Looking at traditionals for the first time - Is there a "XL" GEC 25?

Knife collecting is certainly varied and there's something for everyone. My glove size is large and I tend to like larger knives as well. In an earlier post, these large knives were called comical. Personally, I think the tiny, three finger knives are comical.

Traditional knives are different from moderns in many respects. One thing I found is that a much smaller handle can still fill your hand. 3.75" is the sweet spot for me. The #15 pattern is 3.5", which is the absolute smallest I will go.

It has been mentioned that you'll need to wear a belt sheath to carry large knives. Here is another option, which I came up with long ago, due to my dislike of pocket clips..... just put a stitch in your pocket..... my knives are protected and always stand upright.



Here's some larger traditionals that you might consider.

This Schatt & Morgan clasp knife has a nearly 4" blade:


R -L GEC #54, S&M Clasp, S&M Large Coke Bottle, S&M Grandad Barlow:


The following all have 3.5" blades - Top two: GEC #64, Middle two: GEC #65, Bottom two: GEC #63-


A #65 next to a #15:


A #65 with a #53 TK Cuban and a #55 Houndstooth:


Last but not least, my favorite #65:


Welcome to the world if traditional knives. Your wallet is going to lose some weight!
 
draggat said:
It has been mentioned that you'll need to wear a belt sheath to carry large knives. Here is another option, which I came up with long ago, due to my dislike of pocket clips..... just put a stitch in your pocket..... my knives are protected and always stand upright.

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Just brilliant! Why didn't I think of that?
 
draggat said:
It has been mentioned that you'll need to wear a belt sheath to carry large knives. Here is another option, which I came up with long ago, due to my dislike of pocket clips..... just put a stitch in your pocket..... my knives are protected and always stand upright.

Click to expand...

I do the same thing! It's cool to see someone else doing it, too. I don't usually carry larger knives, but when I do they carry so much better vertically along the pants seam than they do horizontally in the bottom of the pocket. I even throw a stitch or two above the knife so it doesn't slide out of my pocket when I sit down. It would be above and to the right of the top bolster of the knife in your picture.

By the way, nice collection!
 
I'm going to have to look into doing that little pocket-in-pocket thing! Thanks to a heads-up from HeathH, I just claimed dibs on a 77 Sheepsfoot in red bone from this sales thread that I somehow overlooked. Fourth from the left in these pictures:

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Nice choice! I remember seeing that post and being tempted, but I am waiting for the Madison Barlow. You'l have to post back and write a short review of how it works for you- I have come to look at my modern folders differently after carrying single bladed traditionals around for the last few months.
 
Does the Madison Barlow come in a sheepsfoot configuration, or will it?
 
I just back into traditionals after a long hiatus

That 77 is a nice purchase and I hope you enjoy it
 
Thanks Robb! The stitch over the top sounds like a good idea. Only thing is that I sometimes carry smaller knives.

AFAIK, the Madison Barlow has not been done with a sheepfoot yet. I think you'll like that 77. It's a really nice size and feels much larger than it looks .
 
Welcome to the traditional crowd.

I carry big traditionals all the time. I carry a grandad barlow, a smaller TC barlow, a GEC all steel sunfish, and many others (including the 23 pattern two blade GEC).

I find they all ride fine in the pocket, especially the Sunfish. It is flatter and round at the bolsters.

Here is what I pocketed today.



Another with some barlows.

 
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Comeuppance I have enjoyed your post in the general knife discussion section and look forward to seeing you here. Welcome to the porch where you can just pull up a chair and join in with some really great folks not to mention an unbelievable amount of knife knowledge.
 
Regarding larger traditional not being part for the course, there are some stand outs.
Check out the Schrade 25ot and see where that may lead. They started production back around '63 or so. Take a look.
http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php/592410-Schrade-25OT

I know it isn't a GEC, but the blade length would allow for a mod while keeping enough length to not look odd.
 
r redden said:
Comeuppance I have enjoyed your post in the general knife discussion section and look forward to seeing you here. Welcome to the porch where you can just pull up a chair and join in with some really great folks not to mention an unbelievable amount of knife knowledge.
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Between (especially) you and everyone else on this subforum, I've never been so inundated with helpfulness, knowledge, and kindness on a board! You guys are great. Honestly, I'm pretty much guaranteed to like my inbound clipless knives just because it all stemmed from interacting with wonderful people.

I'm already eyeing a few others, like a Case XX Russlock in Cotton Candy Bone, a Michigan Jack in Green Camel, and... I need to wait until what I already have coming in arrives before I go crazy :P

Seriously, though - you guys are great.
 
Comeuppance said:
Between (especially) you and everyone else on this subforum, I've never been so inundated with helpfulness, knowledge, and kindness on a board! You guys are great. Honestly, I'm pretty much guaranteed to like my inbound clipless knives just because it all stemmed from interacting with wonderful people.

I'm already eyeing a few others, like a Case XX Russlock in Cotton Candy Bone, a Michigan Jack in Green Camel, and... I need to wait until what I already have coming in arrives before I go crazy :P

Seriously, though - you guys are great.
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In all seriousness, perhaps you should check out John Loyds work. His knives run rather large for traditional slip joints and I have seen him make slip joints with a 3.5 inch blade. Also he has great blade to handle ratio.

His work is often posted here : http://www.vcmcustomknives.com/

Maybe contact him and see if he would be willing to take a custom order?

Here is a picture of his version of a sway back jack which is pretty large for the pattern (in my opinion)
w0kjn7.jpg
 
Comeuppance said:
MAN you guys are helpful. Thank you all so much for your input and suggestions! I think the 77 will be what I dig around for first, and I'll see if that proves to be the right size for me or not. I can see how a larger blade on a slipjoint could prove to be a bit unwieldy, but I also have generally larger hands and like to have a good amount of blade to work with regardless.
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Take a look at the Northwoods Madison barlow. A new single blade version should hit the market in a month or so. It will have a clip blade however. Closed length is 4.25".

A couple years ago and about the time the 2013 forum knife came out, I went though a period of trying out different GEC sizes (frames) and I prefer trapper patterns overall. The #23 is 4.5" closed. The #42 is 4.25" closed and my favorite. The 72/73 is 3 7/8" closed. The #25's are about 3.5" closed and too small for me. The 2015 forum knife is about to 4" closed. It is an okay size for me. The Case large trapper is 4 1/8" closed, so it fits into my general preference range. The #55's have a certain appeal at I believe 4" closed length.

Added: Another in that size range is the AG Russell large Sowbelly Trapper (4.25" closed) which I have in a two blade version (clip an wharncliffe). It is a nice knife and well finished (chinese made). It does not have a strong spring (snap) and no half stop. But still a pretty nice knife. Been carrying it off and on to get a feel for it. I believe there is a one blade version.
 
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pinnah said:
You've been getting some great advice but I thought I'd toss out a bit of a dissenting opinion on the issue of size...

Yes, traditionals are predominantly smaller and it makes sense since they were designed for pocket carry and, quite often, it could be assumed that a suitable fixed blade was readily available.

IMO, the Buck 110 really paved the way for getting rid of the fixed blade as a common part of working life and after that, modern lockers could show up.

And so here we have an interesting juxtaposition... the modern fixed blade replacement (the large locking folder) and the small pocket knife (often, traditional).

Looking at it this way, it might be easier to see how and why large traditionals are less common. There are 3 common methods of carry. First is via a pocket clip (bzzt) which instantly renders the knife as modern and not traditional. The second is sheath/holster carry. The Buck 110 is really big and heavy enough to almost require sheath carry. And the third is loose, in the pocket.

So this may be something to think about.... Can you adjust to sheath/holster carry? Can you adjust to pocket carry (of a big knife)?

If you don't know, my recommendation would be to spend some money on some inexpensive big knives just to see if you can deal with the change in carry style. The Buck 110 will introduce you to holster carry and the Case (large) Sodbuster will introduce you to large knife pocket carry. Of course, you can try clipless carry with any clipped knife too (my name is Capt. Obvious).

The last point to make here is that those of us who like large traditionals are in the minority and there's just so much more variation in patterns and blade options in the smaller sizes. So, finding exactly what you are asking for may take some more work. Not saying that it's not out there, but just by its size, you're already hunting for something less common.

Not what you are looking for but gratuitous large pocket knife picture...
Untitled by Pinnah, on Flickr
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Interesting post. Back when the 110 or clones were THE knife to carry in the field, I got the Schrade version 250T and carried it in the field and used it as my "hunting knife". I was never a fixed blade person and up until that point in life, I don't think I ever looked at a modern knife seriously. It was traditionals all the way for me. The Buck 110 may well have replaced the fixed blade for many in the field. It wasn't until years later that I purchased a fixed blade and the Randalls were very early purchases then.

Pocket knife vs belt carry large folding knife...... interesting really. My tastes went from smaller folders for regular carry to something in the 4.0" > 4.25" closed length size. I have tried many including the #36 Sunfish. It was just too heavy for me and the blade width didn't really fit into my sense of need (when compared to weight).

The Grandad or Big Daddy Barlow was too large at 5.5" closed. But I liked the blade length for using, not carrying.

So, I have moved to carrying what many consider a large slippie which just so happens is just about the same size of modern that I prefer. It's a fun hunt. I like wharncliffe blades, but I'm not all focused on them. Clips work very well for my regular needs.
 
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