What GECs have the lightest pull?

Looking at some that I have I would put in this order from lightest to strongest; 83, 72, 18, 14, 13, 48, 92, 15, 77, 25, 74, 71,.......73.

The 73 should come with a warning label that says "keep out of reach of children", that bad boy snaps closed like pit bull biting into a steak. For my money the 25 is perfection in motion, it has the beautiful "road runner" close to half stop :). If I was buying my dad a knife and was looking for easy open I would get 14 for small size and a 72 for large size. (both still available new in limited variations).
 
I really appreciate all the input. Thank you! I don't think a lock back is going to be an option. I've seen him struggle with squeezing the lock on a few knives. A slipjoint can be closed using leverage when the hand strength isn't there. I do think a Crown Lifter or Beer Scout might be a great option. The sheepsfoot sticks out enough that you don't really need to use the nick. I'll still probably grab a 48 for myself anyway and I have a Crown Lifter so I'll probably just let him handle both and let him choose.
 
Sadly at 54 I too am already having early signs of arthritis which is forcing me to sell over some GECs. The new Northwoods Fremont and Hawthorns look like a good match since they can be pinched open with not too much trouble.
 
tomsch said:
Sadly at 54 I too am already having early signs of arthritis which is forcing me to sell over some GECs. The new Northwoods Fremont and Hawthorns look like a good match since they can be pinched open with not too much trouble.
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I'm expecting a Michigan in the mail on Monday so we'll see how that one is. That's certainly another option. Though he may not be able to pull it from my hand if I try to give it to him. Not sure my fingers will want to let that one go!
 
tomsch said:
Sadly at 54 I too am already having early signs of arthritis which is forcing me to sell over some GECs. The new Northwoods Fremont and Hawthorns look like a good match since they can be pinched open with not too much trouble.
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I was about to suggest something like that. I don't have a wide plethora of GECs (at least, not nearly as wide as some others here). The only truly difficult pulls I have on any of my GECs are some of the pen blades because there's not very much leverage. The main blade on my 33 Conductor whittler isn't stiff for me, but it's kinda hard to grab on to. The pull on my Bull Noses and Hayn' Helper is stiffer than on my 13 congress or 48 Weasel, but the F&F's are easier to open because I can pinch them. I can pinch open my Weasel, but there's not much to grab on to.
 
I know you mentioned yesterday that you made a decision, but if smaller knives are of interest the 22 has a nice easy pull. I have two of them and they are both right around a 4ish on both blades.
 
videorecipes said:
i have found the #13 and the farm & field #47 hayn' helper to be very light. the gec lockback patterns, too.
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47 Hayn' Helper is indeed very very light. I have two of the two bladed versions and both pull about 2-3. I was shocked at how light the pull is.
 
Ya'll must have a different run of 47 Hay'n Helpers than I do. I have a 2 blade orange, a 2 blade Nifebright, and a single blade Nifebrite. Used to own a single blade orange before I gave it to Rockgolfer. I'd rate the 2 blade ones as a 6 and my single blade as a 5 (if you use a Victorinox ALOX Pioneer/Soldier as a 5 as a base for comparison). It's possible the single blade is slightly lighter than my others because I use it a lot, and rarely use the others. I'd say the pen blades on my 2 blade 47s would be a 7 or even 8. Nail-breaker stiff. Maybe people complained and they lighted the pull on subsequent runs. I don't really carry the 2 blade ones. Not because of the pull, but because they're bricks.
 
The recent 13 series appears to show great variance between the models, Whip, Speaker, Clerk, etc. The Clerk I have, 2 blades one spring has a very firm pull on the master and a really strong one on the minor (and I LIKE a heavy spring) Avoid...;)

As for the 15 Crown Lifter, great knife and a bargain, true the Sheepfoot can be pinched but the crown lifter/screwdriver is a tough one to open...:eek:

14 especially 2 blade Jack offers a thickish handle and moderate pulls.
 
Of the several hundred GECs I've handled, the #72 were the easiest (2-3), followed by the #48s and the #92s (4-5).

The hardest have been the early #73s and #23s (8-9), followed by the #54 Big Jacks and the #78 American Jacks (7-8).
 
My beer scout is an easy pinch pull, while my bullnose is about as tough to open as any knife can be....
 
There can be variations in pull among the same model. For instance I have a Bullnose that has a light pull and had one that was very heavy.

I would suggest to the OP, if there was a particular model he thought his dad would like, add it to his signature line and specify you would like one with a softer pull.
 
My experience pales in comparison to some of the other guys on the porch, but from my collection I've found the 13 whip to be the easiest to open. I would suggest a beer or soda scout, but the secondary bottle opener can be a beast to open on most of them.
 
Thanks again for all the info. At this point I think I'm going to order a 48 and second Crown Lifter. I'll decide which one to give him when I have all three in hand and can compare them. I'm guessing it'll end up being one of the Crown Lifters just based on the combination of medium pull and sheepsfoot that is easy to pinch.
 
I think the 48 is going to prove to be your winner! Well, they're ALL winners for sure but you see my point.
 
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