stag cigar

jonet143 · Post by **jonet143** » Mon Nov 05, 2007 10:24 pm

just got a stag 1 of 8,(#6) gec northfield cigar. mmmmm

not a cheap knife. stag is very nice, two blades would'nt cut butter, two blades have extreme rubs. will have to be polished. NO SHIELD ON THE STAG? i did'nt notice in pic., that's my problem.

overall very disappointed in this latest offering from gec.
i have 10 2006 and now 2 of the 2007. out of the 12, 6 have or had issues from the factory. time for a shakeup at the factory.

johnnierotten · Post by **johnnierotten** » Mon Nov 05, 2007 10:42 pm

Sorry your disappointed,Bro....I think its a beautiful knife..would look better with a shield.

jonet143 · Post by **jonet143** » Mon Nov 05, 2007 10:49 pm

yeah me too. i expected more from them on a 1 of 8 knife. don't get me wrong, i'll keep it but somebody at gec should find another line of work. i do like the hat pin that came with it.

gectechman, feel free to comment.

Hukk · Post by **Hukk** » Mon Nov 05, 2007 11:22 pm

jonet143 wrote:yeah me too. i expected more from them on a 1 of 8 knife. don't get me wrong, i'll keep it but somebody at gec should find another line of work. i do like the hat pin that came with it.

gectechman, feel free to comment.

I look at this knife and what sticks out like a sore thumb is how darn big the rocker pin has been spun. Maybe it's the angle, but it looks huge!

Sorry to see anyone unhappy with a $$$ knife. That should never happen. I would like to see a better piece of stag, all that white makes it look like bonestag. Can't keep making these , rubs are unacceptable if they are hand making the knives.

Sorry johnnie, I'm not impressed with this knife when I look at it.

It just looks bland, wish they had pinched the bolsters.

steve · Post by **steve** » Tue Nov 06, 2007 2:25 am

hey jonet, im not a gec collector, but im glad to see that they are making new patterns and that cigar is a favorite pattern of mine. i have to agree with you that it would look much better tho with a shield on the handle. anyway, sorry that youre dissapointed in it.

jonet143 · Post by **jonet143** » Tue Nov 06, 2007 3:12 am

it is a great pattern steve. i don't like plastic handles and wanted a natural material. i love stag. so i paid a premium for it. oh well. i'll clean the scuff marks and put a proper edge using the original angles. and enjoy it. it's a pretty big ole knife.

knifeaholic · Post by **knifeaholic** » Tue Nov 06, 2007 3:32 am

When I look at the new GEC Cuban cigar knives on ebay, from the pics it looks like the blades on all of them are satin finished not polished....is that true? sometimes its hard to tell from pics. And on the previous GEC releases, were the blades polished or satin?

singin46 · Post by **singin46** » Tue Nov 06, 2007 3:37 am

I really like the Cigars Johnnie, I bought the skunk Sat. and really am pleased over all. But you're right those rub marks need to go. One of my Gecs has a rub on the main blade and I just chose not to look at it and made it an EDC. But I gotta say, that is still a 1 of 8 knife and very unique in design and with the stag, a fine piece indeed.

Sorry about the trouble. Surely sooner or later they will find this guy and give him a lesson on finishing knives. Especially those costing 75 to 150 and more.

Singin46

jonet143 · Post by **jonet143** » Tue Nov 06, 2007 4:02 am

knifeaholic, they were polished. and some are not fully finished(still see grind lines) but i could live with most of the inconsistancies. at $180 i think the knife should open and close perfectly.
perry, i really like this one as well. i'm not slammin the company, i want more usa knives. but evedently someone's nephew

is in quality control.

singin46 · Post by **singin46** » Tue Nov 06, 2007 4:41 am

Singin46

jonet143 · Post by **jonet143** » Tue Nov 06, 2007 6:42 am

i sat down and remwaxed and fondled and polished out the scuffs. they happen to be where it appears the cutler crinked the two smaller blades.
hey hukk, my pictures are a little washed out. the stag is not white(like bulldogs) but burnt colored, not as dark as my other gec stag. as far as the pivot pin goes, it looks normal and cleanly spun to me. not overly large. it's a big solid knife.

Hukk · Post by **Hukk** » Tue Nov 06, 2007 7:37 am

singin46 wrote:

Singin46

A $100.00 knife, a $180.00 knife, makes no difference. Hmmn, new pattern - old problem. Knives at $80 need to perform like they are really much more expensive than than they are. The trappers seem to be problem free, though some must fail inspection at the factory. A trapper is a much more simple knife than a stockman that is now being made. If some bummers show up at the customers home, you know some must be held back at the factory. Can't happen any other way, otherwise they are just shipping..........PARTS! Well, you can't ship parts on Friday and expect a job on Monday.

I am supportive of GEC, (sometimes I don't sound as if I am, but we all at sometime need constructive critisism) and I always will be. What they are trying to do, an ambitious undertaking no matter what the current trends are. I have had the oppertunity to take a few knives apart, I am VERY IMPRESSED WITH NORTHWOOD as I am with Canal Street Cutlery. The designs are there for GEC to prosper, but it is the actions of the cutlers (assemblers) that will define the company. They are a company that is trying to buck the current trends, that is to to make the USA as a friendly customer base for their products, with most of their competition outsourced to China.

Knifemaking is not rocket science, cutlers must understand the importance of their jobs, without them there is no company and no jobs.

jonet143 wrote:hey hukk, my pictures are a little washed out. the stag is not white (like bulldogs) but burnt colored, not as dark as my other gec stag. as far as the pivot pin goes, it looks normal and cleanly spun to me. not overly large. it's a big solid knife.

Thanks for the information johnnie, I appreciate it, it does set my mind to ease. I do want GEC to succeed and to succeed overwhelmingly. I don't want to look at someones GEC knife and see flaws.

It is REAL EXPENSIVE to sit at an assembly desk and build the quality in or inspect it in, it is far better to be efficient enough to be able to blindly go through the work and make a few dozen without worrying if the quality will meet specififications. It's better to build the quality in and know it will pass inspection. I wonder how many questuions that the cutlers have, that never get answered,

I wish GEC all the good tidings found on our planet and truly hope we get to the point where we as collectors can focus on the finer nuances of the day in the life of cutler rather than pointing out defects that should not be there in he first place. Why are defects happening? What is the major defect, basically 20% will account for the vast majority of defects (80%). yes, that's the old 80 - 20 % rule. It still seems to hold water.

I really look forward to a Barlow, a 9 inch Drop Point fixed blade and a very nicely streamlined Bird and Trout knife.

No disrespect is meant toward ownership nor those that are there making knives. GOOD LUCK and may GEC prosper in this new venture!

okbohn · Post by **okbohn** » Tue Nov 06, 2007 6:56 pm

When I got that knife in, I was also disappointed in the blade rub. I tried to make sure the pictures included it.

I have been with GEC for almost a year. I called them this morning and told them I would have to step away as a distributor because their knives were just not selling like I thought they should.

Their QC has improved greatly over the past year, but it still has a ways to go.

Part of the problem, IMO, is that they are not sure what market they want to be in--collector or user. So they try to have one foot in each and in the end, they don't do either nearly as well as they should.

The knives are too pricy and/or a wrong pattern for many people's EDC and not high enough quality or exotic enough/variety of materials for the collectors. It has actually been my steady complaint with the company since the beginning.

Like Hukk, I do wish them well. They have a ton of potential. I am pretty sure they have some great things in the works. We shall see.

useem · Post by **useem** » Tue Nov 06, 2007 7:27 pm

okbohn, you hit the nail on the head IMO!! Too pricey for EDC, and not very special as a collector piece. I still like 'em, but they definetly lack a little something more.

marcinek · Post by **marcinek** » Tue Nov 06, 2007 7:27 pm

Sorry to hear about the knife johnnie.

I've been following GEC closely from the very beginning and I really do hope they can turn it around. I've wanted to get myself one since day one, but it just seems like there's always a clinker knife out there.

Seems like a little more focus would do them a world of good. I'm gonna keep watching them...they just have always seemed soooo close to to being the next great American knife maker!

okbohn · Post by **okbohn** » Tue Nov 06, 2007 7:46 pm

Sorry, I can't resist this.....

Close, but no CIGAR!!

at least not yet

marcinek · Post by **marcinek** » Tue Nov 06, 2007 8:01 pm

Painful pun Derrick.

I liked it.

I'm sure we all would love to be able to buy one with complete confidence one day, and as far as I'm concered, the door is still wide open.

jonet143 · Post by **jonet143** » Tue Nov 06, 2007 9:16 pm

hey derrick, thanks for jumpin in. i did not mention you because you only sold the knife. the problems lie at great eastern.
john, the best way to buy a great eastern is in person. the stag cigar is a well made knife. it fell short of it's price range.

marcinek · Post by **marcinek** » Tue Nov 06, 2007 9:21 pm

If and when I get a GEC, johnnie, I'll see if I can do it in person.

In the mean time, my knife-buying dance card is full for the next couple months.

Lotta knives calling out my name right now!