- Joined
- May 25, 2005
- Messages
- 2,362
Well, I got my first GEC blade yesterday, and it's quite nice. It's an unserialized Amber Barnboard Northfield #73 two blade scout. I received it from Mike at Collectorsknives.net. Mike was an absolute pleasure to talk to and deal with, and the knife arrived extremely quick.
Overall impressions.
The Good:
The knife is a real beauty to look at. I didn't think I was gonna like the amber barnboard, but it looks great. A nice rich caramel color. The main and spey blade have some great snap (a littlt too much on one, but more on that further down). I really like the swedges and the long pull nail nicks. Those are what really swayed me to this knife over a couple others. Stunningly done.
The grinds and swedges are perfect. Very rarely lately have I gotten a blade that doesn't have some sort of uneven grind/edge. (Productions excluded) The hafting on the knife is perfect also. Everything flows together quite well. The employees at GEC ar doing a fantastic job.
The Not So Good.
There really isn't too much on the bad side for me, but a collector may think otherwise. The spey blade itself isn't fully centered when closed, which makes it rub against the liner and put scratches on the blade. Also, the backspring pins/rivets weren't spun that well, and resulted in smashed looking rivets that had pieces of ragged brass around the edges. The rest of the pins were fine.
The spey blade has about the most perfect walk and talk I've seen. I would rate it at about a 9 out of 10. Not too hard to open, but enough to know it's there. Every knife should be made this way. The main blade is another story. I would rate at a 4-5 out of 10. It's a real nailbreaker. Dangerously so infact, since it took half my thumb knuckle off last night when it slipped and sprung back closed. Luckily I didn't get blood everywhere before I got it band-aided up, but I won't be bending it anytime soon. It's unfortunate since I planned on using the main blade as an EDC blade, and the spey blade for a food-stuffs blade. If it doesn't loosen up, I probably won't carry it too often.
Bottom Line:
I really like the knife. It's a little hefty for pocket carry, so I've been thinking of trying to find a belt sheath for it to carry. It's about the same size and length of my go-to EDC (small Sebenza), so it's definitely a contender for carry if I can resolve the couple minor issues I have. All in all, GEC is doing a fantastic job, and I'll continue buying their products. For the price compared to the quality you're getting, it's almost unheard of. I give this one a 7.5 out of a 10. :thumbup:
(pic borrowed from Red Hill Cutlery since I stink at pictures. If it needs to be removed, please let me know)
Overall impressions.
The Good:
The knife is a real beauty to look at. I didn't think I was gonna like the amber barnboard, but it looks great. A nice rich caramel color. The main and spey blade have some great snap (a littlt too much on one, but more on that further down). I really like the swedges and the long pull nail nicks. Those are what really swayed me to this knife over a couple others. Stunningly done.
The grinds and swedges are perfect. Very rarely lately have I gotten a blade that doesn't have some sort of uneven grind/edge. (Productions excluded) The hafting on the knife is perfect also. Everything flows together quite well. The employees at GEC ar doing a fantastic job.
The Not So Good.
There really isn't too much on the bad side for me, but a collector may think otherwise. The spey blade itself isn't fully centered when closed, which makes it rub against the liner and put scratches on the blade. Also, the backspring pins/rivets weren't spun that well, and resulted in smashed looking rivets that had pieces of ragged brass around the edges. The rest of the pins were fine.
The spey blade has about the most perfect walk and talk I've seen. I would rate it at about a 9 out of 10. Not too hard to open, but enough to know it's there. Every knife should be made this way. The main blade is another story. I would rate at a 4-5 out of 10. It's a real nailbreaker. Dangerously so infact, since it took half my thumb knuckle off last night when it slipped and sprung back closed. Luckily I didn't get blood everywhere before I got it band-aided up, but I won't be bending it anytime soon. It's unfortunate since I planned on using the main blade as an EDC blade, and the spey blade for a food-stuffs blade. If it doesn't loosen up, I probably won't carry it too often.
Bottom Line:
I really like the knife. It's a little hefty for pocket carry, so I've been thinking of trying to find a belt sheath for it to carry. It's about the same size and length of my go-to EDC (small Sebenza), so it's definitely a contender for carry if I can resolve the couple minor issues I have. All in all, GEC is doing a fantastic job, and I'll continue buying their products. For the price compared to the quality you're getting, it's almost unheard of. I give this one a 7.5 out of a 10. :thumbup:
(pic borrowed from Red Hill Cutlery since I stink at pictures. If it needs to be removed, please let me know)
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