No Shields

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Thomason

Thomason

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Nov 28, 2002
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I just saw where GEC has decided to go for shield-less stag for 2016. I say hurray. Sometimes a shield may work well on stag but for the most part stag always looked better to me without one. I bet the Rusa unicolor deer in India also like their antlers without shields.
 
:thumbup::thumbup::thumbup::thumbup::thumbup:

I've long resented the knife companies that clutter up a nice stag scale with shields. Very much like having a great view from the vacation cottage with a bill board for Ace tire repair right in the middle of things!

Good on GEC!!
 
Myself, it wouldn't bother me in the least if all knives were shieldless.

...but most people think I'm weird. :D
 
jackknife said:
:thumbup::thumbup::thumbup::thumbup::thumbup:

I've long resented the knife companies that clutter up a nice stag scale with shields. Very much like having a great view from the vacation cottage with a bill board for Ace tire repair right in the middle of things!

Good on GEC!!
Click to expand...

Your analogy cuts cleanly to the heart of things!

I must say I was at first saddened by the news, because I think a shield can add some visual interest. Sometimes it just looks "right." The idea of shieldless stag is growing on me, though. Maybe it's all a matter of what we're used to.
 
Just saw this yesterday. Definitely can see how it could cut time and expense. Not sure how I feel about it aesthetically. The few stag GEC I've owned showed a great deal of workmanship in fitting the shield.
 
Okay, here's a knie that I carried for many years. It's an old Hen and Rooter with stag. Nice old mellow yellow stag. Now, I ask you, who would put a shield in the middle of that expanse of nice old stag? It would just clutter up the landscape in a criminal fashion. Maybe radical, but I am of the opinion that putting a shield in nice stag should be a flogging offense.

14158043077_b051a50809_c.jpg


Okay, maybe that's a little over the top, but not by much. Maybe no more than a half dozen lashes!

:)
 
Carl, I'd be of the opinion that that knife would be improved with the inclusion of a shield. Stag is a beautiful material, but so are a lot of other natural materials. If a shield interferes with the natural beauty of stag, then it does the same to bocote, mammoth ivory, and smooth bone. Why not ditch the shield on those knives as well?

If you read Bill's statement he spells out very clearly that this decision was made based on the fact that it's hard and time consuming to properly place shields into stag. It's a cost saving measure. Maybe I'm radical, but I don't think cutting corners is something to be celebrated. I understand that sometimes it's necessary, but I'm not excited about it.
 
I don't care one way or the other whether GEC puts shields on their stag covers or not. They've been talking about this in the "Lets Talk GEC" thread for the last month and 15-pages or so. A lot of mixed feelings have been expressed there.

Along with leaving the shield off stag knives, GEC has also changed their logo/trademark and markings. on their Great Eastern knives.
 
One of the best aspects of traditional knives is the workmanship and indeed artistry that goes into their construction. Properly fitting a shield into the irregular and unique surface of a stag cover requires a level of expertise that shouts quality to me. While I understand the decision to eliminate the shield for economic reasons, it still smacks of a decline in the very thing that has made GEC products so exceptional. The argument that a shield detracts from the "beauty" of the piece seems dependent upon one's definition of "beauty". For me, "beauty" is defined by the artistic talent that the piece exhibits and the degree of expertise that it declares.
 
I don't think that any knife with quality covers needs a shield! I think they made a good choice:thumbup:
 
revmic said:
One of the best aspects of traditional knives is the workmanship and indeed artistry that goes into their construction. Properly fitting a shield into the irregular and unique surface of a stag cover requires a level of expertise that shouts quality to me. While I understand the decision to eliminate the shield for economic reasons, it still smacks of a decline in the very thing that has made GEC products so exceptional. The argument that a shield detracts from the "beauty" of the piece seems dependent upon one's definition of "beauty". For me, "beauty" is defined by the artistic talent that the piece exhibits and the degree of expertise that it declares.
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There was never a "decision to eliminate the shield for economic reasons". The Shield was eliminated for aesthetic reasons at the discretion of Bill Howard, Owner of GEC.
 
Nice to see another Old Hand resurfacing, shield or no shield Rob!:cool::thumbup:

It all depends on the stag, the pattern, the shield and the owner's taste. As I stated in the GEC thread, I regret the discontinuation of shields on stag. It takes a lot of skill to do it properly so perhaps they lost those key workers?

Regards, Will.
 
rma100 said:
There was never a "decision to eliminate the shield for economic reasons". The Shield was eliminated for aesthetic reasons at the discretion of Bill Howard, Owner of GEC.
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In their marketing material Bill talks about "adding a lot of cost" to affix a shield to a stag knife. You should probably correct him on this. :p
 
The way I read it, it was done for aesthetic reasons with the cost reduction being a "by product". Either way, I personally feel it is an improvement.

There is little uniformity in stag (antler of any kind). They set the shield deep, people complain... they set it slightly proud, people complain... they haft it flush and people complain because some of the bark is removed in the process... leave the shield off, people complain. If there is a way to please everyone with stag, I'm sure every manufacturer and maker out there would like to know what it is.
 
I would have to agree with most here that Stag does not need or even benefit from the addition of a shield. To me shields add to scales that might otherwise look a bit plain without them. Synthetics such as Delrin or Acrylic most often benefit from the addition of a shield as do some of the more subtle wood and bone scales. To me ebony or other blackwood looks good with a shield whereas Zebrawood can stand on it's own.
 
I actually prefer the shields on . The ones that I have bought were well done and I took off the sharp edges myself and am okay with having to do that. I can understand that there are some knives returned because of some people are not happy with them for whatever reasons. There is a cost to put them on and there is a cost with returned product. The total cost of that now can be removed. The winners now are the people who do not like the shields and GEC. For those of us who liked them , we will just have to determine if we want to continue to buy them. We have no say in this other than our pocket books. " It is no fun in being the boss , unless you can be the boss ".

Harry
 
Cory Hess said:
In their marketing material Bill talks about "adding a lot of cost" to affix a shield to a stag knife. You should probably correct him on this. :p
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Actually I did talk to Bill directly about this. While Inletting and Affixing a shield to the Stag covers does add to the cost, that was not the deciding factor for eliminating the Shields on the Stag Knives, as he told me directly.
 
Every company is going to market their products and I do think there is a bit of marketing in their statement. It would be naive to think that a company isn't going to market their products at all. But there is much more transparency at GEC than any other company making knives today. The internet may or may not be able to handle it at all times but in general I think it's been extremely good for knife collectors/users as well as GEC.

There are all sorts of people that visit this forum and buy GEC knives. Some only care about performance, some collect knives and don't use them, some care about tradition and history, some are only interested in resale on the secondary market, etc. You can't please everyone. People will have different preferences. But in general, we have a good idea of what to expect from GEC and it's been very good.

I've already stated my opinion in the "Let's talk about GEC" topic and I don't think we needed a separate topic but... I would buy more GEC knives if they used plain classic shields on their stag knives (as well as their other cover materials) when the patterns traditionally had shields. I will be much more selective of the quality of the stag (which does vary quite a bit) if the knives don't have plain classic shields.

GEC is not the only company to avoid shields on stag. Some of Queen's Tuna Valley Cutlery knives also lack shields. During Queen's troubled years, the quality of the jigged bone went down hill and they started using more wood and smooth bone. Those materials are easier/cheaper to work with. That may or may not have been the reason. No statement was made. There are no regular updates with shop photos on their website. Years ago, Queen knives had some of the best jigged bone and stag covers in the industry. Maybe they will again in the future. I'm hoping the new owners are successful.

Every business has to make practical decisions. GEC has made choices to use set length pins, omit shields on stag, omit text on shields when the cover material is smooth, etc. Some folks may or may not like some of these choices but GEC has been very successful producing high quality knives and there is no company that is discussed more often on this forum.
 
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