that some runs just come together a bit better than others. The best GEC (fit and finish-wise) I own is a #15 crown lifter. And other owners of 15s from that same run have reported similarly. I've owned a lot of Northwoods over the years and I've seen no dip in quality of GEC-produced Northwoods (that includes Lincolns and Little Bays, but not Deltas). I can't speak to the Deltas, since I did not buy one, but if there are issues with the Deltas, I suspect it's just how that particular GEC run came out, not any conspiracy against SFOs or Northwoods, hehe. But these are just my thoughts.

 

[MCar]

Has anyone else noticed the copper coins have a different knife? It looks different than any other Northwoods...I wonder if it’s the new Bark River Northwoods collaboration silhouette?

I also like that Derrick went back to the older style “knife purse.”

I agree. I think these little changes do a lot for collectability in the hobby, much like the effort put in to CC's tubes.

 

[Alchemy1]

These are handmade objects and will have inclusions. Get a diamond in VVS1 or IF, they cost 5 times as much sub VVS1. I doubt GEC has ever made a perfect pocket knife and even more so for less than $200. This isn’t to mean as a consumer we don’t expect the best, especially when we’re paying premium, but it is a handmade object made mostly with human hands. There’s gonna be “Character flaws.”
View attachment 808546

I don’t think we’re comparing a nearly flawless product to a run of the mill product. I think we’re comparing Chevrolet’s and Cadillacs, Honda’s and Acura’s, Toyota’s and Lexus’s. If a product is being promoted as the “premium” of the two, how are we not to expect more (read, decent, repeatable F&F) from the product? Isn’t that the entire reason you bought a Cadillac instead of a Chevrolet (read, NW instead of GEC)?

I also think “character flaws” are going to be quite broad and subjective, instead of objective. Either way, I don’t think a blade grind that’s so off, you don’t even have to be looking for it to see it is a “character flaw” in a $180 knife. I don’t think that a cover that is poorly routed to accept the shield is a “character flaw”. There are real issues with some of these NW’s that are leaving the factory. More than people are willing to speak about publicly.

There will be slight imperfections, these are still production knives, but some of these knives wouldn’t even pass GEC’s house standard. How many times have we seen GEC “second” that looks flawless at first glance, only to have to get a flash light out or just the right angle to see a flaw?

Cleaning joints, slight centering issues, a small gap in a back spring, those are character flaws.

I did speak with KSF after I received my Little Bay’s, I wasn’t highly impressed. We eventually came to a compromise, but it was after some doing. This isn’t my space, so I’m not going to go into it too much here. I covered it all in my Little Bay and Licoln Jack videos on my YouTube channel that’s listed the same as my username here.

 

[hamsco]

My report. Edge is nice and sharp, Blade has good grind. Covers fit well to bolsters, all pins flush. No gaps in springs and liners. Flush in all 3 positions. The translucent Blue !!! I have not been a fan of Blue knives, but this one is NICE.
I have looked it over w a 10X scope. I can not find a single flaw.

 

[Railsplitter]

My report. Edge is nice and sharp, Blade has good grind. Covers fit well to bolsters, all pins flush. No gaps in springs and liners. Flush in all 3 positions. The translucent Blue !!! I have not been a fan of Blue knives, but this one is NICE.
I have looked it over w a 10X scope. I can not find a single flaw.

That is a very attractive blue!