Lets talk GEC!

I am behind GEC 100% on this one. Bill Howard knows what he is doing. We might end up with better, not more choices. SFO dealers hog the best bone color and wood choices. We might see more better patterns ,saw cuts , better woods ,and better bone colors on the regular knives. I believe in Bill Howard ! Bill Howard is the best production blade-smith in cutlery history. "Business is War !" , and he aint going down with out of fight. I will buy every GEC that I really like in the future. Our smaller GEC dealers really took a hit this year. GEC does not need to make too many knives in one color/pattern. Every small GEC dealer need to sell them out in weeks after the release, not collect knives over a year before the sale. I refuse to buy any evil-bay GEC knife and pay state taxes too ! "SUCKERS !" We must support GEC and the GEC dealers , now more that ever. I just spread out all of my GEC knives together. Man , I got some killer knives and I am truly thankful to GEC. Things are getting tough , we need to stand behind Bill Howard 100%.
 
I'm sad, but depending on how the change is implemented it could be a good thing. I could see GEC restructuring their business and start selling directly rather than from a bunch of "shops" that really don't add any value to GEC just funnel the profits to dealers who just take orders and ship stuff. The only advantage that the consumers have from having the different shops is that those shops have SFOs which collectors love. In any case I hope GEC still makes some small batch limited edition variations to keep things interesting.

Well, as someone who loves variety, I can tell you that there was actually plenty of value added for many of us who love collecting the SFOs and limited run knives. There have been several knives where I picked up one or two of the limited runs, loved the knives so much that I had to go and track others down, many of which weren't SFOs. Also, I'm not ashamed that I like rare, non run-of-the-mill knives. There was a lot of fun in being able to get in on an SFO before they were all gone. Not to mention, I had gotten out of the Traditionals game before I became aware of all these amazing knives GEC was putting out. I went from having one or two GECs from older runs, to having virtually all of the #86 run in a very short time, and have gone on to purchase about 20-25 more GECs since then. All because I picked up the BF 2019 Forum Knife. Not too bad for an SFO, eh?

Also, at the end of the day, GEC made money from every order, so I don't really see how "a bunch of shops" weren't adding value.
 
I might be off base, but in my mind Charlie, Mike, KSF - J and Derrick, have had a large impact on GEC's SFO's. I will be interested to see who they work with in the future if GEC is truly closing the door on their collaborations.

Northwoods made Case or Buck, Buck Charlie Barlow collaboration? I'm interested.
FWIW, I think we've already seen a glimpse of the answer with CK collaborating with Lion Steel and Viper. Granted, those are "modern traditionals," so your question still has lots of merit.
 
FWIW, I think we've already seen a glimpse of the answer with CK collaborating with Lion Steel and Viper. Granted, those are "modern traditionals," so your question still has lots of merit.
Yeah man, good stuff going on there, love that m390 on the swayback.
 
Jay from KSF posted a short update on the Northwoods Facebook page and it sounds like he’s known for a little while and they have plans to expand the brand. So I’m glad we aren’t losing that offshoot.

I wish I hadn’t sold some of my sfos now, but a knife is a knife and I didn’t get into this hobby to make money. Just hopeful that future GEC will continue to make a quality knife and bring interesting patterns to the table.
 
The real problem here is that the SFOs are the nicer, more interesting knives. GEC knives themselves are often rather plain and boring by comparison. I’ve often wondered whether this was a deliberate marketing choice or whether the head of design at GEC is really just a bit thick...

The Washington Jack was a gorgeous knife. The regular 77 Yankee Jack was quite boring by comparison. The 48 Diamond Jack was lovely. The regular 48s are OK but not nearly so aesthetically appealing. I could go on but I’m sure y’all know what I’m talking about.

Hoping for the best....
 
GEC did OK pre-SFO-boom...over the years GEC has had design assists along the way and freely gives credit where the help came from - that same assists can continue in different ways and forms. Often the regular run of knives can be comparable in design to the SFO, easier to obtain and less expensive. There are close to 10 dealers or so who have been around a long time - 10-15 years - some make SFOs and some don't but the two things they all have in common is, they all want to sell GEC knives and none of them have given up on GEC...GEC knife production has a certain ebb and flow and I have to ask, when has GEC ever let me down over these years? Well, only when I can't get a knife I really want I guess.:D

I am really looking forward to the next 10 years of GEC knives...
 
Lots of info all over the place on this. Ever the optimist, I'm hoping for the best for GEC, its dealers, and all of us as collectors. I'm relatively new to the game, in about a year I have accumulated 13 GEC knives. Of those, 7 are SFOs so I'm not sure what this will do to my interest level. I've been trying to limit my purchases to one knife per drop recently, so this probably helps me to that end. I read somewhere that part of the decision on GECs part was because Bill Howard wants to make the knives he wants to make. That kind of sounds like more patterns less options if I read between the lines, but who knows.

I don't really collect knives with the expectation of making any money off of them, I do so just because they interest me and I like to carry, use, fidget with them so maybe this works out for the best for collectors like me. Sorry for the meandering, ramble of a post. Back to the salt mine, hope you all have a great day. Now to choose which knife goes along for the ride today ...
 
So to me, the clues point to an exclusivity deal, possibly with Northwoods. To a non-business major, dummy like me - it's the only thing that makes sense. A club knife may be allowed, as it's not from another company.

Just more speculation of course!

[Edit] I'm pretty sure I am at least partially wrong, if not completely so
 
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I don't remember a time before GEC SFO's. Because those of us that were there in early 2007 before any one had a clue who GEC was; were frequently offered special runs in order to keep the factory flow going. There was a time when inventories were deep at the factory and they enjoyed having a full run sold before it was produced. But those days are now over and there are enough large retailers involved that the factory can run much fewer variations without carrying inventory.
 
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this is just like their thing about not rerunning a pattern configuration they've already run prior, i dont get it. here i am waiting for a 15 single blade clip with long pull with end cap. Bill has always struck me as a man who knows what he is doing so im sure there is some rhyme or reason to this.
 
I'm sad, but depending on how the change is implemented it could be a good thing. I could see GEC restructuring their business and start selling directly rather than from a bunch of "shops" that really don't add any value to GEC just funnel the profits to dealers who just take orders and ship stuff. The only advantage that the consumers have from having the different shops is that those shops have SFOs which collectors love. In any case I hope GEC still makes some small batch limited edition variations to keep things interesting.
The dealers or "shops" as you call them most certainly add value. GEC makes knives, that is their expertise. GEC does not distribute knives, not their expertise. GEC like most companies has chosen to hire the dealers to fill that part of the supply chain so they can concentrate on making knives. Which is what I personally want them to do.

IMO the dealer network adds more value than just distribution. They add a personal touch, a subject matter expertise, and in knifeswapper knifeswapper 's case a wealth of history and information that they share with us at no charge.

Thanks for being there Mike knifeswapper knifeswapper , we have your back through this uncertain time. We appreciate all you and the other dealers do for us.
 
I don't remember a time before GEC SFO's. Because those of us that were there in early 2007 before any one had a clue who GEC was; were frequently offered special runs in order to keep the factory flow going. There was a time when inventories were deep at the factory and they enjoyed having a full run sold before it was produced. But those days are now over and there are enough large retailers involved that the factory can run much fewer variations without carrying inventory.
That’s kind of what I’ve been thinking. Do they really need to do the SFOs from a business standpoint? They are more interesting and exciting for collectors, but do they need that excitement to maintain a viable business? I doubt it, but I don’t know. It seems like they can already sell every knife they make. Is that because of the SFO excitement? I doubt it. I would think it takes more staff time to manage the SFOs and I doubt the margins are any higher for GEC.

I also wonder what they get from producing knives without their name like Smith and Sons or M and G. Yes it’s a contract with money coming in, but not everyone knows those knives are made by GEC. They also have no control over what other knives have those names which could add to the confusion. Would they be better off getting more knives out there with their own name on them? I would think so. Any way, lots of speculation and rambling, but wanted to get my thoughts out. I do feel bad for all the dealers and individuals who have been designing SFOs through the years.
 
keep things interesting
I'm sad, but depending on how the change is implemented it could be a good thing. I could see GEC restructuring their business and start selling directly rather than from a bunch of "shops" that really don't add any value to GEC just funnel the profits to dealers who just take orders and ship stuff. The only advantage that the consumers have from having the different shops is that those shops have SFOs which collectors love. In any case I hope GEC still makes some small batch limited edition variations to keep things interesting.
I guess GEC & dealers relationship goes deeper than simple commercial relationship. If GEC had to sell directly it would mean they reorganize the sale dept. This could reveal costly and nothing proves it would be of any benefit for their business.
Small batch limited edition and interest are not linked. Except for flippers, that is.:rolleyes:
 
GEC began producing "specials" in 2010 with a few hundred knives which included some for dealers - "Specials" and Club Order knives took hold in 2012 and in 2013 exploded with Charlie's TCs and KSF Northwoods.

With or without SFOs, GEC has produced some great knives and will continue to do so I am sure. I am looking forward to the next 10 years of GEC knives.
 
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Nice!!
It seems like the type of people who buy GEC knives aren't offended by this type of thing. Wonder why that is?
 
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