Queen vs GEC

Get the one whose aesthetics you like the best. Both GEC and Queen produce quality knives, though I'd have to give a slight advantage to GEC.

I myself have 1 GEC and 3 Queen-made knives. I own more Queen knives for a simple reason, I just like their looks better. When it comes to choosing what goes in your pocket, that's as good a reason as any.

- Christian
 
Yeah, I definitely buy my knives on aesthetics. I also like to collect a variety of materials. I think I selected the Queen Sodbuster over the other brands precisely because it was D2 steel and I wanted to check that out.

Bill
 
knowtracks said:
My experience has been just the opposite, GEC was the worst manufacture that I've had the displeasure of dealing with. :thumbdn:
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could you share your negative experience with GEC? your post is vague and doesn't explain what your problem with them is...I dont have any GEC knives yet and want to keep myself informed. :):thumbup:
 
thesouthernguitarist said:
Well Im a little screwed, I tend to like the Queen Stockman better than the GEC's but I do not have the skill or equipment to sharpen a Queen :(
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A DMT Aligner Jig set, with 3 stones Course, Fine and Extra Fine will set you back about $45, plus an additional Extra Course
You need no skills to get very good painless results
Most of the work will be with the Extra Course to rebevel the blade
It takes me about 20 minutes per blade
The diamonds do all the work not need to use pressure

You will then have a sharpening jig for years to come

I have both the #49 Cattle King 4 1/4" and the #9 Stockman 4" in D2.
I like D2. I cannot get it crazy sharp, but I get it to a very reliable working edge that stays sharp a long time.
The Amber Bone is a delightful jigging, with lots of pattern to it, but not the abundant choice of GEC jiggings and dyeing.

The Cattle King is a large knife for any sort of work you can imagine
At 4 1/4" it is too big for my pocket and sits comfortablely in a leather belt pouch

The Stockman is a solid work knife still able to sit in your pocket or a belt pouch

I am extremely pleased with both knives and you cannot go wrong with either
 
Robert.B said:
could you share your negative experience with GEC? your post is vague and doesn't explain what your problem with them is...I dont have any GEC knives yet and want to keep myself informed. :):thumbup:
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Yes...I would like to hear this as well...surely this must be a rare occasion?...fill in the gaps for us here knowtracks, all I have heard is nothing but good with this company.
 
I own 8 gec's and one queen (for now)
the queen is awesomely perfect, even sharp and with a well done edge
in my case it came almost good as or better than some GEC's
probably the queen canoe and the CS canittler are very equal

to me both are good,well made witha gteat F&F, take your time own both IMO and you'll be fine, it's part of the collecting/knowledge acquiring

I'm trying to get a few from different brands to understad the differences, there are some

otherwise to me they're similar (ok I love gec's more right now, over all others...)

Maxx
 
My experience in both has been bit mixed back. My second GEC was poorest made excuse for knife. I sent it back and got prime example of GEC's great warranty and its awesome. I have less Queen's but two Dan Burke small Barlow's are excellent fit and finish. Sodbuster has gap but its excellent knife for sub $30 sodbuster. The Queen Canoe is another matter. I got one, it had huge gaps and serious blade play, I could rattle its blade with wrist movement when open. I got another sample from retailer and it had huge gaps everywhere. So I sent it to Queens via friend. He said Queen has made good job fixing it.

But based on my experience: GEC is great and safer as its quality is more stable than Queen which has alot patchiness but its great ones are really great.
 
I've owned examples from both. Although the Queen I had was a beauty, I prefer GEC for its patterns and materials.
 
They both make a fine product, I happen to own both brands. I own a DMT sharpener which is a device that has a course side and a fine side ---and also own a Smith ceramic stick sharpener that holds ceramic sticks in a v formation. Neither one of these cost a lot of money. This combo will sharpen any knife we talk about on this site. It's a matter of consistency of angle and pressure for me, oh and some patience. Once you learn these techniques you won't have any problems sharpening a Queen or GEC. If you can save a little money buy one of each and go to work learning how to sharpen a knife. Heck if I can do it so can you.
 
i prefer the gecs over queen but the queens in the 80s , 90s & early 2000s were the knife to have. gec hit the bricks in 2006 & have been gaining momenthum ever since.my advice to newbies is get a set of dmt diamonds if you really plan on accumulating lots of knives. newer alloys are really getting tough to sharpen with the old oilstone. you can shapen with old equipment but how much is your time & effort worth? no use in making a new hobby drudgery.
dennis
 
Out of over 40 queen knives I own, I have sent one back and that was because it was their top of the line, and it was not acceptable
Of 4 Canal I have sent 3 back
GEC, I only have 3, none sent back
 
Robert.B said:
Yeah GEC know how to sharpen a knife, the Queen you will likely need to completely reprofile the edge...I like queens knives, I own some of them and love their choice of bone and the D2 takes a wicked edge for a long time. But have some good diamond sharpening equipment for the Queen.
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I have 8 GEC knives now and every one came very dull. Most of my Queens came the same way. :)

@ thesouthernguitarist

Both companies make good knives and offer a wide variety of patterns and handle choices. I personally would pick Queen over GEC as I tend to carry smaller patterns and Queen has a better selection that suits me.
 
morrowj_98 said:
I have 8 GEC knives now and every one came very dull. Most of my Queens came the same way. :)
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I've only handled 4 maybe 5 new never been sharpened GEC (at a knife store) and they were pretty sharp, every queen I've handled and owned have been dead dull fresh from the box but I figured a long time ago not to rely on production companies to send you a sharp knife out of the box.
 
If you are terrible at sharpenening the a Queen is a tough go, esp if you buy off the internet. 90% of the time they have a butter knife edge and require reprofiling which is more labor intensive then sharpening. They can come pretty thick at the edge.

GEC's are starting to some dull more and more often these days, but their edge profile is usually OK

If I had to choose I would get the GEC since they usually do not require a major reprofile. Or I would buy a Buck or RR to get a sharp knife, use the heck out of it, and learn to sharpen it..
 
Robert.B said:
I've only handled 4 maybe 5 new never been sharpened GEC (at a knife store) and they were pretty sharp, every queen I've handled and owned have been dead dull fresh from the box but I figured a long time ago not to rely on production companies to send you a sharp knife out of the box.
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You're lucky then I guess. I would love a sharp GEC or Queen out of the box. I guess if I stopped buying production knives because they were not sharp, I'd have a whole lot less GEC and Queen hanging around here. :D
 
My Queens have the most solid and satisfying walk and talk of the production knives I've purchased and the D2 blade steel is wonderful. On the downside, the blade bevels have been steep and the knives not very sharp. After reprofiling/sharpening, they are fantastic! Some are not "size efficient," with the knife being considerably thicker/fatter than it could be.

The GEC knives I've purchased have beautiful and uncommon style, very nice fit and finish, and so-so walk and talk. The blade bevels were very good and the edges decently sharp. I love the variety of interesting patterns and handle materials they offer.

I like both brands and will buy more of them in the future. If you are unsure of your sharpening ability, I think it may be a safer bet to go with a GEC knife.

Stay sharp,
desmobob
 
For the price ranges they are in, it would be a lot more fair to compare GECs to Queen's Schatt & Morgan File & Wire series knives. The F&Ws use ATS-34 stainless, which is very comparable, if not better than, GECs 440C, and they come nicely sharp in my experience. Materials, fit and finish are all a cut above the regular Queen offerings, although the patterns are fewer and tend to be larger knives. The File & Wires are really beautiful knives.

My favorite, a 4-7/8" Daddy Barlow.
DaddyBarlow1.jpg
 
Robert.B said:
could you share your negative experience with GEC? your post is vague and doesn't explain what your problem with them is...I dont have any GEC knives yet and want to keep myself informed. :):thumbup:
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Instead of beating a dead horse here I will take to a PM for you & Duncan. I don't feel this is the place and besides it was well documented here on BFs.

Dave
 
knowtracks said:
Instead of beating a dead horse here I will take to a PM for you & Duncan. I don't feel this is the place and besides it was well documented here on BFs.

Dave
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How about a link to your story, and I promise to tell my Queen story after it is all said and done, which will hopefully be this week.
 
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