What does S.F.O mean above KnivesShipFree?

Special Factory Order.

Assuming you saw something on the Great Eastern Cutlery Web site, it means that a particular knife was a special factory order placed by an individual or company, and that you need to contact that person or company if you want to buy that knife.

Since this forum is allegedly about discussing the knives and not the ordering process, you might want to mention a knife.

Perhaps you are referring to the #31 Northwoods Norfolk Whittler? Northwoods is a house brand of Knives Ship Free. They are manufactured under contract by whoever Derrick chooses to have make them. GEC, Queen, and Canal Street if I am not mistaken have all made Northwoods knives for KSF.
 
special factory order presumably. Like a custom production run by a company made to a suppliers specifications. The forum knives are sfo's too.
 
jc57 said:
Special Factory Order.

Assuming you saw something on the Great Eastern Cutlery Web site, it means that a particular knife was a special factory order placed by an individual or company, and that you need to contact that person or company if you want to buy that knife.

Since this forum is allegedly about discussing the knives and not the ordering process, you might want to mention a knife.

Perhaps you are referring to the #31 Northwoods Norfolk Whittler? Northwoods is a house brand of Knives Ship Free. They are manufactured under contract by whoever Derrick chooses to have make them. GEC, Queen, and Canal Street if I am not mistaken have all made Northwoods knives for KSF.
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yes i was looking at the norfolk whittler.
 
Waynorth's Barlow knives are SFO's also. See: What makes a Good, Traditional, Barlow?
 
Yes GEC does almost as many SFOs now as Queen did back 15 years ago. Course this makes sense with Bill Howard running things at GEC now and he used to work at Queen.
 
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Between Charlie, Mike, Derrick, STR, our forum, and AAPK they seemed to have put out more SFOs than their own patterns. Good for business certainly - guaranteed sales of the entire run each time.
 
a couple of my sfo's
IMG_7261.JPG


IMG_7774.JPG


GEC has been known to issue its own version of a knife, using the same blade as an SFO, but different handle treatment, such as this non sfo boys knife that used the same blade as the spearpoint Charlow SFO
IMG_6976.JPG


so if an SFO you like becomes unavailable, there is a chance GEC will use the pattern in a house brand with slight variations from the SFO.
for example here is the Diamond Jack SFO
48-Northfield-Diamond-Jack.png


some non sfo GEC 48's that came before the Diamond Jack

481211-dogleg-jack-green-n[1].png


488212-sm-amer-cherry[1].jpg
 
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