GEC Fractured Stag Handles
GEC Fractured Stag Handles
Just received my 97 Allegheny Sambar Stag this week from DLT Trading. It’s my new favorite, beautiful thick stag handles!
However, I did notice that one pinhole has a fracture through it. Anyone else have issues with this?
I emailed Chris Tucker at GEC and got this reply: "That is a natural crack in the stag, we have glued it so it should not go any farther."
They should sell these knives discounted as "factory seconds" since it is definitely from drilling the pin holes!
However, I did notice that one pinhole has a fracture through it. Anyone else have issues with this?
I emailed Chris Tucker at GEC and got this reply: "That is a natural crack in the stag, we have glued it so it should not go any farther."
They should sell these knives discounted as "factory seconds" since it is definitely from drilling the pin holes!
Re: GEC Fractured Stag Handles
Guess you could return it to DLT and they could take it up with GEC.
Heretical Refurb / Mods of cheap old folders, since late 2018
Re: GEC Fractured Stag Handles
True...just sucks
Re: GEC Fractured Stag Handles
That one would be on the way back to the dealer -- should never have left the GEC factory -- that is a 2cd quality knife ""FOR SURE"" __
I'm not young enough,____to know everything !!!!!!!!!!!!
MONK****
MONK****
- Sharpnshinyknives
- Gold Tier
- Posts: 5106
- Joined: Mon Jul 16, 2018 2:32 am
- Location: Indiana
- Contact:
Re: GEC Fractured Stag Handles
I agree, send it back. Just try to resell it yourself and see how people react to this crack, that should never have left the factory.BAX229 wrote:Just received my 97 Allegheny Sambar Stag this week from DLT Trading. It’s my new favorite, beautiful thick stag handles!
However, I did notice that one pinhole has a fracture through it. Anyone else have issues with this?
I emailed Chris Tucker at GEC and got this reply: "That is a natural crack in the stag, we have glued it so it should not go any farther."
They should sell these knives discounted as "factory seconds" since it is definitely from drilling the pin holes!
ww3Rhr7 - Imgur.jpg
SSk
SSk Mark “Freedom is never more than one generation away from extinction. We didn't pass it to our children in the bloodstream. It must be fought for, protected, and handed on for them to do the same.” Ronald Reagan
Re: GEC Fractured Stag Handles
I agree that knife should go back. I find it hard to believe that GEC would actually ship such a knife. Did you send Chris Tucker a photo of the crack? I would consider even a hairline crack unacceptable in a knife that costs what a GEC costs. That crack would be unacceptable in a $12 China knife!
Mel
- Quick Steel
- Bronze Tier
- Posts: 16953
- Joined: Thu Dec 16, 2010 5:39 pm
- Location: Lebanon, KY
Re: GEC Fractured Stag Handles
I can understand GEC wanting to salvage a fine bit of Sambar stag. But to sell it as first quality is shocking.
Re: GEC Fractured Stag Handles
I'm going to disagree, if you look at that closely looks like natural cracking in the stag which I have seen in other stag knives including other ones not from GEC. Problem is more to how stag is fitted nowadays, instead of run bolster to bolster it is ground down at the bolsters and will expose cracks in the stag.
Re: GEC Fractured Stag Handles
No matter the source of the crack...I agree with SSK...try to resell and see what happens to the value. With the level of quality in GEC, I think this should be a "second".
Heretical Refurb / Mods of cheap old folders, since late 2018
-
- Posts: 13373
- Joined: Mon Jan 11, 2016 5:36 pm
- Location: West Kootenays, B.C.
Re: GEC Fractured Stag Handles
The very first GEC i bought, a stag 2006 #73, has a similar crack from front handle pin to bolster, but it is a beautiful knife with excellent stag so there was no way i was going to return it. It remains one of my most treasured GEC's. The pin crack does not detract from my enjoyment of this knife. And it will never create any functional problem.
If that was my GEC stag 97 and i liked the stag on it, i would be happy and keep it. I think we can sometimes become obsessed with minor details and thereby spoil our own enjoyment of a good knife.
I take issues of function, like no snap or blade hitting liner as it closes, etc. as being worthy of return. Minor cosmetic 'blemishes' i tend to accept as just part of life.
kj
If that was my GEC stag 97 and i liked the stag on it, i would be happy and keep it. I think we can sometimes become obsessed with minor details and thereby spoil our own enjoyment of a good knife.
I take issues of function, like no snap or blade hitting liner as it closes, etc. as being worthy of return. Minor cosmetic 'blemishes' i tend to accept as just part of life.
kj
Re: GEC Fractured Stag Handles
Well said...I plan to keep it.kootenay joe wrote:The very first GEC i bought, a stag 2006 #73, has a similar crack from front handle pin to bolster, but it is a beautiful knife with excellent stag so there was no way i was going to return it. It remains one of my most treasured GEC's. The pin crack does not detract from my enjoyment of this knife. And it will never create any functional problem.
If that was my GEC stag 97 and i liked the stag on it, i would be happy and keep it. I think we can sometimes become obsessed with minor details and thereby spoil our own enjoyment of a good knife.
I take issues of function, like no snap or blade hitting liner as it closes, etc. as being worthy of return. Minor cosmetic 'blemishes' i tend to accept as just part of life.
kj
Re: GEC Fractured Stag Handles
Here are some examples I have in my collection, the crack in the Queen Farmers Jack is just below the pin, the GEC 25 follows a natural crack in the stag and almost goes pin to pin, and the other GEC has multiple cracks at the bolster. None of these knives do I consider having a fault and it's just what occurs in a natural handle material.
Re: GEC Fractured Stag Handles
I don't buy safe queens, so I have a hard time understanding some people
being so durn nit picky about natural 'flaws' in natural materials.
It's the character Mother Nature put there. In my opinion, when you
attempt to manipulate what She created to satisfy your own desires,
you get what you get ......
Just my humble opinion. Light your torches, if you must ....
being so durn nit picky about natural 'flaws' in natural materials.
It's the character Mother Nature put there. In my opinion, when you
attempt to manipulate what She created to satisfy your own desires,
you get what you get ......
Just my humble opinion. Light your torches, if you must ....
Chris
i woke last night to the sound of thunder
how far off i sat and wondered
started humming a song from nineteen sixty two
aint it funny how the night moves
i woke last night to the sound of thunder
how far off i sat and wondered
started humming a song from nineteen sixty two
aint it funny how the night moves
-
- Posts: 13373
- Joined: Mon Jan 11, 2016 5:36 pm
- Location: West Kootenays, B.C.
Re: GEC Fractured Stag Handles
My ivory Whaler arrived with a 'serious' pin crack on the back side. Should i return it ?
kj
kj
Re: GEC Fractured Stag Handles
KJ:
That looks like an open crack.
I would return that knife, if that option was available to me.
Good luck and let us know the of the outcome.
Best,
Stephen
That looks like an open crack.
I would return that knife, if that option was available to me.
Good luck and let us know the of the outcome.
Best,
Stephen
Re: GEC Fractured Stag Handles
Yes.kootenay joe wrote:My ivory Whaler arrived with a 'serious' pin crack on the back side. Should i return it ?
kj
David
"Glowing like the metal on the edge of a knife" Meat Loaf
"Glowing like the metal on the edge of a knife" Meat Loaf
Re: GEC Fractured Stag Handles
It's not the natural flaws we are talking about...It's the cracks from drilling the pin holes and passing them on at full price.royal0014 wrote:I don't buy safe queens, so I have a hard time understanding some people
being so durn nit picky about natural 'flaws' in natural materials.
It's the character Mother Nature put there. In my opinion, when you
attempt to manipulate what She created to satisfy your own desires,
you get what you get ......
Just my humble opinion. Light your torches, if you must ....
It must be a coincidence that so many of these "natural" cracks are at the pin holes!
Re: GEC Fractured Stag Handles
Wow - that Whaler looks like a chip cold easily flake off. If it is a brand new knife then I would return it and hope to get a replacement. If it is something you have been wanting and not easily found, then maybe a repair would be the way to go.
I have very few GECs, none bone or stag. Maybe cracks are more common than I realized, but I would not be happy at all to find one on a brand new knife.
I have very few GECs, none bone or stag. Maybe cracks are more common than I realized, but I would not be happy at all to find one on a brand new knife.
Mel
- Mumbleypeg
- Gold Tier
- Posts: 13408
- Joined: Fri Apr 18, 2014 1:28 am
- Location: Republic of Texas
Re: GEC Fractured Stag Handles
Drilling something rarely causes cracks, especially if drilled using a sharp drill bit. In fact the reason you drill in the first place is usually to prevent cracking during pin, nail, or screw placement. Not gonna say drilling never creates cracks - “never” is a pretty strong word. But preventing splitting/cracking is one of the main reasons for drilling in the first place.
We know cracks can develop with age. Stag, bone, wood, MOP, all natural materials and all can develop cracks. I tend to agree it probably should have been caught at the factory. But I’m also wondering if the scarcity of Sambar stag could be changing the criteria by which imperfections are deemed acceptable in current-day operations. What would have been culled in the old days may be acceptable today just because it’s more difficult to obtain the raw material.
Case has severely cut production of knives having MOP and stag covers, reportedly because they can’t obtain sufficient quantities of either material that meet their quality standards. That may be the future we face. Is cracked Sambar stag better than no Sambar stag?
Ken
We know cracks can develop with age. Stag, bone, wood, MOP, all natural materials and all can develop cracks. I tend to agree it probably should have been caught at the factory. But I’m also wondering if the scarcity of Sambar stag could be changing the criteria by which imperfections are deemed acceptable in current-day operations. What would have been culled in the old days may be acceptable today just because it’s more difficult to obtain the raw material.
Case has severely cut production of knives having MOP and stag covers, reportedly because they can’t obtain sufficient quantities of either material that meet their quality standards. That may be the future we face. Is cracked Sambar stag better than no Sambar stag?
Ken
Member AKTI, TSRA, NRA.
If your religion requires that you hate someone, you need a new religion.
When the people fear their government, that is tyranny. When government fears the people, that is freedom.
https://www.akti.org/
If your religion requires that you hate someone, you need a new religion.
When the people fear their government, that is tyranny. When government fears the people, that is freedom.
https://www.akti.org/
-
- Posts: 13373
- Joined: Mon Jan 11, 2016 5:36 pm
- Location: West Kootenays, B.C.
Re: GEC Fractured Stag Handles
Yes the crack in the ivory is serious because if it extends the chip of ivory will fall off. Returning the knife would just result in a refund. There is no replacement for this knife. I knew it had this crack when i bought it and this crack likely happened with the last tap of the brass hammer on the handle pin. It is a rare knife, one of five, so i am quite happy, actually very happy to own it just as it is. As long as i don't drop it, the crack will probably not extend based on my experience with antique ivory carvings with cracks that have not changed in my 70 years.
The crack in O.P. stag is different. I see it as stable and it will not result in a piece of stag falling off.
I would like to see a picture of entire O.P. knife, both sides. We have seen the crack, but what is the rest of the stag like ?
kj
The crack in O.P. stag is different. I see it as stable and it will not result in a piece of stag falling off.
I would like to see a picture of entire O.P. knife, both sides. We have seen the crack, but what is the rest of the stag like ?
kj
Re: GEC Fractured Stag Handles
Like I stated in the original post, the rest of this knife is perfect. Beautiful thick stag with a palm swell...except for a fracture at the pin hole (natural or not)kootenay joe wrote:Yes the crack in the ivory is serious because if it extends the chip of ivory will fall off. Returning the knife would just result in a refund. There is no replacement for this knife. I knew it had this crack when i bought it and this crack likely happened with the last tap of the brass hammer on the handle pin. It is a rare knife, one of five, so i am quite happy, actually very happy to own it just as it is. As long as i don't drop it, the crack will probably not extend based on my experience with antique ivory carvings with cracks that have not changed in my 70 years.
The crack in O.P. stag is different. I see it as stable and it will not result in a piece of stag falling off.
I would like to see a picture of entire O.P. knife, both sides. We have seen the crack, but what is the rest of the stag like ?
kj
I now realize how common this is and decided to keep and use it, like all my knives. Sorry for sounding petty.
Re: GEC Fractured Stag Handles
Everyone has there own limits when it come to what is acceptable. Any crack that runs to or through a pin is a flaw in my book and hard to argue as a natural flaw as far as I'm concerned. Given that I won't pay first quality price for a knife that has such a crack. I would not be happy with the OP knife or the explanation given for the crack.
If I have seen further it is by standing on the shoulders of giants.
Wayne
Please visit My AAPK store https://www.allaboutpocketknives.com/catalog/btrwtr
Wayne
Please visit My AAPK store https://www.allaboutpocketknives.com/catalog/btrwtr
- Beavertail
- Posts: 1195
- Joined: Sun Feb 24, 2008 9:47 pm
- Location: Way down south in Dixie
Re: GEC Fractured Stag Handles
I wouldn't sneeze too hard around it.kootenay joe wrote:My ivory Whaler arrived with a 'serious' pin crack on the back side. Should i return it ?
kj
That piece might fall off.
Tim
- Sharpnshinyknives
- Gold Tier
- Posts: 5106
- Joined: Mon Jul 16, 2018 2:32 am
- Location: Indiana
- Contact:
Re: GEC Fractured Stag Handles
Roland, Yes, I would return it. I know that had to cost a pretty penny and I would be heartbroken to spend as much as you had to spend on that and have it arrive w/ that crack in it. It really isn’t about functionality or being nit picky, I understand how hard it is to set those pins and not crack the material or there might be natural cracks like that in the material. In the case of that ivory knife, that isn’t a naturally occurring crack, that’s from the pin cracking the ivory. It is up to the craftsman to replace that when this happens.kootenay joe wrote:My ivory Whaler arrived with a 'serious' pin crack on the back side. Should i return it ?
kj
If you hired someone to replace a window and they cracked it putting it in, what would you do? If I send my car to a body shop and it comes back w/ flaws in the paint, you can bet I’m taking it back to have it corrected at his expense. By the way, that happened to me and that’s what the body shop owner did. However I will not use his shop anymore because he returned the car to me w/ flaws and he knew it, he just hoped I wouldn’t notice or complain.
Sorry to be such a hard ass about it, but quality and reputation matter to me, whether it’s a service or a product or both.
Mark
SSk Mark “Freedom is never more than one generation away from extinction. We didn't pass it to our children in the bloodstream. It must be fought for, protected, and handed on for them to do the same.” Ronald Reagan
Re: GEC Fractured Stag Handles
I find it wrong for any person from a business to give this answer: "That is a natural crack in the stag, we have glued it so it should not go any farther."
Did they glue it before they fitted to the knife or poured glue on afterwards.
Why would you send a knife out knowing it had a defect.
Does GEC think that their knives have a good resale value they can just pass of any knife ?
Or is their quality control slipping and instead of offering a repair make a excuse ?
I have a few GEC knives and I am happy with them.
Grant
Did they glue it before they fitted to the knife or poured glue on afterwards.
Why would you send a knife out knowing it had a defect.
Does GEC think that their knives have a good resale value they can just pass of any knife ?
Or is their quality control slipping and instead of offering a repair make a excuse ?
I have a few GEC knives and I am happy with them.
Grant
Politicians should be like a good pocket knife ." Sharp and useful "