I start sawing at the front with a push saw, but not at nearly as an extreme angle as Derek - on some woods, that "uphill" sawing action works easier for me.
I really like the Gramercy joinery saws as well - I can't comment on the handles or the hang, as mine originally came from kits that a fellow Creeker built and eventually sold to finance other saw purchases. I have the two carcase saws, however, and I find I reach for the rip carcase saw for most all of my dovetails, and really any cut that will fit under the plate. The extra length really speeds dovetails, as well.
The thing I like most about these, I think, is the balance - it must be the folded backs over the slotted backs of other saws, like the Lie-Nielsen saws I tried at their tool event, or the Adria dovetail saw I also have - the blade just ends up being much lighter. Gives it a more nimble feeling, and somehow makes it feel a little easier to keep in control. I've been experimenting with a slightly more aggressive rake on the rip saw and my Adria dovetail saw. (I have no idea how they were originally filed, or if the filings I received them with were original) The shorter Adria dovetail saw is actually heavier in the blade than the Gramercy, and I believe with the handles that were made, the hang is similar, so with a more aggressive rake, I actually need to sort of lift away extra pressure. With the lighter blades of the Gramercy saw, I just sort of let the saw sit there. I don't need to relieve the pressure.
" Be willing to make mistakes in your basements, garages, apartments and palaces. I have made many. Your first attempts may be poor. They will not be futile. " - M.S. Bickford, Mouldings In Practice