Good evening all! What wonderful news to hear Great Eastern getting back to work. My last one was an old stock 86 from JSR that they didn't remember was still there, lol. I can hardly wait for upcoming drops of the 23 LL's that were in mid process when they had to shutdown abruptly.

I am EXCITED for everyone that GEC is going back to work.  A very small area and greatly effected by Queen last year so putting them back to work is a win all the way around!  Thanks guys for supporting the iKC supporters. 

The GEC collector & users were among the greatest group of old stock buyers of any brand I saw during the shutdown and our dealers were bringing them out to shine in our collections daily!

iKC supporter Blue Creek Cutlery has a few GEC#23 Pioneer Trapper Woodland micarta knives in stock .   

JSR Sports & More has a batch of #23 Pioneer Trappers in Brazilian Cherry wood jigged.  

I have wonderful news.  I was 100% spot on the Northfield GEC#23 Brown jigged bone Pioneer Trapper.  I wrote Bill Howard many letters to bring back this color.  The Northfield GEC#23 Pioneer Trapper is Chocolate Almond Peach-seed jigged bone.   When I see this dark chocolate jigged bone scales before buffing , I know what it is .  This Northfield #23 knife is Chocolate Almond peach-seed jigged bone. GEC did the same thing with the #86 JSR Sports & More SFO knife in 2019.  This is my favorite brown jigged bone color ever.  Bill Howard is crazy on bone color names.  What every he calls it , this knife will be Chocolate Almond jigged bone color.   When these dark brown scales get buffed , these knives will be a whole new animal.  

iKC sponsor JSR Sports & More has a small batch of GEC#23 Pioneer Trapper Beaver gnawed cherry wood two blade knives  in stock.  This is the last batch and these knives won't last long.  The snap sounds like a bear trap.  

Blue Creek Cutlery has a small batch of #23 GEC Beaver gnawed jigged cherry wood Pioneer Trappers in stock.    (iKC supporter)

Just wanted to say thanks Kenneth for keeping us up to date! GEC releases aren't always the easiest to follow lol but you've been a lifesaver here.

Here is my Woodland Micarta 23, an absolute stunner!

TSA Knives has Beaver #23s in stock. 

Thanks Kenneth for the heads up! Just ordered the Beaver #23 from TSA.

I too am looking forward to the 23 Beaver that should be here any day. I'm a big fan of mid/larger size models and this one fits the bill. I'm really hoping to nab a 23LL soon as that's been on my radar for a long while. Thank you guys for keeping us all updated. Those Woodland Micartas turned out better than I ever imagined..

Ken... I love those slabs !

        I talked to Mr. Frank , these Exotic India bone knives are sold out and 32 buyers wanted two.  I wanted an extra one to remove the main blade for EDC.  Everybody gets only one.  I bought the last Northfield #Pioneer Trapper Antique Autumn natural bone and I am going to have the main blade removed.  The secondary phat beefy spey blade is wonderful for chores.   iCK forum supporter : "JSR Sports & More" has the first three #23s in stock right now at the best release date prices.  Woodland micarta , Beaver gnawed jigged cherry wood , and Northfield #23 Antique autumn natural bone two blade Jumbo Trappers   !

I just received my invoice on the GEC#23 SFO .  Mr. Frank picked me out the darkest , thickest , and winter-bottom style jigging in the bunch. 

NO MORE SFO's !

No more GEC , SFO , Northwoods , Club or Forum SFO knives.  The bigger dealers are hogging up the best bone color , saw cut , and wood choices.   GEC needs to offer better choices , not more choices.  Dealers need to sell out in weeks after release .  Bill Howard knows what he is doing .   I am supporting GEC the best I can in the future.  Please support our iKC dealers.  

Beautiful knives for sure.

Kenneth,

I agree.  If we go back to the first years of GEC, the handle materials were distinct to that company.  No one else was offering Primitive Bone, Bubbinga wood with a Beaver shield, snakewood, the looking glass materials.  All of those in 2010 meant Great Eastern, Northfield and Tidioute.  So yes, better choices not more grew them, it should be able to sustain them

Makes total sense to me. I mean the SFO's are certainly a cool collector aspect but that stuff has to be a logistics nightmare from a production standpoint and if it's watering down/ hindering the GEC brand itself by consuming material priorities then that's definitely a potential marketing issue in the long run.

Here's my 23's so far. I was on the list at Frank's, but didn't make the cut.

Yes, Richard, they are double bladed. You bring up some great points. It does seem to be difficult right now to get these great knives. I think limits of production is most of the cause for availability. (However, in pre-Covid times I have had trouble securing a particular GEC pattern just because they were so popular.) It is hard to preorder a knife under the conditions you mentioned, but most of us are familiar enough with the pattern and the past quality to not hesitate. I too am eager for the single, liner lock 23's to arrive, hopefully the scales on some will be of different materials.

UPDATE! At approx. 5:30pm CST, Frank's sent me a purchase invoice for the GEC 235220 Exotic India Jigged Bone Trapper SFO, which I immediately paid for. (ALLLL RIGGHHHTTT!!!!!!!) Since my post 1 hour ago, I had given up on this knife.

Hello 2 AllI considered myself lucky to start collecting knives a few years after Great Eastern got rolling. The history of pocket knives and all the great American manufactures of days past, holding one of your knives ya knew you where holding a quality knife. I had difficult time choosing a paticular pattern. But the whittler is a knife I like, the handle material ebony wood & Ivory cherished. I've stopped collecting it's been years since I've bought a knife but here are a couple that I think are fine examples of Great Eastern's work. Thanks to the men and women responsible for producing two knives that to me are a art form to create.

The CKs SFO #23LL Mesquite wood pre-orders sold out in 10 minutes.  You can buy one from an Evil-bay flipper for $200 to $300 if you like being a sucker.  Why do that when you can  buy 2 to almost 3 knives for the same money.  The GEC#23LL single blade liner locks in Beaver gnawed jigged cherry-wood , Antique Autumn natural bone , and the #23LL red-tail (sierra red-brown)jigged bone Bullet Trapper are so superb. Don't get hooked on what you can't have.  I  am on GEC FaceBook about ten  times a day listing available knives and what dealers have them in stock..  I can help you find new released GEC knives.  GEC releases a first batch and it is crazy to obtain a knife. 2nd batch and sometimes a third batch is released.  Things do slow down a bit.  Single blades always sell out faster than multiple blades.   "GEC knife collecting is war !"  I do try to buy from dealers that support iKC.  

Mr Frank is sending me the darkest , thickest ,most Winterbottom looking #23 in the bunch .  My knife is half way to me now.  I also bought a #23 two blade natural bone and it will be sent to Darren Orrell.  Darren will remove the main blade and easy up that bear trap snap.  I have one arm.  I hold my #23s with my feet and open them up left handed with a CASE XX blade pick.  Go buy yourself a CASE XX blade pick for the #23 knives.  They are nail breakers.  Most dealers hate to cherry pick knives for me.  It is not about looks , thicker scales work better for one arm me. 

I have two #23s in my possession .  I have three more #23s in the mail to me now.  I have an Allegheny Mountain Club Knife, that should be shipped next week. I have all four #23LLs on pre-order.  Maybe I will receive the two SFO #23LL liner -locks.  I believe those will be the last SFO knives produced for dealers.  

I hate KnivesShipFree .  I begged them to help me obtain the Northwoods #86, #92 and #93 knives. I just wanted one of each.  KnivesShipsFree holds back some of their SFO knives and they will release those at higher prices with newer models.      They could of been cool and help me obtain one. How can a buyer obtain four Northwoods knives in 30 seconds and I get blocked out every time. Answer : " Pirate Buying Software"   I have one arm "left hand" and an old head injury , I am too slow.  KnivesShipFree is a bunch of heartless , selfish , skunks.  KnivesShipsFree sold over a 1000 Northwoods GEC made last year.  And they could not sell one me one #86 frame Northwoods , #92 frame Northwood and one #93 Northwoods. They take advantage of the GEC SFO production.   Dealers should only sell a 100 SFO knives a year , because SFO knife production is killing the smaller GEC dealers. The big GEC dealers could care less about you , because the demand will replace you. The Smaller GEC dealers are so nice and iKC supporter dealers are wonderful.  I will never buy a Northwoods knife. I won't except a free one neither.  Northwoods will be making their own knives in the future .  I will be supporting GEC and the GEC dealers that I like. All the GEC dealers took a  big hit this year ,because of the woohan virus.  GEC is fighting for their lives and we need to support them fully.

Hey Fred Kemp ,That Northfield #23 Pioneer Trapper Antique Autumn Natural bone knife is "SICK" !  I hope I get a thick dark one.   That phat spear blade makes a great chore knife.  Take that yellow polishing cloth "FRANKS" and wrap it around one blade.  Watch TV, work that blade back and forth a 1000 times.  Repeat if you have to at another time.   The more you use the big #23 knife , the more you will enjoy it.  

Thanks Kenneth. I look forward to seeing some pics of the 23's you'll be getting soon!

Here's the Frank's #23 that came in the mail today.

Richard, sadly I don't know the complete history about this cool knife. I believe it was released pre-2008. I first saw it on a knife website several years ago and tried to find out some info, but couldn't find any. So, I began to periodically search for the knife on different knife sales sites. Finally about eight years ago, best I can remember, I came across  one on ebay and immediately bought it.

If anybody else knows anything about this knife and owns one, how about some info and some pics?

New Microsoft Edge has goofed up my computer.  "No More Kenny Pictures !"   My #23 Antique Autumn Natural Bone & my #23 Franks knife came in early this week.  My #23 red-tail jigged Bullet knife and "Sharpest Knife in the Drawer" XXL t-shirt comes in tomorrow.  

Fred, I do have some archive info on that 23 I think but it will get to me a lot easier if you can give me the numbers on it.  That's what I have it all filed under

Kenneth. What's up, I dont want you blocked from adding pics!

Thanks Jan! The only numbers on the knife are '1 of 250' on the secondary blade, which is also stamped '2006'. This blade is also stamped, on the other side, with 'GREAT EASTERN CUTLERY' with 'TITUSVILLE' underneath.

The main blade has the above lettering on one side with 'CYCLOPS STEEL WORKS' on the other side.

Richard, that Liner Lock looks great! The sheath idea is a good one.

I just received my Kifer Cutlery invoice for the SFO Blue Camel bone GEC#23LL knife.   I think these knives should be released on 7/17/2020.   It is good to support a iKC -- GEC dealer.   

Kenneth,

Thank you for always going the extra mile and supporting iKC sponsors!

Fred,

Although that knife reads 1 of 250 in reality in 2006 the smooth white laser GEC knife production total was 81.  It was also the first laser handle done by GEC..  That much I am sure of, what comes to mind but I cannot find verification of it is that this was the first GEC 23 made with no shield.

In 2006 GEC branded knives were made with 440C stainless steel blades, given the trademark acorn shield and Cyclops Steel Works tang stamp.

Jan,

That's some great info! It's weird to me that it's not listed in the book,"Great Eastern Cutlery- An American Tradition".

Also strange is that on the bolster, which I forgot to mention and is visible on the pic I submitted, is the number 176. Which means there must have been more then 81 produced?

Fred.... I have found that there were quite a few styles that are not mentioned in the book. I have a few short runs not mentioned.