Should I or Shouldn't I? 2012 GEC BF Knife

[STDK]

I will begin by saying I do not own any GEC knives, but to me buying a knife with dull blades is like buying a New car with a flat tire. Sure it is an easy fix but one I wouldn't want to do. I enjoy sharpening my used knives but I expect a new knife to come with an acceptable edge.

 

[neeman]

For a knife with no gaps, perfect pin seating, flush and clean bolsters, thin grinds, crisp corners and drawn/cut swedges, unique well done jigged bone $115 is extremely cheap for what you're getting.

Actually $115 is not cheap for a bone scaled production knife
(incidentally that can be purchased online for $100)

And in this price point, there are no favors by the manufacturer to come to these qualities you have correctly described

And also working sharp

 

[Jack Black]

There's a lot of things that make a good knife and a lot that make a bad knife. To me construction is more important then whether a knife has a decent edge but... IMO there just isn't any excuse for a new knife, especially one that costs in the neighborhood of 100.00, to come with a dull blade.

A knife is meant to cut things...The issue is knives should be able to cut out of the box...It's hard to believe knife enthusiasts accept that it's ok for knives to arrive completely butter knife dull.

Considering that the primary purpose of a knife is to cut, in my opinion, it is shocking that most of us are so used to receiving new knives with dull edges that we just shrug about it. Most of us are capable of putting a decent edge on a knife, assuming it is made from decent steel and has decent HT, so why can't manufacturers manage it? I wouldn't send this knife back, but I still think that (unless specified) it should always be unacceptable for knives to be sent out with blunt edges.

I will begin by saying I do not own any GEC knives, but to me buying a knife with dull blades is like buying a New car with a flat tire. Sure it is an easy fix but one I wouldn't want to do. I enjoy sharpening my used knives but I expect a new knife to come with an acceptable edge.

Good analogy.

 

[Modoc ED]

My main reason for not sending the knife back to GEC is because the knife can't be replaced should it get lost in the mail and like I said earlier; "things do get lost in the mail". That being my stance there is only the option of sharpening it yourself. Sharpen it an an angle of 20º to 25º and the 1095 steel should sharpen right up. Be careful and you should end up with no scratches on the blade.

 

[22-rimfire]

Hmm, actually turned out to be an interesting thread. I do feel folks cut GEC more slack than they might other manufacturers. Shouldn't be that way. But I am going to re-do the edge with a bench stone and I am going to use some 3M painters tape (good stuff and most other brands suck). I am going to use the knife. I just don't need another knife that just sets and gets looked at twice a year. It isn't like it's a NIB Colt Python or Colt Diamondback where the decision likely impacts it by substantial dollars.

I hope GEC sees this thread and I believe they will. They aren't idiots. Note to GEC... send new knife and I will spread the love!

 

[Fanglekai]

My main reason for not sending the knife back to GEC is because the knife can't be replaced should it get lost in the mail and like I said earlier; "things do get lost in the mail". That being my stance there is only the option of sharpening it yourself. Sharpen it an an angle of 20º to 25º and the 1095 steel should sharpen right up. Be careful and you should end up with no scratches on the blade.

Exactly. These knives aren't replaceable so it's not as easy as "yeah just send it in". In this case the OP is left with sharpening it himself or finding someone else to sharpen it.

I know a lot of people find other aspects more important than OOTB sharpness, but I don't think we should give manufacturers a pass.

If you want the perks of a custom we have a plethora of amazing craftsmen on this forum who I'm sure could make you a knife in the $400 - $1500 price range with everything you may require. They slipped up and some were sent out dull which if its that big a concern i'm sure you can send it in and have them grind it, mine wasn't dull but it wasn't refined, no GEC knife (or other production knife I've ever owned) will be because its up to the owner to put those hair popping edges that do require time. We can agree on a basic working edge, they slipped up there, but its not a deal breaker and if you use your knives as they're made for then your edge wont last forever.

PS. 3M make great masking tapes to protect the blades finish if you're concerned by scratches.

Oh, the old "spend more" argument.

First off I do not think anyone should have to spend $400-1500 on a custom knife to get a blade that will open a letter right out of the box or at the least give a minor cut because it's acceptably sharp. That idea is offensive and, frankly, ridiculous. No one should have to spend $400 or more on a knife to get one that will actually cut things out of the box. $400-1500 is a lot of money. Anyone who thinks that isn't a lot of money to spend on a knife needs to spend some time away from bladeforums. Most people will not even spend a fraction of this amount on cutlery in their entire lives.

Second, spending more doesn't make all the problems go away. Too often I see people saying "spend more to get quality." I've been around here long enough to read plenty of posts from people who get custom knives that aren't that sharp. I've read plenty of posts from people who bought expensive knives that have flaws. Expensive knives aren't always perfect. Spending more doesn't automatically make the problems go away.

Third, GEC is supposed to be one of the manufacturers that puts out a quality product. They do not put out cheap knives. Their value line knives are $50. That's their value line. If you tell any non-knife nut person you spent even $50 on a knife they'd look at you like you're crazy. Tell them you spent $115 on a knife and it won't even cut anything out of the box and see their reaction. People on the forums constantly say "oh you should spend more or get ______brand instead". GEC is one of the most expensive production slipjoint makers out there. They're supposed to be putting out a quality product that you should not have to mess with out of the box. If I wanted to get knives that I had to fix out of the box I'd buy cheap $5 ones and not spend $115 on an expensive production slipjoint from GEC.

 

[knarfeng]

I am a little confused about the responses

When Queen market a $50 knife with poor factory grinds, there is a lot of flak
When GEC market a $120 knife with poor factory grind, there is a lot of suck it in and sharpen it yourself

Can't speak for anyone else, but at least from my perspective it comes from almost every Queen knife I've bought having terrible obtuse edge grinds, versus the vast majority of GECs having reasonable working edges. I can be more forgiving of a quality escape than I can be of a uniformly poor production standard.

 

[Ernie1980]

For 115, I got a knife that has very good fit and finish. The back is smooth and flush, and the liners and scales match up well. There is no gap in the shield and the jigging was done well. (though I think asymmetrical would have been better) also, BOTH blades are perfectly centered. All of the things I just described can not be fixed by me. However, the blades came a little dull. But.....that can be fixed by me. I will take that trade. This was not a 400$ custom.

 

[Thalestin]

I also think a knife should be useable out of the box. It doesn't have to be perfect and make me bleed just by looking at it, but it should be sharp.

I felt this was a warranty issue, but I was thinking that maybe I was being a bit too picky about things. I got both kinds of responses. But what I wasn't sure about is what experiences other folks here had with their BF knife and my impression is that there aren't many complaints about GEC knives in general. Any factory can produce a dud. Same with guns.

I bought it to use, but have some reservations about that. On the other hand, I am no knife collector and if unused, it will just sit in the tube for the next um-teen years with me picking it up every now and then.... ooh, nice knife.... I have considered just buying another one when they hit the shelves and sharpen and use the crap out of it. Yep... I'm torn. It is only money.

I don't expect custom knife quality from a factory knife, but as Fanglekai said, $115 is not a cheap folder knife. So, yes... I'm torn. If it were a Spyderco, I would have just sent it back to the factory and moved on. But this is the 2012 Traditional BF knife!

My favorite GEC is the #36 so far. I just love this big knife. My burnt stag Ben Hogan is right up there too! Lovely knife.

I don't think many here complain about edges simply because most traditional knife users know hoe to sharpen knives easily enough. It is annoying for sure but not enough for most of us to dislike a knife. If my knife were to have a single flaw, the edge would be it every time. You seem really upset over the edge, just give gec a call and get them to clean it up if you don't have the tools yourself. Even if you do end up sharpening it yourself, throwing a email at gec could make it known that their edges need some more attention. If none of this is satisfactory (as it seems to me in your case) I would just flip the knife and spend your money with the brands you like. Lots of people like gec but they are not for everyone.

 

[Thalestin]

Oh another point I think is important to add. If you buy online you skip out of paying a premium for knives. A knife like the 2012 forum knife would likely be close to 200 bucks or more in a brick and mortar store. If you are extremely picky for whatever issue pay that premium. You are saving big dollars buying online and once in a while you don't get exactly what you want. This goes with almost any product.

The car analogy isn't all that good because you don't buy your car online and secondly cars often develop problems quickly after being driven off the lot. Like knives this is usually covered under warranty but is still a hassle

 

[pertinux]

First off I do not think anyone should have to spend $400-1500 on a custom knife to get a blade that will open a letter right out of the box...

... because anyone who has seen a new Rough Rider, some for $10 and under shipped, knows that they tend to arrive scary sharp.

I can be more forgiving of a quality escape than I can be of a uniformly poor production standard.

Well-said.

~ P.

 

[22-rimfire]

I don't think many here complain about edges simply because most traditional knife users know hoe to sharpen knives easily enough. It is annoying for sure but not enough for most of us to dislike a knife. If my knife were to have a single flaw, the edge would be it every time. You seem really upset over the edge, just give gec a call and get them to clean it up if you don't have the tools yourself. Even if you do end up sharpening it yourself, throwing a email at gec could make it known that their edges need some more attention. If none of this is satisfactory (as it seems to me in your case) I would just flip the knife and spend your money with the brands you like. Lots of people like gec but they are not for everyone.

(Underlines added) Don't know if you followed this thread. I'm not upset. If I got upset over every $100 I spent in my life for nothing, I would be upset all the time. But I have no problem at all re-profiling or sharpening knives. I resist profiling a new knife out of my sense of what product quality should be, but I can still do it. Yes, I have scratched up the side of blades re-profiling as I tend to do knife sharpening as something I do when I watch TV or something (hence attention lapses to angles). I really like GEC's products or at least the patterns that appeal to me. Not so impressed with the "french lady slipper" or whatever it's called.

 

[Thalestin]

(Underlines added) Don't know if you followed this thread. I'm not upset. If I got upset over every $100 I spent in my life for nothing, I would be upset all the time. But I have no problem at all re-profiling or sharpening knives. I resist profiling a new knife out of my sense of what product quality should be, but I can still do it. Yes, I have scratched up the side of blades re-profiling as I tend to do knife sharpening as something I do when I watch TV or something (hence attention lapses to angles). I really like GEC's products or at least the patterns that appeal to me. Not so impressed with the "french lady slipper" or whatever it's called.

I agree with you on the French Kate haha. I think that one was a flop for sure . As I said in my previous post having to reprofile is annoying. Sorry about the upset remark, sometimes tough to tell with just written text

Have a great new year

 

[Robert.B]

Oh, the old "spend more" argument.

Its true if you are expecting perfection for a Benjamin.

 

[neeman]

Can't speak for anyone else, but at least from my perspective it comes from almost every Queen knife I've bought having terrible obtuse edge grinds, versus the vast majority of GECs having reasonable working edges. I can be more forgiving of a quality escape than I can be of a uniformly poor production standard.

Frank,

My luck with Queen (don't know why) has been consistantly acceptable factory grinds
(with the exception of the Queen City $35 Economy line)

S&M all good grinds
And all the few GECs have been good grinds

 

[cnas122]

Without reading all of the posts.....if you may not use it, why do you care if it has a sharp blade? If you are going to use it, why do you care if you scratch it on re profile?

 

[black mamba]

There has been some discussion of this in the past, but some "collectible" knives have purposely come with dull edges so the collector could prove it was unused and uncarried when selling at a later time, since nobody would carry it without sharpening it first. I think GECs should come with sharp edges ready for use, but unfortunately sometimes they don't. They are more uniformly sharp than they used to be, and the edge bevels are usually thin enough that reprofiling is not necessary, just some sharpening and stropping makes them good. I think it is an area where they can and should improve, and their past efforts in responding to consumer concerns leads me to believe they will. In the meantime, send it back or enjoy putting on the edge you want yourself.

 

[22-rimfire]

Without reading all of the posts.....if you may not use it, why do you care if it has a sharp blade? If you are going to use it, why do you care if you scratch it on re profile?

Sigh......

 

[PaulBosley]

I read all the posts the original question was should I send it back or reprofile myself. And a question about GEC customer service. You got answers to all those questions but there is another even better option. You could send it to me and I will get it hair popping sharp no problem. I might even send it back someday, maybe I'd put it in my last will and testament " send that BF Knife Back" my kids like knives too though and they don't always listen very well... Still your best option in my opinion though!!! I won't hold my breath. Just saying...

 

[akadave2]

(Underlines added) Don't know if you followed this thread. I'm not upset. If I got upset over every $100 I spent in my life for nothing, I would be upset all the time. But I have no problem at all re-profiling or sharpening knives. I resist profiling a new knife out of my sense of what product quality should be, but I can still do it. Yes, I have scratched up the side of blades re-profiling as I tend to do knife sharpening as something I do when I watch TV or something (hence attention lapses to angles). I really like GEC's products or at least the patterns that appeal to me. Not so impressed with the "french lady slipper" or whatever it's called.

Im not very good free hand so I always reprofile with my Lansky Diamond sharepening kit. Does a great job and prevents scratching up the blade. Once I go through all the grades of stoned in the Diamond kit (I even have the sapphire polish stone) I think use my Spyderco Sharpmaker and then strop. Works everytime and no scratches or wierd edge geometry.