silenthunterstudios
Slipjoint Addict
- Joined
- Feb 2, 2005
- Messages
- 20,039
I stopped by a certain Delaware knife shop on the way home from the beach Saturday, and picked up two knives that I've owned before. Not the exact knives, but either their twins or variations thereof. I've only gotten slipjoints from this shop, although they have other types of cutlery. I bought a couple Queens the first time, the second time a few Schatt and Morgan Heritage pieces and the next to last time I bought one of the Case Bose wharncliff trappers there.
I was going to go down the dark path, and veer from my unintended habit of picking up some slipjoints. Well, I got two oldies but goodies. They had some of the Schatt and Morgan Heritage pieces, at reduced prices! I found an ebony two blade spear jack, at a great price, with great walk and talk. The owner and I conversed about the bad spring jobs on these knives, and I was surprised to find one with what appeared to be a great example of the springs. She stated that she had talked with Ryan at Queen about it, and that they were working to rectify the problem. I would like to see Queen reinstate the Heritage remakes, we'll see what happens. I have the same exact spear jack, but with bone scales, that I purchased from the same shop 4 or 5 years ago the day my cousin was getting married down the shore. I wasn't going to miss going to the shop, just because of a wedding!
The other one was a Tidioute 73. My first GEC was a chocolate bear cut bone handle 73. This thing must've been a reincarnated guillotine. It had a tremendous pull, and snapped like a crocodile. I was afraid of losing digits or worse. Beautiful knife, but I got rid of it here or on another site or maybe back to Ryan Daniels. After a while, the pulls on GEC knives began to get more comparable to an actual working knife, and if it wasn't for the Case Bose line, I would say that GECs are now the most comfortable to open knives I own, especially the Charlows. I bought a two blade 73 from a buddy of mine, but when I first looked it over, it was smooth as butter, with a good amount of pull comparable to the Charlows. Well, I had shown the Charlow and some other knives to the proprietors of this great shop last year, and they were impressed with the new ones, but not the old GEC they had. Well, I bought it, and it turned out to be a 73 with chocolate bear cut bone handles. It must have smoothed out over time, because while it wasn't as smooth as a Charlow, it was a lot better than the old 73 I had. The owners make knives and sharpen them for restaurateur clients as well, and it doesn't look like they filed anything down to improve the pull. I guess it just smoothed out over time.
Hopefully this shop will start carrying GEC products, they really liked the Viper I showed them this year. I didn't get them for a song, but was able to find some older examples, if only a few years older, of two great knife companies.
I was going to go down the dark path, and veer from my unintended habit of picking up some slipjoints. Well, I got two oldies but goodies. They had some of the Schatt and Morgan Heritage pieces, at reduced prices! I found an ebony two blade spear jack, at a great price, with great walk and talk. The owner and I conversed about the bad spring jobs on these knives, and I was surprised to find one with what appeared to be a great example of the springs. She stated that she had talked with Ryan at Queen about it, and that they were working to rectify the problem. I would like to see Queen reinstate the Heritage remakes, we'll see what happens. I have the same exact spear jack, but with bone scales, that I purchased from the same shop 4 or 5 years ago the day my cousin was getting married down the shore. I wasn't going to miss going to the shop, just because of a wedding!
The other one was a Tidioute 73. My first GEC was a chocolate bear cut bone handle 73. This thing must've been a reincarnated guillotine. It had a tremendous pull, and snapped like a crocodile. I was afraid of losing digits or worse. Beautiful knife, but I got rid of it here or on another site or maybe back to Ryan Daniels. After a while, the pulls on GEC knives began to get more comparable to an actual working knife, and if it wasn't for the Case Bose line, I would say that GECs are now the most comfortable to open knives I own, especially the Charlows. I bought a two blade 73 from a buddy of mine, but when I first looked it over, it was smooth as butter, with a good amount of pull comparable to the Charlows. Well, I had shown the Charlow and some other knives to the proprietors of this great shop last year, and they were impressed with the new ones, but not the old GEC they had. Well, I bought it, and it turned out to be a 73 with chocolate bear cut bone handles. It must have smoothed out over time, because while it wasn't as smooth as a Charlow, it was a lot better than the old 73 I had. The owners make knives and sharpen them for restaurateur clients as well, and it doesn't look like they filed anything down to improve the pull. I guess it just smoothed out over time.
Hopefully this shop will start carrying GEC products, they really liked the Viper I showed them this year. I didn't get them for a song, but was able to find some older examples, if only a few years older, of two great knife companies.