GEC #89 Fruit Knife...well, that was a surprise!

I really Iike some of the GEC acrylics. Like some others, I prefer the older seamless dead skunk pattern to the newer version. The 85 I bought a couple of months back has the seam (still a good looking knife).

In an effort to obtain a knife without seams, I prayed to the knife gods a few posts back that they might deliver to me a nicely built 89 with seamless apples and oranges covers. One of them replied. Amen.

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Pàdruig said:
This is a pattern that held little interest to me but I’m happy that I didn’t let it pass me by. Mine in Chestnut arrived today - it is slim, elegant, and feels great in hand despite being so slender. That long, thin blade is going to be quite useful, I think.

That said, it is not GEC’s best effort. The back spring is slightly proud when open and slightly recessed with closed, the tip is a hair proud, it’s a bit off-center, and the blade is one of the dullest I’ve ever received from GEC. None of these are deal breakers for me though and I’m rather happy to have an 89 and some GEC stainless in the collection.


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Beautiful example, Dylan. I'm liking the pattern on that. I'll need to post up a shot of mine later today. I have to say that it's somewhat confusing how many issues folks are reporting with this model, since it's directly following the 38 EWs, which were a homerun by all accounts. Both of mine are absolutely perfect, so these 89s showing up with blade rap or proud tips is puzzling.
 
Quiet said:
Beautiful example, Dylan. I'm liking the pattern on that. I'll need to post up a shot of mine later today. I have to say that it's somewhat confusing how many issues folks are reporting with this model, since it's directly following the 38 EWs, which were a homerun by all accounts. Both of mine are absolutely perfect, so these 89s showing up with blade rap or proud tips is puzzling.
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Thank you, Forrest. It is a wee bit odd, isn't it? The 38s were pretty darned near perfect. The issues on mine are simply me nit picking and do not, in any way, affect the function or even the aesthetics really. I am happy that I don't have blade rap on mine though, that is something that tends to irk me over all other issues.
 
Pàdruig said:
Thank you, Forrest. It is a wee bit odd, isn't it? The 38s were pretty darned near perfect. The issues on mine are simply me nit picking and do not, in any way, affect the function or even the aesthetics really. I am happy that I don't have blade rap on mine though, that is something that tends to irk me over all other issues.
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You and I both, my friend. Especially since blade rap always seems to happen right in the upper third of the blade out near the tip where most people use the cutting edge the most.
 
I don't like proud tips or blade rap either but I can usually find a way to fix one or the other to my satisfaction. What I really hate is when you get blade rap and a proud tip on the same blade. Fixing one makes the other one worse.

Thank goodness I've only encountered one knife with both of those issues and it wasn't made by GEC.
 
Shield works really well with the Chestnut too. Wish they had used the same one for the latest 83s in wood...;).
 
WalleyeBob said:
I really Iike some of the GEC acrylics. Like some others, I prefer the older seamless dead skunk pattern to the newer version. The 85 I bought a couple of months back has the seam (still a good looking knife).

In an effort to obtain a knife without seams, I prayed to the knife gods a few posts back that they might deliver to me a nicely built 89 with seamless apples and oranges covers. One of them replied. Amen.

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That is great looking acrylic on the 83 WalleyeBob WalleyeBob ! That should be the norm with acrylics and not the exception.
 
Quiet Quiet Looks exceptionally good, inletting on Chestnut is always likely to be challenging, it has a lot of splits and surface imperfections compared to other woods. Shield, as I wrote earlier, really suits this wood version, a knife that should age satisfyingly.

Regards, Will
 
Here is a trio of 89's..... I'm very pleased with the quality.. They have a delicate look with a rugged feel.... The blade is narrow thus it is a bit "Wedgey" vs "Slicey"..... Probably not an issue with soft fruits and vegetables.... But it might be hard cutting apples and potatoes?...
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Railsplitter said:
I don't like proud tips or blade rap either but I can usually find a way to fix one or the other to my satisfaction. What I really hate is when you get blade rap and a proud tip on the same blade. Fixing one makes the other one worse.

Thank goodness I've only encountered one knife with both of those issues and it wasn't made by GEC.
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That is a bad combination. I've had one knife with both of those issues, and it was made by GEC (a Smith & Sons Mudbug).

I got my Lemon Brite #89 in the mail last week. Haven't had a chance to take a photo yet, but I didn't notice any issues with mine (other than the unimpressive factory sharpening job). I do like how slim the knife is. I was trying to think if GEC had an equivalent pattern (slim, straight) in a shorter length, which would make a nice little pen knife. I guess the #09 is the closest thing.
 
The 89 could be a decent doctor's knife though I would prefer the flat but on the handle to make it more traditional but it is the right size just add the fun spatula "blade" into it but the size and general design is mostly there.
 
This is the first knife I’ve owned in this style. So far, I like it a lot. It feels and works so different than the other more ‘regular’ shaped/sized knives I own that I find I enjoy picking it up and using it when I can.

Edit: sf fanatic sf fanatic Nice trio!
 
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