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Knife Thoughts 2021 GEC Rendezvous Retrospect

This past weekend Great Eastern Cutlery held their yearly open house gathering for enthusiasts, which they call the Rendezvous. I always look forward to the Rendezvous with great excitement, and was sorely disappointed that it had to be cancelled in 2020 due to the pandemic. I was able to attend this year, and I want to share my experience here; there was a lot of what makes me love the Rendezvous that was the same, but there were also some new aspects to this year’s event.

What is the Great Eastern Cutlery Rendezvous?

The Rendezvous has always been the best time for Great Eastern Cutlery enthusiasts to gather and discuss the knives they love, and also an opportunity to obtain some of the more rare and unusual knives by GEC. I have gone to the Rendezvous each year since 2014, and you can read about why you should go to the Rendezvous at this link. I love the Rendezvous because it brings together a wide range of people all with one thing in common – a love and appreciation of the best production traditional knives being made currently, at the place of their manufacture. Everyone is willing and ready to show off their collections, discuss past and future knives, and everything else GEC and traditional knife related. You also get the opportunity to “see behind the curtain”. Bill, William, Joan Mae, and other employees are welcoming and magnanimous with their time. You get the feeling they are proud of the products they make and happy to discuss them with their most loyal customers. Finally, there’s the opportunity to meet and talk with GEC’s dealers. Aside from the people, which are the true draw of the Rendezvous, attendance also gives access to purchase the Rendezvous Special and SFA knives. The Rendezvous Special is a knife made in limited numbers and released in part on each day of the event to commemorate the gathering. I’ve collected them since 2014, and they’re usually rather unique with special cover materials or shield and always an etch signifying the year. SFA stands for Special Factory Assembly, which are knives made from parts from previous runs of knives in unique configurations (formerly called parts knives, which you can read about at this link). These SFAs are some of the lowest production number knives, often falling between 2 and 20 made of each configuration, and therefore highly sought after and honestly just really cool. Both the Rendezvous Special and SFAs are only available during the Rendezvous at the factory store. So there’s a lot to love about the Rendezvous as it’s always been that draws regulars back, and new people out, every year!

  • The ticket system was a great call by GEC
  • Bill showing off the Rendezvous Special

What made the 2021 Rendezvous different?

Being that the last was 2 years ago due to the pandemic, I expected some changes for the 2021 Rendezvous. The first change was in the date of the event. It had always been the first full weekend in August. I believe that was chosen because it coincided both with the Titusville Oil Festival and, more importantly, the Queen Knife Show. However, with Queen out of business since 2018 and the Oil Festival cancelled both in 2020 and 2021, there’s no longer any particular reason to have it then. They moved it to June, the weekend after Blade Show. When I asked why that date was chosen they indicated it was for the nicer weather, which is a pretty solid reason being that much of the event happens outdoors. This year did end up having beautiful weather throughout both days of the event. Another difference was in the line for the event. As crazy as it sounds, people line up outside the factory overnight to get in line early enough to get the Rendezvous Special and best picks of the SFAs. 2014-2016 I didn’t line up, just rolled in and was lucky to get the Rendezvous Specials. However, 2017-2019 I lined up about 2am, 12am, and 10pm respectively and was always well under 10th in line. I drove up after work the day before this year, and on the way saw online that there were over 10 in line already. I expected it to be much busier this year, but not so much earlier than normal. To be honest, I was shocked and concerned I wouldn’t be able to get a Rendezvous Special. Thankfully, not many came after that post before I made it there and I ended up under 20th in line (which gave me a good shot at the Rendezvous Special). As the night progressed more and more came, especially around 4am. The discussion between those waiting overnight is always enjoyable and interesting, but it’s still a long wait. At about 6am, an hour before the store opened, Bill Howard (GEC owner / president) came out and showed the Rendezvous Special knife and described their new system for purchases at the event. For 2019 they had indicated they would use a ticket system to order the factory sales during the Rendezvous, but didn’t end up implementing any system. Although no major issues arose, there was some definite jostling and even I think some position pilfering. So I was happy to hear that they were using a ticket system this year. Each person in line was given a ticket, like those used for lotteries and 50/50s, denoting their place in line. 5 people were allowed in the store at a time, and each time someone left the person with the next sequential ticket was allowed in. As you left the store you were able to take another ticket so that you could go in again, but only after everyone who was there had a chance to go in once (special thanks to Rosie for handling the ticket system all day both days). I think this ticket system worked brilliantly; it allowed attendees to be able to mill around and talk and see the displays rather than holding their place in line, it made the experience in the store less stressful because it wasn’t so crowded that you could barely move (like recent previous years), and it made for a fair system for those who came later to still get a chance to go into the store while allowing those who arrived early to go back in if they desired. Speaking of going back into the store a second time, like in 2019, they enforced a limit of 2 knives per purchase. So if you wanted to buy more than two knives you’d take a second ticket on your way out and then were allowed back into the store once that ticket was called.One other big change for this year was the time of the picnic on Saturday. Previous years the picnic, which is the last portion of the event, was always at lunch time. This year they moved it to 4pm, with the factory store closing at 1pm. I am not sure whether this was a positive or negative change, as it does give some rest time for attendees and preparation time for GEC staff between the show and the picnic, but it also makes for a longer day and some down time. I think this year’s Rendezvous kept much or all of what I’ve always loved about it, but with some changes that made for an overall even better event.

What did I take away from this year’s Rendezvous?

I took away a treasure trove of experiences and lessons from the 2021 GEC Rendezvous, not to mention some incredible knives! I really just thoroughly enjoyed seeing and talking with the Rendezvous regulars. The density of Great Eastern Cutlery and traditional knife knowledge gathered at the Rendezvous can’t be found many places, and certainly isn’t something I have gotten to experience with such a community vibe in any other setting. I also felt that there were a lot more people going around to the table displays at this year’s Rendezvous, and I got to meet a lot of new GEC enthusiasts. I’ll be honest and admit that I greatly appreciated the comments from several people who said that they enjoy Knife Thoughts, and even heard a really touching story about how reading my blog and watching my videos helped a fellow enthusiast through some tough days. A lesson I’m taking from this year’s Rendezvous (that I also took from 2019’s but didn’t implement) is that I need to prepare my Knife Thoughts display better. I should plan, for sure, what knives I want to sell and how much I want to charge for them. I had a box of knives I was considering selling, but ended up deciding not to sell some of them (one of which was after someone had decided to buy it). I also only had a general idea of what I would charge for them, when I should have had a price sheet made ahead of time to reference. I ran out of stickers to give out towards the end of the first day, which I use in place of business cards. In the future I’ll order extra ahead of time, and I also want to get other Knife Thoughts swag to give out. I also meant to have Waynorth Cutlery shirts (available here) for sale, but didn’t order them in time. Having a second person to tag team watching the table would be really helpful, so that each of us could go in the store or walk around and talk without the table being unattended. By the way, huge thanks to Dan and Ben for watching my table some. Finally, I’d like to get a banner to better show that the table is “Knife Thoughts”. I ended up not going to the picnic this year, but next year I’d like to plan my time better so that I can be rested and ready to attend and enjoy the picnic.

I had a great time at the Great Eastern Cutlery 2021 Rendezvous. If you enjoy these knives and it’s feasible for you to come to Titusville, I think you’d be happy you did. I have started a (completely unofficial and unaffiliated with GEC) Facebook group for those who plan to attend the 2022 Rendezvous, which you can find at this link. Make sure to check out the video below where I show and discuss the knives I got at this year’s Rendezvous. I hope to see lots of new faces mingled among the regulars at the next GEC Rendezvous!

I sincerely thank you for your time, support, and interest! Don’t forget to tell your friends about KnifeThoughts.com, subscribe via email, and share this article on social media. You can find Knife Thoughts on YouTube where I have hundreds of knife videos, as well as on Instagram and Facebook! You can find all my latest links at LinkTr.ee/KnifeThoughts

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How to Buy Great Eastern Cutlery Knives in 2021 and Beyond

Great Eastern Cutlery has exploded in popularity in the last few years, and in turn the demand for their knives has skyrocketed. This growth in demand has made it difficult for some to purchase the knives they’d like to when they’re released. In this article, as a companion to the video below, I’ll give you some tips on how to successfully purchase GEC knives in 2021 and beyond.

First off, I understand the frustration that comes with buying GEC knives. If you don’t reserve them as soon as they’re announced then you have to go the route of a “drop”. A drop is when the knives are released for sale on a dealer’s site either randomly or at a previously announced date and time. Either way, the knives often sell out within minutes of being available. Then, if you can’t get the knives on the primary market, they’re invariably significantly more expensive on the secondary market. This past year I have missed out on some of the knives I’ve wanted, which hasn’t happened much until recently. So I really understand how unpleasant it can be to feel like you don’t have access to the knives you want.

That said I don’t think GEC or the people who run it, in particular Bill Howard, are intentionally restricting supply to increase demand as some have suggested. Great Eastern Cutlery is a small company that works on a modified lean manufacturing style. That means they produce small batches of high quality products in a wide variation, with little inventory and only the raw materials necessary for upcoming batches.

A comparison of sheepfoot adjacent blade shapes. Click on the image to learn more about the different shapes.

Why do they do it this way instead of making huge drawn out batches of the most popular patterns? Well, I can’t speak for GEC’s management, but I can give you some of my guesses. I think that these small batches allow for higher attention to detail on each pattern. I also think smaller batches allow GEC to offer a much wider variety of pattern types. Even if they did focus on large batches, I’m not sure they’d be able to fill demand for the hottest patterns.

So, if they’re not likely to make enough knives in the sought after patterns to fill demand, whats the best way to ensure you get the knives you want?

First, you need to know what knives are coming out well ahead of time. If you don’t know about a knife until it’s for sale at dealers, it’s not very likely you’ll be able to get one. GEC puts out a production schedule on their website at this link. However, news of upcoming knives often comes out elsewhere before it is officially announced by Great Eastern Cutlery. For a long time the best place to hear about upcoming knives first was on BladeForums in the Traditional Knife Subforum, and specifically in the Let’s Talk GEC thread. Recently, news of upcoming releases has come out just as quickly on traditional knife Facebook groups. In particular, I help administrate the Great Eastern Cutlery Club group and I think it’s one of the best places to discuss GEC in general. News of upcoming patterns is usually the hot talk, so just follow along with one or both of these channels and you’ll be ahead of the curve.

Once you know of an upcoming knife you’re interested in, the best way to ensure you’ll get it is to reserve one with a dealer. I have been reserving knives by email for years through various dealers, and it usually is a relatively easy process. I’ve had positive experiences with many of GEC’s dealers but I most often reserve from Blue Creek Cutlery or CollectorKnives. Blue Creek Cutlery, like several GEC dealers (a list of which you can find at this link), does reserves by email. CollectorKnives has their own system that uses an app called Telegram to notify followers when a new knife is up for reserve. While those are the dealers I most often reserve knives through, I suggest contacting any you’ve purchased from in the past. If you haven’t purchased from any yet, just reach out to several dealers and start a correspondence with those who seem to fit your style.

If you’re not able to reserve a knife, the next best option is to try to snag one on a “drop”. As mentioned previously, these drops tend to sell out quite quickly. There are a relatively large number of dealers, so each only gets a small number of each knife. The exact number depends on the overall run, but recently it’s been between 5 and 25 (if what I hear is accurate). So you won’t be able to randomly stumble upon the knife on a dealer’s site; you’ll have to have the purchase planned. That said, there’s an argument to be made that drops are more fair than reservations because it does away with the possibility of long term or high spending customers receiving preferential treatment. If I have to go the route of a drop, I most often buy from KnivesShipFree or Tradtional Pocket Knives / C. Risner Cutlery. I am most familiar with them and have always gotten great service, but there are a lot of good dealers who use the drop system. Whichever dealer(s) you decide to give it a shot at, I highly suggest you know when the knives will drop ahead of time by subscribing to their email lists and following them on social media. Even if you know when a knife will drop and get there just when they do, the dealer sites sometimes get bogged down in the massive traffic and it can become impossible to get through the checkout process. That said, it’s better to get a knife in a drop than to have to go the secondary market route.

If you miss out on reserves and drops, the last option is to buy from an individual rather than from a dealer. No matter how you go about this, you should be prepared in most cases to pay more than the price that dealers charged. Many GEC enthusiasts have decried the secondary market and so called “flippers”, or people who purchase knives with the sole intent to resell them for profit. Certainly there are people out there who purchase knives without much interest in the knife itself and with profit as the goal. Still, I think there are more people who purchase a knife because they think they’ll like it, then for whatever reason decide to sell it and follow the market price. That said, lots of fair deals can still be found. For a long time the BladeForums Exchange was the place to find those deals, but that has changed somewhat in recent years. Now I think the best place to find reasonably priced knives on the secondary market is in Facebook groups, like the previously mentioned Great Eastern Cutlery Club or others like it. Aside from keeping an eye on the groups and BladeForums, every now and then a knife can be found on eBay or Instagram but much less frequently. The best things to increase your chances of finding a good deal on a secondary market knife are vigilance and patience.

I understand the frustration many feel when attempting to buy GEC knives, and I hope this article is helpful. In the last few years I have seen the massive growth in interest and demand for Great Eastern Cutlery made knives, and I have felt how it can sometimes dampen the enjoyment in trying to get those incredible knives. I want to help make it easier for people to get the knives they want, and to lower the learning curve for buying these sought after knives. Here’s hoping you get all the GEC’s you want in 2021 and beyond!

I sincerely thank you for your time, support, and interest! Don’t forget to tell your friends about KnifeThoughts.com, subscribe via email, and share this article on social media. You can find Knife Thoughts on YouTube where I have hundreds of knife videos, as well as on Instagram and Facebook! You can find all my latest links at LinkTr.ee/KnifeThoughts

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Bootleg 2020; A Smashing Success!

I attend the Great Eastern Cutlery Rendezvous every year. It’s a gathering of traditional knife enthusiasts at the GEC factory to show and discuss knives, take tours of the factory, and get some unique knives. You can find more information in the following article:

Why All Traditional Knife Enthusiasts Should Attend the Great Eastern Cutlery Rendezvous

Unfortunately, due to the Corona Virus crisis, Great Eastern Cutlery decided to cancel the Rendezvous this year. It was a big disappointment to me, and I’m sure to many others, but I understand why they had to make the decision.

Relatively quickly after this decision was announced, some regular attendees set in motion to organize an unofficial gathering in place of the Rendezvous. Jesse W. contacted the location and caterer that was always used for the Saturday picnic and, along with contributions from Gary K. and Darren O., set up a replacement gathering. Setting this all up was no small feat, I’m sure, and set the stage for the success of the event.

In the process of being setup the event began to be called “Bootleg”. I decided that if we couldn’t have a Rendezvous Special knife, it would be nice to have at least something to commemorate the event. Since GEC often includes pins with their knives and has been making special pins for the last few years’ Rendezvous, I decided to make pins for all the attendees. I’m no graphic designer, by any stretch of the word, but I came up with something and got a bunch made by Sticker Mule (who I’ve used for several sticker designs). I was happy to make a small contribution, and I was surprised to find Randy (an engineer at GEC and fellow knife enthusiast) laser etching the logo onto all kinds of things: slips, sheaths, and even knives! It was a very nice gesture that allowed people to go home with mementos of the event.

The event was well attended and a whole lot of fun. A significant group of regular Rendezvous attendees, as well as some GEC employees, showed up. The hours rushed by while we all showed and discussed our knives, knife history, and all kinds of knife related topics. I had a great time, and I think others did also.

Still, I’m looking forward to next year and having the full Rendezvous. If you plan to attend next year’s Rendezvous, consider joining this Facebook group. I’ll be there!

I sincerely thank you for your time, support, and interest! Don’t forget to tell your friends about KnifeThoughts.com, subscribe via email, and share this article on social media. You can find Knife Thoughts on YouTube where I have hundreds of knife videos, as well as on Instagram and Facebook! You can find all my latest links at LinkTr.ee/KnifeThoughts

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Great Eastern Cutlery Cancels 2020 Rendezvous

If I’m being honest, I saw it coming; Pennsylvania has extended the state of emergency, safety measures that had been relaxed have been reinstated, and the Titusville Oil Festival (with which the GEC Rendezvous was always concurrently held) was canceled. Still, I’m sure it was a hard decision for Bill and everyone at GEC to make, and I’m very crestfallen.

If you want to learn more about the Rendezvous, check out the article at this link.

The perfect meme for this news

I collect the Rendezvous Special knives, which you can only get at the Rendezvous. Check out this link and this link for videos on those knives. Still, worse than not having the opportunity to obtain this year’s piece of that collection is the missed discussions with other enthusiasts (and many collectors with much more knowledge than me, from whom I’ve learned a lot at past Rendezvous). However, it would have been difficult to maintain the current safety protocols and enjoy the Rendezvous as it has been in the past. Hopefully GEC has something else fun up their sleeve, and hopefully this isn’t too much of a blow to them.

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Glitter Gold / Goldstone Knife Handles are Garish (in a Good Way!) but Steeped in History

Too Long ; Didn’t Read? Here’s the companion video!

Glitter Gold handles tend to illicit one of two reactions from people; “I love it” or “That’s awful”. They’re eye catching in a way that some enjoy and others can’t stand, but they have a surprisingly longstanding place in the history of pocketknives.

First off, synthetic materials have been used for knife handle covers for longer than you might imagine. The first synthetic (or plastic like) replacements for wood, bone, ivory, etc. began being introduced in the late 19th century. By the beginning of the 20th century, when American knife manufacturing was coming into its own and outgrowing its predecessors in Solingen and Sheffield, companies like Case were offering knives handled in various colors of celluloid. Celluloid is another name for Parkesine, one of the first of the synthetic handle materials. Celluloid was used extensively by the knife industry, but now has become known for its flamability and tendency to oxidize and ruin carbon steel knives. However, one of the types of celluloid that was first used, as early as the 1920’s and definitely before 1940, was a type layered with gold glitter that became known as Goldstone.

This type of handle cover with a faux gold look is one that has been done in many ways by many companies. Interestingly, a 1935 article in Popular Science even provided directions on how to make your own glitter gold (or goldstone) celluloid covers for your pocket knife, so it must have been a popular type of handle. In the past companies like Winchester, Western, and Queen have also made knives with glitter handles. When Jim Parker took over Case he had some collector sets produced in Goldstone. Unfortunately, many of those covers went on to curl and deform, which may have soured some on the handle material. Recently, Rough Ryder produced a series of knives with covers consisting of gold flake in clear acrylic, which I would include in this type of handle. Case is currently producing knives with a silver glitter handle cover that they call Stardust Kirinite. So this flashy type of cover has been on many pocket knives from various companies over long decades.

Great Eastern Cutlery has also made their own version of knives with glitter gold handles. GEC’s versions are made with acrylic rather than celluloid. Acrylic is a very stable material, with none of the major issues that come with celluloid like flamability and outgassing. That said, in my experience, acrylics can shrink and swell depending on the conditions in which they’re kept. Thankfully, however, I have not experienced any such issues with the Glitter Gold acrylic.

In 2011 GEC created the Good as Gold series. There used to be a page on their site about the series, but it seems to have been taken down. In fact, it looks to me like they are moving away from the idea of having distinct series of knives, outside of their normal brands, although they continue to make the Beaver Tail and Banana knives. Interestingly, at least one knife was made with the Good as Gold tube label but without Glitter Gold Acrylic handles, and you can find an article on that knife at this link. They made a pretty good number of patterns with the Glitter Gold covers that year: #23 Square End Jumbo Trapper, #48 Slim Trapper, #56 Dogleg Jack, #62 Easy Pocket Congress, #65 Ben Hogan, and #66 Moose. Since then, as far as I can tell and check against the (unofficial but extremely helpful) GEC database created by Darren Orrell, the only knives they’ve made with Glitter Gold Acrylic handles were Special Factory Assembly models made for the 2018 Rendezvous. These consisted of two versions of the #78 American Jack, 8 made of each, a single spear bladed version and a spear and pen two bladed version. So, although they made knives with Glitter Gold handles in several patterns in 2011, overall it is a relatively obscure series for GEC.

Great Eastern Cutlery sourced their Glitter Gold Acrylic, I believe, from Masecraft Supply. Masecraft Supply seems to be out of the material. EDIT: Bill Howard let me know that GEC’s glitter gold was sourced not from Masecraft, but from Galaxy Plastic. I was told that the Glitter Gold Acrylic GEC has on hand is the last of their supply, and when it’s gone it’s gone for good. With that in mind, and considering that GEC has only made 16 knives in Glitter Gold Acrylic since 2011, if you find one available for sale I suggest picking it up if it fits your budget. They sometimes go for surprisingly low prices, even staying close to original retail. I always have one eye out for them!

I like a little flashiness in my knives, even to the point of garishness, but I know not all do. However, if you’re a fan of traditional knives then you probably appreciate their history. Glitter gold type synthetic handles have a long and interesting history starting in the early days of the American knife industry. As I talked about in another article, knives have always been appreciated for their aesthetics. Some people just like to go bold and bright, and glitter gold is the perfect solution!

I sincerely thank you for your time, support, and interest! Don’t forget to tell your friends about KnifeThoughts.com, subscribe via email, and share this article on social media. You can find Knife Thoughts on YouTube where I have hundreds of knife videos, as well as on Instagram and Facebook! You can find all my latest links at LinkTr.ee/KnifeThoughts

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What is the Great Eastern Cutlery #86 Oil Field Jack, and Why is it a Slipjoint Pocket Knife Worthy of Your EDC?

T(oo)L(ong);D(idn’t)R(ead)? Here’s my YouTube review of the #86 Oil Field Jack!

Recently Great Eastern Cutlery began producing its first run of the new #86 pattern. The #86 is a jumbo jack pattern, which basically means it’s an enlarged version of the classic swell end jack shape like that found on a #15 or #77. GEC has named this pattern the Oil Field Jack, and it’s a fitting name. This hefty pocket knife would be right at home in the oil fields.

The jumbo jack is a pattern that has been around for a long time, but isn’t as well known as others. It’s an enlarged swell end jack, usually over 3.75″ closed. The GEC version is 3.875″ closed. They tend to have thicker handles. This is in part due to the more rounded covers, and in part to the fact that they are most often two bladed. The blades can even be ground from thicker stock than a typical jack. For example, according to Charlie Campagna, the #86 tangs are about .1″ wide, whereas a GEC #15’s tangs are about .09″. Interestingly, vintage jumbo jacks tend to have spear point main blades with pen secondaries, but the #86 has a clip point main and slender sheepfoot secondary. All of it comes together in the #86 to make an unusually hefty jack knife that is inspired by, but not a direct copy, of vintage jumbo jacks.

The #86 compared to a #78, #77, and #15 (from right to left)

Great Eastern Cutlery is making the #86 in several iterations. They’re making them under both their Tidioute and Northfield in-house brands, as well as some Special Factory Orders. The Tidioute versions all feature a quite unique, and appropriate to the name, wrench shield. They are being made with Oil Sucker Rod Wood, Natural Canvas Micarta, and Oily Creek Bone. The Northfield version will come in Autumn Gold Jigged Bone, Tortoise Shell Acrylic, and Sambar Stag. There will also be an SFO for Gunstock Jack’s Knives in Bloodwood with Bowtie shield, and for JSR Sports & More in Burnt Chocolate Peach Seed Jigged Bone with Propeller shield. Finally, there will be two more unique (and difficult to get) versions of the #86. First, the traditional knives subforum of BladeForums has ordered their yearly club knife on the #86 frame with a single saber ground sheepfoot blade, African Blackwood handles, and Bomb shield. At this point the only way to purchase that version is through the secondary market, as all have been pre-ordered months in advance. Second, Charlie Campagna is having a Waynorth Cutlery Black Jack produced. It will have a clip point main with more emphasized swedges and a pen secondary, Gabon Ebony Wood handles, and a Banner shield. You still might be able to get one of these by emailing the dealers through whom Charlie sells his SFOs, a list of which you can find at this link. The Waynorth Black Jack will probably be the most sought after of the #86s. With so many exciting versions of the #86 pattern coming soon, everybody should be able to find one they want!

The “jumbo-ness” really shows in the thickness. It’s thicker, due to the rounded covers, than a Case full sized trapper.

The first released Oil Field Jacks seem to be selling quickly, but you should be able to get one in your preferred handle material. This will be a relatively large run in regard to production numbers. However, GEC has been shipping knives to dealers in batches. This practice is both good and bad; good because it allows for more chances to get the knife you want, bad because it causes more scramble and makes the knives seem more scarce. As of this writing, all of the Tidioute versions have been released but if you act quick you should still be able to get at least an Oily Creek Bone model. There are some Natural Canvas Micarta versions still arriving at dealers, and maybe a couple Oil Sucker Rod Wood stragglers. None of the Northfield versions have been released yet, and they can be purchased from any of the GEC dealers (which you can find a list of at this link), so there’s definitely still time to get one. I think both the Sambar Stag and Tortoise Shell Acrylic will look awesome on this jumbo jack pattern; the stag because the big wide handles will give plenty of room to show off the unique character of each piece, and the tortoise because I just like the somewhat bold and garish look of that acrylic style. I’m sure the Autumn Gold Jigged Bone will be nice also, I just don’t get as excited about that particular dye color and jigging as some. I am probably most excited about the Waynorth Cutlery Black Jack (aside from / along with the one I already have). Not only will it be the most similar to vintage jumbo jacks with its long pulls, swedges, and Gabon Ebony Wood handles, it will also have that particular styling that Charlie brings to his SFOs that have made them so popular amongst collectors.

Compared to some well known knives, the Ontario Rat 1 and Case Trapper.

I got the Oil Sucker Rod Wood #86 Oil Field Jack. This is a knife I knew I had to check out as soon as it was announced. I already really have and enjoy a few other knives with the Oil Sucker Rod Wood covers. The Oil Sucker Rod Wood is reclaimed from the area around Great Eastern Cutlery. An oil sucker rod is part of the oil drilling process and the piece of equipment that pulls the oil up out of the well (you can find a video on the process at this link). Steel rods are used now and have been for a while, but in the early days of the oil industry wooden rods were implemented. One interesting quirk of this handle material is that, because it is reclaimed wood and there’s no record of what wood species was used for the wells from which the wood was reclaimed, one can’t be sure what wood these handles actually are made of. Some, including my dad who’s been in the industry for over 40 years, say that it’s likely Ash. Either way, it has a green hue from the crude oil that soaked into it during its previous life as a working sucker rod. The crude oil in the Titusville region is a particularly bold green color. I remember my dad having a little bottle of crude oil from the Drake Well, the first commercial oil well in the world (by most accounts) that is right outside of Titusville and only a couple miles from GEC, and it was just the same color as the handles on my Oil Field Jack. Finally, the wrench shield hearkens to the hard manual work put in on those early oil wells (not to say that hard manual work isn’t also put in on the modern wells!). All of it seems to reach back and connect the Oil Field Jack to local Pennsylvania history, making it much more than just an extremely well made knife.

Three knives in Oil Sucker Rod Wood. #18 Beagle, #15 2014 Rendezvous Special TC One Arm Barlow, and the #86 Oil Field Jack

Speaking of its build quality, my Oil Field Jack in Oil Sucker Rod Wood is impeccably made. It has smooth transitions between the covers and bolsters. The shield is fitted tightly, which is a feat on such a complicated shape as a double ended wrench. The blades are tight with no blade play. The action is great with nice snap and walk and talk, and about a 6 out of 10 pull (a little stronger than a swiss army knife) on both blades. Both blades are also well centered. In a huge relief to me, as these are the two most irksome and common issues to be found on GEC knives, neither blades came with proud tips or blade rap.

The Oil Field Jack is jumbo compared to other swell end jack knives, but it’s much smaller than some of GEC’s other large patterns. From left to right: #45 Lumberjack, #46 Whaler, #86 Oil Field Jack, #97 Allegheny, #98 Texas Camp Knife

I actually accidentally ordered two of these, and I have to admit that one was sent back. Sometimes you read or hear of someone “accidentally” ordering a knife, and you think “how can you possibly order a knife on accident?”. Well, I emailed two of my favorite dealers about this knife and, I thought, only heard back from one. So when I got a PayPal invoice for this knife, I just paid it. Later, when I got another, I realized that both dealers had emailed back confirming my reservation of this knife and one of their emails had gone to my spam folder! Anyway, the second one I received came with what I considered to be a poorly fit shield. There were noticeable gaps between the shield and wood that had been filled in with glue, which I find to be ugly. It also came with some rust / pitting on the main blade backspring, which was actually a first for me from GEC. Maybe chalk it up to the wet and cold weather. Anyway, as always, Ken at Blue Creek Cutlery provided incredible service and rectified the issue quickly and completely; he even refunded my return shipping, which went above and beyond my expectations!

The example I’m keeping is from Jamie at JSR Sports & More, from whom I’ve also received quality service. Despite one of my examples having some unusual issues, the Oil Field Jack I’m keeping is another great testament to Great Eastern Cutlery’s ability to make an heirloom quality pocket knives that are also ready to be put to real use.

The Oil Field Jack with pin and tube.

I really like GEC’s Oil Field Jack on the #86 Jumbo Jack frame. It feels really ergonomic in the hand with the thick, rounded handle. The classic clip point blade shape offers a usable tip for penetrating tasks, but also provides a very practical amount of both straight edge and belly for push and pull cuts. The slender sheepfoot secondary will work great for smaller cutting tasks like opening mail, cutting strings, etc. The Oil Field Jack’s heft makes it feel like a knife that would be a great every day carry user, but that would also be more than capable as a work knife. I also really enjoy the extra touch of the wrench shield. I think all of these Oil Field Jacks are going to look great, but the history and local authenticity of the Oil Sucker Rod Wood made me choose it over the others… So far! If you need a Jumbo Jack in your life, I definitely suggest trying one of GEC’s new #86 Oil Field Jacks!

I sincerely thank you for your time, support, and interest! Don’t forget to tell your friends about KnifeThoughts.com, subscribe via email, and share this article on social media. You can find Knife Thoughts on YouTube where I have hundreds of knife videos, as well as on Instagram and Facebook! You can find all my latest links at LinkTr.ee/KnifeThoughts

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The Great Eastern Cutlery #89 Melon Tester Whittler is SPOOKTACULAR in Pumpkin Patch Acrylic

The Great Eastern Cutlery #89 is one of the few patterns of theirs that I haven’t tried in my time as a GEC user and collector. One reason for this is that this pattern hasn’t been produced in years, even since before I became aware of GEC, and they weren’t made in huge numbers relative to today’s run sizes. So I decided to check out this one in the very season fitting Pumpkin Patch Acrylic.

Similar in length to the Case Sodbuster JR and GEC #15 TC Barlow

The #89 is a long slender 4″ sleeveboard pattern. My specific example is splitback whittler. That means there are two backsprings, one for each secondary blade, that has a wedge between it so that it comes together as one backspring for the main blade. These long slender sleeveboard patterns are often called Melon Testers, especially when it has one blade, because their long slender blades are perfect for slicing out a taste of fruit. GEC calls this knife the “3 Blade Melon Tester Whittler”, so they basically threw all the descriptors they could into the name except “splitback”.

A great example of complex blade fitting

My version has Pumpkin Patch Acrylic handles. They’re a mix of pearlescent orange with swirls of black, but mine doesn’t have much black at all. Sometimes people see synthetic handle materials as uniform and without the character of natural handle materials, but GEC’s acrylics are always unique and you never know what you’ll get (unless the dealer/seller has individual pictures of each knife). I personally like the handles, although I do wish they had more black swirls, and they’re a perfect fit for this Halloween and harvest season.

The wedge that separates the springs, making it a “splitback”.

This knife is well made, and honestly I was pleasantly surprised by how much I like it. I expected the tip of the main blade to be noticeably proud, due to the slender handle, but it is not proud and I can’t catch a finger on it. There doesn’t seem to be any blade rub, and the main blade sits pretty well centered between the two secondaries. This fitting of the blades is certainly a commendable feat, and a great example of how well GEC can make even these complicated patterns. I also expected the main blade to have blade rap, where the edge hits the backspring, due to the slenderness of the handle (especially if it didn’t have a proud tip). However, it shows no blade rap at all even when allowed to close on its own. Part of the reason for this could be that the pulls on all three blades are relatively light, maybe a 3 or so. However, I like the pulls at this strength as it makes it easy to open and eliminates blade rap while still providing nice walk and talk and snap both open and closed. I bought this knife thinking I’d like getting the chance to look it over but not have any desire to keep it, but with how nicely it is built I wish I could put it in my pocket as a user!

Great Eastern Cutlery made several versions of the #89 pattern including the “3 Blade Melon Tester Whittler” (my version), the “Riverboat Gambler” (cool name, in my opinion) a pen knife version, the “Executive Whittler” with a wharncliffe main, and even some in stainless. However, they can be difficult to find. Mine was made in 2009, and the last time they were made was 2012, so it’s been almost 8 years since they made the #89 pattern. Hopefully they make some more soon, and if so I suggest getting yourself one!

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The Kifer Cutlery Classics GEC #97 Allegheny Proves Traditional Slipjoints are up to ANY cutting task!

This article will provide a short overview of the Great Eastern Cutlery #97 Kifer Cutlery Classics Special Factory Order Northfield Allegheny. I received this knife from Gary Kifer of CutleryClassics.com at the 2019 Rendezvous to have, test, and review. I was happy to get a user #97, as I thought it would make a great larger slipjoint carry.

I had some experience with the #97 Allegheny pattern through the Allegheny Mountain Knife Collectors Association 2019 club knife (you can find my article about that knife at this link). I really liked the knife from an aesthetic perspective, but because it is a club knife I reserved it as a collection piece. So I was excited, and looking forward to putting it through its paces, when Gary gave me this one.

The 2019 Allegheny Mountain Collectors Association club knife

To give you the run down on what the knife is; it’s a 4.75″ closed slipjoint with a saber ground clip point blade and coke bottle frame. You can learn more about the coke bottle pattern in my article on the #06 Pemberton at this link. The blade has a double pull, meaning it has both a long pull and a nail nick. The handles are Amber Jigged Bone. It has Cutlery Classics’ trademark shield. The bolster is engraved “23” out of a run of 99. All of these characteristics brought together make it a great reproduction of a vintage large coke bottle hunter.

GEC #29 Stockyard Whittler, LionSteel CollectorKnives WarHorse, GEC #97 Allegheny

GEC made several versions of the Allegheny pattern in this first run, with a bunch of handle materials and two different blade grinds, and I think this is one of the best of them.

Not everyone likes a saber grind or the double pull, but I really like its look and the fact that it hearkens back to vintage coke bottle hunters. Although the saber grind can sometimes slice less smoothly through dense materials than a full flat grind or high hollow grind, it has performed well on all kinds of tasks (from breaking down cardboard to gutting fish). I also like the practicality of having both the nail nick and long pull. The nail nick being at the end of the blade provides more leverage, while the long pull will remain above the frame (allowing the blade to be opened) long after the nail nick drops below the frame from sharpening and filing the kick. Of course, most people won’t sharpen the knife enough times for this to be relevant, but as these are heirloom quality knives it’s good to know it could be passed on and continued to be used for years to come.

I was also pleasantly surprised by how much I like the bone color and jigging pattern. The color is a nice malty wheat color, and I think it will continue to mellow and improve with age. I also really like the jigging, as it’s not as uniform as some of GEC’s jigging patterns and it actually provides some grippiness in the hand. Some people found the pull on these #97s to be lighter than they expected on such a big knife, and mine is light for a GEC at about a 4, but the action is very smooth and snappy with great walk and talk. On a user, I think there’s a balance between a pull being too strong to be convenient to open and too weak to keep the blade fully open in use. This knife falls nicely between.

Basically, it’s another well built and classic looking Great Eastern Cutlery that’s equally suited as a user or a collection piece.

I have used this knife a lot since getting it, and I’m enjoying it more and more. It’s certainly a big knife for a slipjoint, but I’ve found it easy to carry and it’s always nice to have that extra blade length. The #97 Northfield Kifer Cutlery Classics Special Factory Order is another top notch knife from Great Eastern Cutlery. If you’d like to get one for yourself, there are still some available on the Cutlery Classics site at this link. Thanks again to Gary for providing this one!

Here’s a video of the knives I got at the 2019 Rendezvous, starting where I talk about the #97
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The Great Eastern Cutlery #77 Yankee Barlow Might be CollectorKnives’ Best Yet!

TL;DR? Here’s my video review. Sorry the sound is kind of muffled, not sure why. I was incorrect on one point; Mike has not done more than one run of #77 Barlows per year.

The #77 Northfield Yankee Barlow is one of GEC’s most perennially popular patterns, for good reason. The #77 Northfield Barlow is done exclusively, through a gentleman’s agreement, as a Special Factory Order for Mike Latham of CollectorKnives.net (although GEC does make other knives on the #77 frame). The first #77 Barlows were made in 2014 and simply called the “Northfield Barlow” but on this run the nomenclature has been updated to the “Yankee Barlow”. No matter the name, the #77 Barlow is a classic and highly sought after knife, and in this article I’ll tell you why!

The #77 Yankee Barlow in African Blackwood next to my #15 TC Barlow in black dyed Smooth Ivory Bone

So, what is this knife anyway? It is a swell end shaped jack barlow, meaning it is wider and rounded at the butt end and squared at the blade end with straight sides. Being a barlow, it has an elongated bolster. Like many traditional barlows, the bolster is stamped with an identifying mark. On this knife it is a script “NF” for NorthField. It has a classic long straight spear point blade with cut swedges after a match strike long pull. As a GEC made knife, it is a slipjoint with pin construction. Mine has African Blackwood handles, but this run also had handles in Amber Sawcut Bone, Red Sawcut Bone (which Mike often includes on his SFOs), Natural Linen Micarta, and just a few in Snakewood. All the knives in this run were the same spear point blade shape as mine, and each handle material is reported to have been produced at about 125 knives (except the Snakewood with only ~15). So although it is not as rare as the early runs, it is still a low production run considering GEC’s current output. That, along with the consistent appeal of barlows, make it a highly sought after knife.

The Buck 119 and Yankee Barlow make a handsome and useful duo

So, how does one purchase a CollectorKnives GEC #77 Yankee Barlow? Well, unfortunately, if you haven’t already purchased one of this run directly from CollectorKnives, you’ll have to find one on the secondary market. Mike uses an early reserve system, which you can find at this link, rather than a “drop” system where the knives are posted for sale on his site all at once at a specified date and time. Over the last year or two Mike has put a lot of work into finding the right system to notify people of when knives go up for reserve. As of now, he has landed on using an app called Telegram, which you can find at this link. On that app you’ll need to follow CollectorKnives and allow notifications, so that you know when he posts knives for reserve. This run of Yankee Barlows actually went up for reserve in July of this year I believe, at a time when I wasn’t buying knives, so I missed the reserves. However, Mike had a few knives available and gave some interested people the option to request either African Blackwood, Linen Micarta, or Snakewood. He said that the Snakewood had little character, so although Snakewood was the rarest of the bunch I put African Blackwood as my top pick, and that’s what I got! I really appreciated the opportunity to get one, despite missing the reserves. However, if you missed the reserves that doesn’t mean you will necessarily have to buy one at the much inflated eBay pricing. I suggest checking out the BladeForums Exchange, where people tend to sell at more reasonable prices than on ebay (and are sometimes open to trades), linked here. Secondarily, you could check FaceBook groups like Great Eastern Cutlery, Great Eastern Cutlery Club, etc. You might still have to pay a bit of a premium, over the dealer price of ~$125, but if you keep your eyes peeled I’m sure you can find one at a good value… the Yankee Barlow is worth it!

  • Case Trapper, Yankee Barlow, Victorinox Alox Farmer
  • Ontario Rat 1, Yankee Barlow, Spyderco Native 5

So what makes the Yankee Barlow special? Well, naturally, it is built with the attention to detail and high quality that has skyrocketed GEC to popularity. It has great fit and finish (mine did have a very small patina spot on the pile side bolster), with flush transitions, no gaps, a perfectly centered blade, and great grinds. The action is extremely satisfying with about a 5.5 out of 10 pull, smooth and snappy with great walk and talk and a half stop, even with no blade play. The edge came more thinly ground than most I’ve gotten from GEC, although like many it was thicker at the belly, so I did re-apex it. One thing that seems to bother some is the “CK” CollectorKnives etch. This addition is not something that Mike wanted or requested; Great Eastern Cutlery recently instituted a policy that all SFOs must have an etch identifying the ordering dealer. It’s a perplexing policy that doesn’t seem to help anyone, but I don’t want to say too much one way or the other until I know the reasoning behind the policy. I did call GEC, but Joan Mae (their new sales manager) didn’t know the reason for the policy. I then emailed Bill directly, but I haven’t heard back from him as of this writing. Mike made the good call of having the etch put on the pile side, and used a very minimalist version of his logo. The only downside of it to me is that the knife that makes the “K” in the logo is a modern knife, but that is a tiny very petty nitpick, and the etch will eventually wear off with use and polishing.

The CollectorKnives “CK” etch as required by GEC’s new policy

However, any negatives with the etch are far outshined by the classic beauty and practicality of the knife. It just looks great. The stamped elongated bolsters and dark African Blackwood scales, with some streaks of brown and nice chatoyance underneath, give it the look of a classy refined barlow. The long straight spear point would fit in great next to the vintage knives it is based upon, especially with the matchstrike pull and cut swedges. Beyond its good looks, the Yankee Barlow will also make a great user. Because it’s a little larger than the GEC #15 frame, it’s easier to get a full four finger grip and bear down in use. You also get about 3″ of blade, which is a solid length for an easily carryable pocket knife. The spear point offers a generous amount of straight edge, but enough belly to be useful and a tip that should work for most piercing tasks. Although it’s not a cheap knife, it will make a great user, and it will sure look handsome while in use!

Overall, as you have probably inferred, I am very happy to have gotten this Great Eastern Cutlery made Northfield #77 CollectorKnives Yankee Barlow in African Blackwood. Not only is it a great knife, but I received it upon coming home from a Meniscectomy, so it was quite a good cheer me up! Don’t forget to subscribe here via email for updates when I post new articles, check out and subscribe to my YouTube channel, like my FaceBook page, and follow my instagram feed.

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Knife Thoughts Full Collection Overview Update

I recently set out to do a full collection overview video. A few people have requested an update to my previous collection videos, and my collection has changed some since I made those first videos. I intended to do the video rapid fire style and condense it into one video with a run time of under an hour. However, I had to stop filming after the fixed blades and modern knives and realized the length would necessitate a two part series. I intended to cover all of my traditional folding knives in the second video, but it just took too long covering the non – GECs. So 3 parts it is! I hope my enthusiasm for knives comes through in full force and you derive some enjoyment from perusing my collection along with me.

Part 1: Fixed Blades and Modern Folding Knives

Part 1: Fixed Blades and Modern Folding Knives

Part 2: Non – GEC Traditional Folding Knives

Part 2: Non – GEC Traditional Folding Knives

Part 3: Great Eastern Cutlery Folding Knives

Part 3: Great Eastern Cutlery Traditional Folding Knives

I appreciate all of you who watch my videos, especially these longer ones. They certainly make for marathon watch sessions. I often watch longer knife videos in parts while I’m cooking and things like that, and I find it’s a great way to take in a full video even on a busy schedule. Although I have a solid core of keepers, there are always lots of ins and outs in my collection so it’s nice to put a snapshot out there of how it stands at this time. Don’t forget to subscribe to my blog here by entering you email, and subscribe to my YouTube channel at this link.