It has been an awesome year of collecting GEC and they surely put out many awesome patterns this year. My first score of the year was Charlie’s Sepia Saw Cut Bone Barlow. All the 15 Barlow’s were great and definitely became a favorite but I never got the urge to use one of them yet.
The next pattern I got really excited about this year was the Tascosa Lockback. The first traditional knife I ever had was a small buck Lockback I was gifted by a friend. The 83 pattern hit all the right bells for me so I knew I have to go after as many of them as I could. I really wanted a pair of Bocote’s as a father/son set for when I god willing have a boy one day soon. The extra’s would either be for any other kids god blessed me with as their first knives or quite possibly a gift for my nephew one day when he’s older.
I knew when I had these that it would be my knife of the year or quite possibly my favorite pattern of all time. I didn’t use my Bocote until a few months had passed and when I finally got around to it I reaffirmed my thoughts that this is for sure my favorite pattern. For me, you can’t really know how good a knife is until you carry one in your pocket, use it, and create memories with it! I did exactly that with my Bocote and it’s absolutely one of my favorite knives ever!
Talks about the Bladeforums Barlow had already begun at this point and I was very excited for that knife and I had gotten pretty invested in it by participating in all the threads for it. When GEC announced the 2AB Barlow’s on top of that I knew I had to try and collect them all of course! When I finally managed to collect them all (had to trade for the OD Green 2AB to finish the set) without a doubt I knew the Spring Street Barlow was the best of the run and I was overjoyed to have it in my collection. The Rust Orange Bone was a close second, I really really enjoy this knife but the only nitpick I have on it is that it’s a stainless steel. The carbon steel traditional’s always feel more “traditional to me”
I really enjoyed my BF knife but just didn’t have it in me to use it, I really wanted one for the safe and one to use but we were only allowed one. The BF knife was definitely up there in my short list of favorites for 21’ but the Tascosa won in the end befause it was a knife I used and created memories with it and I donno how I can call a knife I haven’t used a favorite or KOTY.
During the Northwoods drop this year I got really lucky and picked up an Oocee Jack in
, a knife that has been high on my grail list for a long while! So lucky this was one of the stragglers, I put it to use the day it arrived and carried and used it a lot! So much so that I would say it might have beat out the Tascosa! These covers are just so incredible, I absolutely love the variety of color in the bone and I really enjoy having it in the pocket to use and admire.
Through a lot of luck, patience, and just being active on the forums to be in the right place at the right time I was incredibly blessed to have the opportunity to purchase an “S” model forum knife from the extras Charlie was leftover with. Since receiving it on Dec. 7 not a single day has gone by that I haven’t had my “S” forum knife in my pocket, using it every day!
After having the opportunity to carry, use, admire, and create memories with the “S” I can without a doubt say 21’ forum knife is my, “Knife of the Year” and undoubtedly one of my favorite traditional knives of all time. What makes the forum knife most special to me is not how it ended up looking but just the process and the fun I had along the way with everyone here! I have a lot of stunning Knives but not all of them have such a great story like the 2021 Bladeforums knife.
Thank you for a great year GEC, and a big thank you to The Porch for making collecting so enjoyable and worthwhile.
Thank you
Jack Black
for this awesome thread!
Thank you so much for putting so much thought into them, as well as into your final decisions, the prose is excellent, and there are a host of really first rate photos too 
