The upcoming, anticipated, way-too-excited GEC 85's Thread!

btb01 said:
Just got mine in the mail, and I'm really happy with it! The jigged bone is beautiful, and the F&F is top notch! This is my first #85, and I have to admit I was always a little unsure about the somewhat bulbous looking spear point - and in person, it certainly is rather bulbous - but I really do like it. The swedge is great, I love the long pull, and the blade is nice and thin behind the edge (much more so than other GEC spear points I have). It's quite a looker!

6905BCD8-A8AF-42FE-AA30-8D7C0D7A2BB5.jpg


C0548F66-88A5-447C-A9E6-1EE37F7280D9.jpg
Click to expand...

Every time I see one of the Yellow Jigged Bone , I wish that I would have also ordered one of them . Great pictures too Barrett.

Harry
 
I am also regretting not getting the yellow jigged bone. Very happy with my micarta and polished stag.
 
Kitten Party said:
So, I am pretty happy with mine but im kinda bummed out that there is a crack in the bone leading into the bolster. I can feel it when I run my finger across it and its fairly noticeable ( I saw it within a minute of taking the knife out)...I dont really want to return it because I want the knife but its something I haven't experienced with a GEC before.
Click to expand...

Can't PM you due to issues with your inbox. Call me.
 
I'm very happy with the three I got today! The Polished Stag has a lot of character. The black veins stand out against the cream colored polished background and makes it striking looking (to me). The stag is even thickness on both sides and slimmer compared to the Natural Stag I've seen posted today. It feels a bit heavier that the Smooth Autumn Gold and Bloodwood. The Smooth Autumn Gold has a white stripe in the covers that's matched to both sides. When I saw that these were not turning out as dark as I thought I was disappointed, but this one looks great. I particularly like the white stripe that's matched on each side - I got lucky with that.. usually on a color variation like that it doesn't match on 99.9% of the knives I have. The Bloodwood has a three dimensional look to it that is not going to show up in pictures. As I turn the knife it looks like it has two layers and the top layer is sliding across the bottom. This is my first Bloodwood knife so I don't know if this is common... I guess maybe it's better explained as having depth in the grain. No issues with any of the knives bottoming out on the spring. They are sharp and centered.







 
Last edited:
I bought two hard working micarta models for myself, a single blade and a double, along with a smooth bone double for my father-in-law. The only problem was with the 2-blade micarta. It had a slightly loose pivot, my first pivot from GEC that was anything less than perfect. I took it to the workbench and tightened it right up. The pivot pin shows a tad still, but this one was intended to be a user anyway, so no big deal. I really wished I'd gotten the jigged bone instead of the smooth bone. That jigged bone is gorgeous!!!

Love the fat spear blade. Love the coping blade. Love the EO notch. Love the light weight in comparison to my 2-blade micarta 77 barlow. The 2-blade 85 is somewhat similar to the 2-blade 77, but far more gentlemanly and refined. I'm honestly not sure which one I prefer. Both are awesome.

BkRDGqHh.jpg

NhVgrmrh.jpg

Dt3xhn7h.jpg

nTJmIbch.jpg

cWSp54Sh.jpg
 
Buzzbait, that smooth bone looks great! I bet your father-in-law will love it!
 
Just got in my Micarta and Bloodwood Scandi. These things are AWESOME! The Micarta is finished in a way to make it a real working knife. The Bloodwood has a "depth" to the wood that I've never seen on a knife before (I've heard this effect called "figure). The Micarta appears to be finished to a satin finish all over while the Bloodwood is finished in a nice polish all over. I think I'm going to keep the micarta as a work knife and try to trade the Bloodwood for a Yellow Jigged. Some real beauties in this thread!





 
Last edited:
Received mine today and I am very happy. I really like the match strike long pulls, these are my first. I also love the non-polished, sterile blade finish and the matte finish that GEC puts on the bolsters of the micarta knives. Those of you with the smooth bone, wow do they look even better in user photos. Oh and the scabre is really nice, but, I still find it factory dull, no big deal, but, someone asked.
My new 85s with a 2013.
13b2d1451d6849d278420e667c3e6eb3.jpg
 
I absolutely love mine. Not my first GEC, not my first unused GEC, but it is my first factory fresh GEC. I ordered the knife because I love the aesthetics and love the blade combo and intended to use it. My only regret is not ordering two, maybe the other in the bone. I'm grabbing something off of the exchange every week it seems, and I will have a Beagle to pay for sometime soon so I played it safe. I want to carry it, but at least for now I can't bring myself to do it. If I see a nice used one come up I will be all over it. Especially if it is in ebony.

BTW, this is for Mike- We all know that GEC turns out really nice knives all the time, but I wanted to say thank you for this. This run is a memorable stand out.
 
I got my flat ground single blade in antique yellow today. As far as GEC's fit and finish go, the knife is stellar. Super sharp, no blade slap on the back spring, blade is centered, shield is flush (with jigged bone, you'll always feel an edge somewhere, but it's flush), and there are absolutely no gaps anywhere. This knife is what I call watertight. I can hold it up to a light and nothing shines through from any angle.

My personal opinions differ..... I wish I had gotten a 2 blade. My other 2 blades just fill my hand better. The single on this particular frame just seems too small and thin. Also, I'm not a huge fan of the EO notch. On a bigger frame it might fit my hand better. I wonder if the EO notches are popular because people don't have finger nails? My last gripe is that I wish the blades were mirror finished.

Mike, you did an outstanding job on these. I suppose it's just not quite my style, but the knife I received is stellar. Pics coming soon.
 
That's kind of funny about the mirror polish. I was looking at my older one and thinking I was glad they didn't mirror polish this one.
 
tdkfm said:
That's kind of funny about the mirror polish. I was looking at my older one and thinking I was glad they didn't mirror polish this one.
Click to expand...

To each his own, but, I agree with you. My older 85 is a finger print magnet and I just like the matte finish better.
 
draggat said:
. Also, I'm not a huge fan of the EO notch. .... I wonder if the EO notches are popular because people don't have finger nails? My last gripe is that I wish the blades were mirror finished. .
Click to expand...

Surprisingly I see many forum folks asking for a "pinchable" blade, so I suppose I'm blessed with good fingernails.

I'm a huge fan of the #85 & other makers teardrop frame styles, be it an EZ opener or not. These turned out great IMO.

To the best of my knowledge Mike's SFOs have always been satin finished w' no blade etches.
 
Last edited:
Both the flat ground and sabre ground blades I received were able to shave hair off mah belly!

Certainly 2 of the sharpest edges from GEC "right outta the tube" that I have ever experienced.
 
Well I received mine like just about everyone else....these are excellent! The action is much more crisp on these than the other GEC's I've been getting. Very nice pulls with real positive half and full stops. The autumn bone came out wonderful I think. The only one I'm not crazy about is the Antique Yellow. The color just seems off for me this time around although it still looks very nice.

If anyone was wondering who got the stag cover model....it was me!!!!





 
Oh you dog - I wanted that GEC cover stag so bad lol. Congratulations!

You don't like your jigged bone so much you didn't even do a group shot?
 
Well next time I am going to have to pay for rush shipping so I don't have to sit around and look at all of your CE&CF pics empty handed!
 
Jake, Congrats on the score. I would head over to staples or some other photo place and print a copy of that and hang it in my shop.

I like to tell myself that I got the micarta cover model, everyone else is just holding a copy!

Lol, good score.
-------
My micarta was able to shave hair with the belly, not the flat or the tip so much. Much thinner behind the edge than my other GECs, a definite plus!

Great job Mike!
Any idea if there will be any future runs, or if this will be picked back up by GEC?
Just trying to get a feel for the volume in the works. If this is it, I am going to keep my bloodwood as a spare.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top