WHat Company uses the best Natural Stag for the Traditional slipjoints

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Dec 3, 2013
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153
I love the look of Natural Stag on slip joints, but have been very disappointed in what has been offered.
Is there a one company that stands out with great Real Stag?
 
Agreed, I like GEC's, Burnt Stag anyway.

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For me, it's also GEC, check this thread out of some of the ones I've owned

While I've moved on from them, mainly due to my Chambriards, the stag on them is ok, but not in the same class as some of the GEC's I've had :(

Here's one that had some of the best, plus it was fairly thin but swelled out near the butt of the handle

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G2
 
You are specifying natural stag. I am not sure who, other than GEC, offers natural stag.
All the ones I can think of are burnt, or stained in some way. The Solingen, or Eye Brand knives look sort of natural, but on the whole don't really compare to the GEC.

Of course 'good' stag is so subjective, why don't you tell us who you think has the best?
 
Definitely GEC has some awesome stag. I have a #73 handled in genuine stag, so it would have no shield pinned and the scales wouldn't be burned. I must say it is very beautiful. I wish i knew how to post a pic from my droid phone :(
 
I have yet to own any of GEC's Natural or Genuine variants but the burnt stuff can be beautiful. The old German and English cutlery houses sure had a bead on beautiful stag, but then, so did many of the American companies in that same early 20th century. In the smaller custom realm I will 2nd Ohta on the glorious stag and will add that John Lloyd is perhaps the master of procuring a variety of amazing stuff for whatever knife he's making.
 

Just a note: this one is actually what they called Burnt CSB - which was carved stag bone. It was a bone by Culpepper (before GEC jigged all their own bone) that was jigged to mimic stag.

Grouping is dangerous as I have seen some awful and fantastic stag come one right after the other in the same brand on the same pattern. But Case had a run of "Prime Stag" a few years back - I bought 30-40 of the trappers and 90% of them were absolutely amazing. You never want to take a picture of your best one, then everyone will be disappointed - thus I usually grab 3-4 and unwrap them to take a picture of the middle specimen.

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But GEC has both blown my mind and, from time to time, left me unimpressed with their genuine / natural / burnt stag. But, as a whole, nobody today (that I have experience) puts out a higher percent of really nice stag than GEC.
 
Ohta. Not mass produced, but always outstanding stag.
ohtawclf.jpg

That's a fact, my recent Ohta is gnarly, poppy, black and goes right into the bolster. Not production of course.

GEC impresses me the most by a long chalk. It is true I've had one underwhelming piece from them but I've got a couple with deep valleys/grooves and a load of character.

CASE stag has left me cold, it seems to be largely smooth bone like- but some people like that. I actually prefer their defunct Bonestag 6.5.
 
Best is of course subjective, but GEC would get my vote. That said, I wouldn't buy it sight unseen. When it's good, it's very good typically.
 
GEC in my experience but then most of my knives are GECs. I believe these are fairly normal for GEC, give or take a bit.




But this is in the realm of possibility (JBF Champlin Eureka Jack made by GEC as an SFO)



 
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