Freaking love the Gayle Bradley

13aphomet

13aphomet

Gold Member
Joined
Feb 7, 2012
Messages
902
Spyderco sometimes just seems to do everything right. And someday Sal will have to pay dearly for selling his soul to Satan to come up with this stuff.. :)

I had a Gayle Bradley some time ago and in the heat of the moment sold it to fund another purchase. I don't think I've ever had case of seller remorse like I did that day. Needless to say I got another one and will never (NEVER) let it go.

The M4 is great, and looks slick with a gentle vinegar patina.. You guys agree?

Thank you Spyderco.. This thing freaking rocks! Everyone should just buy one and the only improvement I can suggest to Spyderco is to include a note that says.. "Don't sell this..... Just DON'T"
Thanks guys!

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Man, I just can't get into the looks. It looks good, but...flat, ya know? Like the Ergos might be lacking, but everyone seems to say different.

Is it a "you've gotta hold it to get it" kinda thing?
 
Yeah and everytime I open it I look forward to hearing that satisfying "clack"
 
bdmicarta said:
I think it's that way with most Spyderco's.

I have a Para2 in my EDC rotation and the GB is at the top of my wish list right now.
Click to expand...

Some, maybe.
All of the ones I have in my collection were ones that I fell in love with by design or by materials or function.

I love the Caly series and old UKPKs for design. Endura and PM2 are the same way, but with added steel and lock bonuses that hooked me in.

The GB M4 steel is something I wanna try. The CF is great, love it. Don't mind the liner lock. Looks like it has great belly. I just don't know about the handle shape.
 
The ergo's of the handle are great IMHO. The ergo's of unlocking the knife... not so much. Sore thumb could insue. It's worth it though.
It's not "tactical" in any sense of the word. It's a pure work knife and in that function excels. I cut ALOT at work, and this thing just comes back for more.
 
It's my most-often used Spyderco, and the only knife I'm going to have 2 of. A 2nd one is on its way :)

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My Gayle Bradley permanently destroyed my right thumb, it's got a horrid looking forced patina that simply won't come off, and I dropped it on concrete the other day and scuffed one of the scales. Do I still love it?

Yes :D I think I need to send my to get sharpened by Spyderco, mine doesn't cut particularly well for some reason. It appears to be at 30 degrees inclusive and will usually cut phonebook paper, but it binds up on cardboard pretty bad. Is that just the hollow grind?
 
Misanthropia said:
My Gayle Bradley permanently destroyed my right thumb, it's got a horrid looking forced patina that simply won't come off, and I dropped it on concrete the other day and scuffed one of the scales. Do I still love it?

Yes :D I think I need to send my to get sharpened by Spyderco, mine doesn't cut particularly well for some reason. It appears to be at 30 degrees inclusive and will usually cut phonebook paper, but it binds up on cardboard pretty bad. Is that just the hollow grind?
Click to expand...


Usually the initial edge can be the cause. By reducing the edge angle, or reducing the "shoulders" increases performance of any main bevel/grind be it Flat Ground or Hollow.

You might find this interesting:
http://gpvec.unl.edu/files/griffin/B-PIKE(ISU-UNL-GPVEC)Downloads/SharpeningHowTo_DDG_2K7.pdf
 
I love the lock and handle of the gb.

The lock was a bit stiff when I got it but that went away fast. After about a week of regular use, not opening and closing to break it in just using it when I needed a knife, its absolutely no problem to disengage. It did hurt the pad of my thumb for the first couple of days though. The lock inspires confidence and its the most solid seeming folder I own. Whether it actually is or not is another question but it just "feels" like there is no way it would ever fail. The liner is thick and its almost flush with the scales so, as phillipsted said, it almost feels like a fixed blade when open.

As for the handle, I have big hands and I often have trouble finding a knife that will fit me but the gb feels just great in hand. The proud liners dont bother me even when using the knife for a long time and it hasnt ever felt like there was a danger of slipping. Some knives I find myself white knuckle gripping when hard cutting but never with the gb.

Overall, its my favourite folder by a fairly significant margin and my only regret is that I didnt get one sooner (I was on the fence about the lack of cutout for the lock and concerns about grip security so I put it off for a while).
 
zcd,

I just responded to the Para II thread and said that the Para II was my favorite knife... That said, the GB is the only other knife/Spyderco that I instantly fell in love with. I think it was the one knife where I truly recognized the difference between S30V and any super steel. I would easily say that the GB is my second favorite knife next to the Para I/II.

GB lockup: I got the GB just before I did my first deployment and took it on my second one. While it doesn't look "tactical" it excels at all things a tactical knife should be able to do. I love the lock. SS so, you don't have to worry about lockface wear. Thick and easy to disengage. My GB was pushed to the edge when I started using it to cut bundles of CAT-5 cable and Tri-Wall cardboard (thee layers of corrugated cardboard), effortlessly. I applied a lot of pressure to the blade during push cuts and only once did it cause the lock to move slightly further than it originally locked up. Afterwards, it always went back to it's original position.

The lack of a "cut out" or ease of access to the lock never bothered me and in most cases added to the security of the knife's lock up under hard use. I now have the same GB but completely modded... Ti framelock and micarta scale, dramatic improvement on weight.
 
I'm seriously falling in love with this folder. Only had it for a day, but can already tell it's gonna be a keeper. Last night I put a mean patina on the blade using a quick dip in concentrated vinegar. Looks cool, I'll have to take some pics. :thumbup:
 
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