Mail Call, Post Your New 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.
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Re: Mail Call, Post Your New GECs.

Post by 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
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Re: Mail Call, Post Your New GECs.

Post by 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?
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Re: Mail Call, Post Your New GECs.

Post by 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
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Re: Mail Call, Post Your New GECs.

Post by 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.
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Re: Mail Call, Post Your New GECs.

Post by 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
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Re: Mail Call, Post Your New GECs.

Post by 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. ::shrug::
Ivoryman wrote:I hope you're right, I would love to see the price drop so I can afford a couple.
You and me both, sir. ::handshake:: 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. ::huff:: Do you know how many minty boxed Schrades I could buy from that HET'n feller?!? :lol: Just read the tube on Charlie's latest #15s from late last year for a hint of the ethos behind the Barlow.
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Re: Mail Call, Post Your New GECs.

Post by 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 ::shrug::
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Re: Mail Call, Post Your New GECs.

Post by jerryd6818 »

There will certainly be no buyers remorse over that 48 Improved Trapper. ::tu::
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Re: Mail Call, Post Your New GECs.

Post by kootenay joe »

Great looking wood on those 2 GEC knives, every bit as attractive as jigged bone or even stag.
kj
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Re: Mail Call, Post Your New GECs.

Post by Ivoryman »

J1890 wrote: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 ::shrug::
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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.
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Re: Mail Call, Post Your New GECs.

Post by J1890 »

Thanks guys. I'm going like that two blade in bloodwood for sure. The single blade in Mexican bocote has some great grain ::tu::

Iman, that's funny stuff! ::nod:: I'll take a break from buying as I make some more things and sell them off. That way I don't take money from the house. We have got some projects to get done this summer.
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Re: Mail Call, Post Your New GECs.

Post by Tsar Bomba »

J1890 wrote:Thanks guys. I'm going like that two blade in bloodwood for sure.
Especially once you get it in hand. It's a fantastic knife. ::tu::
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Re: Mail Call, Post Your New GECs.

Post by Quick Steel »

Two GECs Beer Scouts. One handle acrylic, the other bone.
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Re: Mail Call, Post Your New GECs.

Post by kootenay joe »

I have just received a new "Diamond Jack" which is a #48 pattern trapper with a slender clip blade. The handles are chestnut jigged bone. These are a GEC SFO for Charlie Campagna.
I also have an original "Diamond Jack" from 2013, also a Charlie C. SFO. It is a 2 blade Trapper Jack on the 48 frame. This one has "old tan jigged bone handles.
Both have a slender clip blade. The 2013 blade has a larger swedge and has a high saber grind. The 2017 blade is full flat ground with a less dramatic swedge and seems more thinly ground to me.
Both could shave hair on arrival.
kj
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Re: Mail Call, Post Your New GECs.

Post by upnorth »

Thanks for posting the pictures, Roland!
That new jigging came out pretty nice, IMO!
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Re: Mail Call, Post Your New GECs.

Post by Tsar Bomba »

While I couldn't really justify getting more than my preselected two trappers out of this recent 48 run, putting the single-blade variants out of consideration, I did manage to cash in a coupon and secure two single-blade muskrat clip knives from a recent GEC run, and I have to say that as much as I love my bloodwood 48 improved, the new 38 Special jack is quite a knife! I'm tempted to grab some back stock in that hawkbill jack GEC ran on the frame last time, too. ::paranoid::
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The bocote in particular is really checking some boxes. It has absolutely outstanding grain on both sides and F&F is excellent even with the sunken handle pins some GEC buyers loathe. It is among the top 5 or so of beautiful wood handles in my collection, and for the post-discount price I paid for both I feel like I got away with legal robbery. :lol:

CollectorKnives was even so nice as to send me a spare tube end-cap to replace the mangled one that came wedged into the tube of one of my 54s (thanks Mike & crew!). As long as they keep it up with keeping the sure thing reservations, they've got a customer for life in me. ::tu::
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Re: Mail Call, Post Your New GECs.

Post by kootenay joe »

Quote Charlie C. in reference to my 2017 #48 Diamond Jack: "That new jigging came out pretty nice".
Absolutely first rate actually. My pictures were taken without the correct lighting and do not show the jigging well.
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Re: Mail Call, Post Your New GECs.

Post by Quick Steel »

Tsar Bomba wrote: The bocote in particular is really checking some boxes.

Truly exceptional. A knife of real distinction. Congrats! ::groove::
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Re: Mail Call, Post Your New GECs.

Post by Quick Steel »

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Re: Mail Call, Post Your New GECs.

Post by dweb1897 »

Here's a pair you won't see every day
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Re: Mail Call, Post Your New GECs.

Post by Buckibbq »

My latest from GEC and I'm very happy with it. Beautiful matching stag and a perfect fit and finish. Not as strong of snap as I'd like on the Spey and sheepsfoot blade, but still a quality piece of work.
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Re: Mail Call, Post Your New GECs.

Post by Old Folder »

Quick Steel wrote:Two GECs Beer Scouts. One handle acrylic, the other bone.

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A tad late in responding to your above post from June 2, 2017 Quick Steel.
I normally prefer Bone handles over Acrylic, but if I had only one choice of your GEC Beer Scouts I would have that acrylic in my pocket. ::nod::
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Re: Mail Call, Post Your New GECs.

Post by Quick Steel »

OH, Thank you for your comment. [Never too late.] Like you I am normally not much drawn to acrylic but in this case I thought they made a nice pairing and did think the acrylic was attractive.
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Re: Mail Call, Post Your New GECs.

Post by Ivoryman »

This is a recent arrival, but the color is brand new. Wanted the color darker like Sunknife did on his, so I bought dye, used a cue tip to put yellow on first, let the yellow dry, then put on smudges of red in the middle in the low spots of the jigging and here and there. Let red tack up, not totally dry, then I puddled some medium brown in the red spots and other jigging looking for a mottled look and let that stand until dry. Then a couple more coats of the same for darker color. Pretty close to the color I was looking for which was sort of old Rogers bone with the darker caramels and the lighter butterscotches, hint of dark red. Here's before and after. Easy mod that's fun to mess with and I already dyed two other knives that I always wanted darker. Had some fun with it. Tickled pink with the outcome.
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Re: Mail Call, Post Your New GECs.

Post by kootenay joe »

Is the top picture the 'before' the dye ?
Looking pretty 'rich' in the bottom picture.
Does the dye come off on your hand if you use it ? (meaning more than 1 or 2 cuts)
kj
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