Need some advice!

C

cfoster2003

Joined
Jul 25, 2011
Messages
441
Hey guys! It's Caleb. Ive posted before but just a reminder, Im working in Kenya for a year. I'll be here until Sept. I know its best to handle the traditional knife before you buy it but I dont have that luxury out here. I have a buddy who is coming for a visit next month. My plan is to buy a traditional folder and have it shipped to him and he can just bring it to me. Thats the easiest way without paying international shipping.

Here is my budget, I have about 100 USD saved up. I really like GEC, especially the sunfish model or maybe a trapper. If you guys have any suggestions I am open. It will be an EDC and seeing some hard use. I prefer stag as well. Thanks in advance guys, you all are great. :thumbup:
 
IMO, $100 is a LOT of money for a traditional knife. I mean, a lot.

The $15 Opinel and $20 Case Sodbuster establish you can get a perfectly good, functional work knife that will last most of your days for a fraction of your budget. Beyond this base level of perfectly good functionality, what you are paying for is the elusive sense of "quality" or "peace of mind" that comes from owning a "good knife". There are just way too many deeply personal heart strings here. It's like recommending good traditional music.

I would suggest turning your thoughts inward. Review the "What are you carrying today" thread to find patterns and scale combinations that tickle your fancy. Read up on the various manufacturers and their histories and find a company whose identity will make you happy every time you hold your knife. Lastly, consider your own carry and use needs honestly and frankly. A beautifully made knife in a pattern that doesn't suit your day to day usage will sit unused.

I watched my buddy working at his desk the other day. He was opening envelopes and cutting down some small boxes and he used his (non-traditional) Kershaw Scallion. It was a part of his hand and when he non-nonchalantly put it on the desk, I remarked, "That little thing really is *YOUR* knife, isn't it?" I was carrying my (traditional) Opinel #9 (although it could have just as well been my Buck 500). Different users. Different knives.

I had to explore several options before I learned my own preferences. I like a single blade locking knife with a blade in the 3" range. But that is just me. I'm not you.

You might consider using your $100 to get 4 or 5 $20 knives of different patterns and rotating among them for a year or three. I would be sure to put the Opinel and the SAK Pioneer (or similar) and a 3 blade stockman in that mix. Let *YOUR* knife find you.
 
Thanks Pinnah for the advice. I know that 100 dollars is a lot, believe me its taken a long time to save it up! I know where you are coming from indeed. For me, I wanted a traditional knife that I can give my kids some day that I used in Africa, I wanted a quality piece. Im NOT saying those less expensive knives arent quality by any means. In my mind, looking at the options GEC offers some "heirloom quality" knives. I will be using it every day, so it will be scuffed up and beat around, but thats part of the beauty IMHO.
 
cfoster2003 said:
...I have about 100 USD saved up. I really like GEC, especially the sunfish model or maybe a trapper. If you guys have any suggestions I am open. It will be an EDC and seeing some hard use. I prefer stag as well. Thanks in advance guys, you all are great. :thumbup:
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I picked up this stag #48 Western Trapper for a tad over your price. I don't have a gec sunfish, but I assume that one in wood or bone could be found within your dollar range.

GEC_western_zpsc2ad9fb1.png
 
If it's gonna see a lot of use, why not look at the Farm and Field knives.
Really solid and well under your budget.
Lenny
 
The #45 lumberjack comes in single blade offering. It's just over your budget with wood scales at most places. I don't own one but I have seen it in person and it's a beast.
That being said I have to agree with the others that recommended the Bullnose. It has all the GEC quality and is made to work. Sure it's not stag but you will be able to pass it down. Then you could take the left over $50 and buy a smaller slipjoint to use as a secondary blade.

Good luck on your search.
 
I think you could get a Great Eastern #23 Pioneer for around $100 but one in stag might be more expensive. It's around 4.5" closed which is a good user-size, imo...

Great idea and good luck with your search! :)

-Brett
 
A 23 or 73 single blade was my thought. The single blade would be in the heart of your budget, the 23/73 would give the handle options you want, and the single blade is so much more comfy in hand during some hard use than a double blade version would be. Best of luck and keep us posted!
 
Any of them are going to be top quality. As far as particular patterns go, it's up to you to decide what you like.
You can ask about as many patterns as you like, and you'll hear the same thing: it's a well built knife, and if you like the shape, go for it.
 
Yes that's my #48 above. It's great, but on weekends for hard use I use a regular Case blue bone stainless trapper. I'm typically around fuel and oil on weekends so I avoid carrying my stag when I'm in work mode.
 
cfoster2003 said:
For me, I wanted a traditional knife that I can give my kids some day that I used in Africa, I wanted a quality piece. Im NOT saying those less expensive knives arent quality by any means. In my mind, looking at the options GEC offers some "heirloom quality" knives. I will be using it every day, so it will be scuffed up and beat around, but thats part of the beauty IMHO.
Click to expand...

It appears that you really like GEC knives. You should get a GEC and nothing that follows should change that. I'm not arguing in any way and actually, want to encourage you to follow your gut on this. If GEC makes you happy, you should carry a GEC and nothing else.

I do think you may be conflating price and durability/quality. As I look around my shop and think of what I have stashed in my bags, I can find the following knives, all dating from the 1970s or before and all having had a significant amount of hard use:
+ My grandfathers no-name 6" bowie from the 60s.
+ A Schrade H-15 5" fixed blade
+ 2 Ulster BSA/camper knives
+ An Opinel #8 (no passed along to a buddy in the trades who has been unable to break it in over a year of intentional abuse)
+ A Buck 110 and Buck 112 (both 2 dotters from the 70s)

Of these, only the Bucks would have been considered to be mid-tiered in price. All have nearly 50 years of use on them and all of them will likely go on to my kids provided they don't get sharpened down to stubs. My point in noting this is a very narrow one and one you should not worry about and it is this. Yes, a GEC will last your lifetime and will be able to endure what you dish out to it in Africa and be passed on to your kids. But the same is true for a currently made Buck 112, Case Sodbuster, Opinel or an (alox scaled) SAK.

By all accounts, GEC makes great knives. They've revived knife making in the region using mostly hand done methods. They have wonderful looking designs and all of these things make owning a GEC worth the money. In fact, that's all that is needed. If you love GEC, get a GEC.

Given the number of 50 (or more) year old Ulsters and Bucks and such available on auction sites, it's very hard to argue that the GEC will be any more durable than any number of less expensive traditionals. But, that shouldn't cause you to spend less or feel less good about spending more on GEC. That you love GEC more than any other brand is an important thing to know about yourself and it's quite enough.
 
I really appreciate your input sir. I am a novice to traditional folders and actually dont even own one. This will be my first, I was curious about the steel. Being in Africa I am literally right on the equator. Its very humid here in Eldoret and Ive had trouble with rust spots on some of the other modern knives I have brought, even with regular maintenance. Maybe a stainless model would be something to look at. I like Case and I also like Buck, even grabbing a vintage model would be nice. One of my downfalls is Im kind of a flip flop when Im trying to decide on what to buy.

pinnah said:
It appears that you really like GEC knives. You should get a GEC and nothing that follows should change that. I'm not arguing in any way and actually, want to encourage you to follow your gut on this. If GEC makes you happy, you should carry a GEC and nothing else.

I do think you may be conflating price and durability/quality. As I look around my shop and think of what I have stashed in my bags, I can find the following knives, all dating from the 1970s or before and all having had a significant amount of hard use:
+ My grandfathers no-name 6" bowie from the 60s.
+ A Schrade H-15 5" fixed blade
+ 2 Ulster BSA/camper knives
+ An Opinel #8 (no passed along to a buddy in the trades who has been unable to break it in over a year of intentional abuse)
+ A Buck 110 and Buck 112 (both 2 dotters from the 70s)

Of these, only the Bucks would have been considered to be mid-tiered in price. All have nearly 50 years of use on them and all of them will likely go on to my kids provided they don't get sharpened down to stubs. My point in noting this is a very narrow one and one you should not worry about and it is this. Yes, a GEC will last your lifetime and will be able to endure what you dish out to it in Africa and be passed on to your kids. But the same is true for a currently made Buck 112, Case Sodbuster, Opinel or an (alox scaled) SAK.

By all accounts, GEC makes great knives. They've revived knife making in the region using mostly hand done methods. They have wonderful looking designs and all of these things make owning a GEC worth the money. In fact, that's all that is needed. If you love GEC, get a GEC.

Given the number of 50 (or more) year old Ulsters and Bucks and such available on auction sites, it's very hard to argue that the GEC will be any more durable than any number of less expensive traditionals. But, that shouldn't cause you to spend less or feel less good about spending more on GEC. That you love GEC more than any other brand is an important thing to know about yourself and it's quite enough.
Click to expand...
 
cfoster2003 said:
Thanks guys! Do you all have any opinion on the watch pocket sunfish? Its in my range, about 85 shipped
Click to expand...

If you're talking about a #26, I'd stay away from it as a first folder. I love the little things, but they're almost impossible to open at first, and then only after practice (on the parts of both you and the knife). There's a reason there are so many of them still out there.

Stag can also be hit or miss, sight unseen, especially its width relative to a given pattern.

How long to you have? Can you/your friend wait until the next round of #15s (either the Boys Knife or the Sawyer Barlow) and hop on one of those? Stag won't be an option at this point, but you'll get a good all'rounder, and an excellent introduction to GEC.

~ P.
 
Flip-flop? I flip-flop on knives more than politicians in October!

I think that's one of the cautionary concerns I have. I've been burned spending a lot on a knife (and bikes and skis and ...) only to find that it doesn't get used and I end up with "buyer's remorse". It happens less now as I understand my own preferences better but it took a good deal of experimentation, trial and errors. I also find that my day to day choices still shift, but not too far at this point.

There are a few basic patterns that perennially come to top in this forum:
+ The stockman
+ The 2 blade jack (in lots of variations)
+ The peanut (a jack but worth naming separately)
+ The sodbuster
+ The single blade lock back
+ The SAK/camper

There are certainly others, but these seem to me to be perennial favorites. I would think that if you got any of these and provided that it's a decent match to your cutting needs, there's a good chance of the knife staying in your continued use pile.

Perhaps you could describe more what you want to use a knife for? There's a huge difference between a peanut and a big lock back or between a multi-function SAK and a simpler 1 blade sod buster. The more you describe your cutting needs, the more targeted advice you can get from the group (as opposed to litany of "I bought an X and dig it" posts).

Regarding steels, I would lean towards stainless for where you are for exactly the reasons you mention.
 
My buddy is coming in late April, I guess I misspoke at the begging post, its not a month away, haha. So I have a little while maybe around 2 months but I also need to factor in shipping time as well.

pertinux said:
If you're talking about a #26, I'd stay away from it as a first folder. I love the little things, but they're almost impossible to open at first, and then only after practice (on the parts of both you and the knife). There's a reason there are so many of them still out there.

Stag can also be hit or miss, sight unseen, especially its width relative to a given pattern.

How long to you have? Can you/your friend wait until the next round of #15s (either the Boys Knife or the Sawyer Barlow) and hop on one of those? Stag won't be an option at this point, but you'll get a good all'rounder, and an excellent introduction to GEC.

~ P.
Click to expand...
 
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