Mail Call, Post Your New GECs.

[313 Mike]

Nice color on that big ol' Sunfish! How is the pull? I bet she is stout.

[Quick Steel]

j1890: A beauty!

[J1890]

Yup, stout pull! Not as bad As I thought it would be.
The more I use this knife, the more I like it.
Now I have the crazy idea on getting a whaler!

[Ivoryman]

Crown lifter, no bail, no shield, no "Beer Scout Knife" trim package. Just the way I like it. Love the Sheep Foot on a #15 frame, might have to post my others with it.

[Shorthairbirddog]

I apologize for the pictures, had to take them inside with a rain storm passing through. I just had to show them off to people that would understand lol.

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download/file.php?mode=view&id=288917

[313 Mike]

Very nice shorthairbirddog, a bullnose....and is the other a Tidioute 72? Is that ebony? Very handsome knives.

[Shorthairbirddog]

It is a 72 Mike, but East Indian Rosewood.

[Tsar Bomba]

So apparently my jigged bone #48 is delayed (some say GEC's fault, some say otherwise) and I won't be able to take a family photo for the thread.

So here's my absolutely lovely and perfect-in-hand bloodwood #48 Improved which has already gotten pocket time (along with a little Case for the really small jobs).

[QTCut5]

Tony, that Bloodwood #48 sure looks like a smooooth operator, indeed. Me likey vely much

Just added the #72 to my slowly growing herd of American Elk (Mahalo to IMBand).

~Q~

[Tsar Bomba]

Those bloodwood handles are quite literally that, a smooooooth operator. It almost feels like silk in hand. I've gotta put it through its paces to get a little grippiness in that wood, but I don't want the look to change. It looks even nicer than the photos can really show off.

That Elk #72 is outstanding, and so is that #47. GEC sure has hit some home runs with elk. One day I'm going to get over my aversion to GEC's stainless and pick up one of those acorn-shields.

[J1890]

Check out the grain on this Ironwood 54 Wow!
I am going to like using this knife. It fits great in the hand.

[313 Mike]

Wow that is a beautiful 54!

[J1890]

Wow that is a beautiful 54!

Thank you. I not really a fan of wood, I'm more of a bone
guy. But when I looked at that one I thought "yup, that's the one"

[kootenay joe]

There is a "Tom's Choice" single blade Barlow with yellow bone handles on ebay right now. With 5 days to go the eager beaver GEC'ers have already bid it up to $355 !
I would rather buy 3 new GEC knives or a top vintage example USA or Sheffield.
The GEC's are very nice knives and those commissioned by Charlie C. are usually the best, but i still don't get this frenzy to acquire them regardless of cost.
kj

[Tsar Bomba]

Jeremy, I can see why you went with the ironwood. I can almost overlook the off-center shield on that pattern, that's such a nice-looking knife. If it had a houndstooth shield, or if the prop shield were centered on the knife, I probably wouldn't be able to resist.

KJ, we often say a knife is worth what price it will bring. Well, it seems those TCs will bring well into the realm of custom knife money even now. IIRC the yellow bone was a fairly short run, but these days GEC seems to be doing that fairly often with most frames. There's a real rush on for Barlows, with newer Schrades and Camilluses in synthetic pants fetching well over $50-60 each these days (and with original boxes, watch out ) but the GECs take it to new heights.

Apparently I was derelict in posting my new GEC acquisition here...so here it is, #54 Big Jack in Oily Creek bone:

[kootenay joe]

My bet is that the GEC Barlows that are now selling for over $300 will not hold this value. GEC's make for great collectibles and i think in a few years time the more 'fancy' GEC's will be the ones most sought and the more plain patterns like a Barlow will be at a value close to original new price. By "fancy" i mean patterns like Swell End Jack, Eureka, Serpentine Whittler, etc. and with the upscale handles like Stag or Ivory.
However this is just a guess, the future can never be known in advance of the present.
kj

[Ivoryman]

I hope you're right KJ because I hunt Barlows, #15, #25, #77s. I have seen them go from just over a hundred bucks steadily up up up until I see them go for $250-350 all day long, every day. In the past three years they have about doubled or tripled in value. And I hear more tactical guys getting into traditionals. They are used to paying 4-5 hundred smackers for Chris Reeves, Z. Tolerance etc. GEC has low numbers in each run and their reputation is going up, not down. Small supply, big growing demand. But that's just my two cents, I could be wrong, just wondered why you think the price will drop so much in a year or two?

[kootenay joe]

" just wondered why you think the price will drop so much in a year or two?"

The price drop i suggest applies to the GEC Barlows, a relatively plain pattern that does not have 'exotic' handles. The current prices on the secondary market are ~ 3x their original price. This is largely due to a lot of 'hype' around these knives in BladeForums which has resulted in a great many people jumping on the bandwagon and pumping up this hype into a frenzy.
If you read the Traditional forum at BF you know all about this as GEC posts and especially Barlow posts have taken over what previously was a wide ranging forum.
Couple this frenzied desire with limited production numbers and the result are these $300+ Barlow prices. But this Barlow craze is a 'fad' and fads come & go. They don't last.
GEC's are great knives and i think they will hold their value and appreciate some over the long run and the ones that most appreciate likely will be the ones with the most interesting handle material. GEC's have some very fine stag, snakewood, ivory, and other materials and i think these will appreciate the most.
I think the Barlows will come down to close to original price because the current high values are based on hype rather than the knife being exceptionally special.
However any predicting of the future is just guessing and i might be wrong here.
kj

[Ivoryman]

I hope you're right, I would love to see the price drop so I can afford a couple. But to me it seems to be driven by popularity and demand, I can't speak to whether they are special or not, or hyped. But right now they are so popular and sought after the price is through the roof and not very many knives do that. That makes them special to buyers even if they are plain jane knives.

[kootenay joe]

The Barlows are good knives like pretty well all GEC's but they are not better than other GEC's. People's interest will drift to other objects and ever fewer people will be willing to pay $300 for any GEC Barlow so prices decline.
Sticking my neck out here i'll say prices will be down some by 1 year from now and back to near original price by 2 years.
We will see.
kj

[Tsar Bomba]

kj, I don't disagree that GECs will, regardless of their intentions or machinations, hit a point of diminishing returns on the secondary market -- eventually. I just don't know if I'm going to be able to wait out the coming price drop before I grow tired of the wait. There are a lot of other absolutely wonderful knives, even Barlows, out there. Considering I've been carrying my new #54 for the better part of a week straight with a mid-century I*XL Barlow, I'm able to live without a TC or NF in lots of different ways.

I hope you're right, I would love to see the price drop so I can afford a couple.

You and me both, sir. I feel like such a prole having only one from each of the last two runs, the #15 and the #77 single-clips. My only #25 is a short-bolstered EO jack and I don't have any #14s in any configuration -- they vanished pretty quickly leaving the variations I wasn't much happy with.

But as a man of (at least some) principle I will kiss a Georgia Bulldog's rump before I spend $350 on a pattern that has maintained a 150-year following as a workin' man's folding knife. Do you know how many minty boxed Schrades I could buy from that HET'n feller?!? Just read the tube on Charlie's latest #15s from late last year for a hint of the ethos behind the Barlow.

[J1890]

Ok, I went a little crazy. I just ordered both of these. I could not pass on the wood grain on these two. Should have them this week. Now I'm going to have to take a break from knife shopping for a bit

[jerryd6818]

There will certainly be no buyers remorse over that 48 Improved Trapper.

[kootenay joe]

Great looking wood on those 2 GEC knives, every bit as attractive as jigged bone or even stag.
kj

[Ivoryman]

Ok, I went a little crazy. I just ordered both of these. I could not pass on the wood grain on these two. Should have them this week. Now I'm going to have to take a break from knife shopping for a bit
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Hilarious sentiment. I've quit buying knives so many times it's not even a joke anymore. Need some knifeaholics anonymous chapter around here for certain.