All About Pocket Knives

kootenay joe wrote:They are 4" which 'in person' is much smaller than a full size 5" toothpick.
I agree that the blade might be more narrow, spine to edge, than it could have been. It is not a beefy blade at all. It looks a bit anorexic. However when in hand it might seem just right. A knife can give a different impression in hand than in a picture. "Never judge a knife by the picture".
kj

I didn’t remember seeing a lot about this in advance like I did on the 97’s or the 06’s. This one kind of snuck up on me. I got one of the camel bones on order last week and I know I reserved 2 different ones from CK. I didn’t see much chatter about it on here or many emails about it. Personally I like a toothpick style. Don’t find it all that practical but I do like the looks of just about any toothpick I have ever seen. I don’t think I will be disappointed with these either.
SSk

I think it is practical for many people. It is not an outdoor work knife for sure. But to have along with you in the business world or just out & about, you are unlikely to ever need more than what this knife can do, which is basic easy cutting. A sensible EDC for maybe 75% ? of GEC buyers.
kj

I something last month about Toothpick knives. A blade-smith in France wanted to make a knife shaped like a "powder horn". (1880's ) A real "Texas Tooth Pick" is 5" or longer closed. These GEC#12 tooth picks are medium size.

DLT Trading SFO GEC#12 Tidioute dark color jigged bone with oak leaf shield

I ordered one of these with the Aqua Camel bone and it was at the Northport P.O. when i went there today.
I like it !
Nicely made knife with gorgeous handles that look like light colored jade, translucent as though you can see into it.
Pull is what i think is just right for this size of knife. Not stiff, but no wimp either, satisfying 'clunk' as it snaps into fully open.
Blade edge is sharp enough, acceptable but not quite what it could be.
Does GEC do the final edge work by hand sharpening on stones ? or all belt sander work ? There is only a very narrow edge grind on this blade, you need a loupe to see it.
However, overall it is a good knife and i am happy i bought it, esp. this one with these super nice handles.
I will get some pics tomorrow.
kj

In the 1880s France , a French blade-smith wanted to make a large powder horn style knife. Later in Texas , Texas blade-smiths called them Texas Toothpicks. A Texas toothpick knife is 5" or longer closed. A 4" toothpick is a medium toothpick. A few knife producers use the term "small toothpick" to sell more knives. Effective , but bad blade manners ! Baw-ha ! Ha ! Ha ! Ha !

These Frank's Tidioute blood red bone toothpick knives have been shipped to Frank's. If you want one , sent him an email. He sells knives on AAPK too.

Here is "Jade", my #12. I just noticed there is a pin crack on the back side. Easy to see in the picture because it is larger than the knife. "In person" it is there but you have to look for it. Pin cracks seem to be fairly common with new stag or bone GEC knives.
These handle pieces really are beautiful so i am happy to keep it even though there is a crack.
kj

It’s a nice looking knife, KJ. Thank you for posting it. I’ve been interested to see some photos. The translucent quality of the aqua really is nice.

GREAT EASTERN CUTLERY #12 AQUA CAMEL BONE

Another GEC with a crack from the factory...what is going on?!?

I'm sure it's a "natural crack," right?

Probably the bone they are using is very brittle. Also pinning it really low probably has something to do with it. Thin bone + pin + hammer + crack.
IMHO

My first GEC purchase was three single blade #12s. Favoring less expensive brands I had completely ignored GEC so all I knew was that at the asking price for the three I'd regret it if I did not jump on them. I got two Tidoutes with Turkish clip blades and a saber ground Northfield. While I prefer the broader saber ground clip and would prefer a standard clip over the Turkish clips slender blades are traditional in toothpicks for filleting fish. Large toothpichs are so popular with fishermen that they are the pattern most commonly offered with a fish scaler/hook remover/bottle opener tool. The long slender pattern is a natural for that role. In contrast #12s are a reproduction of pre-WW II Remingtons that have handles that are broader for their length than any other recently manufactured toothpicks. A broader clip better matches the #12 pattern.

I'm not good at numbering snap but I'd call the spring strength of all three of mine perfect for a 4" knife. It is likely GEC is stamping current springs out of the same metal so it is likely their snap is also nice. My jigged River Blue Tidoute #12 has the most attractive color that I've seen on pocket knife bone. However, with three in hand I will not buy another unless GEC makes some with more than one blade. In the past they've made #12s with an additional pen blade. Since the clip master already provides a fine point a standard clip combined with a sheep's foot would make a very tempting #12.

Can you please post a picture of "My jigged River Blue Tidoute #12' ?
I have not heard of these handles and cannot find it on the GEC site.
kj

Got my aqua camel bone in yesterday. I love the color on this and size is perfect.
SSk

That is a nice looking toothpick. I'm a little overspent or I would have picked up one.

Tsar Bomba wrote:

kootenay joe wrote:TB please be sure to post your evaluation of this knife when they arrive. One of the dealers gives 6.5 as pull strength which sounds about perfect for this knife. Hopefully all have a similar strength spring.

Similar to CK who says snap is a 6 while W&T is 4 of 5. I'll post my impressions when the first gets here (had to order from 2 dealers to get 2 knives). I turned out not to be too disappointed on the change from green camel bone to aqua blue and I think the size of the 12 is right in the wheelhouse for this pattern.

So I got my two #12s in smooth aqua camel bone. 2 different dealers, one via reserve and one via open stock.

My phone is on the fritz so no pics currently.

First, the reserved knife. Matched, deep blue-green bone with end-to-end color in various hues as commonly seen in camel bone. Perfect centering. Great W&T (4/5 might be an understatement). Run-up is great if not flawless (no visible bumps, feels smooth). Snaps well but not obscenely in both directions (I'd call it a solid 5 on both open and close). Good, GEC-quality F&F. Since I'm out of pocket on photos, I will say that this knife looks very much like the one pictured by Sharpnshinyknives today and not at all like kootenay joe's lovely "soft green" from before. BTW, the edge on mine was razor-sharp (though I have gotten GECs that required a few passes on a stone right out of the tube).

Second, the open stock knife. The mark side bone is like some of the 80s Case Appy knives that came out with very little absorbed dye except for small patches - in this case, a "stripe" down the middle of the handle in an almost perfect lien with the houndstooth shield, plus some random light dye towards the edges. This, for me, is not a problem, as this knife is intended to be a user (and as a general fan of camel bone on knives I kinda like the way it looks). But with the deep blue green color of the pile side bone, the knife could come off like a cobbled or half-rehandled knife to the unwashed. Construction is good with a couple notable exceptions. The blade veers pretty decisively to the left in the well when looking at it from above with the pivot end at the top. It doesn't rub the liner but it's nowhere near centered as some people demand from GEC. Again, not a problem for me on a user knife, but it's not as if I paid any less for this one than I did for the reserve/safe queen. Run-up is also disappointing - there is a noticeable bump between spring and blade tang, although the blade does open straight and true like the reserved knife. Finally, the action is rough. I haven't taken any quick release to it as of yet (this one just showed up today) but it's gonna require some work and I hope it doesn't have a permanent gritty condition like some of the late model Queens were famous for. Blade is also sharp although not as sharp as the first one (but not dull as KJ described his). Once I work the pivot a bit I'm putting the knife to an Arkansas stone.

Oh, and since it's become an issue for some GEC shipments lately, neither knife has any cracks in the handles.

Conclusion: With the drastic increase in output from GEC for 2019, I believe our worst fears are coming true. Consistency in QA appears to be suffering, badly in some areas, and I feel like they are treading a thin line that might stick them with the same kind of stigma Queen/Schatt & Morgan was burdened with near the end.

Really hoping the upcoming punch whittler is a shorter run than these (and that our AAPK #97 isn't rushed out to us without due diligence).

Got mine and really like it, pretty high quality, only negative is it could be sharper, they were coming through quite sharp recently so makes me wonder if they are training someone new, other than that exceptionally well made knife.

Looks like Roland's Jade green is the rarity in this run and the darker mottled blue-green is the order of the day for this variation. Also looks like this #12 run isn't really wowing the GEC collector base.

As a follow up to my review, I am finding the user knife to be quite excellent at what it was designed to do - cutting. The blade is broader than comparable Case medium toothpicks and about the same as the #112 from Queen. The 1095 is holding an edge rather well and it is slender enough to vanish in the LFP. It's a looker, too, really validating my preference for camel bone over bovine (sorry, cows) and drawing comments from bystanders. GEC has got their hooks on me when it comes to camel bone and houndstooth shields. I'm glad to have another muskrat clip in the user pile, too. Unlike some others I'm a little overwhelmed with standard clip masters like the GEC #1 blade.

Tsar Bomba wrote:Looks like Roland's Jade green is the rarity in this run and the darker mottled blue-green is the order of the day for this variation. Also looks like this #12 run isn't really wowing the GEC collector base.

As a follow up to my review, I am finding the user knife to be quite excellent at what it was designed to do - cutting. The blade is broader than comparable Case medium toothpicks and about the same as the #112 from Queen. The 1095 is holding an edge rather well and it is slender enough to vanish in the LFP. It's a looker, too, really validating my preference for camel bone over bovine (sorry, cows) and drawing comments from bystanders. GEC has got their hooks on me when it comes to camel bone and houndstooth shields. I'm glad to have another muskrat clip in the user pile, too. Unlike some others I'm a little overwhelmed with standard clip masters like the GEC #1 blade.

I just added my 12 to my GEC display case and I have to tell you, it is the one your eyes go to now. Made me think I need to collect more of this pattern in different handle materials. This might be a very underappreciated pattern. Once people get their hands on them, I think they will pick up in popularity. I need to take a picture of the display and let everyone see for themselves.
SSk

Here is my display case of GEC’s the other pic is of my spill over where my new ones go until they get organized. That toothpick stands out as does the Yellow Rose 97.
SSk

Nice lineup!

Great looking GEC's you have there Love that Northwoods also

You can probably hear the munching and crunching sounds now... that's the sound of me eating my words. I ordered my #12 Dark Chestnut SFO late Saturday night, and it arrived here today. As much as I disliked the look of the pattern/blade combo, three things happened that made me change my mind:
1. A couple of months ago my wife and I had dinner at a nice restaurant, which is a rare occasion for us, and we used these Laguiole-style steak knives. The #12 reminds me of those knives and the happy memories of that occasion.
2. On Friday I was eating lunch at work, using my #48 Improved Trapper to slice through some tough sausage casing. Made me think how good a muskrat blade is as a steak/sausage/pork chop/whatever knife. And I wished again that I had the single blade version for slimmer pocket carry.
3. And the real selling point for me was the pictures of that beautiful Dark Chestnut bone. Too nice looking to pass up...

But unfortunately for me, my knife does NOT look like the pictures! Once again I received a lighter than expected bone knife! First was my pale #43 Frontier Bone, now this #12 shows up not nearly as dark as the dark chestnut pictures suggest. Is it just my luck to get pale knives that don't look like the pictures? I can't be the only one. At least one of this run must be dark since it appears in the pictures. Sorry I don't have any pics to post at this time since this is my Father's Day gift so it's back in the tube for another month. And I don't want to discourage anyone else for grabbing one of these knives. The ergonomics are better than the looks - just the right size and shape for a pocket steak knife. Funny looking knife, but I'm going to use, use, use this thing. If you like muskrat clip blades and want to slice right through some tough meat, it's right up your alley.

Does anyone know if bone handle covers will darken over time with use?

- Lee