Peeve about GEC/Northfield/Tidioute

Different strokes for different folks, but I would like to see more patterns in 440C as well. I personally like the elk stag a lot, so no problems with that as the predominant handle material for 440C knives. One of the biggest drawbacks to stainless blades for me has always been its penchant for persistent wire edges, but GEC's heat treat seems to have aleviated them, at least with my sharpening technique.

Oddly, as it goes against what a lot of other traditional knife lovers have expressed, I don't like the changing nature of patinas; they seem incomplete and wrong to me until completely formed. This is why I force a patina on a carbon knife I intend to carry, so it is nice and even and fully mature from the start.

I believe the reason stated by Bill Howard for the mostly 1095 knives is just that's the way he wants it. Also, 440C is more expensive to use, so you will never have the chance to compare the sales of two identical knives with the different steels at the same price. Just from memory it seems the 440C knives are about 15% more money than the same in 1095.

If GEC are reading this thread as I expect they are, I would love to see a #79 Workhorse two-blade with a clip main and coping of 440C, with the brown micarta handles. I for one would use this knife like a rented mule! And . . . . I'm sure it would take it.
 
STR said:
When Case makes a pattern with a thumb stud and clip and carbon blade it gets by just fine here.
Click to expand...

It may have done so at some time in the past. Not under the current moderators.

edited to add: assuming we saw it. With 300 posts a day, some things get missed.
 
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black mamba said:
...I would love to see a #79 Workhorse two-blade with a clip main and coping of 440C, with the brown micarta handles. I for one would use this knife like a rented mule! And . . . . I'm sure it would take it.
Click to expand...

Rather than add a further tangent to this thread (which could fit into the one I'm about to link to, come to think of it), I just asked you something about the above here. :)

~ P.
 
:D Geeeez I LOVE this place, so much passion about our passion. :D

Have a great weekend everyone.

Best regards

Robin
 
STR,

Some topics in here, I scratch my head about why it's allowed, while others aren't. I think that excluding some knives because they use stainless steel sounds odd though. A one handed opener with bone or wood scales? Naw, it probably doesn't belong here. A custom trapper with super stainless steels and bone scales? Yeah, it can stay.
 
The 420HC scouts were contracted with that steel specifically to save a little money. Bill has never shown any interest in using it on his general runs. On the other hand, as mentioned, because of equipment and other costing the 440c are more expensive to produce than 1095. I don't know the specifics, but have been told this more than once.

Another thing that most dealers have learned, and Bill had to learn the hard way, is that you need to make your own decision on what to produce. That way, you don't have to be mad at someone else if they are a bust; ie. lady legs (he listened to a large retailer and still has them sitting around years later). There is periodically a large calling for some stainless patterns, but when they make it out the door you can hear the crickets chirping. So, you can't much blame the factory for not wanting to stock a few hundred thousand dollars worth of knives in the hopes that someone might like the combinations you made - when there are so many others that are nearly a guaranteed sellout.

If you want to understand the finer points of figuring out what the customers "like" and what they "love"; invest 30-40k of your own money on some sfo's. You kick yourself for not making more of those instant sellouts, and kick yourself WAY harder for those that you are sitting on three years later. And the profit from the first never makes up for the loss on the latter.
 
The business risks for small scale Traditional knife makers must be very big and unpredictable, so I can understand their need to be cautious about releases. Get it badly wrong and you could go under!

Assessing demand for stainless knives can't be easy, just look at CASE threads, loads of people bemoaning the lack of cv models and the plethora of stainless. Whereas, GEC often gets the cosh for not producing enough in stainless. I like GEC's stainless, two of their Cyclops Works knives a 33 Conductor in Burnt Stag and a 68 White Owl in Tan Jigged bone are amongst my most prized knives, and I use them a lot for cutting daily fruits. Yes I would welcome more but perhaps more in popular handles such as stag or bone. GEC seem to have been concentrating on American Elk and American Cherry for many stainless knives, I find these handles to be rather lacklustre, OK it may be a strategy to brand or identify the stainless knives with domestic American material, but I feel they would all sell out fast in conventional jigged or smooth bone as seen on the carbon lines. Keeping the numbers limited/below those of the carbon run would ensure scarcity and keep them sought after but more readily available.

I do think that nearly everybody who has had a GEC Cyclops Works knife has been very pleased with their stainless, it is very nicely done.
 
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