My first GEC...first look

Holy cow, Fausto! You weren't kidding when you said it looks even better than the stock picture.

That is one fine looking knife, my friend!
 
That looks pretty nice Fausto.

I found a few links for you to see about 440c if your interested. I really like the steel. Here is a real general comparison of steels.

http://sharpeningmadeeasy.com/steels.htm

Here http://www.devinthomas.com/faq.cfm it talks about the type of carbides formed, stating 50 micron in size. Further down it talks about K2 vs K1 Carbides and the RC hardnesses. I also found the max RC for 440c is 60 RC. GEC states 57-59 for all steel.

Thought you may be interested. IMO 440c is a good steel not to be looked down on.

I found lots of data sheets but these two links seemed to keep it simple.

Enjoy your knife :)
 
Kevin, thanks for the links. I will surely check them out. My sharpening skills are not that good, but I'm confident that I can make this little thing shave hair, and that will be enough for me :) and I don't look down on any steel actually. For the use I make of my knives, I don't really need a super steel, I rather have a "normal" steel (if such thing does exist) and sharpen it properly, and I'm more than fine.

Trand, I like those little fissures too. I always loved smooth handles, while I'm not a fan of the "touch" of jigged handles (I know it's a matter of habit, but that's the way it is). Still, those fissures look very nice and "natural" and do not bother my hand grip at all.

Fausto
:cool:
 
Congrats! My first GEC was also an EZ open 25. Could you please post your excellent pictures in this thread, too?
http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php/918621-Stainless-Steel-GECs

Done :)

Actually... come to think of it... My first GEC was my #25 Elk spear... Fausto, you're in a lot of trouble lol :D

Trand, I've seen quite a number of your GEC's on this forum, I don't think I'm in trouble at all...although my wallet might be :D
Actually, I don't buy many knives. I established a "rule of five" and I will stick to that and be happy. This knife was a "product" of a long search and thinking and so on, and I'm happy with it, and I'm glad to share it with you, cause no matter if I have ten knives or two thousands, this is a fine production knife and I'm glad that people here appreciate it.
Soon I will post more after I sharpen it and use it of course. That will be the real review...for now, it's just a catwalk :rolleyes:

Fausto
:cool:
 
The shield side could be mistaken for mammoth! I like that look very much, nice purchase. I do not think I could ever keep my knives down to 5- I have a hard time picking top 50!!
Regards
Kris
 
The shield side could be mistaken for mammoth! I like that look very much, nice purchase. I do not think I could ever keep my knives down to 5- I have a hard time picking top 50!!
Regards
Kris

That was my first thought too. Mammoth bark ivory.
 
Honestly, I have never seen mammoth bark ivory, nor I had ever seen elk, so I can't tell about that...but I can tell you that these scales look terrific :)
As for keeping my knives down to five...it's a story I will discuss on another thread :rolleyes:

Fausto
:cool:
 
Mammoth ivory is one of the most visually appealing natural scale materials imo. Its a big compliment :)
 
Mammoth ivory is one of the most visually appealing natural scale materials imo. Its a big compliment :)

I suspected that ;) although the compliment is aimed more at GEC than at me...but I'm taking it now :D
And thanks to Frank for the steel update.

Fausto
:cool:
 
Hi guys,
it's been some time, and my little elk GEC's has made steps, which I'd like to share with you.
When I started sharpening it, I admit I feared that it would be a long job. I'm just taking my first steps on the sharpening ladder, I'd had good results with carbon steel or softer stainless, and I was prepared to hard times. Maybe this thing helped me take things with time and relax (not that I'm a frenzied person actually), and in the end it didn't take long to get it sharp (when it came into my hands, it wasn't exactly sharp...it got stuck into warmed butter :D ).
I admit I carried it a few times even before sharpening it. I knew I would have a hard time cutting anything...but I liked it too much to leave it home :rolleyes:
Once I got it sharp, it found its way into my pocket pretty often. Nowadays, its only competitor is my Opinel #6 (which is a tough one to fight for pocket time). So I've come to "know" it better...and here's what I think about it.
Cutting tasks. I agree on what's been said on other threads: this 440C does take a very good edge, and lasts more than enough (for my uses). Even if it's the smallest knife I own now, the handle is pretty comfy when cutting, it's not the most comfortable knife in the world for peeling cuts, but that is purely a matter of handle size I guess. The elk feels great and, unlike the jigging of bone, the little fissures on the scales do not disturb my grip at all.
Carry. It disappears into my pocket when closed; I just feel it there for its weight, and that's not a bad thing at all. Due to its size, I could easily carry it in the watch pocket, but, honestly, my right front pocket seems to welcome it pretty well, so why change?
Mechanics. I'm getting used to the half stops. Can't say I like them, and I'd pretty much have it without, but little by little it hassles me less. I still consider the pull to be quite stiff for my standards, and I'm glad of the EO handle cause I found myself pinching the blade open more often than not. As for closing, I'm always very careful with it, so no troubles at all.
Looks. I really like it. Simple as that.
It's my first GEC, and I already know it won't be my last one. I don't buy many knives but GEC has won my trust so far. I may be even happier with the sheepsfoot version of this same knife, but hey, I can't ask for everything. I also wish there were more models offered in 440C (like the #66, for example), and I know I'm not the only one, so hopefully GEC will make us happier soon. I'm happy with this knife, and I know it will last inside the "count of five" for a long time.

Fausto
:cool:
 
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