Show off your favorite GECs!

GEC specializes in highly collectable and premium quality usable pocket knives. The company's USA manufactured knives have quickly proven to be a big hit with both collectors and users who seek quality American craftsmanship.
sunknife
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Re: Show off your favorite GECs!

Post by sunknife »

I've never seen the oil sucker rod wood before Tsar Bomba and I like it. I always have leaned towards more rustic, primitive and outdoorsy looking stuff of all sorts. Those handles have that weathered appearance that appeals to me. ::tu::
Greg
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Re: Show off your favorite GECs!

Post by Tsar Bomba »

sunknife wrote:I've never seen the oil sucker rod wood before Tsar Bomba and I like it. I always have leaned towards more rustic, primitive and outdoorsy looking stuff of all sorts. Those handles have that weathered appearance that appeals to me. ::tu::
Thanks, sunknife! ::handshake:: GEC's story is that the handles came from 100-150 year old oil sucker rods in Pennsylvania which were used to draw oil out of the ground. The original rods themselves were likely cut from very mature felled trees which means the overall age of the wood might be twice that or more. The knife has excellent F&F but the unique graining of the wood makes it almost look unfinished at first glance. I took one look at the knife when it came out and I had to have it. I hope they take more chances on handle material in the near future.
sunknife
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Re: Show off your favorite GECs!

Post by sunknife »

Interesting story behind that reclaimed wood Bomba. I'm hoping they have some surplus as well and that they release some more knives with those handles. What wood species do you suppose it is? My guess would be oak from the grain shown on your knife. Sure is unique.
Greg
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Re: Show off your favorite GECs!

Post by sunknife »

Interesting story behind that reclaimed wood Bomba. I'm hoping they have some surplus as well and that they release some more knives with those handles. What wood species do you suppose it is? My guess would be oak from the grain shown on your knife. Sure is unique.
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Re: Show off your favorite GECs!

Post by Tsar Bomba »

sunknife wrote:Interesting story behind that reclaimed wood Bomba. I'm hoping they have some surplus as well and that they release some more knives with those handles. What wood species do you suppose it is? My guess would be oak from the grain shown on your knife. Sure is unique.
I've gotta wonder if the small 18s were the leftovers to begin with. A couple searches brought up information that GEC made 3 big ol' #45 Whalers sunfish knives in Oil Sucker Rod Wood back in 2011 as well as a serialized run of 72s in 2013:

https://www.facebook.com/GreatEasternCu ... 8936650556 (giveaway in 2015)

viewtopic.php?f=56&t=36128

I am not having much luck finding an authoritative answer to the type of wood, although there is speculation around the web of it being heart pine or some sort of oak. I'm not feeling like there will be much luck in getting a 72 or 45 on the secondary market for less than custom prices.
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QTCut5
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Re: Show off your favorite GECs!

Post by QTCut5 »

Currently, these two smooth white bone modified single blade American Jacks #78 are my favorite GECs.
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~Q~
We are all just prisoners here of our own device.
In the master's chamber they gather for the feast.
They stab it with their steely knives but they just can't kill the beast.
(Eagles: Hotel California)


~Q~
Ivoryman
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Re: Show off your favorite GECs!

Post by Ivoryman »

85, 78, 78
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kootenay joe
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Re: Show off your favorite GECs!

Post by kootenay joe »

Ivoryman, is the 85 EO smooth white bone ?
And QT, what happened to the blades on your 78's ? They lost their belly !
kj
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Re: Show off your favorite GECs!

Post by Ivoryman »

kootenay joe wrote:Ivoryman, is the 85 EO smooth white bone ?
And QT, what happened to the blades on your 78's ? They lost their belly !
kj
Officially it's smooth ivory bone, but I don't know how that differs from smooth white bone as on the 78. They look about the same to me. And I normally don't comment on questions for other people, but I happen to have some inside skinny on what happened to those 78s Q posted. What happened is I RUINED them!!!!!! :mrgreen: That's right I DESTROYED their edges and violently beat their bellies out with a bench grinder! Made them bow to my will!!!! Then I took away their identity and gave them a new one. Violence and identity theft and brainwashing: the hallmarks of any good propaganda, manipulation and modification. Ha ha ha!!!! (all in jest ya know)
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Re: Show off your favorite GECs!

Post by QTCut5 »

kootenay joe wrote:QT, what happened to the blades on your 78's ? They lost their belly !kj
Whenever I see that fat spatula beaver-tail spear blade I can't help but think there's a wharncliffe trapped inside that's trying to get out. These two 78s were purchased with the express intent of finding their inner wharnies and setting them free. Since I am physically incapable of performing such a feat myself, I sent them to the Mad Genius Mod Man to be tortured in his dungeon laboratory of grinding horrors until the wharnies were freed from the evil spears holding them captive.

Sometimes the only way to create beauty is by destroying beauty.

~Q~
We are all just prisoners here of our own device.
In the master's chamber they gather for the feast.
They stab it with their steely knives but they just can't kill the beast.
(Eagles: Hotel California)


~Q~
kootenay joe
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Re: Show off your favorite GECs!

Post by kootenay joe »

I'm sure "smooth white bone" and "smooth ivory bone" are marketing terms for the same material. I think "ivory" is now dropped in favor of "white" to avoid any misunderstanding by the online correctness police.
A Wharncliffe blade is very attractive but a blade needs a belly to cover all situations in my opinion. If you could only use one single blade knife for the next year would you pick a Wharncliffe blade ?
kj
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Re: Show off your favorite GECs!

Post by QTCut5 »

kootenay joe wrote:A Wharncliffe blade is very attractive but a blade needs a belly to cover all situations in my opinion. If you could only use one single blade knife for the next year would you pick a Wharncliffe blade ?kj
No, although a Wharncliffe blade is perfectly adequate for pretty much all my routine cutting needs (which, admittedly, other than kitchen/cooking, are relatively minimal), if I could only use one single type of blade for the next year, I would probably not choose a Wharncliffe blade. I will readily admit that while the Wharncliffe profile is the most aesthetically pleasing to my eye, it is not the most versatile blade type for the widest range of multiple applications. Although, at the same time, I believe I could "make do" just fine with a wharncliffe blade for basic survival purposes if, for whatever hypothetical reason, that was my only option.

As a collector, I tend to favor knives with wharncliffe blades because in my knife collection I prioritize form over function. But, for a daily use (EDC) knife and especially in a survival situation, my priority would be function over form...and I would actually prefer a fixed blade knife over a folder, for that matter. But, in a survival situation I would prefer a knife (folder or fixed) with any style blade over a tin can lid, and I would prefer a tin can lid over a shard of broken glass, and a shard of glass over a piece of bone, and a piece of bone over a rock (unless the rock was obsidian or flint), etc., etc.

~Q~
We are all just prisoners here of our own device.
In the master's chamber they gather for the feast.
They stab it with their steely knives but they just can't kill the beast.
(Eagles: Hotel California)


~Q~
Ivoryman
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Re: Show off your favorite GECs!

Post by Ivoryman »

kootenay joe wrote:I'm sure "smooth white bone" and "smooth ivory bone" are marketing terms for the same material. I think "ivory" is now dropped in favor of "white" to avoid any misunderstanding by the online correctness police.
A Wharncliffe blade is very attractive but a blade needs a belly to cover all situations in my opinion. If you could only use one single blade knife for the next year would you pick a Wharncliffe blade ?

kj
If I had to pick one blade it would be a Wharn. Carry wharns most of the time. But what kind of hypothetical is that when it's irrelevant because we never have to pick one blade for the next year. You can get belly and wharn on the same knife, and if not sometimes I carry both. When I need a belly for a rare event, I use a spear or drop, but spears and drops will never score like a wharn or core apples like a wharn, or get in a corner like a wharn or draw like a wharn or do what the wharn is designed for. I've carried both and every kind of blade I can find, but for what I do Wharns do it better and I've never had a wharn on me and thought, "gee, I need a spear or drop or clip to cut this." Never happens. Just a hypothetical. But what is not hypothetical is experience and my experience is a wharn will do everything a belly blade will if you know how to work it. And nobody has to choose one only, there are plenty of options to make that a mute point. But to say a blade needs a belly is a personal opinion, not a fact. The proof is that I have never had a wharn that wouldn't do my cutting jobs. Never. I have had several clips, spears, and drops that don't box cut very well, don't puncture as well, don't core as well, don't rip cut as well, don't rip through fabric as well................
"It's what people know about themselves inside that makes them afraid." -No Name, High Plains Drifter
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m0nk
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Re: Show off your favorite GECs!

Post by m0nk »

You guys are not helping my wharn-on-the-brain syndrome. at all. No, I'm not taking a chance on a S&M #99 Executive Jack wharn. And no, I did not participate in the NW Fayette Jack fray yesterday. I was a spectator only, contributing to the server DOS by hitting F5 just to watch the numbers quickly dwindle until "Sold Out" occurred at about 7 minutes after the hour, by my clock. I'll reiterate my previous wish on another thread that I hope GEC gives us a wharnie in 2018, one that we can reasonably purchase, at a reasonable price.

So my latest idea is to try my hand at knife making. I have some Home Depot materials and I'm going to cobble something together, maybe this weekend. Guess what the blade is going to be? That's right, a Wharncliffe!! Yes, I know the mild steel won't harden properly, and yes, I'm just fooling around. But if the process goes well I already have some real materials in a shopping cart at an online knife materials supplier...

Lee
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Re: Show off your favorite GECs!

Post by Ivoryman »

I echo that mOnk. Knew it wasn't just me. Here's a few of my other favorites. Here's Wharncliffe in your eyes.
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Quick Steel
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Re: Show off your favorite GECs!

Post by Quick Steel »

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kootenay joe
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Re: Show off your favorite GECs!

Post by kootenay joe »

Ivoryman, quite a display of straight edges !
And Q.S. WOW ! i think you dug deeply into your pockets. The Lumberjack is pretty unique. I would like to know if the saw blade saws.
kj
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Re: Show off your favorite GECs!

Post by Quick Steel »

kj, Wish I could answer your question about the saw but for obvious reasons I will refrain from testing it. It appears and feels as though it could do some light sawing.
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m0nk
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Re: Show off your favorite GECs!

Post by m0nk »

Ivoryman, that's a mighty fine looking collection you've got there. Thanks for sharing the pics. How long did it take to amass such a swarm of wharns?
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Re: Show off your favorite GECs!

Post by Ivoryman »

Thanks mOnk, seems like about the last five years or so that the addiction to wharns has been strongest. Seems to me they are a little more rare and a little more sought after so it's a double whammy but I like the blades and they do whatever I need and then some. Thanks and keep your eyes out for them because people like me are always competing for them.
Thanks KJ, coming from you considering your pile, that means something. Appreciate it.
"It's what people know about themselves inside that makes them afraid." -No Name, High Plains Drifter
sunknife
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Re: Show off your favorite GECs!

Post by sunknife »

Very nice collection of wharns Ivoryman, thanks for giving us a look. ::tu::

A lot of knife in those two QuickSteel, pretty unique pattern. ::tu::
Greg
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Re: Show off your favorite GECs!

Post by Ivoryman »

Couple more, thanks guys
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kootenay joe
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Re: Show off your favorite GECs!

Post by kootenay joe »

Ivoryman do you also have vintage Sheffield folders with a Wharncliffe master ? It is a relatively short stout blade, i.e. what a purist would refer to as a "true Wharncliffe".
I hope your Wharncliffe ways have taken you to Sheffield, home of "The Wharnees".
kj
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Re: Show off your favorite GECs!

Post by Ivoryman »

Sorry no English knives in my roll. Relatively new to the game.
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kootenay joe
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Re: Show off your favorite GECs!

Post by kootenay joe »

"Sorry no English knives in my roll. Relatively new to the game"
The vintage Sheffield knives will impress and even amaze you especially when you realize all made with hand tools including a bow drill to make pivot holes etc., yet as precise as laser guided robots.
Knife collecting offers millions of knives and thousands of knife types. It is not possible to investigate them all but it is worthwhile to be 'open' to all knife styles.
kj
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