All About Pocket Knives

They're here! They're here here just paid for mine at CK.

Sharpnshinyknives wrote:By the way, what does the circle w/ the 3 P’s stand for?

Pattern Production Premiere. The first run (usually the Tidioutes since the Northfields come later) for a brand new pattern number. The Tidioutes of the recent #44 run were all etched "PPP" too.

I broke down and now there are a jigged cherrywood Tidioute and an ebony Northfield en route.

I too received notification from CK that the ebony Northfield 97 is inbound (to CK) and so i too paid for it.
kj

Those are some fat slabs!

Tsar Bomba wrote:

Sharpnshinyknives wrote:By the way, what does the circle w/ the 3 P’s stand for?

Pattern Production Premiere. The first run (usually the Tidioutes since the Northfields come later) for a brand new pattern number. The Tidioutes of the recent #44 run were all etched "PPP" too.

I broke down and now there are a jigged cherrywood Tidioute and an ebony Northfield en route.

You won’t be disappointed with the cherrywood jigged. It’s as nice as any I have.
Ebony on it’s way. I hope I can get one of those stags.
SSk

Those stag slabs look top notch. I wish GEC would try to fit these by grinding off from the underside so as to have bolster to bolster exterior stag surface. There must be a reason why they grind off the top to get a fit to the bolsters. Likely it is easier but the old Sheffield dudes managed to haft with all exterior bark showing so i'm sure GEC could master it too.
kj

kootenay joe wrote:Those stag slabs look top notch. I wish GEC would try to fit these by grinding off from the underside so as to have bolster to bolster exterior stag surface. There must be a reason why they grind off the top to get a fit to the bolsters. Likely it is easier but the old Sheffield dudes managed to haft with all exterior bark showing so i'm sure GEC could master it too.
kj

Selecting the best looking stag is about like picking the prettiest girl was in junior high school. Fortunately we did not all think the same one was the best looking. My preference is smooth stag polished flush with the bolsters and a little bulge that keeps all of the bark high of the bolsters. The way Americans haft stag bolster to bolster bark necessitates exposed bolster edges that usually are radiused at the ends of grooves and other low spots. It is common on German knives to see almost bolster to bolster bark with an abrupt step down to the bolster. While to me that looks like the hafters did not blend the stag into the bolster to save time, that is another way to get nearly full bark coverage. While they were less common some of the 82 Dixie Stockmans had stag the way you like it. They did not sell fast so if you hunt through the pictures of individual stag 97s at stores there's a good chance you'll find a 97 that is to your taste.

MSJ i think when the Stag 97's get to dealers they will be snapped up quickly. If you see a really nice one but then go on to check out the others, likely when you come back for the "really nice one" it will have been sold
kj

This is such a nice looking knife, but just too large for what I would need to carry. Still tempted to grab one though.

kootenay joe,

There was plenty of time to pick out my stag 82 Dixie Stockmans. They were available about the first week of January and less that a week ago one dealer was still showing pictures of 33 individual knives. I took a couple of weeks selecting mine and during that time the number of Dixies that dealers were displaying pictures of dropped from about 80 to around 70. While I like large Coke bottles and other large slip joints they only appeal to a tiny percentage of knife buyers and either here or on Bladeforums it was posted that including all handle covers GEC is making over 5,000 97s. On the other hand, it appears popularity of GEC patterns decreases as the number of blades increases.

Wow, 5,000 is a large run that i do not associate with GEC. I guess i am out of date as i think of runs of 500 - 750 as being typical for a GEC pattern.
I really like a Swell Center Folding Hunter pattern and i think this smaller 4 3/4" size will be 'right on'. The standard size for this pattern is 5 1/4 - 5 3/8". Hence i think it will be popular, but with 5,000 they won't sell out in a 'wink'.
kj

Quote FS: "This is such a nice looking knife, but just too large for what I would need to carry. Still tempted to grab one though"
This pattern is one intended for use in hunting, mostly deer hunting and as such the size is 'just right' for field dressing a whitetail deer. It is also a good size to belt carry for those who do any kind of outdoor work.
But even if you don't hunt or do much outside or outdoors cutting, it i think is still worth getting because in hand you will get the 'Oh Wow !' feeling that we knifers love.
kj

Recieved mine yesterday, it will be going back.

As stated above, this pattern was designed as a hunting knife. Well, I wouldn't get within 5 feet of a deer or bear that needed dressed with this knife. My #43 has what I would describe as an extremely light pull (especially for it's size,) and it is MUCH stronger than this #97 I recieved. I'd rate it at about a 3 1/2 pull maybe. I wouldn't feel safe using this for much more than moderate kitchen use. The spring is so weak, I nearly have to place the blade in the closed position. Absolutely no snap. They would have been much better if going without a half stop and having a stiffer spring, or better yet, made it with a liner lock.

I haven't been this disappointed with a GEC since at least the #38 Specials. Its such a shame, this #97 pattern had such promise.

How do you screw up the pull on a single-blade jack? This is a disappointing development considering I have 2 en route.

I picked up a 97 Tidioute with maroon Micarta today. The pull is not stiff but it is stiff enough to keep the blade closed and to hold the fully open position when in use. This is all a spring has to do. Any stronger pull is excess, but nice if you like to hear a loud 'cluck' as it slams shut.
I'm o.k. with the pull even though i agree it is on the 'softer side', but i still does the job, and i like it.
kj.
Edit to add: blade edge shaves arm hair. It's ready for Mr. Whitetail right out of the tube !

Tsar Bomba wrote:How do you screw up the pull on a single-blade jack? This is a disappointing development considering I have 2 en route.

Pull strength is partially the result how much material is removed from a knife's backspring(s) during the hafting process. If the hafter exerts too much pressure on the knife or holds it against the wheel for a few seconds too long, the knife is going to have a weak backspring. Conversely, if you have the intestinal fortitude to attempt it, an overly strong backspring can be “weakened” by re-grinding the spine of the knife. Hence the differences in pull strength that sometimes occur amongst knives of the same pattern from the same batch can oftentimes be explained by the hand-hafting process used by traditional knife manufacturers such as GEC.

My ebony arrived today and man what a gorgeous knife, fit and finish is top notch.

As far as pull and snap it is just like the other I received, it is on the light side but does snap firmly into place, I did clean a lot of gunk out of the first one I received and snap improved quite a bit. I've got a couple of vintage original and they feel the same way so a light pull may be inherent to the pattern.

I was going to call gec today but, due to the time differences, I wasn't able to. I still feel that a knife of this type and size should have solid and positive "snap" particularly when the blade is open.

ken98k wrote:I was going to call gec today but, due to the time differences, I wasn't able to. I still feel that a knife of this type and size should have solid and positive "snap" particularly when the blade is open.

I would be very curious to know what they say. I’m disappointed with the weak springs as well. On both my Autumn Gold and my American Whittler. They are otherwise great. But Case also has reasonably well polished knives with weak springs and it just doesn’t excite me. To me a strong spring adds character.

It’s especially disappointing on the Northfield blade where the added leverage of the nail nick is so unnecessary that it almost makes a mockery of the spring.

I know that the story is that GEC caught flack from some for the nail breakers on the early year 23’s but my 2012 23 is stronger than my 2007. I consider both reasonable and enjoyable. Different strokes though.

If nothing else I’ve enjoyed a lively conversation on an otherwise slow forum. All the best everyone!

HighPlains wrote:

ken98k wrote:I was going to call gec today but, due to the time differences, I wasn't able to. I still feel that a knife of this type and size should have solid and positive "snap" particularly when the blade is open.

I would be very curious to know what they say. I’m disappointed with the weak springs as well. On both my Autumn Gold and my American Whittler. They are otherwise great. But Case also has reasonably well polished knives with weak springs and it just doesn’t excite me. To me a strong spring adds character.

It’s especially disappointing on the Northfield blade where the added leverage of the nail nick is so unnecessary that it almost makes a mockery of the spring.

I know that the story is that GEC caught flack from some for the nail breakers on the early year 23’s but my 2012 23 is stronger than my 2007. I consider both reasonable and enjoyable. Different strokes though.

If nothing else I’ve enjoyed a lively conversation on an otherwise slow forum. All the best everyone!

Just got off the phone with GEC. They said, "they were intentionally made with a very light pull due to previous complaints from collectors."
So I guess if you're looking for a "USER", buy a Case or a Rough Rider, as Great Eastern no longer produces knives for actual use, only display models for collectors.

ken98k wrote: Just got off the phone with GEC. They said, "they were intentionally made with a very light pull due to previous complaints from collectors."

I do think there is a happy middle ground. For example, I would say the pulls on all of my 43s was too light and the actions to spongy. But the pulls on my 44s, a later model, were inspiring but not overly tight and the actions are admirably positive and snappy.

It’s too bad to see what seems like backsliding after they nailed on the 44s.

GEC is very dynamic though and I’m still committed to the journey.

I would be curious to hear from lots of different users about what they think an ideal pull would be. Like a personal opinion as well as what would be best for all users.

As I’ve said, personally I prefer 23 and 73 type actions. But I think 44 type actions could reasonably make all parties happy. Thoughts??

Also, Ken, thanks for taking the trouble to make the phone call. What was the conversation like? We’re they receptive to feedback?

Got my 97s. Checked out the cherrywood Tidioute last night. Toted the ebony NF today.

The snap is fine on both.

Carry on.

HighPlains wrote:

ken98k wrote: Just got off the phone with GEC. They said, "they were intentionally made with a very light pull due to previous complaints from collectors."

I do think there is a happy middle ground. For example, I would say the pulls on all of my 43s was too light and the actions to spongy. But the pulls on my 44s, a later model, were inspiring but not overly tight and the actions are admirably positive and snappy.

It’s too bad to see what seems like backsliding after they nailed on the 44s.

GEC is very dynamic though and I’m still committed to the journey.

I would be curious to hear from lots of different users about what they think an ideal pull would be. Like a personal opinion as well as what would be best for all users.

As I’ve said, personally I prefer 23 and 73 type actions. But I think 44 type actions could reasonably make all parties happy. Thoughts??

Also, Ken, thanks for taking the trouble to make the phone call. What was the conversation like? We’re they receptive to feedback?

The first lady I spoke with was very pleasant and when I explained what I wanted she said "I don't know but I'll find out".
The next person was ready to fight when she got on the phone, and it was obvious right away from her tone, there would be no compromise on her part.
After she explained why GEC knives now have soft pulls, I said "So I guess that means there's nothing that can be done about it, that's just the way it is?" she said YES.

Quote Ken: " "So I guess that means there's nothing that can be done about it, that's just the way it is?" she said YES."
There are 2 ways to interpret this. Was the GEC person saying there is nothing that can be done to improve spring strength on existing #97 knives ?
Or, was she saying soft springs on this pattern will be the case even in future runs ?
I think she was giving the first meaning. But as knifers we already know this. The knife would have to be taken apart and have a stiffer spring inserted and likely need to be re-hafted (new handle pieces) to look decent. It would make more sense to do another run of knives than to take apart & re-build existing ones.
But what is more important is future knives in which something can be done to give stronger springs. The GEC person cannot predict the future. If enough people emailed or phoned GEC asking for stronger springs on future runs it likely would happen. My suggestion is to have 2 runs of springs, one being a bit wimpy and the other being on the stiff side. The knives with the stiffer springs could have the letter "S" added to serial # to denote which knives have the stiff springs. Perhaps not suitable for all patterns but it could be done for the larger knives.
kj

I missed the stag knives that Traditionalpocketknives had today. Didn’t see the email until 3 hours after it came and they were all gone. Sure hope I get another chance on one. If anyone sees these going up somewhere, please post it here. Thanks.
SSk