GEC Fractured Stag Handles

[kootenay joe]

Mark, i saw good pictures of the ivory whaler before i bought it and dealer told me of the crack as well. It was not a surprise finding. An ivory Whaler is such a special & rare knife that i was happy to buy it even with the crack. I get a lot of satisfaction from owning this knife. The crack does not take away my enjoyment.
The 'crack' issue comes down to personal preferences. Most handles with a single crack do not bother me as long as rest of knife is as it should be.
Blade play does bother me enough that i usually would not want to own a knife with blade play even if it was at no charge. I like to think that every knife in my collection has the potential to be a good user.
For me function tops looks, but i know for some collectors it is the opposite, looks are more important than function.
As for 'value' in this case, i bet if this stag 97 was ebayed, owner would come out with more $ than he paid.
kj

[rea1eye]

Regarding the original post, I think it should be returned. I do not question that a natural
product can crack when handled or drilled, but this is a result of man manipulation.
Like it was stated previously, the value ( or resale value in this instance) is less because
a knife collector is going to see this AND think the value is lower.

The manufacturer or dealer should take it back without any hassle. The customer is always RIGHT
(if they want it a certain way). It bothers you -the customer.

Bob

[Drukai]

When you’re paying that for a knife totally unacceptable to arrive like that! Doesn’t matter if it’s a safe queen or user, have seen knives hard used 40+ years old in stag with no cracks.

[BAX229]

Thanks for all the feedback. I would return/exchange it, but as you all know, they are all sold out...and there’s no way I can justify spending $200+ on eBay for another!

No more stag for this guy!

[kootenay joe]

Bax, i would still like to see a picture of whole knife.
kj

[BAX229]

Bax, i would still like to see a picture of whole knife.
kj

[Doc B]

Well, it's certainly a beautiful knife. Like KJ said...I don't think it will ever affect function. In the context of the other craze lines, in your stag...I think it fits in pretty well. I don't think you would have trouble selling it, if you fell out of love
I certainly wouldn't give up on stag...because of that

[Dinadan]

I now realize how common this is and decided to keep and use it, like all my knives. Sorry for sounding petty.

I never thought you sounded petty. GECs are expensive knives and most of us expect quality and workmanship commensurate with the price. What is the point of using extra fine material like Sambar if the end product is flawed in suck a way as to impugn the maker's reputation?

That is some beautiful stag on your knife. If GEC glued the crack to keep it from spreading as you noted in your first post, then it probably will not affect use. Or even display if you put the crack on the back side.

[BAX229]

Well, it's certainly a beautiful knife. Like KJ said...I don't think it will ever affect function. In the context of the other craze lines, in your stag...I think it fits in pretty well. I don't think you would have trouble selling it, if you fell out of love
I certainly wouldn't give up on stag...because of that

I never thought you sounded petty. GECs are expensive knives and most of us expect quality and workmanship commensurate with the price. What is the point of using extra fine material like Sambar if the end product is flawed in suck a way as to impugn the maker's reputation?

That is some beautiful stag on your knife. If GEC glued the crack to keep it from spreading as you noted in your first post, then it probably will not affect use. Or even display if you put the crack on the back side.

Thanks Doc B and Dinadan...I do love this knife, it's definitely staying in my rotation. I highly doubt this will be my last stag!

[kootenay joe]

Thanks for the pictures. They tell us so much more than just seeing the crack. You have a good looking knife.
The real issue with the 97's is not cracks in stag. It is spring tension, or lack of it. I bought 4 97's: Micarta, Ebony, Stag, Yellow Rose. On 3 of them the spring is on the soft side but acceptable because function is not impaired. The Yellow Rose is snapless, even after flushing & lube. I am returning it for refund. Quite a few others here also received 97's with inadequate spring tension. If you are going to buy a 97, the question you should ask is "how is spring tension ?"
So, if O.P. knife with crack in stag, has good spring tension, then you really do have a good knife !
kj

[kootenay joe]

Here is my Stag #73 with similar crack to O.P. knife.
It was very early in 2007 when the first runs of #23 & #73 got to the dealers. I was on BF and waiting for my Stag 73 to arrive. Posts began to occur with complaints from those who had already received their first GEC knife. There had been some hype but no one knew how they would turn out because these were the very first GEC knives to get sold. The biggest complaint was 'nail breaker' springs, and they were 9-10 pull strength.
When mine arrived and i saw the pin crack, i thought: "should i return this ?" The answer was instant: "No Way. It's a beautiful knife". And spring tension is about a 6.5 on my scale, or, just right for this knife.
The flush & square joints are magnificent.
kj

[BAX229]

Here is my Stag #73 with similar crack to O.P. knife.
It was very early in 2007 when the first runs of #23 & #73 got to the dealers. I was on BF and waiting for my Stag 73 to arrive. Posts began to occur with complaints from those who had already received their first GEC knife. There had been some hype but no one knew how they would turn out because these were the very first GEC knives to get sold. The biggest complaint was 'nail breaker' springs, and they were 9-10 pull strength.
When mine arrived and i saw the pin crack, i thought: "should i return this ?" The answer was instant: "No Way. It's a beautiful knife". And spring tension is about a 6.5 on my scale, or, just right for this knife.
The flush & square joints are magnificent.
kj

That's a beaut! I didn't realize how common these hairline cracks are...spring tension is way more important!

What are you guys using to "flush" the joints? Breakfree?

[Quick Steel]

I'm getting a bit flummoxed by this discussion. It is sounding as tho fractures are fairly common on GECs. I have only a few GECs and am perfectly pleased with them. However I have never encountered a stag fracture or pin crack in my many stags from many brands. What, if anything, is going on with GEC stag? Need insight from the more experienced. [Just did a quick review of many of my stag handles with magnification. No cracks or fractures.]

[kootenay joe]

These pin cracks occur during hafting. It could be that the stag available now is not as dense as older stag and thus cracks more easily ?
If a knife arrives with intact stag it is very unlikely to develop a crack.
kj

[peanut740]

I would consider the OP knife as having a crack. It will hurt the value in my opinion.If you are going to use it ,it shouldn't hurt function.

[peanut740]

These pin cracks occur during hafting. It could be that the stag available now is not as dense as older stag and thus cracks more easily ?
If a knife arrives with intact stag it is very unlikely to develop a crack.
kj

Pin cracks occur when the pin is swelled,by spinning or hammering.They may not show much until hafted.

[Onearmbladejunkie]

NO SUCH THING AS A PERFECT KNIFE ! LOOKS LIKE A USER TO ME !

[JohnR]

These pin cracks occur during hafting. It could be that the stag available now is not as dense as older stag and thus cracks more easily ?
If a knife arrives with intact stag it is very unlikely to develop a crack.
kj

Pin cracks occur when the pin is swelled,by spinning or hammering.They may not show much until hafted.

Yup, and that is why I much prefer how stag was hafted decades ago, bolster to bolster so if there is a crack you are less likely to see it. The way they do it nowadays exposes cracks when the stag is ground down to fit the bolsters. I still buy at least one of every stag knife GEC produces and am glad they are still using stag as I know it has been difficult for them to obtain quality stag.

Examples of how stag used to be hafted, probably too labor intensive to do it this way anymore on a production line. Custom makers still haft knives this way.

[rea1eye]

On the original OP knife, is it possible for the crack to be filled with some small
particles ( eg. dust) from a piece of stag material? Kinda like filling a hole in
lumber with a wood filler.

Bob

[Tsar Bomba]

This is a long thread, I've been gone for a bit, and JohnR/kootenay joe have basically said my peace for me. I will just add that, on many knives - particularly German or British stag folders - the thicker and knobbier stag will occasionally show up with "natural" cracks like that which, to me, don't always detract from the aesthetics of the knife. While we expect near-perfection from GEC for the dollars we pay for their stag knives, other premium cutlers have shipped knives with worse cracking than the OP knife for years. I think discretion should have made this knife potentially a second (to keep any customers happy, no matter how discerning) but I don't know if I can fault them for shipping as a first to the level I see in this thread.

As always, JMNSHO & YMMV.

[kootenay joe]

Well said T.B. A good summation.
kj

[BAX229]

This is a long thread, I've been gone for a bit, and JohnR/kootenay joe have basically said my peace for me. I will just add that, on many knives - particularly German or British stag folders - the thicker and knobbier stag will occasionally show up with "natural" cracks like that which, to me, don't always detract from the aesthetics of the knife. While we expect near-perfection from GEC for the dollars we pay for their stag knives, other premium cutlers have shipped knives with worse cracking than the OP knife for years. I think discretion should have made this knife potentially a second (to keep any customers happy, no matter how discerning) but I don't know if I can fault them for shipping as a first to the level I see in this thread.

As always, JMNSHO & YMMV.

I feel we are beating a dead horse...new knives with fractured handles are defects...factory seconds.