GEC #38 Grinling Whittler: A Statement in Quality
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- Опубликовано: 7 апр 2015
- This is a first look at the amazing new #38 Grinling Whittler from Great Eastern Cutlery. I was able to take a tour of the GEC factory while these knives were being manufactured, and marveled at the number and nature of the hand operations that go into the finished product that is a GEC pocket knife. The process is amazing, and the product is even more so.
The #38 is a large serpentine whittler pattern, which is not ground-breaking. But this one is done so well! The proportions are stunningly beautiful. The blades are all perfectly shaped and sized. The cover materials and finishing are stellar. The knife is wonderful in hand when being used... as a whittler. But the one characteristic that just stands out above all the rest is its precision. The blades nestle into a very narrow blade well without touching or rubbing in any way. The blade grinds are exquisite. The actions are amazing.
This knife is truly a "statement knife" from Great Eastern Cutlery and Bill Howard. It's like Bill is saying to this new and growing legion of traditional pocket knife enthusiasts: "Now that I have your attention, THIS my friends, is how the pocket knife is done!"
Hey,
I had to shoot you a comment...for the past few months now, one of my fav past times has been whittling on a branch while watching your traditional knife vids. I'm a 38 yr old guy that has never been into traditional knives, but, I got my first case med stockman in amber bone Christmas 2015 and haven't looked back!!! I also bought a second case 1974 Barlow pattern from eBay and was floored at how well it has held up...it's 3 yrs older than I am!!! I'm now looking at the wharny blades...something about them has really grabbed my attention!!! So, thanks for this new past time...I really appreciate your dedication!!! Rod from B'ham, AL.
Elegance and craftsmanship way beyond that price tag! All the easier to appreciate through the camera now that you have shared with us all the processes, time and effort that goes into these.
YES! Rob and I were just discussing how the prices are incredible for these. I was honestly expecting them to be a bit higher........and I would've gladly paid it too!
I like GEC traditional pocket knives before your factory tour video. But now I see them with other eyes! Knowing about all the people at GEC and their phenomenal craftsmanship makes these knives even more special. Oh, I would like to see an European distributor for GEC and get rid of all the hassle with custom duty and taxes, that makes GEC knives quite expansive for us...
Hey Claus !!! I just sent you an important message directly on your youtube homepage. Please let me know if you got it, OK? Cheers! -Steve-
Great video thanks. Brought my first GEC #62 & love it. I will jump on this knife next if I ever get the chance.
Thanks Rob. We've all been waiting for this video. I ordered my Blood Red Jigged Bone #38 last night....can't wait to get it in hand.
Yeah man!!! Your gonna LOVE IT!!! I already have several of the other 38's, but I also ordered the Blood Red too! These are the BEST dog gone whittlers I've ever laid my hands on. Every one of mine have the same quality attention to detail.
split back is special, great video love the bone on that whittler
Well done, Robb! Another great review indeed.
The American Whittler is really an eye catcher! Love that federal shield.
Perry
As always a great video where I always learn far more than I did before watching! The GEC tour was fantastic except for Christine hiding from the camera. Thank you sir.
GEC is the best of the best
I live my #38. This is a beautiful little folding scalpel. Gorgeous the camera does not do her justice.
Glad to see you still around my old friend.
Tacticalgearhead You too, buddy ;). It's good to see you're making some videos!
On my list Rob for my next Trad, great american engineering.
AWESOME JOB for this video Brother! ATTENTION FELLOW VIEWER FRIENDS: Guys, Rob is NOT "over-selling this knife" in any way. GEC has made this very knife available in 11 different handle/bolster/blade finish options, which is remarkable. There are plenty of these for the time being, among many of the dealers. DO NOT MISS OUT ON THIS KNIFE!!! The price for these is a JOKE when considering the superb fit & finish, and overall quality. I bought a handful of these in various trim, and I assure you, they are ALL made with the same attention to detail. I just don't see how in the world they can put so much intensive labor into each & every knife, and sell them at these prices, and make a real profit. Buy at least one.........and I DARE any of you....NOT to fall in love with this knife! Thanks for a spot-on video for these Rob, and thanks to Bill and everyone at GEC for taking us back to an approach to knife making that was nearly lost forever.
I am going to buy one!
Dang those are beautiful.
I have really enjoyed these videos what goes in to making a knife from scratch to you receive it. It is easy to see why good knives are the price they are. Keep them coming and may the blessings of the Lord be upon you. Randy.
Hey Randy! They really are every bit as good as Rob says they are. Good to see ya here as always my friend. God Bless You & Yours too!
I finally scored one of these in black camel bone. it's exquisite. now I need a SFO or Northfield.
Great knives!
Just ordered myself a #38 in ebony. I can't wait to get it.
Mark Brophy Your gonna LOVE IT. Way to go! The shape & feel of the knife when actually holding it with the main blade open is sheer luxury. And you'll never see a knife with such beautifully ground blades. All done with incredibly skilled & experienced hands on machinery that's considered ancient by today's standards. I am still amazed with mine. CONGRATS Mark!
Just gorgeous precision! I am loving my stag bone #47 viper tidioute and will have to look at this one also!! Awesome fit and finish. Mine still needs an Apostle p edge though!!🔪
Great vid, Rob. I picked up a couple from Mike Latham...and am digging them big time. As you say, NOBODY builds this knife like GEC. Amazing! Purely amazing. An absolutely historic example of hallmark cutlery.
cmonsterz Hey Chris, I was wondering where you were. I knew you'd grab up some of these 38's. Yes, they truly are amazing whittlers! Good to see ya too! Have ya seen Rob's 6 part video series for Queen and then the complete tour for GEC? It was really great, Rob did an awesome job. Perfect timing too, for the GEC tour, because they were making these 38's at the time!
That Gabon Ebony just screams EDC. :) Great knives. Great history lesson (as always).
1all's Pub Yep, it will be my most favored EDC traditional for the foreseeable future. It just drips with old school cool ;)
I actually bought 2 of the green bone ones as I was SO impressed with them:) GREAT value:) my green bone ones have the Tidioute shield written on them:)
40belowful Yeah, the superior quality & build of this pattern certainly has a way of calling on a knife lover to "grab another 1 or 2". I certainly did as well. You take any one of these 38's and put it back as a safe queen in mint condition, and sit back & watch what it will be worth in 15 to 20 years. No matter which handle material, there are so few of them made compared to say Case, who normally will make 3000 of EACH handle material. GEC is THE KNIFE to watch on the speculative market down the road.
I like carrying a pocket knife, especially in camp in the bush, for one, I just like whittling by the fire and talk. two it saves my main blade from dulling as much, and it's more fun with the right tool. I've been hearing alot about Great Eastern Cutlery Pocket Knives. But so far the one I started to use is a Yellow Large Case Stockman CV. One of my everyday pocket knives is my vintage Camillus three blade Canoe (Silver Sword) that has three blade similar to my Stockman, maybe it's a Stockman but it has the body of a Canoe. my knife carry varies, sometime I go with some of my vintage Westerns, or I go neck carry with my BK-14's or my Top's Mini Scandi Knife. I like having a small knife on me, incase I have to wait for someone, I can find a stick and make me a tooth pick or a little baseball bat while I wait, I enjoy that, although I'm more of a Fix Blade guys when I'm in the bush, but I still like a slipjoint on me, If I'm going lite, my Cold Steel Black Rhino or my Bokor Folding two blade Hunting knife. Thanx for sharing those knives, I will look into them
Thank you for all of the Titusville, PA videos. I'm sure that all of us viewers experienced more than we had expected. Again, I am struck with the labor intensive processes that goes into each knife. Memorable for sure.
Rob, you need to get off the fence on whether or not you like the 38 Whittler. Tell us! Just joking. I'm waiting for the Northfield Neptune Acrylic to grace my mailbox. The green bone exceeded my expectation so just one more :)
Stand Straight I know!!! I just can't decide if I like this pattern or not.
I have a case xx from the 70's looks just like these have several case whittlers I don't know if there still making whittlers but have one in 6.5 stag bone that was made after 2000 and there all split back Love the pattern, Good review as always Keep'em coming!
KYTO82 That 70's vintage Case whittler you have is the old pattern these Grinling Whittlers were modeled after. Current whittlers from Case, specifically the Seahorse, do not use the "split back" construction of these #38's, however. Good eye!
Hello! I have four Case split back whittlers, and one is probably the same one you have. Is it the pattern "6380"??? Mine is a 4-dot. Jigged bone & made in 1976. It's a great knife, and I love it, but I bought a whole handful of these GEC 38's in various handles in Tidioute AND Northfield, and the GEC whittlers are made with much more precision. Just thought I would let ya know, in case you were thinking of trying one of these 38's. If so........you'll be SO glad you did !!!
Makes me want to take up woodcarving.
Bob Jordan Doesn't it?!?! I was thinking the same thing. ( Still am! )
Pretty insane
Ever since I saw these in production on the GEC website I knew I had to have one. My only regret is that I don't have the funds to buy one of each handle material, seriously, they look that good. I will have to buy at LEAST 2...
Tim's Tanks Tim, if you really want 2 of these, I think your gonna be in luck. They didn't exactly make a truckload of each handle option ( probably 40 to 75 of each handle option......typical GEC production numbers ), but what they DID do, was to make ELEVEN different options of this pattern!!! That's a lot of knives to be made the old way. I believe there will still be a very good selection of these among the dealers for several months yet. ( But they will sell out eventually, as this is a classic old pattern. )
Howabouthetruth I picked up a kryptonite green one, now I just need to decide what northfield i want...AND, i think I need to pick up a vintage schrade 804 now also...
Tim's Tanks Hey Tim, sorry I didn't notice your last message until now. Glad to know you were able to get the Kryptonite. I absolutely love mine. Congrats!
Thats really nice how well they are made and fitted together. There is a present day wood carver for the English royalty named Paul Sellers who has a number of videos up on here now and he has made some really amazing wooden objects and I wonder if he would be honored with a knife design?
omfg i want one soo fing bad
Rob (or anyone reading), What is the best way to stay up to date on the new patterns coming out and when they are available? Wish I could have bought one of those in ebony... beautiful.
Hey Jimbo, sorry I didn't notice your question asking anyone for help until now. I hope ya see this: The best ways to stay abreast of what GEC will be releasing in the future, is #1: Visit their main website ( not their "mini-website" ) often, and look closely at the different categories to click on, you will often notice "Preview of......", which is a sneak peak at what is currently in the design stage, but will be produced fairly soon. ALSO, click on their "Production Schedule", as it reveals every pattern coming in the near future. Moving along, be sure to sign up for weekly news alerts, and/or "Early Reserve Notice" from any GEC DEALER that offers this service. It costs nothing, and you are under NO obligation to buy ( unless you actually reserve a knife of course ). When ya sign up for this type of service, you will receive either a phone text or an email alerting you to new knives coming soon, but available for pre-order/reservation. But you must act quickly for patterns you're interested in, because they sell-out during pre-order sometimes in a matter of MINUTES. Last but not least, visit the online knife discussion websites often, such as "Blade Forum", where you will often discover group chatter about up-coming releases or special factory orders........aka "SFO". Hope this helps, best of luck and God Bless!!!
I am very interested in the ebony TDU. I would like to start carving and I'm very interested in that particular knife. Is it still possible to get?
Hi there Rob, I was wondering what angle you sharpen your GEC re-sharpens at for optimal cutting performance either on an edge pro or wicked edge?
R Tsai Most GEC traditional pocket knives are so thinly and consistently ground at the edge, angle isn't really very important. The primary bevel, or full flat grind, of the blade is so well suited for slicing, the secondary bevel applied when sharpening is very narrow, and just doesn't get in the way, almost regardless of the angle used. That said, I sharpen almost all my traditionals at 18 DPS with just a deburring pass at about 19 with 2000 grit polishing tape. The results are amazing!
Mhm they seem to be almost a zero grind with a micro secondary bevel at times with most of mine. I shall take your practises into charge when one of mine needs a touching up. Hopefully one day I'll score a Krein Regrind on a GEC to compare ease of cutting. Thank you Rob~
I want one of these soooo bad but they are just no where to be found!!!
I checked out the prices of G.E.C knives. a little expensive. I guess my Large Yellow Case Stockman has to do until I buy my first G.E.K. but it really isn't that bad of a knife for half the price, I heard the CV steel is the same as the CarbonV and now the 1095 CroVan. one of my Fav's inexpensive steel. But your right, the G.E.C. is the Cadillac of Slipjoints.
Very beautiful to be sure they are too good, I mean if that's possible. If you know what I mean, I would be afraid to use them and I don't ever intend to own a knife like that. They don't make me rush out to buy one but they do make me miss my 1980 something Camilus Boy Scout knife all the more. When I find that bugger, I might edge it up myself but who knows I might send it to you to look at maybe a little from the sharpening bench with it, it's a piece of Americana. Sure to have memories buzzing like a 1000 hornets for a lot of guys. of course I realize that this knife I speak of is not made anymore and irreplaceable to me and hence maybe I wouldn't carry it much but I know where it is. It's in the one box of belongings I counted as valuable when I left home for the Navy 14 years ago. So I already own it, I think....
For the record all that said if I hit the lottery I wouldn't think twice about buying either. Cause I would.
Jake Riethmeier Hi Jake. Steve here, of how about the truth channel, I partner with Rob for the "Traditional Knives Anthology" series. I hope ya get this message. Ya know, these 38 whittlers come in a variety of handle materials, with the wood and acrylic handles costing the least. Even the Antique Green bone version ( not seen here in this video of course ) is STILL available among several dealers, and at a price hovering near a hundred bucks, although that sounds expensive, by today's standards for what your getting, it's really a bargain! I hate to see a good fella "pass" on one of these for fear of using it. I say "GO FOR IT". I promise, you wouldn't regret buying it and using it. Now the "American Whittler" version shown here in Rob's video, is indeed a different story, as it is a special factory order and very rare........only 25 made. I have a huge collection of these knives, but I do currently EDC 7 of them. These knives are tougher than they appear, and with proper use & care, will last you a lifetime, and can even be handed down to your kids. Ya just can't find that anywhere in traditional factory pocket knives these days. Back to that hundred dollar price tag, when compared to what these same knives cost a hundred years ago, they are the same price when ya figure what the average worker earned a century ago, thus, they truly are a bargain. Ask anyone who owns one. Take care & God Bless!
comment edited because it was ignorant and dissrespectul. sorry.
Howabouthetruth what I said last time
Yeah, you're absolutley right, I'm really sorry Rob, Howabout the truth and GEC.
And I am so sorry about being so disrespectful. That isn't how you talk to people. Unless you're insane or drunk and you shouldn't talk to people when you're drunk and if you can't handle yourself you shouldn't drink. I should probably get help. I am gonna take those comments down, y'all know they happened but nobody else needs to see how much of a fool I am. except me. Just really, really sorry.
Do these still come in leather pouches, or do they need to be ordered extra?
Nicholas DiVito They only come with the waxed paper and shipping/storage tube. The leather pocket slips are available but they cost extra. The Northwoods line of knives sold only by Knives Ship Free are the ones that come with the leather pocket slip included, ( no box or shipping tube ), but they charge much more money as a comparable knife straight from GEC, so your really paying for that pocket slip anyway. All the Northwoods knives in recent years are made by GEC except for 1.........it's called the "Indian River Jack"......and it is made by Queen Cutlery.
still have the ebony whittler? if you'd ever want to sell, i'd buy for sure.
I got one thing to say that is for us new collectors it is hard 2 collect some of these knives without paying 4 × over the price. Where do we go to start buying these knives at factory prices? New and upcoming collector.
You can’t
What's the difference between a dogleg and serpentine. Love my 38 by the way. It's everything you said it was .If you don't have one get one there amazing!
luhoop LOL! If you figure that one out, please let me know! Serpentine sounds more sophisticated though ;)
TheApostleP Hey guys. I could be wrong, but my guess is that a dogleg pattern is always larger at one end, while both ends of a serpentine are the same size, like all the serpentine stockmans that everyone makes.
Awesome!
For more information on Grinling Gibbons: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grinling_Gibbons
Regards from Amsterdam
Hallo, excuse me the disturb. I look around on youtube but I've not see a video on GEC Indian Girl Canoe... What do you think of make one of it? ciao enzo
Enzo maya I haven't had one of those in hand, Enzo. I will make a video if I come across one.
TheApostleP Thank you very much!!! you are a great person and I love your precious videos! ciao from Italy
I like how the Northfield has no blade etching, I wish they left it off all their knives. Just my preference. Did you have to ask for no blade etching?
David Childers Nope, that's how the SFO was ordered.
TheApostleP Nice. The Gec logos on the blades are my only minor complaint I have with these knives. I like the blade to be clean. I deal mostly with GP knives and all of the #38 models were sold out and none that they once had were Northfield brand, only Tidioutte which are also nice. I am not surprised customers snatched these up as quick as they did. I've never seen a GEC knife where the blade were so close. It's amazing that the blades don't rub. Thanks for your videos. Nice to see someone who appreciates fine craftsmanship.
David Childers You're not alone, David. I'm a stain blade, no etch guy. I like my blades to be "clean," even my users, and let's face it -- a polished blade with an etch will never look right again after you use and sharpen it. I really like the way Mike Latham from CK.net does his SFO's, satin no etch.
Is that what GEC calls the grooved bolsters, rat tails?
John B These particular grooves are wider and more radiused than what we would normally call "lined" bolsters. This style of groove was done by hand with a rat tail file back in the day, thus the name.
TheApostleP Awesome, thanks for the info. I love stories like that. It makes perfect sense now.
How do you re satin a blade?
You use sand paper on a flat surface, and carefully run your blade over it in the same direction as the fine factory grind lines you see on the blade. Check with Rob about the proper grit to use, as he is more of an expert in that department.
thanks ill try it:)
Can you sharpen my m9 bayonet?
Nice knife and ferfec work but rough rider makes a one , not as perfect or beautiful but the price is very low
i have a question your knives don't have the name on the blade, but all the ones i been looking at have the name on the blade???? why is that???? are they special order?
jay hurrey Hey Jay. The jigged bone version you see in this video, is a special factory order by a gentleman named Roy Humenick. He specified NO etching on the blade. The other knife in this video is a Tidioute version. NONE of the Tidioute versions have an etch. But all the Northfield versions do. They are the ones with the shiny polished blades and lined & pinched bolsters. Hope that helps.
yes it did help, because all the knives i seen had etch on the blades but now i understand!! thank you for answering me..have a good day
jay hurrey Happy to help. Anytime Jay. You have a great day as well.
:-)