Dude you lucked out huge on the covers! This thing is beautiful 🤩

I have heard, and I don't know how true this is, that GEC makes "Store Models"....These store models are stamped with an S. This is what I was was told when I got my smooth white bone 74 Stallion that was stamped with an S. I couldn't find a single flaw. I find this to at least be feasible. I gotta say, I KNEW you would eventually get one. Super stoked that ya got it, man. Its an awesome, unique piece that is a joy to use. It has that Fort Johnson vibe to it. I wanna see the character on this bad boy a year from now.

Definitely a possibility with the numbers. I’ve never heard of something like that but the stragglers “seconds” is a totally mysterious thing with GEC.

I've had a factory second pocket Carver with a messed up pivot in the rear with the two blades. One tiny blade was wobbly

Who knows but as long as you enjoy it as a great knife

Looks great. Only thing I can see is perhaps the pin that the blade rotates around is off center.

Nice one. Any chance the "lock rock" is the issue? Maybe it's more that they deem acceptable

I use to have 2 of those

You might have a point because I just got a store model Viper, and I can’t find anything wrong with it.

Having done my own SFO with GEC, I can tell you that the target production number and the actual number produced have no relationship with factory seconds and “store only” knives. BTW, store only are better than seconds, but must be sold only in the GEC store. Theoretically, they have slight defects which they can disclose to purchasers. But here’s my best guess as to how factory seconds come to their owners with no discernible defects. Bill Howard is a sneaky old fart. He likes to do this so people will spend hours inspecting his knives, talking about his knives, making videos about his knives, ending with everyone baffled about how good GEC’s factory seconds are. … and Bill laughs all the way to the bank. When I bought my Ebony 78 at the Rendezvous a few years ago, I handed it to Bill and asked him to show me the “defect” that made it a “store only” knife. He looked at it for about 5 seconds, handed it back to me and walked away grinning. You be the judge…