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.
Lots of good discussion here. I have a #98 Whittler only because I like GEC's split backs, and want to have an example of each. Probably won't ever carry it. It is definitely a belt sheath kind of knife.
As far as the #81 Moose - I have been itching to try one in the green. It seems it would be be the perfect knife with both a large clip & spear. There are a couple of well respected dealers that have said that GEC did a superb job on these. But, with a #82 Dixie stockman coming, I may not ever pull the lever.
I'm surprised the #82 Dixie Stockman's are not selling faster also. I don't think GEC made a very large batch of each of these.
FarSide wrote:Lots of good discussion here. I have a #98 Whittler only because I like GEC's split backs, and want to have an example of each. Probably won't ever carry it. It is definitely a belt sheath kind of knife.
As far as the #81 Moose - I have been itching to try one in the green. It seems it would be be the perfect knife with both a large clip & spear. There are a couple of well respected dealers that have said that GEC did a superb job on these. But, with a #82 Dixie stockman coming, I may not ever pull the lever.
I'm surprised the #82 Dixie Stockman's are not selling faster also. I don't think GEC made a very large batch of each of these.
Light Side 98 A.jpg
Ha! That pic was so weird, and funny. Totally appropriate for your screen name and avatar. Well done. What are the two secondary blades on that 98 Whittler. I'll never pass up a chance to lament the fact that I didn't buy the lone remaining 98 Cattle Knife from GSJ early this year while I had the chance.
As for the large clip/spear combo, I have a 54 Big Jack that has the large clip/spear, and I really like it. I just wish that the spear was a sheepsfoot... which is why I'm so excited about the new #86 with the large clip and large sheepsfoot. If you like the serpentine pattern and squarish corner bolsters, then you should give the 81 a shot. I don't have one, but I've looked at the red micarta examples many times and thought, "hmmm..."
Lee - the #98 Whittler has a large pen & coping blade that could be called a wharncliffe too I guess. GEC did an amazing job on the split-backs as usual.
Concerning the #81 Bull Moose, I was for a while among the folks who wouldn't have one. I finally came across an osage orange Tidioute at a really good price, figured I'd try it out. Turns out I'm quite fond of it. Yes the pulls are light (too light) but the action is just so incredibly silky smooth. After working the blades enough, they've developed a fairly satisfying snap upon opening as well. I especially find it handy around the kitchen..
Then a few weeks ago, I came across a NIT ebony Northfiled at like 65% retail. Snatched it without a second thought. This one has the same smooth action, but the clip has so little snap that I almost push it to full stop. No amount of working It has helped either. Very disappointed.
Ajd3530 wrote:Concerning the #81 Bull Moose, I was for a while among the folks who wouldn't have one. I finally came across an osage orange Tidioute at a really good price, figured I'd try it out. Turns out I'm quite fond of it. Yes the pulls are light (too light) but the action is just so incredibly silky smooth. After working the blades enough, they've developed a fairly satisfying snap upon opening as well. I especially find it handy around the kitchen..
Then a few weeks ago, I came across a NIT ebony Northfiled at like 65% retail. Snatched it without a second thought. This one has the same smooth action, but the clip has so little snap that I almost push it to full stop. No amount of working It has helped either. Very disappointed.
Sorry to hear you got a bad one.
I will join in the confusion as to why the 81 moose is not popular. I like the pattern and have two, it's historic, looks good and is well made. I did really want another run of 81 stockmans but the moose is a nice knife.
-Paul T.
WANTED: Shapleigh Diamond Edge branded Schrades in good condition.
Am I the only one who thinks that the 06 pattern was remarkably popular considering the relative flop of the 18 pattern from a couple years ago? Considering how similar the stag 06 is to the natural stag 18 (same length, identical blade, etc ) I am really surprised that the 06s sold out as fast as they did. Meanwhile, you can still find 18s from first-run dealers all over the internet.
Is the coke bottle frame really that much more popular than the dogleg?
T.B. i too am surprised that the Pemberton at 2 3/4" is selling well. I have one, very nice but at this size i prefer a pen knife set up.
The #18 is the same size and came out in 2016. I think there now are more people on the 'GEC Bandwagon' and there is a fear of 'loosing out'. You need to snap one up right away in case it turns out to be popular and quickly gets sold out. Even if a GEC collector does not really like it, i think there is a feeling of competition to get one of every new pattern.
I think this degree of GEC collector compulsiveness was not as strong in 2016 as it is now.
kj
Tsar Bomba wrote:Am I the only one who thinks that the 06 pattern was remarkably popular considering the relative flop of the 18 pattern from a couple years ago? Considering how similar the stag 06 is to the natural stag 18 (same length, identical blade, etc ) I am really surprised that the 06s sold out as fast as they did. Meanwhile, you can still find 18s from first-run dealers all over the internet.
Is the coke bottle frame really that much more popular than the dogleg?
Both are great little knives. Where are you seeing these 18s all over the internet?
Tsar Bomba wrote:Am I the only one who thinks that the 06 pattern was remarkably popular considering the relative flop of the 18 pattern from a couple years ago? Considering how similar the stag 06 is to the natural stag 18 (same length, identical blade, etc ) I am really surprised that the 06s sold out as fast as they did. Meanwhile, you can still find 18s from first-run dealers all over the internet.
Is the coke bottle frame really that much more popular than the dogleg?
Both are great little knives. Where are you seeing these 18s all over the internet?
Makes me wonder if he's talking about 56 doglegs, identical shape but larger than the 18, and can still be found at distributors?
What I really want to know is, what's GEC going to make next, after the 97s?
kootenay joe wrote:T.B. i too am surprised that the Pemberton at 2 3/4" is selling well. I have one, very nice but at this size i prefer a pen knife set up.
The #18 is the same size and came out in 2016. I think there now are more people on the 'GEC Bandwagon' and there is a fear of 'loosing out'. You need to snap one up right away in case it turns out to be popular and quickly gets sold out. Even if a GEC collector does not really like it, i think there is a feeling of competition to get one of every new pattern.
I think this degree of GEC collector compulsiveness was not as strong in 2016 as it is now.
kj
Roland I think you are correct about the competition to get every new gec for fear of losing out, many people seem to do it. I used to be the same way but have since started only seeking out gec's that I really wanted to have and knew it was unlikely for me to trade or sell it later.
-Paul T.
WANTED: Shapleigh Diamond Edge branded Schrades in good condition.
Tsar Bomba wrote:Am I the only one who thinks that the 06 pattern was remarkably popular considering the relative flop of the 18 pattern from a couple years ago? Considering how similar the stag 06 is to the natural stag 18 (same length, identical blade, etc ) I am really surprised that the 06s sold out as fast as they did. Meanwhile, you can still find 18s from first-run dealers all over the internet.
Is the coke bottle frame really that much more popular than the dogleg?
Both are great little knives. Where are you seeing these 18s all over the internet?
I can attest that there have been a lot more #18s going on eBay since this run of Pembertons has been released.
robbobus wrote:Both are great little knives. Where are you seeing these 18s all over the internet?
Agreed, both are great little knives. I wish I could have gotten more varieties of the 06. I am loaded with 18s and enamored in particular with the two camel bone variants.
About this time last year collectorknives, which I believe gets smaller orders than KSF, had no fewer than 4 variants of the 18 (including the unserialized stag Coyote) available. Looking at some other dealers it appears that they've finally emptied their stock for the most part...after nearly 3 years.
I suspect we won't be seeing any new 06s available at first-run dealers come 2022.
m0nk wrote:
What I really want to know is, what's GEC going to make next, after the 97s?
Scuttlebutt is a run of #12 Powderhorns, possibly with some new acrylic.
Geez, #12s? I hope not. I'd rather buy a 38 Special, which have also been unpopular and are readily available. Toothpick patterns have never appealed to me.
m0nk wrote:
What I really want to know is, what's GEC going to make next, after the 97s?
Scuttlebutt is a run of #12 Powderhorns, possibly with some new acrylic.
Geez, #12s? I hope not. I'd rather buy a 38 Special, which have also been unpopular and are readily available. Toothpick patterns have never appealed to me.
I'd probably be game for a 2 bladed Northfield in Cocobolo or something of the sort, but it would take some really neat looking acrylic, or abalone, to get me interested in a single blade.
Two blade large Coke bottle knives are not common. The only ones I've noticed are Cases with a long broad spey for their second blade and Mahuer & Gorschs (?spelling) with a spear second blade. At least one seller wrote the latter were made by Queen. In knives this large I strongly prefer the second blade be smaller. A pen blade is about the size of a spear master blade in a medium size slip joint. A big advantage of the second blade is the thicker handle makes the knife more comfortable to handle.
Since I prefer a fatter handle on a long folder I might buy a 97 if I spot one with fat stag that catches my fancy. However, large Coke bottles are easy to find in less expensive brands. The two things that set the 97 apart are its shorter length and its blade slopes down from the handle more. Both features are not desirable. I like my large Coke Bottle knives but this one is hard to justify. If some were assembled with secondary blades I'd have no trouble justifying buying a few of them.
To hoist this thread back up onto the tracks I'll write it appears the least popular GECs are all models with more than two blades. For me the more blades the merrier but last year's 66 Stockmans are still plentiful at dealers and December's Dixie Stockmans are selling very slowly.
Modern Slip Joints wrote:To hoist this thread back up onto the tracks I'll write it appears the least popular GECs are all models with more than two blades. For me the more blades the merrier but last year's 66 Stockmans are still plentiful at dealers and December's Dixie Stockmans are selling very slowly.
The 66 and 82 stockmans are my favorite recent GEC's, but it seems many people don't like three blade knives very much. The most popular ones are one and two blades. I'm glad they're making stockmans at least. One of these days they'll do another 81 stockman run and I'll be very happy, and broke.
-Paul T.
WANTED: Shapleigh Diamond Edge branded Schrades in good condition.
Modern Slip Joints wrote:To hoist this thread back up onto the tracks I'll write it appears the least popular GECs are all models with more than two blades. For me the more blades the merrier but last year's 66 Stockmans are still plentiful at dealers and December's Dixie Stockmans are selling very slowly.
The 66 and 82 stockmans are my favorite recent GEC's, but it seems many people don't like three blade knives very much. The most popular ones are one and two blades. I'm glad they're making stockmans at least. One of these days they'll do another 81 stockman run and I'll be very happy, and broke.
Well one thing I've noticed about GEC's stockmans, at least the #82s and especially #66s, is the less than satisfactory pull weights and snap of the secondaries. I have a Case 046 Humpback stockman (granted, it is my nicest Case) with far superior action and snap on all blades as compared to my Great Eastern offerings.
Modern Slip Joints wrote:To hoist this thread back up onto the tracks I'll write it appears the least popular GECs are all models with more than two blades. For me the more blades the merrier but last year's 66 Stockmans are still plentiful at dealers and December's Dixie Stockmans are selling very slowly.
The 66 and 82 stockmans are my favorite recent GEC's, but it seems many people don't like three blade knives very much. The most popular ones are one and two blades. I'm glad they're making stockmans at least. One of these days they'll do another 81 stockman run and I'll be very happy, and broke.
Well one thing I've noticed about GEC's stockmans, at least the #82s and especially #66s, is the less than satisfactory pull weights and snap of the secondaries. I have a Case 046 Humpback stockman (granted, it is my nicest Case) with far superior action and snap on all blades as compared to my Great Eastern offerings.
Yes the snap is not as good as it should be, but not so bad that it's unacceptable. I had a 66 that had almost no snap on the secondaries and got rid of it but the rest (six in total) have been adequate. The 82's snap a little better overall. I have an older 66 coming to me via trade so I will see how the snap compares to the new run, I was told it was better.
The 81 stockmans made in 2013 had perfect snap, nice and stout but not hard to open at all. Frankly that run was perfect. The 81 stocks are my favorite gec.
-Paul T.
WANTED: Shapleigh Diamond Edge branded Schrades in good condition.
KnifeSlinger#81 wrote:
The 66 and 82 stockmans are my favorite recent GEC's, but it seems many people don't like three blade knives very much. The most popular ones are one and two blades. I'm glad they're making stockmans at least. One of these days they'll do another 81 stockman run and I'll be very happy, and broke.
Well one thing I've noticed about GEC's stockmans, at least the #82s and especially #66s, is the less than satisfactory pull weights and snap of the secondaries. I have a Case 046 Humpback stockman (granted, it is my nicest Case) with far superior action and snap on all blades as compared to my Great Eastern offerings.
Yes the snap is not as good as it should be, but not so bad that it's unacceptable. I had a 66 that had almost no snap on the secondaries and got rid of it but the rest (six in total) have been adequate. The 82's snap a little better overall. I have an older 66 coming to me via trade so I will see how the snap compares to the new run, I was told it was better.
The 81 stockmans made in 2013 had perfect snap, nice and stout but not hard to open at all. Frankly that run was perfect. The 81 stocks are my favorite gec.
My #66 is pretty good aside from spey blade. Now my #82, I wasn't impressed with at all (just the stockman, the possum skinner is awesome.) Weak snap all around, minor finishing issues, blades aren't aligned correctly, leading to more rub than there should be.. I really should have sent it back, but I didn't for some reason..
Yes, I'd love to have a #81 stockman. Seems that takes a kidney/firstborn child to get though one though.
Ajd3530 wrote:My #66 is pretty good aside from spey blade. Now my #82, I wasn't impressed with at all (just the stockman, the possum skinner is awesome.) Weak snap all around, minor finishing issues, blades aren't aligned correctly, leading to more rub than there should be.. I really should have sent it back, but I didn't for some reason..
Yes, I'd love to have a #81 stockman. Seems that takes a kidney/firstborn child to get though one though.
You could send the 82 to gec if you're willing to wait a little. I've used their warranty several times and they did a great job each time. I had an 82 with a scuff on the shield, minor, but it bothered me enough that I sent it back and KSF sent me another one. If I were going to carry the knife I wouldn't have cared but I bought it for my collection so I wanted it to be perfect (as much as it can be).
If you keep on the lookout you can get 81's but it's not easy. I am building up a collection of every variant and I want them all perfect and minty, so it's a long haul. It's also hard to convince those that have them to sell or trade.
-Paul T.
WANTED: Shapleigh Diamond Edge branded Schrades in good condition.
Too many members presume the rest of a production run has snap like the example or few examples of a model that they've handled. I've handled five Dixie Stockmans. Out of their 15 blades one drop point has inadequate snap into the open position but that blade's only been opened twice. Flushing out a quarter thousandths of an inch of polishing compound might be all it would take to make it snap open. All six blades in the last two Dixies I handled have very strong snap into the open position and lighter snap closing. That is how I like slip joints, easy to open but firmly held open.
While stag 82 Stockmans are my favorite GEC, I am not going to buy a Possum Skinner. Except for their Wharncliff blades being shorter Possum Skinners are single spring Wharncliff or Improved Muskrats which I have a couple of that Queen made. Many members here and on other forums have written that Possum Skinners tend to have stronger snap that Dixie Stockmans. Typical of single spring muskrats Possum Skinners have a spacer beside both tangs to make room for a second blade over one wider back spring. The stronger average pull is from the wider back spring. Despite my Queens being a quarter inch shorter their square ended bolsters combined with the clip blade tip laying over the spacer allows them to have the same length master blade as a Dixie Stockman.
This poor choo choo train just can't stay on its tracks. It's jumped the tracks into the gully again. I'll make one more effort to get it back on track by asking did the #12 toothpick or powder horn pattern sell well? Unlike all other brands of toothpicks they are broader for their length like pre-WW-II Remington toothpicks. I have not seen much written about them.
