can't decide between 2 folders, benchmade 484 or spyderco gayle bradley

H

hemi1300

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Sep 9, 2013
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any opinions on which one u would go with between the 2? Obviously no one has probably handled the benchmade 484 because it was just released, but looks like a great smaller knife with m390 steel. Gayle bradley seems to be an all time spyderco favorite as well. Love both my spyderco's and benchmade's, so i'm torn on which one to go with
 
The GB has the best fit and finish of production knife I have ever seen. It is smooth as glass and beautiful to boot. And, it's capable of very hard use! M4 is amazing. Get a GB!
 
Aside from blade shape, the two couldn't be more different. I've been carrying the 484 for the last week or so, and it's a wonderful small folder. I carried the GB for a while and couldn't get used to the handles, bulkiness, or weight. I should mention that I had to modify the liner and handle on the GB to access the lock. The dang thing was almost unusable from the factory (my opinion).







 
Big fan of M4 but in this case I gotta go with 484, M390 is pretty darn respectable in it's own right, plus that GB blade is FUGLY!!!
 
Gayle Bradley all the way it is smooth as butter, fit/finish is great, M4 steel, and over all a cutting machine!!!! It was designed by a cutting champion after all
 
Easy-peasy. Get the Gayle Bradley. The CPM-M4 is a great steel. Sure, so is the M390. However, the GRIP-THICKNESS on the BenchMade turns me off. Even though its blade is slightly thinner than the Gayle Bradley, the model 484 has a handle thickness (on its web-page) of 0.570". That is 0.045" thicker than my Gayle Bradley which mikes out at 0.525". That's quite a difference in your hand or in your pocket.

Look, I have had BM knives. They are good. I carried a BM 690 for years. I had a 710 which was a great knife; grip thickness 0.480".
I have large hands. I normally carry LARGE folding knives with titanium grips, longer blades and thicker blade-steels. These are great knives, and VERY comfortable in your hand. My EDC's measure 0.465" in grip-thickness.
I know that BenchMade is a good company. Sometimes, they make these thick grips because many folks must love 'em and ask for them. And that's great, but not for me. Blade-steel means NOTHING if you never carry it with you.
And the blade, at 3.08", is just barely too long to be legal in many states. Too bad...
 
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for the money, Gayle Bradley is hard to beat. M4 and M390 are my favorite steels so you can't go wrong with either. M390 is nicer because of the high corrosion resistance. I really like the ergos on the Gayle Bradley. However, BM's fit and finish has been hit or miss for me lately. Most of the axis lock knives had side to side blade play, and I'm losing faith in BM's QC.
 
Benchmade 484 is a better EDC with great contoured G-10 and M390. Narrow profile and only 3.5 ounces.

GB is a stout 5.5 ounces but the blade is also a third of an inch longer.

GB can be had for over $50 less than the 484!
 
You guys are freeking killing me with the Bradley, I have been eyeballing it for like a month, its been sitting in my amazon cart just haven't pulled the trigger. I don't have a M4 blade and I really want to try one out!!!!!
 
The GB is not just an awesome knife but an incredible value too considering the materials used!
 
How did you happen to pick those two knives to choose from? They are as different as nite and day. I love the Gayle Bradley, but I don't carry one, as it's a little large for me. When I say LARGE, I'm generally talking about grip-thickness, because that is what I notice IN MY POCKET and IN MY HAND. The blade-length, whether 3" or 3 1/2" doesn't mean much to me for my casual EDC.
That being said, the Gayle Bradley grip-thickness is about 0.060" THICKER than the "large" CRK knives that I love and carry every day.

Benchmade is a good brand. So is Spyderco. If you like a smaller, shorter knife, then perhaps you should check out the Spyderco line of smaller EDC folders. My favorites are the Sage series of folders, the Native series, the Stretch and the Caly3 series of knives. These are all shorter blades of 3"(several models available at 3 1/2"); they are available in different scale materials and blade-steels within each series. You can get scale materials of FRN, G-10, carbon fiber, and titanium, and blade materials of excellent steels like S30V, VG-10 and the outstanding ZDP-189 and Hitachi Aogami SuperBlue blade-steels which Spyderco fans seem to love.
These are all slim in the hand and light in the pocket, and within each series is a model to fit your wallet.
These are the knives that I suggest to my friends and gift to my relatives.
 
I hate hate hate the way the liners stick out farther than the scales on the Bradley but I would still recommend it. It's that good.
 
The 484, Axis Lock and made in America.

This isn't a flame of Spyderco's Taiwan Knives, I know that they are very good, I just like my knives from American knife companies to be made in America.
 
Not sure how I ended up choosing between these two. Love my benchmade 940 and 943, and have been eye balling the 484 ever since it was announced. Also really like my spyderco paramilitary 2, and have seen some fantastic reviews on the bradley. Pulled the trigger on the 484 last night, glad I did bc I feel the gayle bradley may be a bit large for what I'm looking for. My paramilitary 2 and benchmade 710 are great knives but can be a bit large sometimes for what I use it for on a daily basis
 
That handle on the bm looks like the most uncomfortable handle design out there. Finger groove handles ftl.

I'll take the added weight of the GB over a stupid thick handle that had no ergonomics or utilitarian value.
 
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