New to Traditionals...First Purchase

[Locutus D'Borg]

The GEC Pemberton looks good as does the Case peanut. How does GEC compare to Case as far as fit and finish? I don't live near a store that carries these, so I have to rely on word of mouth.

Look for a GEC Pemberton--it's about the best little knife around.

DJK

 

[Planterz]

The GEC Pemberton looks good as does the Case peanut. How does GEC compare to Case as far as fit and finish? I don't live near a store that carries these, so I have to rely on word of mouth.

Case can be hit or miss. Usually hit, but often miss. Blade wobble is the typical offender. I wouldn't buy stag from Case unless I handled it in person, or the seller showed many pictures from multiple angles. Stock photos don't always match the bone handle dye jobs you'll receive.

That said, if you like the Case Peanut, buy one. Buy a couple. It won't exactly break the bank. Case runs their steel pretty soft, but it's easy to sharpen, and the thin blades slice like a razor.

I can't speak for the Pemberton, but like I said before with GEC, their F&F and level of craftsmanship is at a much higher level than Case.

 

[pinnah]

I don't care for blade play; I've heard that in production knives blade play can happen even in new knives. That is one reason I want to check out customs, which are known for superb fit and finish.

Otherwise I'm pretty open to suggestions.

Don't confuse expensive fit & finish with durability. They are different.

If it makes you happy, it's reasonable to pay a lot for the best of the art form. You'll get great fit and finish and the satisfaction of owning the ultimate expression of the form.

But you'll be hard pressed to find any custom that will be any more durable than a $15 Opinel or a $20 Case Sodbuster.

Peened pivots holding together slab bolster are what they are. There is no magic and if you wrench a blade hard, any slip joint is liable to develop play. Just the nature of the design and no amount of fit and finish can get around that.

Note, the Opinel uses a different design and is much tougher in terms of blade play issues. It's the combination of a ringed bolster combined with a camming lockring that removes play. It's simply a tougher design that can't be badly mucked up with lousy fit and finish.

This shouldn't talk you out of a custom. You get something different is all.

 

[Bigfattyt]

Check out the Jared Oeser knives thread, that guy makes some absolutely beautiful pieces! Functional too, by the looks of them.

At the level he is making them, they are a great value to me! Super clean, superb fit and finish (perfect to my eye on all the folders and fixed blades of his I have handled).

I bought a beauty two blade large stockman (He worked with me on two different designs, and made me the first large two blade gunstock, with warncliff secondary!)

Hopefully you enjoy your mountain man. Assembly from Queen and S&M can be hit or miss. If you get a great one, you will be tickled pink.

I have had to fix all 3 of mine. (gaps, blade wiggle!)

I only have one Case. I had to fix blade wiggle in that one. I have handled quite a few, and chose not to buy any of the ones I handled! They are less expensive, and have lower fit and finish in the current production, in my humble opinion, than GEC. One caveat, they do have nicely "rounded" tangs, that can make them smoother in pocket and hand, but I don't believe the softened tangs look as nice.


For stellar fit and finish, when you are buying sight unseen, I would have to recommend GEC. Out of the 9 samples I have bought, no blade wiggle, and NO Gaps, and absolutely NO lazy snap on any of the blades. I can fix wiggle my self pretty easy, I can fix some gaps, but I can't do squat about lazy snap!
Take a look at what GEC has to offer! (GEC, Northfield, and Tideoute) are all family brands. They are my favorite production slip joints!




I also am a fan of inexpensive (down right cheap!) Opinels. Put your desired edge on them, and be amazed how light they are, and how well they slice. Unreal!

 

[Locutus D'Borg]

Thank you. I'll check out GEC. Your post was helpful.

At the level he is making them, they are a great value to me! Super clean, superb fit and finish (perfect to my eye on all the folders and fixed blades of his I have handled).

I bought a beauty two blade large stockman (He worked with me on two different designs, and made me the first large two blade gunstock, with warncliff secondary!)

Hopefully you enjoy your mountain man. Assembly from Queen and S&M can be hit or miss. If you get a great one, you will be tickled pink.

I have had to fix all 3 of mine. (gaps, blade wiggle!)

I only have one Case. I had to fix blade wiggle in that one. I have handled quite a few, and chose not to buy any of the ones I handled! They are less expensive, and have lower fit and finish in the current production, in my humble opinion, than GEC. One caveat, they do have nicely "rounded" tangs, that can make them smoother in pocket and hand, but I don't believe the softened tangs look as nice.


For stellar fit and finish, when you are buying sight unseen, I would have to recommend GEC. Out of the 9 samples I have bought, no blade wiggle, and NO Gaps, and absolutely NO lazy snap on any of the blades. I can fix wiggle my self pretty easy, I can fix some gaps, but I can't do squat about lazy snap!
Take a look at what GEC has to offer! (GEC, Northfield, and Tideoute) are all family brands. They are my favorite production slip joints!




I also am a fan of inexpensive (down right cheap!) Opinels. Put your desired edge on them, and be amazed how light they are, and how well they slice. Unreal!

 

[jackknife]

I also am a fan of inexpensive (down right cheap!) Opinels. Put your desired edge on them, and be amazed how light they are, and how well they slice. Unreal!

AMEN!

You should also try a Douk-Douk. Very thin blade, gets wicked sharp, and has some real old time class about it.

Carl.

 

[Lycosa]

LDB- The AG Russell Cowboy and the Buck 422 are two of my favorite folders. I will never sell these two. I recommend a Sodbuster also.
Rolf

 

[Locutus D'Borg]

Sodbuster is on my list. I thought I'd get a custom one, of possible. I really like Jared Oeser's work.

LDB- The AG Russell Cowboy and the Buck 422 are two of my favorite folders. I will never sell these two. I recommend a Sodbuster also.
Rolf

 

[JB in SC]

The GEC Pembertons, in particular, have been pretty solid as to fit/finish and blade play.

 

[Lycosa]

Good. Jared does some fine work.
To hold you over, the Case Carbon Fiber Sodbuster is hard to beat. I love the simplicity of the build.

 

[expwmbat]

Sodbuster is on my list. I thought I'd get a custom one, of possible. I really like Jared Oeser's work.

Last I heard Jared was not taking new orders.

I heartily recommend looking into Keith Johnson's knives--I have one of his sodbusters and it's simply fantastic. The build quality is over the top, and at the same time the knife just feels like a user. You can find his website (where he has a couple custom sodbusters for sale) by searching for Great River Forge.

Cheers,
Daniel

 

[Locutus D'Borg]

Thanks. I'm talking to Todd Davison right now about possibly making a TSA approved slip joint, but to be honest, I just don't know enough about traditionals to order a custom yet. He was asking me about fluting, crimping, etc. and I had no idea what he meant. So I told him I'd do my homework on traditionals. There are so many style choices....and they all look attractive to me. And the variety of shields is amazing. My head is spinning.

Last I heard Jared was not taking new orders.

I heartily recommend looking into Keith Johnson's knives--I have one of his sodbusters and it's simply fantastic. The build quality is over the top, and at the same time the knife just feels like a user. You can find his website (where he has a couple custom sodbusters for sale) by searching for Great River Forge.

Cheers,
Daniel

 

[ron_m80]

Eugene Shadley's knives, are not priced for the entry collector. However they look and feel to be worth every dollar based on what I handled.

 

[puukkoman]

The Mountain Man is a great start. I have the Queen version in D2, and it rides with me daily.
Schatt & Morgan is usually a step up, in terms of bells & whistles (like Northfield vs. Tidioute). I really like S&M, and all the ones I've tried have been top-notch.
I really recommend that you try a GEC as well... Any one you like, any brand of the 3, they're all very well built and also aesthetically pleasing.

Look at Kerry Hampton's work as well, and Ken Erickson. Oh, and also John Lloyd. These guys all make excellent pocket knives.

Here are some pics, for the heck of it.

 

[pinnah]

Thanks. I'm talking to Todd Davison right now about possibly making a TSA approved slip joint, but to be honest, I just don't know enough about traditionals to order a custom yet. He was asking me about fluting, crimping, etc. and I had no idea what he meant. So I told him I'd do my homework on traditionals. There are so many style choices....and they all look attractive to me. And the variety of shields is amazing. My head is spinning.

One way to find your bearings is to begin by collecting information instead of knives.

I would suggest googling for catalog archives for some of the older makers like Camillus, Schrade and Ulster (among many others). Go back and peruse the patterns from the turn of century, read the descriptions of their intended uses and sort of soak in the tradition of traditionals.

I think it's also worth reading up on the histories of the early US manufacturers. They started in port towns like Providence, RI and New York and then showed up in mill towns in upstate New York and PA. After that, they started moving west to places like Colorado, Michigan and California. In short, their histories follow the growth and expansion of manufacturing in the US.

Some of the vendors you might want to read up on include: Imperial, New York Cutlery, Schrade-Walden, Ulster, Case, Marbles, Western and Buck. IMO, that would give you a basic (not complete) handle on the landscape of American traditionals. If you can stretch to consider European knives, you might dig into Boker, Mora and Opinel to name just a few.

 

[Locutus D'Borg]

I have been researching. But there is more information than I have brain cells. But one way I learn is by buying and playing with a knife or two. But I think you can see from my extensive collection that I'm not one to go overboard on knife buying. My collection is every knife I own (except a SAK).

One way to find your bearings is to begin by collecting information instead of knives.

I would suggest googling for catalog archives for some of the older makers like Camillus, Schrade and Ulster (among many others). Go back and peruse the patterns from the turn of century, read the descriptions of their intended uses and sort of soak in the tradition of traditionals.

I think it's also worth reading up on the histories of the early US manufacturers. They started in port towns like Providence, RI and New York and then showed up in mill towns in upstate New York and PA. After that, they started moving west to places like Colorado, Michigan and California. In short, their histories follow the growth and expansion of manufacturing in the US.

Some of the vendors you might want to read up on include: Imperial, New York Cutlery, Schrade-Walden, Ulster, Case, Marbles, Western and Buck. IMO, that would give you a basic (not complete) handle on the landscape of American traditionals. If you can stretch to consider European knives, you might dig into Boker, Mora and Opinel to name just a few.

 

[Fanglekai]

Collectorknives.net (a paid BF dealer) is doing a special run of the GEC #85 pattern. There are several cover choices. There's a thread about it on here with pictures or you can go to GEC's site and take a look. You might try out a few GECs before getting into customs. GEC has excellent fit and finish. If you're looking to try out a few patterns you might get some cheap Rough Riders. They're good for helping to decide if you like a pattern or not, and for around $10 each it's cheaper than trying out $80 GECs.

 

[Will Power]

If you're contemplating a Sodbuster or something similar in Micarta, I've a couple of suggestions for you to gnaw on:

Rick Menefee does some very fine work with Micarta, well worth considering. While you're waiting, a prod. Sodbuster that really gets my vote is the Queen Country Cousin. Fine F&F and good thick rounded handles, nice D2 blade with a decent tip on it. They now come in green Micarta too! Not expensive but good quality and above all, pleasing to use.

Regards, Will

 

[Locutus D'Borg]

I've checked out that country cousin. I want to get my M&S in my hands before I make any decisions. I like the queen catalog. I need to check out the GEC.

If you're contemplating a Sodbuster or something similar in Micarta, I've a couple of suggestions for you to gnaw on:

Rick Menefee does some very fine work with Micarta, well worth considering. While you're waiting, a prod. Sodbuster that really gets my vote is the Queen Country Cousin. Fine F&F and good thick rounded handles, nice D2 blade with a decent tip on it. They now come in green Micarta too! Not expensive but good quality and above all, pleasing to use.

Regards, Will

 

[Will Power]

Ok.

Another small knife suggestion for a GEC would be their versatile 25 pattern. Available 1 or 2 blades, Spear, Drop-point,Sheepfoot or Clip primary blade, double bolster or Barehead. The handle range is huge. Stag, Bone smooth or jigged,Woods, Acrylic,Ivories. I like these knives as they are broad bladed but take up little room. If you have hands approximating to Yeti...they may be a bit small for your liking though.