Lets talk GEC!

Will Power said:
Where's the rub? :D There isn't any :cool: That's when it was bought and still after nearly 3 years of patina/use, still none:thumbsup:

What's the connexion with GEC??? These BB Winchesters were made by Queen when Bill Howard was in house back in the late 80s early 90s. The drink is not clouding my vision either:D
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The Winchester and Case Classics come to mind when I think about the fact that rub wasn't a problem more than a decade ago. With so many multi-blades of both, the vast majority of the ones I have seen made some contact. But they were by far the best knives made in the 1980's and 1990's.

It is curious how we have now placed such restrictions on the same guys that we pray can stay in business.

Boxer .45 said:
If you're a craftsman and that's all you do, and you can't get it straight, you might want to look into another trade.
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There are craftsmen that make $100 knives and there are craftsmen than make $4500 knives. They play in a different market. I go in restaurants all the time with tables that have uneven legs - I don't demand they run out and get me a luxury table. I assume they are doing the best within the restraints they have. And I make a call on whether I can live within those restraints myself. (then I make sure they see me putting sugar packets under the leg)
 
Mayonardo said:
Cars cost $30,000 and more today and they still come with warranties to fix their defects.

Traditional knives seem to be tools (for the majority of folks) or collector/investment pieces for a few others. It’s impossible to find perfection but one can keep trying. Costly though.
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I buy quality knives and tools that are backed by the companies that make them. If not I buy something else. Just because its a user doesn't mean you shouldn't have expectations of quality when you buy it.
And a cars warranty isn't going to cover defects of F&F.

Ramrodmb said:
^ A recipe for constant disappointment and angst. ^
I respect your right to want what you want though, I just won't put myself through that. Plenty else to worry about here...
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So you have no expectations from a manufacturer when you buy something? No expectation of quality at a higher price?

I can buy a rough rider or chinese brand for like $10. I have little expectations of it but at least ten dollars worth.

You guys got crazy money? You don't expect a quality product for your money? Value? Blows my mind.

Not expected quality and value for your dollar is a recipe for constant disappointment and angst, not the other way around.
 
knifeswapper said:
There are craftsmen that make $100 knives and there are craftsmen than make $4500 knives. They play in a different market. I go in restaurants all the time with tables that have uneven legs - I don't demand they run out and get me a luxury table. I assume they are doing the best within the restraints they have. And I make a call on whether I can live within those restraints myself. (then I make sure they see me putting sugar packets under the leg)
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Sure they do, and thats exactly my point. You suggesting that I pay GEC prices and should be okay with Rough Rider quality? I'm not suggesting I expect custom quality, but if I'm paying more money for something I should still have an expectation of quality, no? Would you go to a good steakhouse and pay thirty dollars a plate and only have Waffle House quality steak?

I have no idea how you guys are missing what I'm saying. I'm not being an ass here. Did I come in on someone elses comment?

Above a few posts someone mentioned "blade rub", and someone said "yeah I've had them rub so much I had to push it closed." So blade rub and having to force a blade closed is acceptable at GEC prices?
 
Boxer .45 said:
Above a few posts someone mentioned "blade rub", and someone said "yeah I've had them rub so much I had to push it closed." So blade rub and having to force a blade closed is acceptable at GEC prices?
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I saw the post you mentioned and I didn't get the impression that he was referring to a GEC. In fact, I think he was talking about a Case.

However, blade rub is not uncommon. In some cases it is due to how one opens the blade. Pushing a blade up against another is very easy to do, especially when one or more of the blades have a stiffer pull.

I get what you are saying but I also can't help but feel you are taking a hard line stance on something that many of us are a bit more nonchalant about. It is important to remember that GEC is a factory and yes, they produce a "production" knife at a higher price point than Case in most instances, but they are still a production knife. I would never put GEC in the same ballpark as a Rough Rider though, even with the alleged blade rub.

Like an old Sergeant of mine told me, "Look for the totality of circumstances to arrive at your conclusion". If the blade rub in a GEC (even produced by the user) is accompanied by other obvious flaws (i.e. sunken spring, poor cover fitment, raised pins, egregious lack of centering, etc), then I think we have a bigger problem. But if blade rub (the casual kind, not the kind that makes a knife unsafe or inoperable) is the main concern, well it is not a matter of quality or lack thereof, I think it is a matter of opinion and self imposed standards (and for the record, I see nothing wrong with that). Everyone has their own sets of both (opinions and standards) and that is what makes knife collecting so varied and interesting.
 
Haha sorry folks; didn’t mean to touch off a powder keg here.

Interesting read though. I grew up on traditional knives, so I’m surprised I’m causing the blade rub on my #35. At least I assume it’s me- I’ve heard nothing but great things about the lack of run on that pattern.

I also have a case large stockman that suffers from pretty jammy blade rub- it’s kinda disheartening on that knife. My mother surprise purchased me a Case campfire bone single bladed peanut “just because” which is coming in the mail. 40 bucks versus 80 bucks for a GEC, so I’ll try to go easy on it when it arrives. It’s no GEC but it’s still thoughtful.

I’m looking forward to my first two blades Jack. My #92 has got to be close than ever to being done!
 
If the fact that a 3 or 4 blade knife rubs a little removes it from all "quality" conversations; then a vast majority of knives that brought us to this exact point in history need to be re-rated. The fact of the the matter is that I can find something I don't like about every knife I have ever handled. I have to make the call for myself whether that is an issue for me or not. And I have made that call - and I have been told that I "was not the kind of dealer they were looking for" (by more than one factory actually)
 
I think Boxer might be referring to a different degree of blade rub than some others. A little scratch on a blade is one thing, having to push the blade closed an entirely different scenario. Our willingness to tolerate blade rub and to what degree is really the variable here. I think. :)
 
Mayonardo said:
This makes sense. With my Calf Ropers I can virtually eliminate run by opening the sheepfoot first. Only one of the three Calf Ropers I have (yes, my favorite GEC for many reasons) shows any blade rub at all. It’s merely a feature of that knife and doesn’t impact its function. If it did that would be a problem to be fixed.


That’s why I have to be careful about which knives I keep or can buy. Chemo is in the process of destroying my nails. Softer pulls are definitely good for me, or pinchable like the 93s. Not a big deal. If @onearmedknifenut can handle it, so can I.
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Exactly what I was thinking! The Calf Roper! Opening blades in proper sequence pretty much nixes the blade rub. But my ebony is a user and I can’t really deal with remembering to sequentially open the blades. Ha ha! Plus the Ropers are not really a big “collector knife.” They’re everywhere.
 
Boxer .45 said:
I buy quality knives and tools that are backed by the companies that make them. If not I buy something else. Just because its a user doesn't mean you shouldn't have expectations of quality when you buy it.
And a cars warranty isn't going to cover defects of F&F.



So you have no expectations from a manufacturer when you buy something? No expectation of quality at a higher price?

I can buy a rough rider or chinese brand for like $10. I have little expectations of it but at least ten dollars worth.

You guys got crazy money? You don't expect a quality product for your money? Value? Blows my mind.

Not expected quality and value for your dollar is a recipe for constant disappointment and angst, not the other way around.
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Maybe I should have added a few smileys as I meant my comment as nothing more than friendly conversation.:);)

Of course I don't want any blade rub that impedes the usage or opening/closing in any way. Out of a couple hundred GECs, I have never seen one that does though I have heard of a few.
What I meant in my reply was- I don't let a tiny rub mark spoil my enjoyment of a knife if I like everything else about it.:thumbsup:
I respect that others may have a different set of expectations.
 
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tstaut said:
I think Boxer might be referring to a different degree of blade rub than some others. A little scratch on a blade is one thing, having to push the blade closed an entirely different scenario. Our willingness to tolerate blade rub and to what degree is really the variable here. I think. :)
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If the knife feels fine when I open and use it, and then I notice some light marks that must have come from the blades brushing against each other, it really truly doesn't bother me. On the other hand, I've had a few knives (Old Timer small stockman) that I couldn't open the spey without it catching on the sheepfoot's nail nick. That's a big difference, in my opinion.

But to each his own, we all have different things we are picky about. And it's understandable to be pickier the more expensive the knife is.
 
If it helps explain my expectations of a knife, I've said many times that I think the worry of a spring not being flush at half stop, on a production blade, is kinda crazy. I think sometimes people nit pick about certain pattern runs jigging not being one way or another. I don't think a knife has to have a perfectly centered blade on every knife, every single time/one.

But not having any expectations in regards to F&F or quality of craftsmanship gets you to less value for your money more, and more, and more. I mean, why should they try to do better, you were satisfied with kinda-good enough. Why should they try to continue to do as good?

Somebody said they don't put rough rider in the same category as GEC, I don't either, but I also no longer put Case in the same category, and part of that responsibility lies on Case, and part of it lies on the people that were, and continue to be okay with okay or mediocre. Case still makes a decent knife, but I don't consider them worth what they once were, or even what they're asking in most cases...unless its vintage.

Yes I have higher expectations from GEC, I feel I'm paying for those expectations, and I feel my expectations are reasonable. I never said "perfect".

I feel Bill has expectations too, or GEC wouldn't be so popular or desirable, and their runs of knives and the quality wouldn't be so consistently pleasurable imo.

I don't know how I even got caught up in this conversation but I think people thought I was saying more than I was.

In the end I'll keep buying as long as I feel they are worth what I'm paying, and luckily I don't see that changing any time soon. I was trying to make a point, guess I should have left it alone.
 
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Man... it’s a good thing I didn’t ask something like, “what’s the best lubricant for a GEC?” Or, “what’s the best bevel for a GEC?” Or, “which is better, 440C or 1095?” :D
 
I reckon the #81 frame would make a great 'Texas jack'. :thumbsup:
It may just be a matter of time. The thought has probably occurred to Bill and the folks at GEC.

I will be tickled pink when I hear about that being in the production schedule.
 
JohnDF said:
I guess I just expect blade rub on knives where two blades share a spring.
I'm okay with slight blade rub as long as it's not so severe that it interferes with the closing of the blades.
I have a Case Large Stockman that rubs so bad I have to push the main blade closed. :(:thumbsdown:
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I have a Henkels that will sometimes close onto the top of the liner. A lil rub never hurt nobody.
 
I don’t necessarily buy GEC knives expecting a higher lever of fit and finish. I expect decent fit and finish from any knife that I’m paying more than $25 for. I have knives from case that are every bit as good as GEC in fit and finish and they cost a fraction of the price. I think the consistency of GEC’s fit and finish is better.

What really gets me to pay more for GEC knives than other knives are the unique patterns and the design qualities. I’m talking about handle materials, long pulls, swedges, shields, blades, etc. These are the things that I think are better executed on GECs than on other readily available knives. GECs also feel a bit more robust.
 
Boxer .45 said:
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I don't know how I even got caught up in this conversation but I think people thought I was saying more than I was.

In the end I'll keep buying as long as I feel they are worth what I'm paying, and luckily I don't see that changing any time soon. I was trying to make a point, guess I should have left it alone.
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Well, it’s not easy to be absolutely clear, especially in this kind of format. Or, often in face to face conversations. I agree that GEC makes knives that are worth their price, to me as well.

Glad you posted even if intent gets lost in the kerfuffle at times.
 
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