Great Eastern Cutlery Newsletter!!
11/12/08
In an attempt to make things 'better', I've moved the photo's onto their own page and set up a gallery. You can check it out by clicking on the above button "New PHOTO Gallery". A few folks with dialup internet access complained that the front page took so long to upload that I decided it was best to move them. The front page will continue to feature the newest knives to come out and will be transferred to the Gallery as new knives take their place. Hope this works out for everyone. I intend to keep updating the photo's as new knives come out and maintain the gallery as a reference. IF I get really ambitious, I'd also like to post the 'release' dates of the knives alongside the pictures to give a little more info and I'll probably keep the larger picture format instead of the small size.
greg
11/10/08
Couple of interesting notes for the serious collectors. GEC has changed the secondary blades in the Barlow's to a thinner blade and back spring configuration. Going forward, we'll see the new style blades in the Barlow's and very probably in other models also. The thinner secondary blades have already shown up in the latest 734208 Long Pull Jack Northfields in Burnt Stag as well as the 734208 Tidioute Jack in Hemlock Green. I've highlighted the inventory of Barlow's with the old blade configuration on the inventory sheet and hopefully caught all of them for anyone interested.
greg
11/04/08
The 25 Jacks are in with the Sheepsfoot blade......and I like'em!!! The Patriot handled model is an interesting knife with a couple of unique points. It's one of the first 25 Jack's to come out with the Sheepsfoot Blade. It features the old style Tidioute Shield and will be the last of the GEC's to be run with the Patriot Acrylic handle material. AND, it ended up a run of just 24 knives, not 29 as I previously had been told. The Red Jigged Bone is a great looking knife with some nice 'shading' in the dye.
You can expect more 25 Jack's in the next week or two and it sounds like the MOP is going to be here SOON!!!
greg
10/28/08
More new variations and more to come!!! The latest is the 734208 Long Pull Jack. Great looking knife and what's even nicer is the addition of the pen blade to the larger size knife. Great idea. On the Tidioute, you'll notice the new Hourglass shield. Personally, I think it looks more like a Corset. Anyway, it's another variation for collectors to pay attention to. If you take the time to read the blog, I've added a few more knives that will be coming out around the first week of November. One of particular interest is the 25 Jack that's coming with a Sheepsfoot and Pen blade, the old Tidioute Shield, and what I've been told is the last of the Patriot Acrylic. These will be limited to just 29 knives and that's it. Should be a great 'transitional' knife to pick up on.
greg
10/17/08
Been a bit since I've posted in the newsletter and a fair amount has been going on.
First, a number of new Barlow's have slipped in. An order of Barlow Burnt Stags flew out the door 10 minutes after listing. Then, an order of Genuine Stags came in and all but one sold out before I could list them in the store!! Today, I received some of the 251208LP in Burnt Stag and Primitive bone that have again, been selling very quickly. The Barlow's are popular!!! The Long Pull version has been particularly popular.
It sounds like we should see a very short run of Mother of Pearl in the very near future. That is going to be a high end knife that is going to be in VERY short supply.
greg
10/08/08
The latest in the 25 Barlow's started showing up yesterday with the new UN-X-LD stamped "Jack" Long Pull with Clip and Pen blades. The Hand Mixed Epoxy in Granite looks really great. Nice combination!! Today, I received the 25 Barlow Tidioute in Bocote with a Spear / Pen blade combo. And another 23 two blade Tidioute in Jigged Walnut. As mentioned earlier, we're still waiting for the Northfield 2 blade model. This is probably one of the only Northfield 2 blade models we'll see this year.
greg
9/23/08
New knives just came in. The 735108L Northfields have Smooth Buffalo Horn in Red, Black and there's a new smooth bone called Stonewashed Blue. Typical of the Buffalo Horn, you have to see 'live' and in outdoor light. Very nice color. The Stonewashed Blue is a little different in that it looks great in any light. I'm not sure the "Stonewash" look was intended, but it really came out great!
All three of these knives are part of runs of 50 knives. However, based on what I ordered and what I got, it appears there wasn't a full run of 50 completed. Not sure what the future will bring, but right now, these are really limited in my inventory.
greg
9/18/08
ooops....sorry. Couldn't figure out why I was getting requests for the "73L" Spiral Buffalo Horns, till I see I mislabeled the photo and welcome page. IT is a #23 and I just received the #23L RED Spiral Cut Buffalo Horns. Great color!!!
Couple new 73's are coming in shortly. First will be a 73L Northfield "Stone Washed Blue" Smooth Bone, then a 73 Northfield Long Pull Double Blade Burnt Stag and then a 73 Northfield Long Pull Double Blade "Green Tea".
greg
9/15/08
Sorry I missed getting the picture of the 73L with Black Spiral Cut Buffalo Horn up. Got these in late last week and somehow, skipped right over them in all the excitement I guess. Today I got the #25 Barlow's with Smooth Buffalo Horn. Great looking little knife. GEC polished the panels to a flat smooth surface and beveled the to and bottom edges for a really nice look.
greg
9/10/08
Just received the 735108L Northfield's in Tractor Red and Tractor Green. Hopefully, the pictures show the color on these knives. The green in particular is really nice looking. I've tried reshooting photos of the Tractor Green Barlow's to better show the colors and it just ain't workin' for me!! All I can say is that they look a lot better then the pictures!!
I'm sure everyone's also aware that there ended up being just 2 full sets of the Yellow Banana Barlow's with different jigging patterns. That was a major disappointment to several people, myself included. But, not a thing you can do about it! Just one of the hazards of working with a super limited run like that and trying to fill everyone's request. One interesting aspect to the run was that the first set is numbered with the serial #1. Usually, GEC keeps serial #1 in their collection but I would surmise as this was a 'cleanup' project, they went ahead and shipped it out.
greg
9/8/08
The sets of Yellow Barlow's with the five jigging patterns are all booked. I will have some of the individual knives available in the different patterns, but there are only 3 full sets that will be run and I hope none get destroyed during production.
Hopefully, we'll see the spiral cut Buffalo 23 Linerlocks late this week.
greg
9/6/08
As your aware by now, the Hand Mixed Epoxies sold out FAST!!! In fact, they didn't even make it into the store.
There's another new one in almost the same situation and that's the new 538308 Caribou Antler that just arrived. These are part of a run of just 10 serialized knives with Caribou Antler handles. I actually received 3 of them midweek and sold them before I could get them in the store and found out at the last minute I had 3 more coming in today.
Along with them came the latest Barlow release in a Tractor Green. Sometime next week we should see the Tractor Red.
There's lot more new stuff coming including the #23 Single Blade Linerlocks in both Black and Red Spiral Jigged Buffalo. AND....a Barlow in a Sawcut Buffalo Horn. Never boring!!!
greg
9/2/08
I'm back, but not because I want to be!!! Had a great time, wonderful weather and really hated to come home.
NEW KNIVES this week. The Dusty Rose came in and it's really a neat color. Lighter then the Fuchsia but not a 'pink'. They ended up running a total of just 18 AND they came through serialized. As of this writing, there are 4 left available. I believe it's serial numbers 15, 16, 17 and 18.
Also got some more of the #73 in Genuine Stag and some #23 Grizzly Cuts in both 2 blade and Linerlock.
Probably the most interesting knives are a new "Hand Mixed Epoxy".
greg
8/24/08
I'll be back out for a week of field testing the week of 8/24 thru 8/31. Have to test out a Fallkniven A1 against that Cold Steel SRK and see if the GEC Muskrat and Linerlock is still holding up okay. Should have a few photos to prove this is actually a 'working' vacation to some of the cynics out there!!
Anyway, won't be processing any orders this week, and there will be a pile of knives coming in as soon as I get back. At last check, there were 1 or 2 of the Dusty Rose available in the store yet. I did not want to overbook these, so I held back a couple to make sure there were no problems in production. So hopefully, there could be a couple more available and by next Saturday I should know exactly how many made it through inspection.
greg
8/21/08
I just got in a few more of the 25 Barlow's in Genuine Stag. As an added extra, these will ship with a free GEC Blade opener!
As you know by now, the Fuchsia 73's sold out almost before they were in the store!! They didn't survive 12 hours. NOW, a heads up. I'm getting a limited production run of around 15 Tidioute, Single Blade, Non Linerlock, unnumbered, Dusty Rose #73's. My understanding is that they are a lighter color then the fuchsia (pink, red, ???), which should look great. These will be in by next weekend.
This time, I'll be putting them up in the store on a 'pre-sale' basis to try to give anyone interested a little better chance at them. I'll use the picture of the Fuchsia but understand, the Dusty Rose is going to be a lighter color!!
greg
8/19/08
Just received the Fuchsia 73's. They kind of surprised me as I was concerned they might be more of a bright pink color. It's a really interesting color. When you get it into bright light, more shades of Fuchsia come through making it quite interesting to look at!
greg
8/16/08
Here's the latest! Just received the Barlow with Horsecut Antique Bone handles. Also got in a couple of the 73 Patriots no End Cap with single blade, non Linerlock version. These were a special run for a retailer and GEC had a few left over. Great Eastern had run the 73's previously in the Patriot but the had end caps. This version does NOT have the end cap. Very nice.
Next week, I'll also be getting in a very limited item. It's a Tidioute 73 Linerlock GEC is calling Fuchsia. Only 7 made. I'll also have a few of the 73's in a non Linerlock version which they only ran 13 of.
greg
8/14/08
The 25 Barlow's in Genuine Stag arrived today. I'd wondered what they'd look like and they didn't disappoint. The stag is very nicely matched on all the knives. We'll have a few more coming in next week.
There's also an as yet unnamed #73 that will be available next week. GEC ran just 7 of these in a Linerlock and I'll have all 7 of them. It's also doubtful they'll make a full run of the 73's. Should be interesting!
greg
8/12/08
Couple of new items!! Great Eastern ran a special order for a customer and TSA Knives, was lucky to be able to pick up about 1/2 of the order. It's a 53 Muskrat Tidioute with Black Cherry Jigged Bone handles. These were numbered 1-50 and we got the 'second half' of the order. The color on these is great. A really nice deep cherry color.
I also got some of the 2nd Cut Burnt Stags in the #53's that are also a real eye catcher.
Next to watch for will be the #25 Barlow's in Genuine Stag. These should be showing up later this week!!
greg
Late arrivals!!!
Just received the 25's in Black Walnut Bone and Tan Barlow Bone. These are the first of the Northfield trademarked Barlows! AND.....the Horsecut Antique Barlow's will ship out tomorrow!!!
7/31/08
Great way to end the month with the arrival of the 23L's in Burnt Grizzly Cut and the Burnt Stag Big Jacks. First, the Grizzly Cut looks and feels great. The grip is a bit thinner giving a nice controllable feel to them. And the jigging is great. If you're inclined to take this afield and actually use it, you'll find out it feels like it'll stick to your hand without slipping. Second, the Burnt Stags are some really nicely matched panels of some very nice Stag.
Couple more new knives should be here the first of the week and it won't be long till we see the Northfield Barlow's showing up.
greg
7/27/08
A couple of new items in over the weekend. The #25 with Inferno handles, some Blue Bone 25's unnumbered and the Northfield 735208 Banana Peels. The Banana Peels are marked 1 of 50, but my understanding is that at this point only around 24 or so have been run. Not sure if that's all they'll run or not, but for now, that's all there are out there. Could be a good one to keep an eye on for a 'key' piece. I think in the next couple of weeks, we can expect to see an ongoing release of different handle materials. So far, this is proving to be on of the most popular releases I've seen yet from Great Eastern. It just keeps getting better and better!!!
Sorry, I didn't have the time to get the inventory updated tonite, but I'll try to get the serial numbers posted on the new additions tomorrow.
greg
7/23/08
At long last the #25 Barlow has arrived and it is one neat little knife. Much more pocket friendly then the #23 with 2 blades. The first two we received were the Frontier Bone and the River Blue. Worth noting is the Frontier Bone is part of a run of just 40 knives.
I also found out that the Inferno Bone will be on it's way later this week, as well as a very limited run of the 735208 in Banana Peel. There were just 22 of the 735208's run in Banana Peel and I should have these in the store the first of next week along with the Inferno Bone.
If you'll also notice, I'm going to start highlighting the 'recent additions' in Blue to make them a little easier to find in the inventory sheet. Hope that helps!
greg
7/19/08
I just got confirmation this morning of the first two production #25's that are coming out. On or about July 23 the first one's will be going out to the distributors and will be finished in Frontier Bone. VERY shortly thereafter, it will be available in River Blue Bone. Both of these knives will be serialized as a run of 50 knives. I have both on order and am accepting orders starting today. In the last week, I've received so many requests from customers wanting to be placed on a waiting list for the first one's that I decided the best way to handle it was by pre-booking orders. Here's how it's gonna work....
greg
7/18/08
I'm starting to expand the inventory of the store beyond the current holdings. I've already put in a couple of Zippo lighters that have been very popular with the sports(wo)men, a new Fallkniven, sharpener and will be adding more items as I go along. There are a lot of items that have been really popular for me on Ebay and I'm trying to get away from using Ebay as a selling format so we'll bring the into www.tsaknives.com store. I've done a fairly high sales volume on Ebay in the last few years, but the fees and restrictions are getting to be a bit much.
So keep an eye on the store in the next month or two for new 'stuff' to show up. I may set up a new category in the store for "New Additions". Haven't decided how to keep it current and just how long an item is a "new" addition. Unfortunately, I can't afford to drop off from Ebay immediately, but I'm working on it!!!
greg
7/8/08
I just got in a few more of the 235108L's in Genuine Stag. These have been slowing trickling out. The photo's on the front page should show you the quality of stag they're running. Very nice.
Also arriving were a few of the 735108 Non Linerlock in Burnt Stag. I have a personal preference for the 73's and the Burnt and Genuine Stag just seem to fit on this pattern.
The latest info on the #25 is that the first knives will be released the 18th and 19th of July at the Great Eastern "Total Knife Weekend". Soooooo....it's gonna be a little later coming through then previously anticipated.
Take note of a couple of things regarding the "Inventory" page. I've cleaned up some of the 2006 and 2007 inventory that had previously shown up as "sold". I also added in a couple of knives that I had run out of and was lucky enough to fill in. Specifically, there are a couple more of the Moose in Banana Peel as well as a couple more 735108L's in Burnt Stag, and a Tidioute Rams Horn #53.
greg
7/7/08
I trust everyone had a great 4th of July! Couple of new items arrived today. A new Moose and a pair of Harness Jacks with Spear or Clip Blades just arrived with Red Hangman's Bone handles. The long and the short of it is....the handles have a new jigging pattern which has a look somewhat similar to 'rope'. I personally like the look. It's a somewhat subtle pattern that makes it rather interesting to look at. I have serial numbers 2 thru 6 available on all 3 knives. I'll reserve numbers 2 & 3 in all three knives for anyone wanting a set with matching numbers.
In the next day or two, I'm also expecting some 23L's in Genuine Stag as well as a 73 NON linerlock in Burnt Stag. Lots of knives coming this month!!!!
On a final note, I'm taking a little R&R this upcoming weekend. I'll be shutting down for a long weekend. Any orders placed after Wednesday evening won't ship until Monday 7/14/08.
greg
6/27/08
Starting this evening, 6/27/08, I'm going to be shipping all of the 2008 Production knife orders Free. The knives will go out First Class Mail with most orders for 3+ knives shipping Priority Mail. In fact, I'm probably going to ship the Genuine Stags Priority Mail regardless if it's a 3+ or a single knife order. In the past the freight charges weren't consistent and I was to lazy to do the work required to accurately calculate the shipping and handling. SO....you may see that the price of a few (NOT ALL) of the knives may have gone up a couple of bucks. When I compared some of the shipping charges I had with the price increases I made, many of the knives actually dropped in price.
At any rate, hopefully, this will make it easier when you're shopping to know that your total cost is the 'sell' price.
This policy is only covering the 2008 production knives to see how it works out. The shipping cost has always covered not only the actual postage, but also the packaging and PayPal fees. It'll take a few months to know how this is working out. If it covers the 'handling' costs and postage, I'll probably work on the rest of the inventory.
greg
6/25/08
A quick update. I've just gotten word that the new #25 Barlow's probably won't ship until after the 4th of July. I do have the production schedule for the month of July and if you're interested in taking a look at what's coming, stop by the blog at http://blog.tsaknives.com for all the details. Lots of new items coming up!!
I received info this afternoon that Great Eastern will be having an Total Knife Weekend for visitors heading out to the Case Open House. I've posted info on the blog with details and information plus directions to the Great Easter facility. It'll be on Friday July 18 and Saturday July 19. Fabulous opportunity to see how they 'putemtogether'!!!
greg
6/19/08 (updated 6/21)
More 73 Genuine Stags finally arrived. These are some really nicely matched panels of Genuine Stag. The initial run was just five knives and now they're up to serial numbers 14, 15, 16. Another nice knife to check out is the 541208HJ Clip Blade in Frontier Bone. Great looking knife!!!
Should have another group of new knives arriving by Saturday. Not even sure what'll be in the box!!! Always interesting.
Not quite sure how I missed them, but I've posted some pictures of the Genuine Stag Un-X-LD "Big Cubans" on the front page of the store. It's really too bad I missed putting them up as they are REALLY nice looking stags. It's obvious someone took some time matching these up.
greg
6/17/08
Just received some of the Banana Peels and I have to say, I'm surprised. They really look nice. I was a bit concerned they might be a BRIGHT yellow, but they came out just a nice mellow yellow color. Nice.
And to confirm the 'rumor mill', the #25 is becoming a reality. This will be a smaller pocket friendly knife in the Barlow pattern. At this point, don't know if it'll come with a single double or even 3 blades! What I do know is that it's new frame size will no doubt provide a new platform for an entirely new family of knives. As soon as I get the details, I'll let you know the size, blade configuration, etc. As of this writing, they're pushing hard to get them out by the first week of July. I also believe the first ones are going to be in Genuine Stag, with more to follow shortly.
greg
6/13/08
About 6 hours after the post on 5/31, knives started flying out the door and Saturday night was busy up till near midnight. Fortunately, I processed all of the orders Saturday night as they came in so they were ready to ship out Monday morning. When I checked my email Sunday morning, I was greeted by a 'black' screen on the computer. And things went down hill from there!!! Computer crashes, cold and flu, crappy weather.... ENOUGH ALREADY!!! Things are looking up. I've spent the last 3 days getting a new computer loaded plus over an hour on the phone with Dell support last night and finally feel like things are getting back to normal. Really appreciate everyone's patience and we'll work on getting things 'cleaned up'.
I've had a number of new knives come in that didn't get highlighted on the 'front page', but none the less they're here. There are Harness Jacks and Moose in Carved Burnt Stag, Brimstone Jacks, Horsecut Antique, Amber Jigged, a couple more Genuine Stags and next week we'll see the new Banana Peel! Looks pretty cool.
There are a lot of new knives in the pipeline!!
Tomorrow I'll be FINALLY announce the winner of the Harness Jack. Apologize this got drug out like it has, but....
greg
5/31/08
Yikes!! That was quick. The stags are in and as you notice, there's something for everyone. As you'll notice, I got a lot of matching serial numbers starting with #2 (GEC always keeps #1) and I'll make every effort to match serial numbers whenever possible.
greg
5/30/08
As promised, the first of the Harness Jacks arrived today and they didn't disappoint. The Carved Burnt Stag Bone is really nice looking. You'll also note I was lucky enough to receive a couple more very rare versions of a brand new knife! The Harness Jack with Watersnake handles consisted of a run of just 5 knives and TSA Knives got all 5. The knives are numbered 1-5, 2-5, etc. The second great collectible is the 541208 River Blue Bone which is part of a run of just 15 knives without serial numbers.
We'll be getting the Burnt and Genuine Stags the first part of next week.
greg
5/29/08
The Moose are here and I like 'em! A few observations .....the 54 Moose shares the same frame and body size as the 53 Muskrats with a couple of noticeable differences. The Moose does NOT have the 'easy open' notch found on the Muskrats. The second thing you'll immediately notice is the half lock when you open and close the blades. It feels similar to opening a #73 or #23, in that there's a very definite half lock position which feels 'right'. And of course, you have a Master Clip and Master Spear Blade.
The Carved Burnt Stag Bone and Brimstone are both great choices of handle material for this knife. As soon as you open the blades it just exudes a nostalgic look that's really appealing.
I have serial numbers 2 through 11 available in both handle materials and have more handle options coming in next week in addition to the Harness Jack. Among these coming in are going to be Burnt Stags and Genuine Stags.
Collectors also note the two bladed #23 Tidioute in Chocolate Bone. These are part of a very short run of just FOUR knives.
greg
5/23/08
As you'll notice the 73L Burnt Carved Stag Bones came in and I like it! An overly simplistic way of describing it is to say that it started out as Stag Bone in 'the white' they did a little carving on it, put the torch to it and....voile!!! Burnt Carved Stag Bone. They really came out looking great and bear a strong resemblance to Stag at a much lower price. They fall right in the same class with the Brimstone and Pumpkin. Nice trio.
The awaited #54's will be in stock next week. AND, I will also have a couple of "Rare" Harness Jacks available. One of them will be limited to a production of 4 pieces and the other I believe is limited to just 5. TSA Knives will have all that are available. Yup! Bought out the 'entire run'.
5/19/08
The #54's are set to come out late this week and I hope to have them in the store by midweek next week. I posted the details regarding what's going to be showing up first on the blog which you can visit by clicking on the "TSA Great Eastern Blog" button at the top of this page. I saved some of the technical info for the newsletter as I know there are a few of you that read one and not the other so hears a few tidbits for you.
Regarding the #54's, the first knife out will be the Moose Pattern which will carry the Tidioute name. It'll have a set of Brimstone handles and a clip and spear blades on opposite ends. Then we'll see lots more blade and handle combinations.
Here's a few notes I picked up that I found rather interesting regarding details and finish info.
The Tidioute's have a Classic short pull with a Hand Swedge on the blade. It'll have Smooth bolsters and the blades will have a Satin or Crocus finish. The Northfield's will have a Long Pull with a Shoulder Swedge and polished Blades with lined bolsters. While I'm not a 100% certain as to the exact appearance of the two different swedges, I know their is a difference on the current production knives and assume that will carry over. I didn't get a lot of info yet regarding the Un-X-LD Jack, but I've got a feeling it may be yet another unique twist on a familiar knife. It'll also have the shoulder swedge with Polished blades, lined bolsters AND Genuine Stag handles. In other words, another low production run if I were a betting man.
Also, I believe, the Moose Pattern will have a blade on each end while the #54's and Un-X-LD models will have both blades on the same end. COULD be wrong, but that's my story and I'm stickin' with it...for now! Remember, when I got this information this morning, this knife still only existed on paper!!
One final note. There's a new #23L coming in late this week with Burnt Carved Stag handles that evidently is really nice looking. The comments I heard were that it looked VERY much like the real thing. As I understand it, it started out as 'white' stag bone that was carved, burned with a really nice finish. Sounds interesting!!
greg
5/17/08
New Arrivals!
The #23 and #73 Linerlocks with Carved Stag bone handles in Brimstone showed up today and they look great. I received serial numbers 2 thru 7 in both knives so can offer matched sets to those interested as long as their both available. Don't wait too long as once a numbers gone, pretty tough to match it up!
greg
5/14/08
The #23L Genuine Stags have arrived!! I won't be 'grading' these as they all looked great! Already we're down to just 4 knives available. The initial run is just 16 pieces!!
I also received Genuine Stag #73 Single Blade, only 5 were made in the initial run, and just 23 of the 73L Linerlocks with Genuine Stag were made!! Really pleased that I got a nice quantity of the 73's to work with. I'll get them all in the store this afternoon or evening.
Chris also confirmed that the Brimstones went out today.
In about a week, we should see a new handle show up. There will be a #23L Tidioute and a #73L Tidioute manufactured with a White/Black Carved Stag Bone. Should be interesting to see. AND, shortly thereafter, we'll get the first look at the new #54 Harness Jack! Don't forget, anyone purchasing a knife from TSA Knives by June 6 will be entered in a drawing for a New #54 Harness Jack. Hopefully, it will be Serial Number 2!
greg
5/13/08
I'm pleased to say that at this point our Stag grading system seems to be working for everyone. My biggest concern is that some might think the Excellent grade is really poor quality compared to the Premium. As I stated in the description on the Premium and Excellent Stag page, it's just a convenient way for buyers wanting the 'best' to narrow down their search. I'm also glad to have received the number of requests for additional photos. That should help reduce any returns and disappointed buyers and that's a 'win win' situation for all of us.
On the recently listed 735108L Burnt Stags, I didn't grade the as they are all pretty darn equal in quality. As the pictures demonstrate, there are some slim handles and some chubby ones. #1,2 and 3 are the thickest.
In the next couple of days I'll be receiving the first of the Genuine Stag Linerlocks. I was particularly happy to find out that TSA Knives would be receiving a higher then hoped for quantity of them. The Genuine Stags are always tough to come by and I've never had too many! I believe we also should be getting in more of the 73 Burnt Stag linerlocks which have been very popular.
As you may have noticed, we quickly sold out of the River Blue and Green Mountain 538302's and have just a couple of the Red Wine's left in stock. Those should be great 'oddball' collectors pieces as well as great looking knives. Keep watching as I believe I'll also be getting a couple of unique 23 Single Blades.
Update 3:45PM
I just got confirmation that the #23L & #73L Tidioute Brimstones will be in our store Monday 5/19/08!!!!
greg
5/7/08
I received a nice order from Great Eastern Cutlery today with some new and a couple of really tough to find knives. First, I was lucky enough to get another half dozen #23L's in Burnt Stag with Serial Numbers. And, some of the #23L & #73L's in "Carved Pumpkin" no serial numbers. They have an orangish tinge that is really pretty neat looking. In addition, I've got a couple of very limited production #53's. There's a River Blue ( 9 total), Red Wine (19 Total) and Green Mountain (9 Total). My understanding is these were part of a 'cleanup' project and total numbers, as you see, were very small. None of the three are serial numbered.
I've also decided to try to establish 2 categories of Stag for buyers to consider. While it's not perfect, let's see how it works. Check it out and if you have any questions, drop me an email or try the blog. Check it out Premium and Excellent Stag and see what you think.
And by the way,....anyone ever hear of a #54 Great Eastern???? Well, you're gonna!! I'll give you some more information VERY soon!
greg
5/6/08
I just got a call this AM and the 53 Burnt Stags are going to be 53M's rather then 53's.
5/5/08
For the upcoming production, here's what we can look forward to.
I'm putting up a question on TSA Great Eastern Blog and would like some feedback. Whenever I get stag in, everyone asks for a 'nice' one with matched panels, lots of 'gnarl', minimal fractures, excellent fit, etc, etc. Needless to say, everyone's not going to get 1st choice. What I'm considering is placing a premium on the choice handles and pricing them based on 'quality of the stag'. If you've got a comment, go to the blog and let's hear it.
I've had several of you looking for the #73 Burnt Stag bare head liners and I've got just one left without serial numbers. It's not 'prime' stag. It's nice, but....if someone's interested, I'll ship it freight prepaid. Here's some pictures of it.
greg
5/2/08
Latest news on the Linerlocks is....midweek next week we should be receiving some #23 AND #73 Linerlocks with Carved Stag handles. These will be called "Pumpkin" and will be a slight orangish (pumpkin) color. Sounds like they'll be really sharp looking. Soon thereafter, we'll be seeing some #53 Muskrats come through with Burnt Stag handles. ALWAYS like to see anything in stag. I'll be adding details as they come in!!
greg
5/01/08
It just gets better and better. I got a call this morning confirming that TSA Knives will be getting 5 more of the #23 Linerlock Burnt Stags. This is great news based on the initial interest the first shipment created. We should have them in stock around the 7th of May.
Overseas buyers!!! I'm aware of the problem with our checkout through our store for overseas shipments. In the next few days, I will be setting up a page for overseas buyers with shipping costs and instructions for placing online orders. I apologize for the inconvenience, but for now, I don't have another option. Any time you have a question or would like to place an order, send us an email at: greg@tsaknives.com.
greg
4/30/08
What a way to end the month of April!!! The #23 Northfield Burnt Stag Linerlocks arrived. All I can say is sweet!!! This is truly going to be a knife to be considered for hunting. Not a pocket knife, but there are some nice sheaths to accommodate the #23's and it would be worth it. Great balance and with the linerlock, a great field knife.
I understand Great Eastern got a new shipment of Stag in and unfortunately, a lot of it was rejected for quality reasons. That's good and bad. Good that GEC is picky about what they'll accept, bad because it doesn't help production!
greg
4/28/08
Couple of new knives just arrived this afternoon. The first is the 735108L "Old Bark Bone" (serial numbered). This is a great looking knife with a set of carved bone handles that .... well...they look like Old Bark!! Great looking linerlock.
The second is a 735108 Tidioute with Frontier Bone handles (serial numbered). Very nice looking knife with handles that have a great rustic look to them. Very old west. This isn't a linerlock and it's priced to be an affordable EDC knife.
The #23 Burnt Stag Linerlocks are on the way and hope to report that we've received them within the next few days!!!
As a special promotion, we're including a free Great Eastern Cutlery "knife opener" (while supplies last) with each Great Eastern Cutlery knife order. These are the same size as an actual blade, made from brass with the "Great Eastern Cutlery Titusville, PA" stamp on the tang. Slip the tip in alongside the blade opposite the nail mark and it's remarkable how much more gripping area it'll give you!
greg
4/27/08
Quick note for everyone that was entered in the knife giveaway. The winner of the drawing for the new 735108ECL is Brent K.J. and the winner of the #73 that I reviewed on the blog is Jack G. aka Jaxon. I apologize for not using last names, but I don't want to publicize them without the winners explicit okay. Congratulations and we can't wait to hear your feedback on the blog!!!
greg
4/25/08
I just got the word this morning that the new #23 Northfield Linerlock in Burnt Stag is about ready to go!! We have high hopes they'll actually be in stock late next week. As of this morning, pricing hadn't been set yet, but I do know there will only be around 30 of them and so far demand has been high!!!
Also, next week, we are expecting to get in some rare #53 Tidioute's. These are going to have carved Stag Bone handles similar to the Brimstone but in several different colors, green, blue, etc. There will only be a very few of each color available. By very few, I'm talking maybe 3 or 4 of each. Sounds interesting.
Nothing new yet on the "Old Bark" #73's but patiently waiting.
Finally, we got pretty well cleaned out of the second lot of Burnt Stag 735108L's and I'm really happy to know we've got another handful coming in next week. Whew!!! That has been one extremely popular pattern.
We'll draw for the giveaway of the 73 Linerlocks this weekend and good luck to all. The winners will be announced on the Great Eastern Cutlery Blog and here also. I'm personally looking forward to hearing someone else's comments about them and hopefully, encourage a few more folks to actually USE THEM!!!!
greg
4/23/08
To say the first of the Burnt Stags without end caps went quick would be an understatement! Less then 8 hours and we were out. Happily, we just got 5 more in this afternoon without Serial numbers and they look just as good. The new acrylics also came in and they are cool. I've never been a great fan of acrylic but I gotta admit, they are nice.
Stay tuned as the first of next week we should have more new knives!
greg
4/22/08
Just got the #73 Northfield Linerlocks without End Caps and they did not disappoint. Very nice!!! The first ones we received are serial numbered and we will also have a few without serial numbers later this week.
As promised, another nice surprise was the receipt of two rare #53's. One is a #53 Beaver Pond which is one of just 13 made in 2007. We also got a pair of #53 2007 River Valley Greens of which there were only 10 made. Both of these are Tidioute's without serial numbers and needless to say, are really hard to come across.
Hope to have pricing and pictures of the Old Bark handles SOON!
4/21/08
Another new knife is on the way!! Didn't know this was coming but it sounds like it's going to be a beauty. It'll be a Northfield #73 Linerlock with carved stag "Old Bark" handles. This will be a serialized knife with a run of less then 40 total. Haven't got the prices yet, but we hope to have them late this week and will pass on details, prices and pix as we can.
Check in tomorrow afternoon as we hope to have pictures to post by then.
greg
4/18/08
Monday, we should have the Burnt Stag Linerlocks in stock without end caps. We'll have both serialized and nonserialized knives. It sounds like the #23's are going to be following in short order!
We have a couple of VERY hard to find GEC's coming in on Monday. The first is a #53 Tidioute River Valley Green, no serial numbers, only 10 made. The second is a Tidioute #53 Beaver Pond, no serial numbers, only 13 made. Around the first of May, we'll be getting in some #73 Tidioute Single Blades with Frontier Bone, serialized, only around 25 total production. No firm pricing yet, but I'll get it out as soon as they come in.
greg
4/14/08
In the next week, here's what's coming up. The Cracked Marble acrylics will be showing up. As I said, the Water Snake looks great!
But even more exciting, hopefully, by the 24 or 25th of this month we'll see the Linerlocks start to ship with Burnt Stag. A word of warning. You're all aware that Stag has gotten more and more expensive of late and that trend is about to get worse. A lot of Stag comes from Asia and with the controversy and political tension surrounding the upcoming Olympics in China there's a bottle neck developing regarding shipments of Stag. AND, what's available is getting expensive. I haven't seen a firm price yet on the upcoming Linerlock Stags, but I've been told they'll not be 'cheap'. My best guess is you'll see Stag handled knives go up across the board.
Around the first part of May, we'll see a #23 Linerlock come out with the Amber Brimstone handles which has gotten to be a really popular 'replacement' for Stag.
Soon thereafter, the #53 Tidioute's in "Dead Skunk", "Kryptonite" and "Lava Lamp" will be on their way.
greg
4/12/08
I forgot these were coming, but we just received some 735208 Northfield knives with Almond handles. This was a very limited run of just 35 knives with no serial numbers. It's a really great looking 'oil stained' bone. It's hard to explain, but it almost has a light caramel color to it.
One point I failed to mention is that if you look at the picture of the Northfield Stag and the Tidioute Acrylic, you'll notice the Northfield blade has a swedge cut. Minor, but interesting detail to watch for in future knives.
greg
4/11/08
And so have the Burnt Stag!!!!
They're finally here and they look every bit as good as expected!!
We've had a number of folks sign up for the Free #73 Linerlock on the blog at TSA Knives Great Eastern Cutlery Blog . As I said, we'll take signups for a couple more weeks and draw a winner. Don't forget to signup if you haven't done so.
Next.....no end cap #73!!
greg
4/10/08
At long last, they've arrived!
We just got the first of the new GEC #73 Linerlocks in and are expecting the Burnt Stags Friday. Through a combination of Spring blizzards, FedEx scheduling and who knows what else, we got the Water Snakes before the Burnt Stags and they look fantastic. In fact, these look so nice that if you ask for a free Acrylic display stand, we'll throw one in with your Linerlock order as long as the supply of stands holds out!! HOPEFULLY, we'll be putting up pix of the stags tomorrow.
4/09/08
Lots a news, so let's get going!!!
Obviously, the #73 Linerlocks were slower coming out then hoped. They shipped on Monday and should be in stock tomorrow (Thursday) afternoon. THEN, we can wait and anticipate the next in line which will be a #73 Linerlock with No End Cap in Burnt Stag. Maybe around the week of the 21st???
After that, Hang on for a #23 Linerlock and there is great hope it'll be an Amber Carved Stag. No promises....but....sounds like a good possibility.
THEN....we should see the #53 come out in a Tidioute in "Dead Skunk", "Kryptonite" and "Sand Dune" acrylics. The Dead Skunk was a popular pattern and it really drew some attention after the great placement in the New Products section of Blade Magazine. I believe the Kryptonite is a green and the Sand Dune a tan color.
Finally, for now, we hope to have a few pieces of a very limited run of Northfields. Less then 40 pieces. More info to come!
Keep in mind, all of this is scheduled to happen before the first of May!!
Start saving your spare change! Also, if you haven't been checking out the
TSA Great Eastern Cutlery Blog, do so. I'm looking for a knife tester.
Check out the test of the #73 and if you'd be interested in testing a #73
Linerlock check the Blog for details.
The "Tax Sale" has been going good and remember, it just runs through the 13th. In fact, if you place an order between now and Sunday nite, add a note to include a free Acrylic Display stand and we'll throw one in, no extra charge!
greg
4/4/08
We just found a few knives that weren't in the store inventory that I'll be adding later today. #73 Chestnut Jigged Bone (2006), #73 Herringbone Walnut, #73 Charcoal Water Buffalo and there will be more!!! We'll also be lowering prices throughout the weekend!
greg
4/3/08
We're finally getting the Tax Sale put together!! The Sale will be starting this evening and I'll be adding knives over the next 4 or 5 days. It'll run till the eve of Sunday, April 13. Fair warning, some of the knives are one of a kind and their won't be any backorders. I've also brought in some knives that may not show up in the inventory until Monday or Tuesday. You'll find some fantastic buys on some of the Great Eastern Cutlery knives that you won't want to miss. There won't be a special Sale Page. Instead, I'm putting Sale Prices on the featured knives right in the store.
A note on the new Linerlock #73's. At this point, it looks like the first of the Great Eastern Linerlocks could be, at this very minute, on their way to TSA Knives!!
For those of you that have been reading the "TSA Great Eastern Blog", you know that I've been testing out a #73 Single Blade,...I may just try out one of the Linerlocks also. These are great knives, but on one seems to actually be using them!!! Big mistake folks, they're one helluva nice 'user'.
Finally, by popular demand, I've decided to keep the newsletter up and running for the time being. There are a few folks that aren't into reading blogs and would prefer to check on the newsletter for a quick GEC 'fix'. However, be aware that in the near future I hope to have some contributions on the blog from an individual with one of the most complete collections of Great Eastern Knives that I'm aware of. I've asked that he post some pictures and share some info about some of the knives and he's agreed to. I know that he has a number of one of a kind knives I'd like to see!
greg
3/29/08
If you've been watching our new blog, your aware the #73 Patriot is in stock. We'll be phasing the Newsletter out, but keep up with the blog as we're planning a "Tax Sale" with some incredible pricing and will be passing on details on the blog.
greg
3/25/08
We've just added a blog. Click the "TSA Great Eastern Blog" link at the top of this page and check it out. We want to hear from you!!! You can always come back to the TSA website by finding our link in the lower left corner of the "blog page".
Later this week we should have the new #73 Single Blade "American Patriot" Tidioute marked Great Easterns. These will have an end cap and red/white/blue acrylic handles. The blades will have a special etch on the blade with an Eagle holding a ribbon style banner. Sounds nice!!! Should be priced around $59.95
MK, you had recently asked if there were any 73 Tidioute's with Stag handles. I talked with Chris and GEC this week and it was explained that the three trademarks are being made with specific characteristics.
That being said, don't make the assumption that you'll never see a Northfield with acrylic handles... already have. The one thing I've learned in life is the only things carved in stone are death and taxes.
greg
3/21/08
Just arrived this afternoon, the #23M Left Handed in River Blue and Green Mountain. Some matching numbers available.
WOW!!! Thanks everyone. The 1 of 5 series sold out within 2 hours of putting them on the site. That's incredible and thank you! PLUS, we're down to just 2 of the Factory Test Run Elk's.
Coming in next week, we'll have a couple #23 Right hand American Elk's marked "Test Run". These were a very low production item. In about a week, we also will be getting some #73 Tidioute Single Blade Red Barn Board's with no Serial Number. These are part of a very limited run of less then 25 or 30 knives.
Around the first week of April, we're going to see a brand new knife from Great Eastern. It'll be a linerlock #73 Northfield Burnt Stag with End Caps. This is going to be one hot item! The second will be a #73 Tidioute Linerlock with Acrylic "Cracked Marble" handles. No pricing yet, but I will promise you they are going to be in high demand.
greg
3/20/08
More new knives!!!
First, the 23M Elk marked "Factory Test Run" are in. They are big, gorgeous there were no more then 25 made and TSA Knives, LLC has 6. Later on we'll see this knife in a normal production run, but these were the "test run" and the numbers are limited.
Second, I am in possession of the ONLY left handed #23M's with American Elk handles. There are a grand total of 5 made, each engraved on the bolster: 1 of 5, 2 of 5, etc.
More new knives coming by the first of the week!!!
greg
3/19/08
The left handed #23M's are in ("Good and Plenty") and they look great. This is a real 'oddball'. As the pulls were cut on the wrong sides, the blade positions are switched. The trapper blade (normally the second blade) is stamped 2007 and is etched "Cyclops Steel Works". The second blade (normally the main blade) is etched with the Great Eastern Cutlery logo. We'll have the other two colors in stock Saturday or Monday.
We also received a few of the #538208's with American Elk handles. This is the first #53 with American Elk and are serial numbered ( 1 of 50 run).
There was a change with the previously mentioned 23M "Factory Test Run" American Elk knives and I'll update you later this week.
3/17/08
Here's the latest.....Wednesday, we'll be receiving a new knife from Great Eastern. This will be a #23 MUSKRAT. The knives we'll receive will be part of a test run of just 20-30 knives that will be etched "Factory Test Run" with American Elk handles. Later in the year, we'll see more of the #23M's in the production lineup. We'll also receive the first of 3 different Left Handed #23's with "Good & Plenty" handles. These are being run with a total production of around 60 pieces of each color combo. Happy St. Pat's to whomever it might apply!!!!
greg
3/13/08
We just got in two new #23's. One is a Northfield Single Blade with Babinga Wood handles. The second is a Tidioute Single Blade with Wenge Wood handles. Both are really nice looking knives.
Midweek next week we will have some new Left Handed #23's coming in. These will be a ONE TIME offering. More details coming.
greg
3/10/08
New arrivals just came in this weekend. All three are single blade models including a #23 Tidoute with Brimstone handles that is serial numbered, a #73 Tidioute with Green Gator Bone handles somewhat similar to the SARPNT, a #73 Northfield with Horsecut Walnut handles and a #73 with Red Water Buffalo Bone handles.
In an attempt to get some of the Great Easterns out there in the field and actually get used, we've really priced the Red Water Buffalo, Green Gator and Horsecut Walnut low. At just $49.95 these are truly an affordable knife!
greg
3/5/08
I just finished unpacking some 235108 Northfields. These are Single Blade #23's with Green Tea handles. There were a total of 100 run with the 1 of 100 marking on the blade.
Coming in next Monday, we'll be receiving 3 new Single Blade #73's without serial numbers. These are part of a VERY short run. Handle materials will be Red Buffalo Horn, a new green jigged bone similar to the Sarpnt, and Horsecut Walnut. I believe the Red Buffalo Horn is less then 20 pieces total and the other two will be equally hard to find. With that order, we should be getting some of the new 53 Brimstones also.
greg
2/29/08
Update: Just got the word from Great Eastern that the published production numbers are NOT 100% accurate. They are in the process of making corrections, but for the time being, this is what we've got to work with. I'll get my list updated as soon as they pass on the corrections.
Collectors Alert!!!
Great Eastern published the total production numbers on their website recently and there are some real 'sleeper' collectibles out there!! Click here to check them out. Just a couple of gems that I came across scanning the list were the following:
There are a lot of knives that came out with an anticipated run of 50 pieces that fell well short of that number and are bound to be in high demand in the near future. A number of these low production knives are still out there for sale! Have to thank Great Eastern for being good enough to publish their actual production numbers.
greg
Update 2/23/08
We just received a couple of the Great Eastern #53 with Burnt Stag Handles. Really nice looking Stag!
2/21/08
We're back from vacation!! Flew out of Dallas, Texas Tuesday afternoon and it was 65 degrees....just 10 hours later we were back in Northern Minnesota with a temperature of -24 degrees and by morning it was -29. NOT an easy adjustment!
Here's what's going on.
Lots of new items coming in the next few weeks, so keep watching!!
Greg
2/5/08
Just a warning....we'll be shutting down for a week between 2/11/08 and 2/22/08 for inventory, general housekeeping and a little R&R.
The 2008's are on the way! The first two knives will be #73 Great Easterns. One will be the standard 2 blade #73 with Red Wine Jigged Bone Handles and the second will be a Single Blade #73 with American Elk Horn handles (no more then and probably closer to just 40 run with Elk Horn!). We should have both of these knives in around the 22 of February.
Something new for 2008 will be the numbering system. Starting with the 2008's ONLY the first 50 knives in a run will be numbered and marked 1 of 50. So the first 50 #73 Red Wine Jigged Bone handled knives will be marked and numbered and if 3 months later they run the same pattern/handle again, those will NOT be numbered.
Greg
1/30/08
This is a new feature that I'll try to keep up to date (hopefully) on a weekly basis. There will be news of upcoming models (before they're released to the public), substantiated rumors and other relevant news for the Great Eastern Cutlery collector. If you've got any news to add, just drop me a note at greg@tsaknives.com Here's a couple of interesting items you might want to think about.....
Collectors, note.... the two new #53 Acrylics in Carmel Apple Dip and Sandbar, were run in very limited numbers. They're both stamped 1 of 50, but I my understanding is that there were less then 50 TOTAL run. With the "Production Run Finale", these two could be great collectibles.
That's it for now!
Greg
