All About Pocket Knives

First off, this is NOT a complaint about the company or their quality.

I am curious though, I have a few different models one from 2012, a couple from 2018 and a couple from this year. Big, small and in between. All but one purchased off dealers first hand.

What I have noticed is while they are all ground and show evidence of an edge, almost everyone isn’t exactly hairsplitting off the factory finish. Usually a couple of passes on a strop or very fine honing stone will put it right where I want it, sharp but not fragile. I don’t expect a straight razor out of the box, but compared to case, buck, or other traditional offerings they feel somewhat dull fresh out of the tube.

Does anyone else share that feeling? Is there any specific reason? I suspect there is since the company is so focused on quality. Also not a big gripe, I enjoy sharpening my knives

I have noticed that too. Compared to the Moki’s and Mcusta’s that I collect so much, these are pretty dull. I think I got one to shave hair on my arm last year.
I can’t shed light on the reason why this is the case.

I don't buy a lot of GEC knives but among the GEC's that I've owned only 4 or 5 of them (maybe 20%) had edges out of the tube that I considered good enough to use right away.

I remember when they were even worse. I might have the wrong year but I think it was sometime in 2012 that GEC refined their honing process. They definitely did get better but the consistency wasn't as good as expected.

I don't mind if I have to touch up a new knife but I do appreciate being satisfied in using it right out of the box.

Because a lot of them never cut anything more than air, maybe they want to leave it up to the buyer to get their preferred edge. I got a SFO from them last year, razor sharp and have only had to strop it in more than 12 months.

Factory edges that are truly sharp are not the norm for USA made knives. Queens were often actually dull and thick above the edge so sharpening their D2 steel is quite a chore. I have not bought many new Case knives but found some had sharp blades and others not very sharp. The Schrade USA knives (2004 and earlier) in my experience did not arrive with very sharp edges. The early GEC's were not that sharp but they have improved and i have received a few that are shaving sharp.
All of my Rough Rider knives arrived with shaving sharp blades and the ones i have used have held this very sharp edge much longer than i expected.
The Parker Japan knives are rarely sharp when new. But as stated above the Moki & McCusta knives from Japan always arrive very sharp.
Overall i think the GEC knives since about 2015 ? (or maybe earlier) usually arrive with a good edge ready for use.
kj

I am no authority since I do not buy very many new knives. The very few new ones are Case.
The older knives (more than 5 years) do not seem to be extra sharp. The ones produced in
the last 5 years seem to be very sharp right out of the box. In general, I think Case is paying
more attention to detail in the last 5 years.

Bob

The more recent ones cut hair for the most part. I have several from 2007-2012 that I personally would call dull. I end up having to put my own edge on all of them anyway, so no big deal to me. Still you would think a new knife would at least leave the factory sharp enough to cut paper.

I wonder how many GEC employees get the job of putting the final edge (aka "secondary bevel") on the blades ? Blades with a straight edge are easier than those with a belly or a recurve. Likely some of the employees are better at putting on a sharp edge than are others.
kj