GEC#29 Stockyard Whittler knife 2019

GEC specializes in highly collectable and premium quality usable pocket knives. The company's USA manufactured knives have quickly proven to be a big hit with both collectors and users who seek quality American craftsmanship.
kootenay joe
Posts: 13373
Joined: Mon Jan 11, 2016 5:36 pm
Location: West Kootenays, B.C.

Re: GEC#29 Stockyard Whittler knife 2019

Post by kootenay joe »

I have an area i call my 'arboretum' or Tree Garden and i have a number of different deciduous species in there. It is not right by the house or sheds or parking. Horse Chestnuts also have a spiny outer casing as do Chestnuts (Castanea). If the O.O. will grow here it would fit right in with the other 'spiney droppers'.
kj
User avatar
Mumbleypeg
Gold Tier
Gold Tier
Posts: 13408
Joined: Fri Apr 18, 2014 1:28 am
Location: Republic of Texas

Re: GEC#29 Stockyard Whittler knife 2019

Post by Mumbleypeg »

Bois d'Arc wood was once used for agricultural tool handles. Of recent it has been used for knife handles - not sure why it hasn't been used more for that purpose. Here's a couple of recent knives from Moore Maker and Case showing the wood's appearance. I'd expect due to its hardness it would take a good polished appearance and become even better with handling. ::shrug:: I would also expect the bois d'Arc handles on GEC knives to look similar.
wwCA7979_4_1.jpg
41ttZgC9YlL._AC_SY400_.jpg
Just for fun here's an interesting and somewhat whimsical article I found about the tree http://www.phoenixcommotion.com/informa ... arc-trees/

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/
JohnR
Bronze Tier
Bronze Tier
Posts: 1989
Joined: Sat Mar 14, 2015 11:43 am
Location: Maryland

Re: GEC#29 Stockyard Whittler knife 2019

Post by JohnR »

Really liking this pattern, a 3 spring knife that is no wider than a lot of 2 spring knives.
Attachments
IMG_0655.jpg
IMG_0703.jpg
kootenay joe
Posts: 13373
Joined: Mon Jan 11, 2016 5:36 pm
Location: West Kootenays, B.C.

Re: GEC#29 Stockyard Whittler knife 2019

Post by kootenay joe »

I guess you do like this pattern as you have 5 already. To me the Tidioute in Osage Orange wood looks too 'plain': bolsters not grooved, no swages on blades, plain shield and plain looking wood. The others all have details that add interest to how they look. For example the acrylic Tidioute has color and swirls in the handles, etc.
Does anyone else also feel the Osage Orange just looks too 'plain' ?
kj
User avatar
FarSide
Bronze Tier
Bronze Tier
Posts: 393
Joined: Thu Jun 02, 2016 8:13 pm
Location: Central Valley of CA

Re: GEC#29 Stockyard Whittler knife 2019

Post by FarSide »

kootenay joe wrote:I guess you do like this pattern as you have 5 already. To me the Tidioute in Osage Orange wood looks too 'plain': bolsters not grooved, no swages on blades, plain shield and plain looking wood. The others all have details that add interest to how they look. For example the acrylic Tidioute has color and swirls in the handles, etc.
Does anyone else also feel the Osage Orange just looks too 'plain' ?
kj
Osage Orange was the only one I wanted. I think the character of the wood & the satin bolsters go well together. My covers have a nice dark grain that stands put over all the other aspects of the knife. I’m almost staying away from Northfield’s because of the polished blades. Just my tastes changing I guess.
-Tim
User avatar
RalphAlsip
Posts: 2320
Joined: Sun Feb 02, 2014 9:01 pm
Location: Southern Illinois

Re: GEC#29 Stockyard Whittler knife 2019

Post by RalphAlsip »

I received my Tidioute example today and I like it. Fit & finish is good, size is good, pulls and snap are good for my preference, and there doesn't appear to be any blade rubbing that is apparent from the few times I have opened and closed the blades. When I learned it was a 3 backspring knife I was concerned it would be too thick relative to the length, but it feels very balanced and well proportioned. The blades still have the oil on them.
Attachments
GEC Tidioute 29 Front & Back.jpg
GEC Tidioute 29 Top & Bottom.jpg
GEC Tidioute 29 #3.jpg
GEC Tidioute 29 #4.jpg
User avatar
FarSide
Bronze Tier
Bronze Tier
Posts: 393
Joined: Thu Jun 02, 2016 8:13 pm
Location: Central Valley of CA

Re: GEC#29 Stockyard Whittler knife 2019

Post by FarSide »

RalphAlsip wrote:I received my Tidioute example today and I like it. Fit & finish is good, size is good, pulls and snap are good for my preference, and there doesn't appear to be any blade rubbing that is apparent from the few times I have opened and closed the blades. When I learned it was a 3 backspring knife I was concerned it would be too thick relative to the length, but it feels very balanced and well proportioned. The blades still have the oil on them.
Sure like the coloring on those.
-Tim
Onearmbladejunkie
Posts: 805
Joined: Mon Jun 04, 2018 7:23 pm
Contact:

Re: GEC#29 Stockyard Whittler knife 2019

Post by Onearmbladejunkie »

I received an e-mail yesterday . A second batch was now available. Burnt Sienna jigged bone #29 $114.01 , free slip , Free shipping. I just had to jump on it.
291319-Burnt-Sienna-Jigged-Bone.jpg
99990083340002.jpg
kootenay joe
Posts: 13373
Joined: Mon Jan 11, 2016 5:36 pm
Location: West Kootenays, B.C.

Re: GEC#29 Stockyard Whittler knife 2019

Post by kootenay joe »

I am hoping i might get lucky and manage to score the Northfield version with stag handles. I have not bought any of the Stockyard Whittler releases so far as i can only buy one. The stag ones will be the 'final inning' so if i strike out there, i am totally out except for secondary market.
kj
User avatar
Sharpnshinyknives
Gold Tier
Gold Tier
Posts: 5104
Joined: Mon Jul 16, 2018 2:32 am
Location: Indiana
Contact:

Re: GEC#29 Stockyard Whittler knife 2019

Post by Sharpnshinyknives »

kootenay joe wrote:I am hoping i might get lucky and manage to score the Northfield version with stag handles. I have not bought any of the Stockyard Whittler releases so far as i can only buy one. The stag ones will be the 'final inning' so if i strike out there, i am totally out except for secondary market.
kj
I have a second bone handled one that I would sell you at cost if you don’t score the one that you like. I ordered one from KSF thinking I didn’t have one on reserve at Ck. And guess what, I did.
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
Onearmbladejunkie
Posts: 805
Joined: Mon Jun 04, 2018 7:23 pm
Contact:

Re: GEC#29 Stockyard Whittler knife 2019

Post by Onearmbladejunkie »

Two more releases shipping out !
GEC-ILLUSTRATED-1.jpg
GEC-ILLUSTRATED-3.jpg
68278432_10218629647349093_4252239067258814464_n.jpg
69074436_10218629647269091_5405206914562785280_n.jpg
67913665_10218629647429095_3131785788832874496_n.jpg
IMG_9547.jpg
IMG_9544.jpg
Onearmbladejunkie
Posts: 805
Joined: Mon Jun 04, 2018 7:23 pm
Contact:

Re: GEC#29 Stockyard Whittler knife 2019

Post by Onearmbladejunkie »

Not my knives , my #29 Burnt Sienna jigged bone is on the mail truck right now.
68930814_2576982205657106_3513672075812274176_n.jpg
User avatar
Tsar Bomba
Posts: 3622
Joined: Fri Jan 30, 2015 5:14 am
Contact:

Re: GEC#29 Stockyard Whittler knife 2019

Post by Tsar Bomba »

My Osage #29 arrived today.

The good news is the knife is a looker. GEC has done some good things with the Tidioute brand and Osage orange wood in the past, and this knife doesn't disappoint. The handles are great-looking, hafted perfectly, and the knife's level of finish just works for the overall aesthetic. It is exactly how I wanted the knife to look. Unfortunately, I would also like to carry this piece and get some of that skin oil character into that pristine Osage orange wood.

I say "would" because this transaction has a bad side, too. For those who don't want to read bad things about Great Eastern, stop right now.

The best thing about the mechanics of the knife is that none of the blades have any side-to-side wobble and the secondary sheepsfoot blade snaps open and closed fairly strongly for a 3-spring knife.

The worst thing about the mechanics of the knife is "everything else."

The master clip blade opens softly, barely snaps open, and barely stays open due to the spring tension. It is comically easy to get the blade to start closing from the open position, and while it might not be an issue with light/medium use, it does not even approach the usual high standards of GEC craftsmanship.

And that's not even the worst part. The punch, which was a primary reason I bought this particular knife, suffers the same soft-open and lazy-opening-snap problems, plus one extra: The spring tension is not anywhere enough to keep it in place. It has up-down movement when the blade is supposed to be fully open. Again, this is a punch, a tool which necessarily would need to provide a little stability to do the job it was designed for. With the beveled edge on the closing side of the punch, I see any number of ways someone can pretty seriously cut or gouge themselves because of this lazy "lock-up" (and yes, I know none of the tools actually lock).

I am starting to see the diminishing returns associated with manufacturers increasing their output without substantially upgrading their workforce or tooling, and this is by far the worst example I've noticed yet. I'm highly disappointed for two reasons: The dealer doesn't seem to think this is a valid reason to take the knife back (and exchange for another of the same kind after a token check of the tools to see if they suffer the same defects!) and this does not in ANY way reflect the workmanship and quality I expect out of a $120 American pocket knife. For a few dollars more I could replace this with one of the recent multi-blade Lionsteels and I know it will be rock-solid and punch well above its weight class.

This is compounded by the fact that I have one of the burnt sienna jigged bone Tidioute #29s in the mail, and if it suffers from the same problems as the Osage version then I'm going to have nearly $240 into two knives that just do not "cut the mustard," at least one of which was intended to be a regular user. I was looking forward to the #29 run since the day the variants were announced, but this has really dampened my enthusiasm.

I know this is not a problem with the #29 frame and its 3-spring construction, because my Maher & Grosh Appaloosa model is built on the same frame and spring layout and it is snappy, tight, and does not disappoint mechanically. I know the #29 CAN be built properly...I just can't be sure if GEC was willing to put the same effort into it as we've always expected from them.

So now I have to decide if I fight the dealer for an exchange, demand a refund based on the fact that it's a brand new knife, or give up and send the knife into GEC to do what they can do. If the problems persist with the bone version, I may have to give up on the punch, request refunds for both, and just buy a couple more M&Gs.

Anyone else experience this lazy, loose action on any of the GEC main-line #29s?
Tony
ImageImageImageImage
Everything's better with a Barlow
Duffer
Posts: 1020
Joined: Sat Sep 19, 2015 9:33 pm
Location: Las Vegas, NV

Re: GEC#29 Stockyard Whittler knife 2019

Post by Duffer »

Tony, sorry you got a bad #29! A lemon from your description ::nod::

I just got a Burnt Sienna and it is near perfect in all those regards that your Osage Orange is not. Sounds literally like night and day! How does one like that get through GEC QC? Oh I can hear you say it now, but they don’t do QC :shock:

The blade pull on mine is a strong 5 on the primary and around 6 on the SF and punch. W & T is great with loud audible snap sounds on opening and closing all blades. Craftsmanship and hafting of the highest order. Mine is very impressive!

Hope you can get your #29 sorted out without having to send it back to GEC. Best of Luck!
Lloyd
User avatar
RalphAlsip
Posts: 2320
Joined: Sun Feb 02, 2014 9:01 pm
Location: Southern Illinois

Re: GEC#29 Stockyard Whittler knife 2019

Post by RalphAlsip »

My experience mirrors what Lloyd described. Same knife (Burnt Siena) and same evaluation of opening pull and force needed to move out of the fully open position. My example has a pretty firm half-stop on all blades as well. When any of the blades are forced from open to start closing they will not pass through the half-stop and it takes a decent amount of force to move a blade out of the half-stop position.

I fully realize another person could have a totally different evaluation of the performance of my knife. I would imagine if I was prying on something forcefully in a direction that would apply force on a blade in the closing direction, then I might have some regrets. :)
Onearmbladejunkie
Posts: 805
Joined: Mon Jun 04, 2018 7:23 pm
Contact:

Re: GEC#29 Stockyard Whittler knife 2019

Post by Onearmbladejunkie »

I bought the #29 Sienna jigged bone , brown buffalo slip , shipped $114.01 !!! I bought the #29 bloodwood for $108.90 by subtracting with my bonus points. I am done with the #29s. My pre-order #29 snakewood was canceled by my GEC dealer. Seth Borries -- owner of Southern Long-beards Knives won last weeks "Forged in Fire" TV show. Seth is making me a "Karen" harpoon clip 5" "black hammered" fixed blade knife with snakewood scales. When GEC fails , I will have a fixed blade snakewood knife. This #29 bloodwood knife will be my 40th GEC knife. GEC does not look out for their best customers. The custom knife makers are looking better in my knife collecting future.
5466444444411.jpg
566777772225.png
6577844999991.jpg
GEC-ILLUSTRATED-3.jpg
IMG_9547.jpg
IMG_9544.jpg
291319-Burnt-Sienna-Jigged-Bone.jpg
kootenay joe
Posts: 13373
Joined: Mon Jan 11, 2016 5:36 pm
Location: West Kootenays, B.C.

Re: GEC#29 Stockyard Whittler knife 2019

Post by kootenay joe »

Tony what you describe is disappointing but others have received #29's that are 'right on' so likely the in bound bone 29 will be a good one with no issues.
Could it be that the pivot pins were not tightened enough ? How else could one explain such weak spring action when the other examples with the same parts have good spring strength ?
Would be helpful to have a knife mechanic comment on this.
kj
Drukai
Posts: 331
Joined: Wed Aug 24, 2016 4:15 pm
Location: Madison Wisconsin

Re: GEC#29 Stockyard Whittler knife 2019

Post by Drukai »

I wish a woulda had the Capital and connections I woulda loved to tryn’ to a “Jack Knife Ben” SFO for this pattern! Oh a boy can wish anways :D ::shrug::
"I don't think you can ever do your best. Doing your best is a process of trying to do your best". Townes Van Zandt

In search of GEC 15 Farm Boy knife user or new(My Grail)
User avatar
Tsar Bomba
Posts: 3622
Joined: Fri Jan 30, 2015 5:14 am
Contact:

Re: GEC#29 Stockyard Whittler knife 2019

Post by Tsar Bomba »

Still no reply from the dealer to my appeal that I should not have to eat the cost of a quasi-defective $120 knife with a punch. At this point I'm hoping for a "night and day" difference when my bone #29 arrives. If not, I'm going to try and claw back every dollar and redirect them to the latest Maher & Grosh releases. Knocking wood that the overwhelmingly positive response to the 29 in this thread is mirrored by my now-in-transit whittler and whatever I end up with in replacement of my "lemon Osagi (orange)" knife.

I guess the dealer doesn't want the hassle of any RMAs to GEC for poor build quality but, frankly, neither do I, and on top of that my day job has nothing to do with cutlery like theirs do. That's the way I see it after GEC ramped up its production so dramatically: Buyer beware but dealer prepare!
JohnR
Bronze Tier
Bronze Tier
Posts: 1989
Joined: Sat Mar 14, 2015 11:43 am
Location: Maryland

Re: GEC#29 Stockyard Whittler knife 2019

Post by JohnR »

Tsar Bomba wrote:My Osage #29 arrived today.

The good news is the knife is a looker. GEC has done some good things with the Tidioute brand and Osage orange wood in the past, and this knife doesn't disappoint. The handles are great-looking, hafted perfectly, and the knife's level of finish just works for the overall aesthetic. It is exactly how I wanted the knife to look. Unfortunately, I would also like to carry this piece and get some of that skin oil character into that pristine Osage orange wood.

I say "would" because this transaction has a bad side, too. For those who don't want to read bad things about Great Eastern, stop right now.

The best thing about the mechanics of the knife is that none of the blades have any side-to-side wobble and the secondary sheepsfoot blade snaps open and closed fairly strongly for a 3-spring knife.

The worst thing about the mechanics of the knife is "everything else."

The master clip blade opens softly, barely snaps open, and barely stays open due to the spring tension. It is comically easy to get the blade to start closing from the open position, and while it might not be an issue with light/medium use, it does not even approach the usual high standards of GEC craftsmanship.

And that's not even the worst part. The punch, which was a primary reason I bought this particular knife, suffers the same soft-open and lazy-opening-snap problems, plus one extra: The spring tension is not anywhere enough to keep it in place. It has up-down movement when the blade is supposed to be fully open. Again, this is a punch, a tool which necessarily would need to provide a little stability to do the job it was designed for. With the beveled edge on the closing side of the punch, I see any number of ways someone can pretty seriously cut or gouge themselves because of this lazy "lock-up" (and yes, I know none of the tools actually lock).

I am starting to see the diminishing returns associated with manufacturers increasing their output without substantially upgrading their workforce or tooling, and this is by far the worst example I've noticed yet. I'm highly disappointed for two reasons: The dealer doesn't seem to think this is a valid reason to take the knife back (and exchange for another of the same kind after a token check of the tools to see if they suffer the same defects!) and this does not in ANY way reflect the workmanship and quality I expect out of a $120 American pocket knife. For a few dollars more I could replace this with one of the recent multi-blade Lionsteels and I know it will be rock-solid and punch well above its weight class.

This is compounded by the fact that I have one of the burnt sienna jigged bone Tidioute #29s in the mail, and if it suffers from the same problems as the Osage version then I'm going to have nearly $240 into two knives that just do not "cut the mustard," at least one of which was intended to be a regular user. I was looking forward to the #29 run since the day the variants were announced, but this has really dampened my enthusiasm.

I know this is not a problem with the #29 frame and its 3-spring construction, because my Maher & Grosh Appaloosa model is built on the same frame and spring layout and it is snappy, tight, and does not disappoint mechanically. I know the #29 CAN be built properly...I just can't be sure if GEC was willing to put the same effort into it as we've always expected from them.

So now I have to decide if I fight the dealer for an exchange, demand a refund based on the fact that it's a brand new knife, or give up and send the knife into GEC to do what they can do. If the problems persist with the bone version, I may have to give up on the punch, request refunds for both, and just buy a couple more M&Gs.

Anyone else experience this lazy, loose action on any of the GEC main-line #29s?

Tony, sorry you are having issues with your 29, I've received 6 or so now and one, the acrylic , had a lighter pull on the main than I would like, I flushed it and lubed it and it is better but still lighter than the others. There must be something in the assembly process that causes this. I just received a bloodwood that the action is perfect right out of the tube so maybe as they are getting further into the run assembly is getting better.
I was surprised at your report of the punch having issues as that is the first I have herd of any of the secondary blades having issues, all my secondaries including the weak main acrylic are just about perfect.It sure sounds like you got a real turkey with your osage, I'm also surprised the dealer won't take it back, I've never returned one but I've read of others returning knives to GEC dealers with no hassle so not sure why yours is just not telling you to send it back. If no satisfaction from the dealer I would send it back to GEC and maybe find another dealer.
Hope you have better luck with the others, let us know how the bone 29 is.
JohnR
Bronze Tier
Bronze Tier
Posts: 1989
Joined: Sat Mar 14, 2015 11:43 am
Location: Maryland

Re: GEC#29 Stockyard Whittler knife 2019

Post by JohnR »

My bloodwood showed up yesterday , great looking and functioning knife.
Attachments
IMG_0784.jpg
IMG_0781.jpg
User avatar
FarSide
Bronze Tier
Bronze Tier
Posts: 393
Joined: Thu Jun 02, 2016 8:13 pm
Location: Central Valley of CA

Re: GEC#29 Stockyard Whittler knife 2019

Post by FarSide »

JohnR wrote:My bloodwood showed up yesterday , great looking and functioning knife.
Very nice!
-Tim
User avatar
Tsar Bomba
Posts: 3622
Joined: Fri Jan 30, 2015 5:14 am
Contact:

Re: GEC#29 Stockyard Whittler knife 2019

Post by Tsar Bomba »

The burnt sienna bone #29 arrived today. As hoped, it is a night-and-day difference from my Osage orange lemon. Strong snap for a 3-spring folder (pay attention, Buck) and all blades are rock solid in all directions. My faith in the #29 is fully restored (but my warnings for GEC's QC team stand).

I don't foresee getting a 2nd chance at the bloodwood Northfield, which is a very attractive knife, John. ::tu:: If I can get a tight Osage #29 as a replacement, I will be happy. Otherwise, I am going to raise holy heck until I get my money back and then put that towards another Maher & Grosh SFO. :mrgreen:
JohnR
Bronze Tier
Bronze Tier
Posts: 1989
Joined: Sat Mar 14, 2015 11:43 am
Location: Maryland

Re: GEC#29 Stockyard Whittler knife 2019

Post by JohnR »

Tsar Bomba wrote:The burnt sienna bone #29 arrived today. As hoped, it is a night-and-day difference from my Osage orange lemon. Strong snap for a 3-spring folder (pay attention, Buck) and all blades are rock solid in all directions. My faith in the #29 is fully restored (but my warnings for GEC's QC team stand).

I don't foresee getting a 2nd chance at the bloodwood Northfield, which is a very attractive knife, John. ::tu:: If I can get a tight Osage #29 as a replacement, I will be happy. Otherwise, I am going to raise holy heck until I get my money back and then put that towards another Maher & Grosh SFO. :mrgreen:

Glad you got a good one Tony, it is a very nice pattern. Someone reported on another forum that they sent an osage back for very weak pulls and little snap, wonder if you got the one that was sent back.
JohnR
Bronze Tier
Bronze Tier
Posts: 1989
Joined: Sat Mar 14, 2015 11:43 am
Location: Maryland

Re: GEC#29 Stockyard Whittler knife 2019

Post by JohnR »

Got my Maple and it's a beauty, only thing that would have made it better would be Northfield trim.
Attachments
IMG_0791.jpg
IMG_0792.jpg
IMG_0799.jpg
IMG_0805.jpg
IMG_0809.jpg
IMG_0807.jpg
Post Reply

Return to “Great Eastern Cutlery (GEC) Collector's Forum”