Buying GEC's on Ebay??? ~ What are you getting? 440C Stainless or 420HC Stainless??
To follow up on my article regarding the "ebay" knives......
Since I started up as a distributor with Great Eastern Cutlery, I was under the impression that ALL of the Acorn Shield Great Easterns carried 440C blades.
There have been and at last check, there still are some Great Eastern Trademarked #73's for sale on Ebay that are part of a 'special run' made for a private party. At first glance they appear to be part of a standard production run from GEC with Burnt Stag, Ruby Red and Antique Horsecut handles. However, there are NO serial numbers, no "1 of ..." blade etch, no oil paper AND upon checking with GEC, I found out they have 420HC blades rather then the standard 440C.
I spoke with the folks at Great Eastern again this morning and to their credit, they were forthright in explaining the situation and how to tell what your Acorn Shield Great Eastern has for blade steel.
I don't think it's news to anyone that GEC has made special run knives for a variety of individuals, groups, clubs, organizations, distributors and retail outlets. What is news is the fact these special orders may be built to customer specs requesting 420HC instead of the more expensive 440C for the blade steel. Also, the knives currently on Ebay aren't the only Acorn Shield Great Easterns that were run with the 420HC blades. (NOTE: All of the Northfield's and Tidioutes have 1095)
Here's how to tell if you're getting 440C blades.....
Acorn Shield Great Easterns that have 440C blades will have the "Cyclops Steel Works" stamped on one of the blades. If it doesn't have that CSW etch, it is something other then 440C and in all likelihood, it's 420HC.
For those of you that don't know the difference between the two steels, now's a good time to educate yourself. There are all sorts of great resources on the internet addressing both steels, their merits, shortcomings, etc..
If you're going to be stuffing these in a safe and taking them out to look at them occasionally, it probably doesn't make a bit of difference what the blades are made of as long as you know and understand what you've got. I'd just make sure I knew exactly what I was buying. Ask questions, request pictures, if in doubt and answers are vague.....
Hope this helps!!!
greg
Since I started up as a distributor with Great Eastern Cutlery, I was under the impression that ALL of the Acorn Shield Great Easterns carried 440C blades.
There have been and at last check, there still are some Great Eastern Trademarked #73's for sale on Ebay that are part of a 'special run' made for a private party. At first glance they appear to be part of a standard production run from GEC with Burnt Stag, Ruby Red and Antique Horsecut handles. However, there are NO serial numbers, no "1 of ..." blade etch, no oil paper AND upon checking with GEC, I found out they have 420HC blades rather then the standard 440C.
I spoke with the folks at Great Eastern again this morning and to their credit, they were forthright in explaining the situation and how to tell what your Acorn Shield Great Eastern has for blade steel.
I don't think it's news to anyone that GEC has made special run knives for a variety of individuals, groups, clubs, organizations, distributors and retail outlets. What is news is the fact these special orders may be built to customer specs requesting 420HC instead of the more expensive 440C for the blade steel. Also, the knives currently on Ebay aren't the only Acorn Shield Great Easterns that were run with the 420HC blades. (NOTE: All of the Northfield's and Tidioutes have 1095)
Here's how to tell if you're getting 440C blades.....
Acorn Shield Great Easterns that have 440C blades will have the "Cyclops Steel Works" stamped on one of the blades. If it doesn't have that CSW etch, it is something other then 440C and in all likelihood, it's 420HC.
For those of you that don't know the difference between the two steels, now's a good time to educate yourself. There are all sorts of great resources on the internet addressing both steels, their merits, shortcomings, etc..
If you're going to be stuffing these in a safe and taking them out to look at them occasionally, it probably doesn't make a bit of difference what the blades are made of as long as you know and understand what you've got. I'd just make sure I knew exactly what I was buying. Ask questions, request pictures, if in doubt and answers are vague.....
Hope this helps!!!
greg
Good info Greg - thanks for going the extra mile and finding out these details. I guess somewhere down the road somebody's could write a guidebook to document all this stuff - maybe if the GEC knives catch on all the way and get a big following of collectors...
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Greg, Thanks very much for all of the information. It is greatly appreciated.
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greg,
thanks for clearing that up. when i was done reading you first comment. i felt like one of the villagers carrying a torch heading for dr. frankenstein's castle.
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I have been considering a GEC knife..............you comments make me think otherwise.
I am new to this site..will check it out...and only being honast.
Thank you
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That's too bad, you're missing out on an excellent quality knife!
I'm not sure why the article would make you reconsider. If anything, it was meant to help collectors and buyers make a wise decision when they made a purchase. Ebay and the Internet is filled with rascals willing to take advantage of the less knowledgeable. There's a couple of old sayings: "ignorance is bliss" and "what we don't know, won't hurt us". Personally, I prefer to go into battle well armed and shielded with all the knowledge I can acquire.
Good luck!!!
greg
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That's it. There's a cupful of diamonds in every mountain of crushed glass. Know the difference and you'll rarely be disappointed.
greg
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