GEC worth the money?

To add my humble opinions;

They are definitively worth the extra money. I only own one GEC but it is one of the nicest knives I own, if I had the extra cash I would own more without doubt. I am seriously trying to figure out how to get my hands on a 77 Washington Jack but I digress.

For being to thick or clunky, this is something I thought until I was able to handle a few of them. They are remarkably comfortable in the pocket and in the hand (and I don't have large hands).

For F&F I have no other knife that can matches. I own Hen and Roosters, Boker, and quite a few Case knives but my GEC 85 is the best looking out of the group.

Blades hold their edge, are easy to sharpen, and patina well.

All in all I can think of nothing to complain about. Price? yes they are a tad more expensive than a Case or comparable knife, but worth it? In my opinion when I can afford it and see one that catches my eye I get a GEC every time.

Just my thoughts

-Andrew
 
Isn't this question answered by now? If the activity on this forum is any indication of the high regard that GEC has amongst collectors, no more really needs to be said, n'est pas?
 
black mamba said:
To answer the title question, they are if they are to you, simple as that. The more expensive any knife is, the less "worth it" they are to a certain number of people. While I have quite a few customs, and think every one is worth what they cost, I personally have never bought a Case/Bose Collaboration knife. I just don't see that they are 3 times the value of a GEC, while I can easily say that GECs are 3 times the value of a $35 Buck. Just depends on what you put value on.
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I have many GECs, and I love them. I also have several CASE/BOSE collabs. I can't put a value ratio number on one with the other, but I can say that the CASE/BOSE knives without exception have better fit and finish, are stronger, and have better design and steel. Nobody who handles some of each could argue with this. The only question up for grabs is which one appeals most to your aesthetic tastes. I have decided to love each for their respective merits--it's not a competition, as far as I'm concerned. The philosophy behind each is different, that's for sure. Kind of an apple/orange kind of deal, as I see it.
 
Georgia woodsman said:
Well it seems unanimous that they are worth it.That northwoods hawthorn is beautiful. Might have to make two purchases at once. Thanks guys.
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Not quite unanimous. Not that anything is wrong with GEC (I've only owned one, and it was just a Farm & Field Bull Nose I since gave away, and have only handled a few others), but considerations of worth are rather subjective. I can't see spending the $$$ on a GEC when like new or excellent condition vintage knives from the old USA manufactures can quite often be found for so much less. That and those old knives are often better in the hand. GEC models often seem too beefy/bulky for the particular pattern. That's just me. To each his own.
 
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leghog said:
GEC models often seem too beefy/bulky for the particular pattern.
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I felt that way for years. It took their designers a long, long time to hit my sweet spot with it comes to knife sizes and designs. I've never been crazy about any pocketknife that's too huge, or too stubby. These days, though, they make a bunch of models I'd consider purchasing. A prime example is my 3.5" 66 calf roper slim.



Of course, YMMV.

-- Mark
 
leghog said:
Not quite unanimous. Not that anything is wrong with GEC (I've only owned one, and it was just a Farm & Field Bull Nose I since gave away, and have only handled a few others), but considerations of worth are rather subjective. I can't see spending the $$$ on a GEC when like new or excellent condition vintage knives from the old USA manufactures can quite often be found for so much less. That and those old knives are often better in the hand. GEC models often seem too beefy/bulky for the particular pattern. That's just me. To each his own.
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I agree with leghog on the statement I bolded, and on his last sentence. (And I agree with the "beefy/bulky" assessment, but have to confess that, in my case, that's based solely on photos, since I've never seen a GEC model in person.)

- GT
 
Anybody that thinks that GEC's are "too beefy/bulky for the particular pattern", even though they have admittedly limited or no experience with the brand, should make a point of checking out the #92 Eureka Trapper, the #48 Dog Leg Trapper, the #33. the #89 and on and on.
 
I can usually get a nice old one for less $$

gec leaves the edge too thick for my tastes - pull too strong, etc

I guess I just prefer old knives
 
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5K Qs said:
I agree with leghog on the statement I bolded, and on his last sentence. (And I agree with the "beefy/bulky" assessment, but have to confess that, in my case, that's based solely on photos, since I've never seen a GEC model in person.)

- GT
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Somebody once said,

pertinux said:
....the few GECs I've seen in person have left me surprisingly cold. I had no idea they were so Round-- like little hot dogs. Okay, not that bad, but also not appealing to me. Perhaps I have not yet seen The One for me, but for now I will continue to appreciate them from afar.
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bag.gif~original


(Things can change, or at least, my own taste has 'evolved' rather markedly since I made the above statement[!]).

:)

~ P.
 
pertinux said:
...

(Things can change, or at least, my own taste has 'evolved' rather markedly since I made the above statement[!]).

:)

~ P.
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Good point, ~ P. I've certainly experienced "evolving tastes" in the 10 months I've spent as a "pocket knife enthusiast", and I've spent more time than I ever thought I would in trying to figure out the rationale for those changes. No luck so far; must be more a matter of emotion than of logic, I guess?

- GT
 
Yes, no doubt about it:







Sure, you'll have to touch up the edge (or re-profile to your specific liking), but what knife don't you do that with anyway?
 
One thing nobody has mentioned is that the shields on GECs are pinned vs glued on like Case, Queen & others.
Just one more old school step in the process that makes a GEC (with a shield) worth the extra cost IMO.
I've read a few posts here in Traditionals about shields falling out of Case & Queen knives and see a lot of otherwise nice knives with missing shields when perusing ebay.
 
It may well be that there are decent old US knives knocking about that cost less than GEC.

However, when like me you live in Europe, accessing those oldies is no easy matter. A lot of stuff looks like wrecks and some sellers seem to have an odd idea of 'hardly used' or 'mint'....So I rely on GEC to provide a very consistent product that has both user durability and aesthetic worth. I also wonder if there is not sometimes a fog of nostalgia about the old days' knife in terms of their quality? There have always been really excellent slipjoints but I reckon they always cost more than the everyday rough & ready cheapies that poured out of factories by the million. You can find old knives that do have poor finish and crude detailing, they were not supposed to be top of the range, customers literally used them up, as they were like most people-indifferent to knives. Knife enthusiasts will always regard things differently, good job too! I certainly don't hold completely to the idea that the more you pay the better the product is, I know from my own collection that a number of costlier knives have been a disappointing waste of money aka rip-off. Interestingly, no GEC (yet) has filled that position. So as a company that dates only from 2006 they have made a very big impact on the contemporary knife scene, yes they are worth it-so far - but nobody merits uncritical acclaim, the midwife of fanboyism.

Keep you critical eye open, that is the path to knife satisfaction. Or as Levine says, read the knife (each individual one).

Regards, Will
 
willgoy said:
So as a company that dates only from 2006 they have made a very big impact on the contemporary knife scene, yes they are worth it-so far - but nobody merits uncritical acclaim, the midwife of fanboyism.

Keep you critical eye open, that is the path to knife satisfaction. Or as Levine says, read the knife (each individual one).

Regards, Will
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Well said, Will.

~ P.
 
Yes they are; at MSRP, I believe they are a good value...at street prices as offered by vendors, they are a steal, but once GEC stops making a pattern (which they seem to always do), the secondary market commands outrageous prices; the GEC #15 Charlow (which could be had for less than $100 when in production) is an example of how crazy prices can get once a pattern is discontinued.
 
NO! DON'T DO IT! DON'T WASTE YOUR MONEY ON EVEN ONE! Sure everyone on the forum says go ahead and try GEC it's totally worth it. You say to yourself "it's just one knife what harm could it do?" and you order one probably from one of the Dealers right here on the forum. Have you noticed how many dealers hang out here?! It's no coincidence! So you get your knife in the mail and there's this terrible moment where you realize it's the nicest example of anything you've ever held. The craftsmanship and care taken in making this object must have been tremendous and now it's all yours. It doesn't stop there though, pretty soon you hang out on the forum all time looking at the pictures and then there's the inevitable day that you get another one because one is never, ever enough; and if two is good three is better and so on. Pretty soon you carry three knives at a time on a constantly rotating basis and it's over, you are hooked for life. GEC is never worth it, not even once.
 
I've not had a GEC yet, so one question. How does the steel compare to say Queens D2 for edge holding?
 
I've heard that "If you can sharpen" comment more than once on the forum. Isn't that part of the interest in owning knives? Don't tell me that so many members own hundreds of knives because they buy a new one when the old one gets dull! :confused:
 
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