The Quintessential Coke Bottle Thread (The Patterns, The History, The Experiences)

I am looking forward to your reports Dylan .
I only have one 97 . Of course it is a Stag one . I have seldom ever carried it . In part because I do not have a Slip big enough for it , and I do not carry a Stag that has brass liners and pins unless it is in a slip .



I will probably never know how good a User that it could be , but I do like the knife . It fits in with my meager collection of Northfields very well .

Harry
 
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Old Engineer said:
I am looking forward to your reports Dylan .
I only have one 97 . Of course it is a Stag one . I have seldom ever carried it . In part because I do not have a Slip big enough for it , and I do not carry a Stag that has brass liners and pins .



I will probably never know how good a User that it could be , but I do like the knife . It fits in with my meager collection of Northfields very well .

Harry
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If you contact Mike at Collectors Knives, the Gent that’s arranging our 2020 BFs knife I’m sure he has a slip sheath for your 97 or knows where?
 
This site is pretty much impossible this evening...

Old Engineer said:
I am looking forward to your reports Dylan .
I only have one 97 . Of course it is a Stag one . I have seldom ever carried it . In part because I do not have a Slip big enough for it , and I do not carry a Stag that has brass liners and pins .



I will probably never know how good a User that it could be , but I do like the knife . It fits in with my meager collection of Northfields very well .

Harry
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I would not call your Northfield collection meager, Harry - it's always a treat to see those gems when you share them with us. Superb Stag on that 97, I am finding myself wanting to try and seek one out.

Rhinoknives1 said:
I prefer Single blade folders, Barlow style. The Case Barlow was perfect in size and grip “I have Ape sized hands” I prefer Stainless steels, especially for food work .. I do admit that your 97 looks tempting!
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I took the liberty of taking a comparison pic of the 97 and a Case Barlow. I would agree that a Case is a handy size - I have pretty big mitts myself. The 97 is proving to be a rather admirable carry so far, I am digging it.

BnxvOfq.jpg


EDIT: Amidst all this silly server nonsense, I posted the wrong pic. Fixed now.
 
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Pàdruig said:
This site is pretty much impossible this evening...



I would not call your Northfield collection meager, Harry - it's always a treat to see those gems when you share them with us. Superb Stag on that 97, I am finding myself wanting to try and seek one out.



I took the liberty of taking a comparison pic of the 97 and a Case Barlow. I would agree that a Case is a handy size - I have pretty big mitts myself. The 97 is proving to be a rather admirable carry so far, I am digging it.

R7YtifW.jpg
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I hope that you do find one my friend .

Harry
 
Well, now that the site is working, I can carry on with my further thoughts.

Day #3:

I didn't do much in the way of cutting today. It was a busy work day that had me glued to my multiple monitors and engaging in a few conference calls - exciting stuff, I know. I still had the 97 in my pocket or on my desk so it was a companion of sorts nonetheless.

I thought I might do some comparison pics of some other "big 'uns" and show off how the 97 stacks up to some of the other large slipjoints out there.

From left to right - GEC 97, 23, 21, Queen English Jack (forget the model number), GEC 82, 86

NvLy7Qs.jpg


yaHpd1n.jpg



Now I wouldn't call the 82 or 86 "big 'uns" really but they do tend to be on the larger side for many people and I thought it would be fun to put them in the lineup.

Obviously, the 97 has these guys beat in terms of size but I might even contend that -
  • It has the 23 beat in terms of ease of use
  • It has the 21 beat in terms of ease of carry (the Bull Buster is a bulky boy)
  • It has the English Jack beat in terms of a bit better F&F and a better blade profile (in my opinion, of course)
I feel the other two don't really count in a honest comparison - apples and oranges sort of thing.

I still am very much enjoying the knife and am even contemplating scooping up more variants if they can be found - no better time than now, aside from when they were first released, of course.

I had a wee Pemberton close by as well. A Coke Bottle of the wee sort.

YxgmsME.jpg



Sláinte!

HY7x9Xn.jpg
 
I posted on the patina thread earlier, but by the pics here it seems like an apt question.

I usually cut the peel off a lime in the morning for my smoothie. By the time I’m done prepping I’ve got lime juice more places than not.

Who washes their whole knife after food prep with dish soap and water? Any special actions for drying out your blade well?

The 97 experiment has got my interest!
 
Peter Cho said:
I posted on the patina thread earlier, but by the pics here it seems like an apt question.

I usually cut the peel off a lime in the morning for my smoothie. By the time I’m done prepping I’ve got lime juice more places than not.

Who washes their whole knife after food prep with dish soap and water? Any special actions for drying out your blade well?
Click to expand...

It depends on where I am at.

If I am outside, I usually just wipe the blade down with my handkerchief and make a mental note to give it a good rinse afterwards. If I am near the kitchen and have only been using it on fruits and veggies, I will rinse it in the sink with very hot water and then dry with paper towel (you can fold it once or twice into a point and that will usually do the trick for drying your blade well). If you keep your joints oiled, then using really hot water generally helps expedite the drying. I'll use a touch of dish soap if I've used the knife on something oily or greasy.

I usually make a point to try and not get the joints gummed up but sometime it is simply unavoidable. Drying it thoroughly and then applying a drop of mineral oil if needed usually does the trick for me after a rinse.
 
I'm glad to see you're enjoying the knife, Dylan! I have four or five myself, and they are all beautiful in their own ways, and you can't really go wrong with any of them.
 
Quiet said:
I'm glad to see you're enjoying the knife, Dylan! I have four or five myself, and they are all beautiful in their own ways, and you can't really go wrong with any of them.
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I'll be honest, I am still a bit put off by the saber grind on the Northfields. However, I've been digging through the history of the pattern today (more on that later) and I've come across plenty of vintage examples where not only is the saber grind common, the double pulls are as well.

I think I might try to get a Northfield here soon and add it to this exercise.
 
This is a Day 4 post (meant for yesterday).

The 97 continues to be a joy to carry, fondle, and use throughout the day. I took it with me out to my garden, accompanied by a lambsfoot as well, to inspect the produce. My blackberry berm has been a good producer so far and my tomatoes and zucchini are doing awesome (hard to mess those up...). The yellow raspberries are coming along ok - not a lot of fruit yet but I did only plant them this last spring. My apple trees (also planted this spring) - a honeycrisp and a mutsu - have a bunch of apples on them too. I didn't think I would have any on these saplings so soon after planting. I picked a few off of my Honeycrisp to lessen the strain on the branches and had one with my breakfast - I can't wait for these trees to mature in the coming years.

Later in the evening, I hung out with a good friend of mine like we do every Thursday and enjoyed a couple of bottles of wine and enjoyed a few movies. He had never seen the Ip Man movies so we watched 1-3 and will watch the most recent 4th one next week. The 97 did a great job at removing the capsules from the wine bottles - having a nice point on a relatively large blade makes for a pretty versatile tool when finer work is required.

In any case, my resolve hasn't wavered yet with regards to my exercise and I am looking forward to what each day brings me. Today is my 16th wedding anniversary so my wife and I will be going out to a Japanese Steakhouse for steak and sushi - I think I will bring the 97 along.

00dGOR8.jpg


tcgWt6L.jpg


Amp4ZG6.jpg
 
Pàdruig said:
This is a Day 4 post (meant for yesterday).

The 97 continues to be a joy to carry, fondle, and use throughout the day. I took it with me out to my garden, accompanied by a lambsfoot as well, to inspect the produce. My blackberry berm has been a good producer so far and my tomatoes and zucchini are doing awesome (hard to mess those up...). The yellow raspberries are coming along ok - not a lot of fruit yet but I did only plant them this last spring. My apple trees (also planted this spring) - a honeycrisp and a mutsu - have a bunch of apples on them too. I didn't think I would have any on these saplings so soon after planting. I picked a few off of my Honeycrisp to lessen the strain on the branches and had one with my breakfast - I can't wait for these trees to mature in the coming years.

Later in the evening, I hung out with a good friend of mine like we do every Thursday and enjoyed a couple of bottles of wine and enjoyed a few movies. He had never seen the Ip Man movies so we watched 1-3 and will watch the most recent 4th one next week. The 97 did a great job at removing the capsules from the wine bottles - having a nice point on a relatively large blade makes for a pretty versatile tool when finer work is required.

In any case, my resolve hasn't wavered yet with regards to my exercise and I am looking forward to what each day brings me. Today is my 16th wedding anniversary so my wife and I will be going out to a Japanese Steakhouse for steak and sushi - I think I will bring the 97 along.

00dGOR8.jpg


tcgWt6L.jpg


Amp4ZG6.jpg
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Happy Anniversary, Dylan.
 
I was perusing the original GEC 97 thread and I came across this quote of mine. It seemed that I had some stuff to say about the originals that I came across at the Oregon Knife Show - I had more observations than I remember.

Interestingly enough, I also had a more favorable opinion of the 97 after its initial release - I certainly soured on it later. This exercise is making me rethink a lot of things. I think that is a good thing.

Pàdruig said:
I spent a LOT of time wandering the tables of the Oregon Knife Show this last weekend and I attempted to handle any old Coke Bottle that I came across (there were many).

Some of the things I noted:
  • This pattern was used hard. All of the examples I came across were heavily sharpened, had broken or cracked covers, and missing bails (for the ones that had them originally).
  • Every single one of them had a lighter pull, very few had any blade play though. So, either hard use loosened the pivot some or they simply did not get made with heavy pulls.
  • It was fun to see a lot of the details that GEC incorporated in their version that came from the older examples. Saber ground blades, long pulls (some of them match strike even), dark wood covers. I also came across a couple lockback versions and one with a swing guard.
It was a neat experience and I am very happy to have the opportunity to own one made by GEC. I think they made a fine example.

It was entertaining to talk to Chris from GEC though. She seemed almost exasperated and most definitely surprised that they received such a massive order of these 97s, 5000+.
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Happy Anniversary, to you and your Mate, Dylan!!;) @Padruig
Thanks for this thread!! I have wondered what it would be like to carry a large Coke Bottle!!?!!:rolleyes: I have always shied away from them, old and new, because I think of them as hunting and "deep woods" knives, I guess. And I usually seem to settle on Lambfoot to Barlow sizes for my pocket, especially as I age a bit!!:D
I can see how a flat grind would suit much better than the Sabers for food applications!!
I have gathered up some Safe Queens, but have never carried one! I admit to preferring hard pulls also, like the few old ones I still have hanging around, but these GECs are beauties!!
Thanks for sharing your experience using one, Dylan!!:thumbsup:GEC Grp 1.jpg GEC Grp 2.jpg GEC Grp 3.jpg
 
This thread has inspired me to drop the 97 in the pocket today. I usually just use it at home for food prep but now my 23 might be taking over that responsibility so I might look to give the 97 some pocket time once in a while.
 
Pàdruig said:
Well, now that the site is working, I can carry on with my further thoughts.

Day #3:

I didn't do much in the way of cutting today. It was a busy work day that had me glued to my multiple monitors and engaging in a few conference calls - exciting stuff, I know. I still had the 97 in my pocket or on my desk so it was a companion of sorts nonetheless.

I thought I might do some comparison pics of some other "big 'uns" and show off how the 97 stacks up to some of the other large slipjoints out there.

From left to right - GEC 97, 23, 21, Queen English Jack (forget the model number), GEC 82, 86

NvLy7Qs.jpg


yaHpd1n.jpg



Now I wouldn't call the 82 or 86 "big 'uns" really but they do tend to be on the larger side for many people and I thought it would be fun to put them in the lineup.

Obviously, the 97 has these guys beat in terms of size but I might even contend that -
  • It has the 23 beat in terms of ease of use
  • It has the 21 beat in terms of ease of carry (the Bull Buster is a bulky boy)
  • It has the English Jack beat in terms of a bit better F&F and a better blade profile (in my opinion, of course)
I feel the other two don't really count in a honest comparison - apples and oranges sort of thing.

I still am very much enjoying the knife and am even contemplating scooping up more variants if they can be found - no better time than now, aside from when they were first released, of course.

I had a wee Pemberton close by as well. A Coke Bottle of the wee sort.

YxgmsME.jpg



Sláinte!

HY7x9Xn.jpg
Click to expand...


I really hate to admit it but I found recently that I too have the same elderberry #82 in my little box of knives - I really like it - particularly after seeing your photo of it in this post! (the cigar looks real good too)
 
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