Who makes the best EK?

[Kecon]

I'm with Richard. I like the CD marked types. I have several marked CD 800
and like them the best.

Claudio
I've some pics. of a Fr that are a little fuzzy, but may give you an idea what
they look like. Very similar to the KO types I think.

Regards
Ken

[Kecon]

Here is the front of the Fr cross. The one on the left is a Third Reich made
L/54 pin back.

Ken

[Tom Y]

An Imperial made Fr. Not as crisp as a W&S.

[Tom Y]

A Godet. Beautiful crown, but rounding on the edges of the letters.

[Tom Y]

And a W&S. Crown not quite as good as the Godet, but sharp corners and a great matte core. Also the only one I've seen with the ampersand.

[Tony & Kaiser]

An Imperial made Fr. Not as crisp as a W&S.

I would like to suggest that this is rather dependant on several factors, such as the condition of the items being compared, the quality of the piece itself (variances in the same maker), if you are comparing EK1 with EK2 and finally, what looks good to the eye of the person viewing the item. Personally, I prefer the elegant, smaller, and nicely detailed crown on a Friedländer EK1 to the fatter, larger crown on a W&S. Which goes to the heart of landsknechte's initial question "who would you say makes the best EK?". That depends on who you ask! Tony

[JensF.]

You have to define "best". Its different with every collector. I personally like the EKs from W&S and Godet, the next collector likes Friedländer etc. It depends on many things, quality, detail, materials and the most important thing... personal taste.

[landsknechte]

I'm still drawn to the "actually been worn on the battlefield" quality of the EKI, but on a purely aesthetic quality I prefer the EKII. That's just me though... The detail on the oak leaves on my Godet was the most striking difference between that one, and any of the others.

[Brian R]

When it comes to quality, details etc., I think that Godet and Wagner made some of the best EK1s. I have a CD 800 marked EK that is really nice as well. However, the nicest EKs I have are private purchased, silver marked, vaulted examples. I have an engraved .800 marked cross and a .938 marked cross that are absolutely stunning.

Brian

[Brian R]

Well, I tried to take some quick pictures of the two EK1s I was referring to above. Unfortunately, I didn't have enough light so the pictures came out pretty lousy. Here's an image anyway. It certainly doesn't show the details the way I would have liked but you get the idea. The one on the left is marked 938 and the one on the right is marked 800.

[Rolf D.]

A while back wasn't there a rush for all of the KO marked EK's?