30 days of GEC

G-Dizzle · **Reply #150 on:** October 10, 2018, 04:45:32 PM

Day 30 write up:

This knife just makes me happy. the moment I took it out of the box it put a smile on my face. The fit and finish is perfect, there were no scratches on the blade or bolsters, there was no gaps between different pieces such as the scales and bolsters or the scales and liners. Running your hand over the knife, it feels like one continuous piece. Even the pins fit flush. The pull on this knife is perfect in my opinion. I have had no struggles opening or closing the blades, but I feel like the slipjoint locks them into place with plenty of strength. There is no blade play side to side or up and down with the blades open or in the half stop position. With blades closed, they are both perfectly centered in their respective layers. With the blades open, the back of the blade lines up perfectly with the backspring. Again, running your hand over it feels as if it is one solid piece. There is no perceivable gap to be felt. The sambar stag scales on this knife are beautiful. The front and back are very different, as you can see in the pictures throughout this thread. I cannot remember where I bought it, If anyone is interested I will find it, but they had individual pictures of each knife on their website so that you can choose the look of your stag specifically. I like the look that I chose very much. The knife came just as sharp as any other factory knife I have purchased, and the edge symmetry was perfect. I decided to put my own edge on it. I struggled at first, but after spending some time with it I have the edge where I want it. Now, I feel confident that I can sharpen this knife from completely dull to straight razor in about 30 minutes. The edge holding has been exceptional throughout use. I would not have needed to sharpen it even by now if I had left the factory edge, but I made the edge sort of my project this month, and I am glad that I did. The combination of Wharncliffe and Clip Point blades is the best edc combo available in my opinion. The clip point has plenty of belly, and the wharncliffe tip just bites. I will not go in the many uses for the different blade types because you already know those. The narrowing of the blade (false edge?) on top of each blade makes this knife glide through food and carboard alike, even when it is not as sharp as it should be.

I have used this knife for everything this month. Food prep, cutting boxes, picking nails, clamshell packaging, whittling, and plenty of other things. I even tried to whittle a fishhook to see how long term use went. That was another thing that impressed me with this knife. I did not realize it until I finished, but my hand did not hurt one bit in over an hour of constant carving and whittling. I had no hot-spots or tired places on my hands. The knife fit my hand perfectly. Of course size is relative, what is perfect for me may not be for someone else. The knife has patinad well with use. I would not say that it patinas too fast, even when cutting fruit. That was one thing I noticed with Case's carbon steel. Once you cut an apple, the blade looks like you have been using it for a year. I want to earn my patina, and I think GEC's 1095 lets you do that.

Like I said, This knife just makes me happy. I am a big Case fan, but this is a level above Case for sure. If you don't have a traditional knife, you need one. Buy a carbon steel version and then use it exclusively for a month. It will become your companion. I feel an attachment to this knife that I do not feel to a single SAK, multitool or modern styled knife. Don't be scared of a 1095 knife, just use it! oil it every now and then but don't fret it. Use it and it will work for you. I have probably oiled this knife three times in this entire challenge. I encourage you to not limit yourself to stainless steel. There is something about seeing the use reflected in your blade. This knife already feels like a companion to be, like a best friend. It has it's own character and it's own wear. I did not come into this challenge looking for a permanent EDC, but I am going to have a very hard time putting this knife down. It may be time to lighten up my collection, I do not see too many other trads getting pocket time anymore, aside from some specific situations.

If you cannot tell, I have enjoyed this challenge, and will be continuing to carry this knife quite often. I will post a day 30 picture soon.

Dean51 · **Reply #151 on:** October 10, 2018, 05:47:00 PM

Congrats, gdoolittle.
I've enjoyed your journey even though I'm a stainless fan. It's always nice to hear someone found a knife that truly works for them.
I do like 1095 it's a good steel, and has been for a long time. I just don't use it around food,

NutSAK · **Reply #152 on:** October 10, 2018, 09:33:17 PM

GECs are awesome One thing I really like is that they're always careful to leave a nice, sharp point at the tip when they grind the edges on the blades. Taking time with that and the details like filing the kicks to the correct height show how they care about their product, beyond any other traditional production manufacturer.