The Knife Buyer’s Inspection List; 6 Things to Check When You Receive a New Knife

So, you just bought yourself a shiny new knife and want to make sure it’s up to snuff. In this article I’ll describe the 6 points that I check when receiving a knife. These characteristics cover the bulk of what decides where a knife lands on the spectrum from abysmally terrible to mythically epic.

#1 Edge Exposure

Checking for edge exposure, most commonly in the form of a proud tip, is one of the first things I do when inspecting a knife. This is because it is a practical concern; if the edge is exposed you can accidentally cut yourself when reaching in your pocket for the knife etc. Most commonly on slipjoints, but also sometimes on modern knives, this issue rears its ugly head as a proud tip. A tip is proud when it sits above the blade well enough that it can be caught on a fingernail without actually opening the blade. This issue is all too common in my opinion, and those who watch my videos know I am hounded by proud tips on otherwise perfect GECs. Modern knives can also have proud tips, but I find it to be quite uncommon. However, modern knives, often having pass through handles (no backspring / a gap at the spine side of the blade well also), can sometimes have edge exposure along that spine side of the handle. This happens when the blade is too tall for the blade well and the edge sits close enough to the back of the handle that you can contact it when running a finger along the back of the handle. Both of these types of edge exposure have their fixes; a proud tip can often be alleviated by dropping the kick, and the edge can be sharpened back from the handle opening. However, I prefer not to have to modify my knives for them to be safe (even if actual injury is unlikely) so these issues are sometimes deal breakers.

#2 Edge Damage

Edge damage on a new knife is most commonly caused by blade rap, but can also be a defect in sharpening. Blade rap is when the edge hits some part of the handle upon closing. On slipjoints the edge often hits the backspring, especially at the spring pin hump, and on modern knives the edge sometimes hits the backspacer or a standoff. I would also consider the edge hitting the sides of the blade well blade rap, but that is covered more in depth by the next point. The edge hitting the backspring can cause varying levels of damage to the edge, from a barely perceptible flat area to a full on roll. No matter the amount of damage done, blade rap diminishes the utility of the knife and is a defect. That said, note that some traditional knife patterns, notably from France, are designed to have the edge rest on the backspring so as to eliminate the tip becoming proud through multiple sharpenings. Less commonly, some knives might come with edge damage not related to blade rap. This type of edge damage can be due to a poor sharpening job from the factory or from damage in shipping. As a knife’s purpose is to cut, the edge should arrive to the buyer without damage.

#3 Blade Centering

The title pretty much says it all here; is the blade centered in the blade well? Some people put a lot of emphasis on this point because they strongly prefer the aesthetics of a centered blade, which is fine if that matters to you. However, an uncentered blade can be indicative of other issues such as blade play (discussed in the next point), a bent or unevenly ground blade, or a warped handle. Those are more practical issues rather than aesthetic. Of course, if a blade is so off centered that it rubs on the handle liners or actually hits the edge on the liner upon closing that is a definite defect. The blade should not be defaced or the edge damaged every time the knife is closed.

#4 Lockup

Most modern folding knives lock, and the lock should function securely when received. The lock should hold the blade open without significant play, or movement, in any direction (for most lock types). You can test for blade play by opening the knife then grasping the blade from the spine side, being careful to keep your hand far from the edge, and try to wiggle the blade side to side and forward and back. Another test that many do is a spine whack test. A spine whack test is when you strike the spine of the locked blade against a hard surface, such as a piece of wood, to check that it doesn’t unlock. Many manufacturers discourage this test, and it is a test that should be done with the utmost care and emphasis on safety (NEVER hold the knife so your hand is in the way of the blade if it did fold) if done at all. Of course, non locking knives can’t be tested for lockup but you can still test for side to side blade play. Having secure lock up is an important aspect of a good knife, as poor lockup can range from irritating to downright dangerous.

#5 Action

Action is the term used for the actual opening and closing of a knife. Folding knife action has come a long way in the last decade or two. Now even extremely budget friendly knives often come with glassy smooth opening and closing. Many knives have ball bearing washers in their pivots which allow for very low friction. Some look for “drop closed smooth” meaning that the blade drops closed by its own weight when unlocked, while others prefer a more deliberate closing motion be required. What an ideal action looks like is up to each individual, but I think a knife’s action should both work practically and be enjoyable.

#6 Fit and Finish

Finally, the knife should be inspected for general fit and finish. So what is fit and finish? It’s the sum of how precisely the parts of the knife are fit together and how well each part is finished. This could include the meeting of the scales, or covers, of the handle with the bolsters or with the liners. It could include the evenness of the finish on the handle and blade; the lack or presence of machining marks etc. Fit and finish is another area where budget knives have made huge strides to close the gap with premium knives over the last few years. Most modern knives of $50 and up should have few if any obvious imperfections in the fitment of the parts and finish of the surfaces upon a cursory glance. That said, some knives are expected to have slight imperfections due to the nature of their manufacture. For example, many traditional slipjoint knives are expected to have minor flaws and individual character because they’re made using traditional methods. Even Great Eastern Cutlery, the premier American traditional knife manufacturer, knives are expected to have a slight deformation in a pin or gap around the shield every now and then. Ultimately, the level of fit and finish that one finds acceptable at each price point is a personal decision, but it is still worth considering.

BONUS; First Impression

There’s another characteristic of a knife that I think is worth considering but that didn’t make the list; the visceral first impression it gives you. Often, as a knife enthusiast, opening a knife and handling it for the first time will give you a strong feeling. Whether positive or negative, this feeling often has nothing to do with the objective qualities of the knife outlined above. Even though this first impression might not be based on any real practical characteristics, it’s still important to one’s enjoyment of a knife. We as knife enthusiasts deserve to be thrilled every time we get a new knife, so don’t ignore your first impression of a new purchase.


For those of us who make knives a hobby, we deserve to get a good value for our hard earned money. That’s why I think it’s important to check each knife you receive for these 6 key points of quality, and also to consider your first impression. If a knife passes all these checks, congratulations; you have yourself a great every day carry tool or collection piece in your new knife!

P.s. I used videos that touch heavily on the discussed characteristic here in lieu of pictures because I think they do a better job of showing the issue in a realistic manner.

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

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.

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

Knife Thoughts at the 2019 Great Eastern Cutlery Rendezvous

This past weekend Great Eastern Cutlery held their yearly Rendezvous. It’s a combination of several things: a gathering of GEC enthusiasts, an open house, and (since 2018) a small knife show. I’ve gone the last 6 years, and always look forward to the trip. If you want to know more about the Rendezvous in general, checkout my article here:

2019 is the second year GEC has offered tents and tables for collectors and vendors to set up displays, and this year I decided to set up as Knife Thoughts. I wasn’t sure that it was a good idea to set up a display, being that my collection and knowledge pale in comparison to that of many of the collectors who attend the Rendezvous, but I decided to go for it. I thought I could offer something worthwhile mainly by displaying the last 6 years (2019 inclusive) of Rendezvous Specials. In all the years I’d gone, I never saw any of the Rendezvous Specials displayed and I felt people would enjoy seeing them. I also wanted to display my Allegheny Mountain Knife Collectors Association club knives.

If you want to know more about the parts knives, subscribe for updates via email, as I plan to write a short article explaining them.

After waiting in line all night and getting my 2019 Rendezvous Special and a Special Factory Assembly, I set up my first public knife display! I used a very nice stepped display given to me by my wife to display the Rendezvous Specials, a magnetic kitchen knife holder to display some fixed blades, and laid out many of my traditional pocket knives in a semblance of order.

Knife Thoughts display the 2019 GEC Rendezvous (and a little shirt flair)

It turned out to be a great experience! I had many people stop at my table to discuss the knives and GEC in general. I also got to see some old friends from previous Rendezvous, and meet many new friends. I got to meet and talk with Mike of Collector Knives, Austin of C. Risner / Traditional Pocket Knives, and Jamie of JSR Sports & More. I also got to see and talk with Ken of Blue Creek Cutlery / Maher & Grosh, as well as Gary of Kifer Cutlery Classics, whom I’ve seen at previous Rendezvous. It’s always a treat to get to discuss knives with others who share your enthusiasm for all things cutlery!

I also learned a few things in the process. First, I should bring knives I plan to sell and have their prices pre-determined. Pretty much everyone who came to my table asked if I was selling. Even the knives I was willing to sell, I didn’t pre-plan pricing which made it awkward trying to give an asking price. Second, it would be easier to have a table and still be able to look around at the other displays with a partner to help watch. Thirdly, I should have a Knife Thoughts shirt and/or banner to help distinguish and identify my display (rather than just stickers). So not only was this Rendezvous a fun time, it was a learning experience to help improve Knife Thoughts displays at future shows.

A Special Factory Assembly #93 Lambfoot for Charlie Campagna

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

Every year Great Eastern Cutlery holds their Rendezvous at their factory in historic Titusville Pennsylvania. It is a 3 day gathering for fans of GEC to come together and show and tell their traditional knives (it’s not restricted to GEC, other brands’/companies’ knives are very welcome). There’s also a picnic on Saturday where GEC collectors and employees get together to eat and enjoy the company of fellow knife enthusiasts. You can find more information by following this link to Great Eastern Cutlery’s page for this year’s (2019) Rendezvous!

A fine example of a GEC, a #53 Cuban Stockman, in its native territory of Western Pennsylvania

You get to see behind the curtain!

One of the best things about the Rendezvous is getting to see how all the knives are made. Throughout the weekend tours are given by none other than GEC President Bill Howard and his son Will. First off, the fact that the owner himself gives tours is a great look into the culture and workings of GEC. Bill Howard is a man who knows and cares about his products, machinery, and his employees. Second, it’s an incredible opportunity to see every step of the process (except bone dyeing and jigging, which is proprietary and not shown to the public) that goes into making a GEC knife. Let me tell you, it’s impressive to see just how much hand work goes into these knives. Third, it’s a chance to ask any of the questions you have about their production process. I know I’ve had many questions, and they seem happy to answer them. If you want a sneak preview of the tour you can check out a video tour below. It’s a great resource, but it’s not quite as good as in person!

Part 1, you’ll have to go to YouTube for parts 2 and 3

The people are great!

Meeting and conversing with the GEC employees and other Rendezvous attendees is definitely the highlight of the experience. Being that GEC is the most highly respected and sought after production knife maker in America today, the Rendezvous brings together a large and varied group of knife enthusiasts. Over the years that I’ve attended it has grown significantly. There is still the core group of hardcore knife collectors. These are the people who are basically walking encyclopedias of traditional knives, and it’s a treasure to get to discuss the history and nuances of all their knives. There are also now tables set up for people to display their collections and / or knives for sale. For example, last year the owners of the Maher & Grosh set up an extremely interesting display of vintage knives of that brand and also sold some GEC made M&G brand knives. As mentioned earlier, it’s also enlightening to get to know the people who make up GEC. Of course the knives are what makes us so enamored with GEC, but it’s certainly nice to get to meet the people behind the knives and see that they are (in many cases) as excited about what they’re doing as we are.

The #78 American Jack in Glitter Gold in the center is a 1 of 8 parts knife from the 2018 Rendezvous

Titusville has more to do than you think!

I often see people wondering what, if anything, else there is to do in Titusville. After all, it’s not your usual vacation location. I think the tendency is for people to assume there’s nothing to do, but that’s very much not the case! There is the annual Titusville Oil Festival. It is a celebration of the anniversary of the first oil well in the U.S. which was drilled in Titusville, and you can find more information at this link. There is also a craft brewery called the Blue Canoe that has classic food and good drinks, made right there on site. Speaking of the history of oil in Titusville, the site of the first oil well has a very interesting museum. It is called the Drake Well, and you can find more information about the museum at this link. I was always told by my dad, an avid fan of local history and himself in the natural resources industry, that the Drake Well was the first well drilled for oil in the world (and certainly some history books confirm this), but I’ve also read that oil wells were drilled earlier in China. Either way, it’s worth a visit if you’re interested in history. Another place well worth visiting, right next to the Drake Well, is Oil Creek State Park. Oil Creek State Park is a nice little park with some interpretive trails, hiking/biking, and some nice scenery. You can find a list of some good things to do at the park at this link. If you wanted to make a serious knife and history trip out of it, you could go to nearby Tidioute (where natural gas was found, and helped create the history of cutlery in the region) or relatively close by Bradford, where you can visit Case’s factory. Finally, there’s going to be a knife show the same weekend held as a replacement for the Queen show (that was always held on the same weekend as the Rendezvous). I know about this show because it’s being organized by a member of the Allegheny Mountain Knife Collectors Association, but I can’t find a website for it so I can’t provide much more information, though I’m sure once you’re at the Rendezvous it’ll be easy to find more info.

Retouched photograph of the Drake Well, from WikiPedia Media Commons

There’s some SUPER cool knives to be had!

Last, but not least, GEC makes some really unique and interesting knives for the Rendezvous. To start, they make a very limited run of “Rendezvous Special” knives. These are the knives made to commemorate that year’s Rendezvous. They make a fixed number, 50 the last couple years, and sell a fixed portion of that each day. You have to get there early to get one, but Friday and especially Saturday seem to be less busy than Thursday. They also make parts knives, knives put together with parts left over from previous runs. These parts knives often have unique handle materials that differ from those used in the normal run. They also often are made in even lower numbers than the Rendezvous Specials, so they’re quite desirable to collectors. Last year GEC only allowed each person to purchase 1 parts knife, and I have heard that they plans to restrict each household to 1 Rendezvous Special and 1 parts knife this year, but that hasn’t been confirmed. Either way, they do a good job of keeping it fun and fair. I’ve been happy to collect the Rendezvous Specials from all the years I’ve attended.

The Rendezvous Specials from the last 5 years

So, will you be there?

I have attended the last 5 Rendezvous, since 2014, and I’m more excited for this one than any other! I hope to see lots of new faces and get to know lots of new people. I have created a facebook group for those planning to attend. You can find the group and request to join by following this link, just make sure to answer the questions. Hope to see you in Titusville!

This year’s Rendezvous is August 8th, 9th, and 10th. It’s at the Great Eastern Cutlery factory at:

Great Eastern Cutlery Factory

Caldwell Street

Titusville, PA 16354