I'm relatively new to these knives as well. I can offer my opinions, but they're just that. Everybody has a different take, and you really won't know until you try things yourself. I began by buying some Rough Riders to figure out what I liked and then moved on to GECs. I owned almost nothing but GECs for almost a year, probably owning 20 or so. That's when I discovered Queen for the first time. Since then I've been slowly expanding into other brands, such as Case. The longer I go the more I appreciate the diversity in the market. It is worth mentioning that Queen, S&M, and Tuna Valley are all different lines of the same company. So really, you're looking at GEC, Case, and Queen.
GEC is definitely the most consistent brand out there, but they are by no means the be-all-end-all. Case makes some very nice knives that can be had for quite a bit less than the GEC equivalent. The Case/Bose collaborations are also worth checking out if you're looking for something a bit nicer than what GEC can offer. Case knives usually cost me around 50% of what a comparable GEC would cost.
Queen also makes very fine knives. I find them to be a happy medium between Case's offerings and those of GEC. Queens are usually a bit less expensive than GEC, I usually pay about 30% less for a Queen than I would for an equivalent GEC, and they are usually every bit as nice as what GEC puts out. They are also infinitely easier to find. They do have less consistent manufacturing, with a gap or blade rub here or there. However, their patterns are tried and true so you don't get the bad engineering that GEC sometimes has issues with.
Another plus is that Queen is willing to try different steels. Case sticks to Tru Sharp or CV except for their Bose collaborations, though they've expanded out with a small 154 CM line. GEC sticks mostly to 1095 with a run or two of 440C a year thrown in. Queen regularly runs D2, 1095, 420HC, 154CM, and CPM-154. I feel like it's a good range of steels that offers something for everybody.
You might want to look into some of the older knives as well. Queen made some Winchester black box knives a couple decades back that are really well made, relatively inexpensive, and not too hard to find. Older Schrades, from when they were still made in the USA can be pretty easy to find and well made as well. Really, there are an almost infinite number of older manufacturers and commissioned lines that are of very high quality.
At this point, I think I buy more Queens than GEC, and more GEC than Case. I think my buying more Queens than GECs is mostly due to Queen having a larger selection of patterns to choose from than GEC, and Queen's business model lets me see the knives before I have to commit to purchasing. That's often not possible with GECs. Take a look at the Northwoods Steve thread. People are picking out which cover materials they like best and we don't even know what pattern the knife is built on yet. You don't see that kind of thing happening with Queen and Case offerings. That's more indicative of the marketing and not the knives, but it does play a factor in purchasing decisions.
Have fun and explore the possibilities. Slipjoints have been in production for a very long time. There is more out there than you could ever hope to see, and it would be a shame to limit yourself on just one or two or even three manufacturers. Make sure you come back and let us know how that Queen/Ruple and S&M turn out. I have one of those Ruple trappers, and I really like mine.
