Contego or Gayle Bradley 2?

G

Gil P.

Joined
Jan 21, 2015
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I'm looking for another knife in M4, and I've narrowed it down to these two knives.
The Contego is available to me from a local BM dealer for about $175. The action and blade centering is good, but I noticed it was quite thick behind the edge. If I buy it, I'll thin it out on an Atoma plate. It may not look pretty when I'm done, but it's not a big deal to me.

I havent ever handled a GB 2.

Which one would you pick?
 
I had a contego but my hand fit in the handle odd , the finger relief would always want to slide 2 fingers into it and that never felt right to me

I vote gayle bradley
 
Eliteone2383 said:
I love my GB 2. Awsome slicer.
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yoko said:
I had a contego but my hand fit in the handle odd , the finger relief would always want to slide 2 fingers into it and that never felt right to me

I vote gayle bradley
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Your guys' Gayle Bradley was very thin behind the edge? I had a lil sub hilt that's also from the Taiwan factory and has a hollow grind. It sucks at cutting because the hollow grind is too thick.

How are the ergos on the GB?
 
Two very different knives.

I have a Contego in M390. If Benchmade's hard use tests (on Youtube) are to be believed, the Axis lock on the Contego is strong enough to baton (to an extent). Designed with a four inch long blade and thick stock, this is meant be a hard use folder. Carries big in the pocket. Good for camping, construction site, etc..

I also own the GB2. Much thinner blade stock compared to the Contego; but the blade shape is one of the more elegant made by Spyderco, and the handle shape is very neutral. While it will also perform in the outdoors, I wouldn't be inclined to baton a liner lock. A smaller, lighter, more EDC'able knife than the Contego. Great slicer and good EDC.

So it all boils down to your use case scenario. Hard use outdoor knife or a slicing EDC?
 
Mako109 said:
Two very different knives.

I have a Contego in M390. If Benchmade's hard use tests (on Youtube) are to be believed, the Axis lock on the Contego is strong enough to baton (to an extent). Designed with a four inch long blade and thick stock, this is meant be a hard use folder. Carries big in the pocket. Good for camping, construction site, etc..

I also own the GB2. Much thinner blade stock compared to the Contego; but the blade shape is one of the more elegant made by Spyderco, and the handle shape is very neutral. While it will also perform in the outdoors, I wouldn't be inclined to baton a liner lock. A smaller, lighter, more EDC'able knife than the Contego. Great slicer and good EDC.

So it all boils down to your use case scenario. Hard use outdoor knife or a slicing EDC?
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Thanks for the informative reply.
I think I'm leaning towards the GB. The best knife for the construction site is a utility knife. A very thin disposable blade is excellent and even when it's dull it still cuts. My axis locks got gummed up pretty fast when I brought it to the job site. I'll be using the knife for everything besides taking it to work. No batonning and only very light prying if I absolutely have to.

I read other forum posts where people commented that the contego was very thin behind the edge, but the example I saw was quite thick. I may go back to the BM dealer and see if they have any other examples of the contego.
 
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I have the original GB and GB2, I really like them both. I did not like the feel of the Contego. My folders dont need to baton but I have a few that could if needed. That saying, if its 99% going to be an edc....chose the one that cuts better, you will enjoy it more.
 
Gil P. said:
Your guys' Gayle Bradley was very thin behind the edge? I had a lil sub hilt that's also from the Taiwan factory and has a hollow grind. It sucks at cutting because the hollow grind is too thick.

How are the ergos on the GB?
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Excellent. I reviewed mine on the Reviews forum a few months ago. Haven't changed my mind a bit.
 
I have the original GB folder, and it is a good heavy duty knife that is still capable of slicing tasks. If Captain Memory Loss remembers correctly, when it was new people called it a poor mans sebenza.

Despite the fact that BM is on my blacklist, I feel the GB/2 is a superior knife.
 
I've never owned a GB2, but I've owned both the M4 and M390 versions of the Contego and didn't like holding either of them.

The M4 version you're considering is like holding a hedgehog. Probably amazing in gloves, but without them it's just too prickly for me. I also dislike the shape/size of the finger areas on the handle; they never sat just right for me in-hand.

(The M390 version solves the hedgehog issue, but without the prickly grip at the back end the long handle is too smooth for me to "seat" it properly when I want to flick the Axis lock open or shut. And the grip still isn't quite right.)
 
I have a GB2, it’s a great knife. Unless it really doesn’t fit your hands (unlikely, since the grip is very neutral), I can’t image you’ll be disappointed
 
I have both. The G. Bradley is a lot better at cutting and slicing. The Contego is nowhere near to being a slicer out of the box. Much work would have to be done to thin it out before it cuts and slices the way I like it. The Contego is a stout knife made of quality materials also but it doesn't have as good ergonomics especially if hard use is what a person wants. The G. Bradley is very stout also and I don't think it lacks even compared to the Contego in that regard. The only complaint I ever heard about it was clumsiness when closing one handed. I don't have that issue with mine though. I went back and bought a second Bradley as a spare. That's what I think about them. :)

Joe
 
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