I can appreciate the shine and shimmer of a new pocket knife that remains unused and in a display case. The fine materials and craftsmanship being guarded behind plexiglass as a treasure, or even maybe as a piece of art, but when the knife talks I appreciate so much more.

How might a knife talk?
In the way it's used maybe, how about the bumps and bruises it's earned from spending time in a pocket, or even a little patina thats grown on a good carbon blade? 

When I see that, when I see those battle scars I get a nostalgic feeling that I might be stealing from a by gone era. In todays world its better to be flashy and fast and these "old" pocket knives don't exactly fit that mold. 

So how exactly does a young knife company make it to a ten year anniversary with our current financial climate where every penny counts? Well, having a great product and the skills and experience of a knife genius sure help. I could go on about the things that I love about this company, starting with the great employees they have (Christine  ), but I'll get to the reasons I keep coming back..... the knives.

I've been using these knives since before 2010, so lets say seven years experience with this company. In that time I can't tell you all the incredible memories I've been able to make with one of these knives in hand, often times the knife having a pivotal part in the memory itself. I'm an avid hunter, fisher and all around outdoorsman, a good knife is a Requirement to make life easy. I've had many successful seasons with a GEC in hand so they are always getting pressed into duty.

This season was no exception.
We were able to take a total of four deer this year as a family and that leaves a lot of butchering to be done. It all starts in the field though where the "dressing" takes place. This consists of splitting the hide up the middle and accessing the innards. Some people split the ribs, I do not. I do however split the pelvis in the field and I use a pocket knife to do it, its easy after you've done it a few times, but it still takes some life out of an edge. I have been carrying a Northfield #73L in stag since August of this year and I've enjoyed it thoroughly. Before the opening day of rifle season I had the edge on this knife extremely sharp in anticipation of success.

On the season I field dressed 3 deer with the Northfield, I then skinned three with it and I used an H10 fixed blade with soup bone handles to quarter three deer. The knives preformed perfectly. 1095 carbon steel isn't anything new, it isn't a magic steel, but it's reliable and tried and true. The edge remained hair popping sharp after all of the use it was put through, a testament to the heat treat. It was as sharp as it was when the season started, but it could have gone a few more miles without a touch up.

The 4th deer I processed I used my favorite knife, my second ever GEC and the knife that got it all really going for me. A Tidioute version of the #73L with carved pumpkin bone. It's been with me a long while and is literally soaked in memories. It too was up to the tasks of an outdoor knife.