Great Eastern Cutlery #98s

[Buckibbq]

I couldn’t find a thread dedicated to these monstrous wonders of knife engineering so here’s a thread dedicated to those beasts. Texas Whittlers, Camp And Cattle knives are all welcome. Here’s a pic of Charlie Campagna’s SFO Whittlers to start us off. Burnt Orange, Cranberry and Antique Yellow bone. Notice the centering of the shield on the Cranberry which was a factory mistake as per Charlie.

[FarSide]

Nice group. I did not know about the Cranberry shield. The Camp knife is one of the pinnacles of GEC's craftsmanship.

[Buckibbq]

That’s a great pair, Tim! There were 19 of the Cranberry Whittlers, I think some had the shield centered and some didn’t.

[cudgee]

I couldn’t find a thread dedicated to these monstrous wonders of knife engineering so here’s a thread dedicated to those beasts. Texas Whittlers, Camp And Cattle knives are all welcome. Here’s a pic of Charlie Campagna’s SFO Whittlers to start us off. Burnt Orange, Cranberry and Antique Yellow bone. Notice the centering of the shield on the Cranberry which was a factory mistake as per Charlie.
84B8E208-E271-412C-ADDD-742FD30A551C.jpeg

WOW They are nice.

[kootenay joe]

Great Thread already> Thank you Bucki for starting it.
Of the 3 Texas Whittlers, i think the Burnt Orange Bone is the most outstanding.
Farside, what is the Tidioute below your Texas Camp Knife ?
kj

[Buckibbq]

I would agree with the favoritism towards the Burnt Orange bone. The Cranberry, however, is a close second. I’m a sucker for red knives.

[cudgee]

I would agree with the favoritism towards the Burnt Orange bone. The Cranberry, however, is a close second. I’m a sucker for red knives.

Reds and Cranberry colours can be a bit iffy sometimes, your though has hit it out of the ballpark.

[Rotten]

[rea1eye]

Those are all nice knives. I too would have to say the cranberry would
be my favorite.

Bob

[Buckibbq]

Let’s bump this thread with a smooth white bone 98 camper. I love camping in the fall!

[Mcjimmis]

I don’t have a 98 pattern but I have heard speculation they may be coming down the pipe in the near future. If that does end up happening it’s a knife I will be wanting to try out at dealer prices. Does anyone have a weight on these? I’m trying to wrap my head around the idea of actually using one in certain situations. Mostly weekend camping situations where the boat or car isn’t too far.

[kootenay joe]

I don't know the weight but i carry my Texas Camp Knife in a belt sheath. For me it is too big to comfortably carry in a pocket. If GEC does make anymore #98 pattern knives they will sell out in minutes. For many of us the only way to get a new GEC is to buy from a 'flipper' on ebay.
kj

[gsmith7158]

Buford Pusser may have used one of these to whittle his big sticks!

[doglegg]

Buford Pusser may have used one of these to whittle his big sticks!

Great looking knife Greg.

[gsmith7158]

Thanks doglegg! They are massive.

[Buckibbq]

Kingwood 98 Whittler

[kootenay joe]

The #98 is a large knife but i don't find it "massive". It is relatively slender, like a fine tuned athlete. The tolerances are tight and this fine workmanship keeps it from being bulky.
If GEC does do another run of these i would like to see a 2 blade, single spring pattern with flat bolsters like the Northwoods "Presidential".
kj

[Rimfirekyle]

The 98 is a knife I'd love to try. I love big knives, the 86 being a favorite. Hopefully gec makes a new run of them at some point because it haven't seen a 98 trade hands in a while.

[Buckibbq]

The #98 is a large knife but i don't find it "massive". It is relatively slender, like a fine tuned athlete. The tolerances are tight and this fine workmanship keeps it from being bulky.
If GEC does do another run of these i would like to see a 2 blade, single spring pattern with flat bolsters like the Northwoods "Presidential".
kj

Looking into my crystal ball, I think that your hope may come to fruition sooner than later. If I were a betting man, I’d say we will see a single spring 98 before the end of the year.

[kootenay joe]

Bucki, does your "crystal ball" communicate with people who work at GEC ? How else can one learn what GEC might be making in a few months time ?
kj

[Buckibbq]

It’s only a wild guess on my part based on no reliable “insider information”, KJ…I just think it’s about time for a reappearance of the 98. Now let’s get back to some other 98s…

[Rotten]

The #98 is a large knife but i don't find it "massive". It is relatively slender, like a fine tuned athlete. The tolerances are tight and this fine workmanship keeps it from being bulky.
If GEC does do another run of these i would like to see a 2 blade, single spring pattern with flat bolsters like the Northwoods "Presidential".
kj

Looking into my crystal ball, I think that your hope may come to fruition sooner than later. If I were a betting man, I’d say we will see a single spring 98 before the end of the year.

As great as that sounds Bill Howard has sworn never to run 98's again.

[edge213]

The #98 is a large knife but i don't find it "massive". It is relatively slender, like a fine tuned athlete. The tolerances are tight and this fine workmanship keeps it from being bulky.
If GEC does do another run of these i would like to see a 2 blade, single spring pattern with flat bolsters like the Northwoods "Presidential".
kj

Looking into my crystal ball, I think that your hope may come to fruition sooner than later. If I were a betting man, I’d say we will see a single spring 98 before the end of the year.

As great as that sounds Bill Howard has sworn never to run 98's again.

Any idea why that would be?

[Rotten]

Looking into my crystal ball, I think that your hope may come to fruition sooner than later. If I were a betting man, I’d say we will see a single spring 98 before the end of the year.

As great as that sounds Bill Howard has sworn never to run 98's again.

Any idea why that would be?

There's a better explaination on the other forum somewhere. Boiled down to it was a very difficult pattern to build. Apparently there were a lot that never made it out of the factory which is evident in the low production totals.

[robbobus]

I thought it was said the 4 blade camp knife won't be made again, not a ban on the98 frame.