Who else discovered GEC knives here on BF?

Triton said:
Found out about them here, but don't own any. Also have no plans to acquire one. I do think that the business model that uses artificial scarcity to drive demand a la busse or gec is fascinating.
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I’m not so sure there’s any particular model going on here, it’s not like they’re raising prices over time, they’ve stayed basically the same. It’s just the secondary market where prices have gone nuts. I just think they’re not a large operation and have no interest to grow much more. I could be wrong, but I have no reason to think the scarcity is really artificial aside from flippers buying them up for resale.
 
Found out about them here but came to appreciate them after handling them at BLADE. If I'd have known they'd take off like they did I'd have bought them by the gross to sell later lol. I was attracted to them because they reminded me of the slipjoints I carried as a kid, but better made & nicer materials.

I still have a few - Eureka Jack, Pendleton, Beer Scout, Toothpick, and a French Kate. All the others have been sold over the years. I've been interested in a few others, but they're hard to get & I'm not paying the secondary prices for it.
 
Been around the GEC's for awhile, most of my initial information and buys were from on here. But like many feel, the rat race of buying and selling is just too much. Sold a number of them last year and just sold a few more, including one to the OP. Now I am getting PM's asking if I have more to sell. That alone will keep me from selling anymore for the time being.

I do still try to grab one from time to time, but it will be a knife that I like, not just because it is the latest and greatest.
 
Docscoot said:
I’m not so sure there’s any particular model going on here, it’s not like they’re raising prices over time, they’ve stayed basically the same. It’s just the secondary market where prices have gone nuts. I just think they’re not a large operation and have no interest to grow much more. I could be wrong, but I have no reason to think the scarcity is really artificial aside from flippers buying them up for resale.
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You might be right I have no meaningful insight. I can't help thinking though that one way to guarantee a market is to have a ridiculous secondary market. Busse did just that for years via limited production runs and urgency inducing marketing.

I do think if I was gec I would raise prices a bit. Not to absurd secondary levels (to many others have drunk that kool aid with predictable results) but I would cut into those flipper margins a little...
 
Triton said:
You might be right I have no meaningful insight. I can't help thinking though that one way to guarantee a market is to have a ridiculous secondary market. Busse did just that for years via limited production runs and urgency inducing marketing.

I do think if I was gec I would raise prices a bit. Not to absurd secondary levels (to many others have drunk that kool aid with predictable results) but I would cut into those flipper margins a little...
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Could be right. Sounds like the model that Rolex has perfected :)

Regarding raising prices, there is one vendor where retail prices are just a little higher and the consequence is these knives stick around just a tad longer (minutes, even hours sometimes, instead of seconds!). So maybe a bit of a hike would be good for those of us who still like to get these at retail. Those gec Remingtons stuck around forever at the slightly higher prices even though they were legit full quality gecs.
 
Yep , heard about them here. I used to browse a few dealer's sites and pick up the ones I liked.
Bought mostly stag handled knives and would get one every few months.

Then a few years ago , they were out of stock everywhere, so that ended that...
Bought my last GEC about a year 1/2 ago. I guess the 97 Allegheny pattern in ebony wasn't a huge hit, because I found one in stock while browsing knives.
 
I would buy an ironwood gec if they ever made one of the good patterns with good availability - I have no interest in reselling and trying to buy dozens, they really should allow a max of 2 per address/credit card or something so that more people could get these
 
I see a lot of pictures of them on here. Don't own one and probably never will. Perfectly happy with Case and Buck that a person can actually find.

To me at least, all those artificial "brands" are hokey and off putting.
 
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I found out about GEC when I joined Bladeforums too.

I didn’t buy any until Queen ended up shutting down. My dad is from Titusville PA, and I grew up using my great grandpa’s tiny minute man Queen knife. Left in the tackle box he used to use when he took my dad fishing. The first pocket knife I ever used.

As soon as I heard that Queen Cutlery was gone I figured I should support GEC as much as a could, being the last knife company left in dad’s home town. I snagged a boy’s knife in jigged bone, carry it around the house every day and always take bring it along when fishing or backpacking. Just like my great grandpa did with his Queen Knife (which my dad now proudly carries every day).

I would have more GEC knives if I could actually manage to get them new. But even if I’m not that lucky It’s at least worth it to see so many people supporting them. I hope they’re around for many more generations, great build quality and important to my family.

Once things start to get back to normal me and my dad have been wanting to go visit during their yearly meet up. He reminds me every time he sees my GEC how bad he wants to go :)

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Kevin
 
L.A. Saiga said:
I was introduced to Great Eastern Cutlery knives here on this forum. Who else?
Wowee Where have GECs been all my life? How could I NOT know about Great Eastern Cutlery?!
They are American made, too. That's my favorite part.

86 2 Acorn Barlow and the 92 are my faves

Thanks again, folks
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Sort of. I was posting on the forum before GEC started up. So strictly speaking, I did discover them here on the forum when they appeared and we started talking about them in the Traditional Forum.
 
Ya'll have good taste in knives!
*As much as I like the 86s and the 92s I think my favorite are the larger 23s.
 
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Boattale said:
I see a lot of pictures of them on here. Don't own one and probably never will. Perfectly happy with Case and Buck that a person can actually find.

To me at least, all those artificial "brands" are hokey and off putting.
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GEC is anything but an "artificial brand". In fact, their authenticity is one of the reasons why they're unobtanium. Other reasons include:

1. Unlike virtually everything else, they aren't made in China
2. Overall, they have an excellent fit and finish. Case, for example, couldn't match GEC in their wildest dreams, but then, that's because they're pumping out seven hundred million knives a year or so. Yes, I'm including the Case Boses in that...unless you were able to handpick a good one. But then, a $500 knife should be better than a $115 knife.
3. They're made by master cutlers on old, original machinery, for a company run by another master cutler. Bill Howard has decades of experience in this regard. His leaving Queen Cutlery, and taking their best cutlers with him to start GEC is a major reason why they folded.
4. Their production runs tend to run in the hundreds for each knife (each cover per model), with the problem being that there are thousands of people who want them.

"Artificial brand" is a good way to describe one of the others in this game: Rough Ryder, or Ruff Rider, or however it's spelled.
 
Yep, I first learned of GECs here. That was in 2015, when you could still find less-popular models in stock at dealers months after release.

Preferring stainless meant that I was never squarely inside GEC's wheelhouse, but I loved all of the ones I owned. I sold them all off over the years, mainly because my interest shifted back to modern locking folders, and I'm not sure I see ever getting back into them.

They're lovely knives, but for me and my needs -- and my personal preferences -- they're not worth typical secondary market prices, and my occasional luck of the draw on a new release never coincides with their few-and-far-between stainless models. Fortunately the world is full of great knives, and GEC has a model that seems to ensure their continued financial health. It's all good. :)
 
GEC's usually run around the hundred dollar range...so when they sell for stupid prices second hand, GEC doesn't see that money. I don't know why that's considered a business model. They don't make many because they only have a handful of people and they're the best makers in the traditional game. I like Case too, but it I had a $60 Case in front of me and a $100 GEC, I'd buy the GEC...
 
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