GEC new #43 pattern, who’s excited?

I'm not all that happy with my beaver tail. Besides the weaker spring, mine has a bit of side to side play. This is just about the perfect knife for me if the walk and talk were on point. It's right in the middle of a Buck 110 and 112, and it feels so good in hand. If the finish was the same as my 74 I'd be a very happy man. I'm inclined to try another version, but it seems like all they're all the same finish wise. I reckon I wish it felt a little more solid for a bigger knife. Oh well, I still think the design is fantastic...
 
JD Bear said:
I'm not all that happy with my beaver tail. Besides the weaker spring, mine has a bit of side to side play. This is just about the perfect knife for me if the walk and talk were on point. It's right in the middle of a Buck 110 and 112, and it feels so good in hand. If the finish was the same as my 74 I'd be a very happy man. I'm inclined to try another version, but it seems like all they're all the same finish wise. I reckon I wish it felt a little more solid for a bigger knife. Oh well, I still think the design is fantastic...
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If you really like the design you should try another knife. The action on the micarta I have isn't bad at all, and I didn't notice any play, but I'll double check when I get home. It definitely doesn't have as strong a pull as a 23, but it is comparable to the 74 I had before.
 
JD Bear said:
I'm not all that happy with my beaver tail. Besides the weaker spring, mine has a bit of side to side play. This is just about the perfect knife for me if the walk and talk were on point. It's right in the middle of a Buck 110 and 112, and it feels so good in hand. If the finish was the same as my 74 I'd be a very happy man. I'm inclined to try another version, but it seems like all they're all the same finish wise. I reckon I wish it felt a little more solid for a bigger knife. Oh well, I still think the design is fantastic...
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I am not that happy with my micarta, either. The rather soft pull and anemic action is just not something I am used to with GEC. Mine has nowhere near the wonderful action of all the 74's I've had. Everything else is pretty good, I just can't get past that part.
 
Thanks Joshua and Mark. I appreciate the input. It's such a shame about this pattern. I fell in love with the looks of Queen's mountain man a long time ago, but never had one, and this is very similar. The size, shape, lanyard tube...all of this is perfect to me but I reckon we can't have it all...
 
Just to set the record straight I don’t think there all like that .
Both My Brazilian cherry and Frontier bone have a very nice pull with walk and talk that’s very snappy . My micarta has a nice snap and pull but is lazy when fully open going back to half stop . The rust red jig bone is the same as my micarta although just flushed it out once and worked the action while watching tv last night and it’s already much better .
Just thought I’d throw my 2 cents out there as to not let a couple of bad reports condemn them all .
 
Also you have to remember guys and gals were talking 100’s of trappers out there so don’t base there walk and talk on just a few .
With that being said if you want a bear trap these are not for you . I’d say the pull is around a 5 ish with a nice snap that’s pinchable but not super easy with my 4 that I have .
 
Ramrodmb said:
I'm not condemning them all, I just think the snap on the one I received is too light for me.
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Wasnt saying you were condemning them all I was referring to folks that were reading your posts and others .
 
I am still anxious to get one in hand. Killing me DLT. They must wait til they get the entire run in before they start calling in pre-orders.
 
Let's keep discussions about what's for sale on the Exchange out of here, please.
 
There is no side-to-side play on my micarta. The walk and talk is acceptable, but only by a small margin. Overall a very nice knife. Mine's pretty smooth, and it's as sharp or sharper than most new GEC's I've handled.

I'm pleased with mine, but a little more snap would have been nice.
 
Pàdruig said:
Well, I got my Rust Red Jigged Bone 43 in the mail today. I took her out of the tube and immediately took her to the sink for a good flushing, this knife had some of the worst walk-n-talk I have experienced in a GEC for quite some time. After the soap and hot water, the oiling, and the working of the action about 100 times, it has improved enough for me to not be too perturbed about it. It opens and closes with some snap now at least.

I initally was planning on getting two of these knives, 1 Tidioute and 1 Northfield. However, after some of the feedback on the 43s that had made it into waiting hands, the Northfield pictures, and simply me wanting to save some money for other knife purchases, I opted to be content with just the Tidioute.

First impressions:

This is a big, solid knife and fills the hand nice and comfortably. It isn't quite as large as my Bull Buster and not as bulky so it is a bit more pocket friendly as a result. It is a large knife in a slim, lightweight package and I suspect that it will make for a great everyday knife despite its 4.25" closed length.

Some pros:
  • The clip blade is beautifully executed. Clean and alluring lines with plenty of belly and a nice thin grind. I suspect this will a heck of a slicer.
  • Slim and lightweight for a larger knife, easy on the pocket.
  • Though the Red dye is a bit lighter than my other knives with the Rust Red Jigged Bone, it is not at all unpleasant and the bone is dyed quite uniformly.
  • Overall fit and finish is good with no gaps, cracks, or anything else.
  • Lanyard hole is a nice touch and I will be making something up for it soon.
  • No blade rap!
Some cons:
  • The pull is quite light, almost obnoxiously so. For such a big knife, I think I would have preferred something stouter, perhaps similar to that which my Bull Buster possesses.
  • The walk-n-talk is rather anemic. Improved somewhat with a good flushing but I suspect that the pivot is pretty tight as Mike had alluded to earlier in this thread.
  • The blade favors the mark side a bit but doesn't touch the liner so it isn't a big deal.
Overall, I am satisfied with the knife and I look forward to carrying it in the days to come. Yet another Oregon Trapper has made it to Oregon. :D

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Excellent review and photos sir!!! Let's hope the Northfields will improve upon the cons you mentioned. I'm still on the fence...:confused:
 
I personally don't mind a "gentle" walk and talk as long as the blade reports to is position. When I have to push it completely into position, that is a minor issue in finish to me. I have found no play in these #43 blades; to be honest I think the factory was trying to eliminate any play and just went too tight for the spring provided. But, the vast majority of the #43's I have handled have had light action (walk and talk). The pull strength is light, but acceptable (at a 4 on my scale). The gauged pull pressure to go from full open to half stop is light, but acceptable (at 1.15 - 1.25lbs). It is mainly the flow action that is light. Probably 10% of the ones I have handled have needed pressure all the way into position and went out at a discount. Maybe 10% have actually come out of the tube a bit snappy (good snap). After handling several I believe they will break-in to better action as they start getting used; but a spa would definitely speed the process. I have had many people already report back that they are a welcomed surprise due to arthritis, etc. and I have had many people already report back that they are too light for their preferences. But, if you are looking for stand up and salute snap, this is probably not your model at this point.
 
007hunter said:
Excellent review and photos sir!!! Let's hope the Northfields will improve upon the cons you mentioned. I'm still on the fence...:confused:
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Again this is a review of one not them all but a great review of his it was :thumbsup:
 
I think if anything consistency would help this pattern . But I’m very very happy with the ones I have :thumbsup:
 
By no means was I condemning every single 43 that left the factory either. I was saying that the particular one I got wasn't all that great. That's all. I don't have the money to buy one of every single variation so I can compare them. I understood the weak pull and I was ok with that, but coupled with the side to side play I was a little disappointed.

If I hurt anyone's feelings, please let me know and I will retract my statements and say that the particular 43 I got was the best thing ever made...
 
I guess I've been lucky in the receipt of the #43's I've collected so far (2 each of the 4 patterns out there so far, second Red Jig on order from CK). Fit and finish have been generally been excellent, none of the knives have any blade play, all of the blades are dead centered and the walk and talk have been pretty good on all of them as well, maybe not as crisp as some of the other larger GEC's or Opinel's I own, but still pretty good. The only fit and finish issue I've noticed is that one of my canvas micartas, seems to have a "flat spot" on the presentation side which can be seen in the picture I posted in post #463 between the lanyard hole and the "shield". The other example I have of that combo doesn't have the same milled "flat spot".

Having just started collecting the "traditionals" in the last few years after a long hiatus, I still have a lot to learn, it had been over 35 years since I last carried a slipjoint and for the life of me, I can't see why I changed to locking knives. 90% of the time I don't require a locking feature unless I'm in the woods hiking/camping. It was really the LionSteel Roundheads and Shufflers that pulled me deep into this "traditional sickness" thanks to Mike and his "team" at CK. I have 5 of each of those models, all with different covers in each type. This progressed to the over 30+ GEC's that I have acquired in the last few months, pretty evenly divided between the #56's, #74's and #78's and now the #43's with a few #15's and #71's thrown in for good measure!

I understand some of the concerns about "laziness" and/or the pull effort, but I guess I'm a little less picky about this as I am starting to develop neuropathy in my finger tips and I tend to chew my fingernails (bad habit from birth!) so a lighter pull is sometimes appreciated in my case if I really can't get a good "pinch" on the blade. I am constantly rotating my EDC with the use of various design of pocket slips all which tend to work better for me than the 100+ knives I have with pocket clips (Spyderco, Benchmade, and LionSteel). I will be thinning out the herd on these more modern adaptations of knives over the next year or so. I think I've finally found my "niche" and thanks to all of the good folks here at BF, I'm learning a lot about this hobby (or sickness).
 
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JD Bear said:
By no means was I condemning every single 43 that left the factory either. I was saying that the particular one I got wasn't all that great. That's all. I don't have the money to buy one of every single variation so I can compare them. I understood the weak pull and I was ok with that, but coupled with the side to side play I was a little disappointed.

If I hurt anyone's feelings, please let me know and I will retract my statements and say that the particular 43 I got was the best thing ever made...
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Didn’t hurt my feelings and I think it’s great that everyone posts there feelings about the one they have . That’s partially what this thread is all about .
Again I will try and be more clear .
I just didn’t want folks that were on the fence reading a few somewhat negative opinions in areas stop them from getting what I think is a great knife . At least the 4 I have are .
 
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