Unpopular / unloved newer production traditional knives (GEC, Case, Buck, RR etc.)

calm

calm

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Following on from some discussions / posts here I thought about some GEC knives that sat around dealers websites for a long time, sometimes years before they were sold.

I also remembered the most recent unpopular GEC knife, the 05 keychain knife that, maybe because it was SS, maybe because it was made in larger numbers, maybe because of its size, is still available at some dealers.

https://imgur.com/rJ6XBFW

Each knife should be judged by the popularity of similar models at the time, so a lot of GECs could have been considered unpopular by today's speed of sale but at the time they were as popular as other GEC models. A couple of years ago I bought a 48 Diamond Jack, discounted, as it was on a website for a while...

Some recently unpopular knives were some GEC toothpicks and similarly sized models, the 38
https://imgur.com/UWykPAW
that people said it had a weak spring and the blade was at the wrong side for the frame, as well as the Pemberton (I have no idea, why, maybe it was just a size issue)
https://imgur.com/bKfIaSq

So, what do you think are some unpopular / unloved models of knives of the past 15 years and why were they unpopular (no brand bashing, naturally)?


For reference, I found an older thread that does make some interesting reading on how times change:
 
Buck 110 paperstone also comes to mind, but I could be wrong
 
The GEC #12 Toothpicks and other patterns on the #12 frame were slow sellers when they originally came out. Not sure why, as it is one of my favorite patterns from them.

The various Case knives that were discontinued / put in the "vault" would probably qualify. Case would not have dropped them if they were hot sellers. The full-sized Copperhead and the '25 small Coke bottle jacks come to mind. Those have been re-released recently but I am guessing they originally were not that popular.
 
calm said:
Buck 110 paperstone also comes to mind, but I could be wrong
Click to expand...
I second that! I love mine. Tough lighter knife. I should have bought the 112 also but didn't .
They should have made it in 501 or 503 regular production.
 
I tend to do things the JM2 way. I like what I like.

My wife likes toothpicks. I don’t particularly care for them. My wife likes mini trappers, I like large trappers. She likes the 18 pattern stockman, I prefer square bolsters.

A keychain knife is more a novelty than a real knife to me. I think a classic Swiss Army knife offers the best in usefulness while keeping the size compact.
 
The Buck 300 series. (I 🥰 my two 301's.)
Reason: Many say: "The springs are too soft/light/weak!".
A lack of different cover materials and/or colors is also a fairly common complaint.

Admittedly, the 301 and 303 makes a 91mm SAK "stiff" in comparison, but the 301 and 303's backsprings do their job. The blades don't open in the pocket, nor do the blades flop half closed like a loose friction folder, when the blade is open.

I don't know what the issues with the other recently discontinued 30x knives are/were. They receive/received very little mention in the annals of Blade Forums. Whatever the issues are/were, they were sufficient enough for Buck to discontinue all but the 301 and 303 stockmans.
 
It seems the Buck 101 wasn't the most popular, I guess there weren't too many people looking for a Buck 110 that doesn't fold.
And the Buck 112LT?
The 110LT is still a popular hot seller, but the lightweight 112 didn't last too long.
As far as I know it's discontinued but still in stock some places.
 
It is beginning to look like the GEC 94/49's are not as popular as some others.... as are the 36's..... at least judging from how many of them went for sale immediately after release.....
 
The Case/Bose premium stockman was not a hot seller. Though released in 2018, they were readily available in dealer inventory as recently as six months ago.
 
hornetguy said:
It is beginning to look like the GEC 94/49's are not as popular as some others.... as are the 36's..... at least judging from how many of them went for sale immediately after release.....
Click to expand...

In similar fashion to how quickly the GEC #89 Fruit Knives were snapped up, then immediately flooded the Exchange, Ebay, and AAPK. The 94/49s caught people off guard, I think with how small they ultimately are. We saw the same thing with the #19 Little Wrattlers. The #15s (in their endless variety) seem to be the sweet spot for most on the small-knife front. On the other end of the spectrum, the #36s are giant pocket weights (which I personally love!) which would explain those being sold. The #88 is probably the most exciting knife drop of this year for me at the moment, although the #35 Cattle/Camps are making a really strong case for taking that particular crown!
 
I’m not into GEC knives. I don’t even have one. I just can’t justify the secondary price of the ones I like the look of. When an old timer USA sells for $20 or less, and handles all my needs, why would I? The OTers atleast have some nostalgia for me, as that’s what I grew up on. I’d like a GEC, and perhaps I’ll get one when I find a suitable one. But for me, like my old timers, it’ll be a user to be passed to my youngun one day.

I don’t understand folks that flip knives. Nor flip guns for that matter. But I guess I’ll always be poor since I don’t chase after the dollar. I mostly set on the porch and whittle when I ain’t working.

And while I like case, and carry one daily, I’m reluctant to buy one if I can’t inspect it first. Nor will I pay a premium. They aren’t collectors to me, but users. That said there are several on the want list.

Part of the thing for me is aesthetics. It has to look right to my eye.
 
there have been some complaints of the recent run of 14s softened pull as compared to the 2018 run's stiffer pull. however like previously mentioned, a lot of folks are just buying up models anyway and then just selling it back. Its not like the old days when the actual unpopular models would sit and sit. Flippers are buying every model they can get their hands on to make a buck. I suppose the cure fore high prices will be high prices. The crash is already happening in the secondary watch market slowly, so we will see. Time will tell.
 
JM2 said:
I’m not into GEC knives. I don’t even have one. I just can’t justify the secondary price of the ones I like the look of. When an old timer USA sells for $20 or less, and handles all my needs, why would I? The OTers atleast have some nostalgia for me, as that’s what I grew up on. I’d like a GEC, and perhaps I’ll get one when I find a suitable one. But for me, like my old timers, it’ll be a user to be passed to my youngun one day.

I don’t understand folks that flip knives. Nor flip guns for that matter. But I guess I’ll always be poor since I don’t chase after the dollar. I mostly set on the porch and whittle when I ain’t working.

And while I like case, and carry one daily, I’m reluctant to buy one if I can’t inspect it first. Nor will I pay a premium. They aren’t collectors to me, but users. That said there are several on the want list.

Part of the thing for me is aesthetics. It has to look right to my eye.
Click to expand...

So many collectible items are being flipped these days, not just GEC knives.

If you want to see something ridiculous, check out Blackwing Volumes pencil releases. People are paying $10 or more for a single wooden pencil made within the last couple of years. A box of limited production 12 pencils retails for about $30.
 
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