Recommendation? Gayle Bradley 1 vs. Southard... (last knife purchase of the year :) )

Deinos

Deinos

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Feb 7, 2016
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Looking to pick up one more knife this year and it is between the GB 1 and the Southard. Had my eye on both for a long time and finally ready to pull the trigger on one of them. Price not an issue as the Southard is now close to the GB1 with it being discontinued (might sway me as it could become harder to find later).

I live in OH, so not appreciably humid, and I already have the BRK Essential in M4 that does well in this climate. Don't have anything in 204p/m390/20cv yet.

Prob use either as edc without a ton of hard use.

So, which way would you sway a guy who hasn't owned either of these knives, but has wanted to?

Thanks!
 
I'd pick the gb1 or gb2. I love m4.

Would save up for one of Brad's customs tho.. I don't particularly like spydercos use of ultra thin washers that can bow and cause issues.
 
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Never cared for the GB, mainly because I despise carbon fiber.

I've had a Southard for about a year now. I find it a little wider than necessary and having an asymmetrical frame/frame&scale slightly annoys my OCD. But those are only slight negatives and I must say I Love that knife.
 
Deinos said:
Looking to pick up one more knife this year and it is between the GB 1 and the Southard. Had my eye on both for a long time and finally ready to pull the trigger on one of them. Price not an issue as the Southard is now close to the GB1 with it being discontinued (might sway me as it could become harder to find later).

I live in OH, so not appreciably humid, and I already have the BRK Essential in M4 that does well in this climate. Don't have anything in 204p/m390/20cv yet.

Prob use either as edc without a ton of hard use.

So, which way would you sway a guy who hasn't owned either of these knives, but has wanted to?

Thanks!
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The Southard is a beautiful knife and has an amazing action. I recently got mine and love its flipping action even better than my ZTs. It has a weaker detent than the ZTs but has a very satisfying soft and smooth action as opposed to my 0562cf's which is snappy and loud. As a knife to admire and fondle it has quickly become a favourite. CTS-204P is also an excellent steel being an analog of m390.

The issue with the Southard is that IMHO it is an entirely impractical knife when it comes to using as a knife. The spine is extremely thick but comes down to a super thin tip. (Partly cause the tip of the knife is sort of sheepsfootesque so the tip is at the edge) Also the thick spine has deep hollows to get the edge thin enough. These will catch on media like thick foam or a doughy Montreal bagel. Also there are two recurves in the blade and no straight section of edge, which I find makes it difficult to align the edge for freehand sharpening. The front recurve by the tip is obnoxious too.

On the other hand the GB1 is an amazing no nonsense work knife.
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Edit: note my Southard had its tip recurve ground out.
 
I have owned both and currently only have the gb1 remaining. That should tell you my vote.

The Southard is a nice knife. It has a great action and is fun to fiddle with but imho it falls short in actual use. It’s just so thick and short (height). It just never felt great in hand during use. The gb1 on the other hand is amazing at cutting.

In addition, the pocket clip on the Southard is just plain awful. No $250 knife should come with a pocket knife that bad.
 
I'm a little biased towards the GBs.

The Southard is lighter. I don't care for flippers or frame locks and the blade is a little too thick for my tastes. It's a good looking knife though.

For edc with rarely any hard use, I like the GB2 better than either.
 
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I have the Bradley One. I prefer it to the Southard because of the more robust area behind the pivot to grip the knife. No significant cut out for the lock release and finger gaurd like protrusion which I can do without. I prefer the thicker frame / liners on the One (the GB Two are thinner).

I have no regrets in buying my GB One.
 
firefighterguy said:
The Southard is a nice knife. It has a great action and is fun to fiddle with but imho it falls short in actual use. It’s just so thick and short (height). It just never felt great in hand during use. The gb1 on the other hand is amazing at cutting.
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Same here.. Southard was lacking.

Good luck finding a GB1.
Any reason not to get a GB2.
 
I love the Southard! I’ve had the standard brown model for about 18 months now and it’s my all around favorite knife. I picked up the blacked out version a few weeks ago—I couldn’t resist the discontinuation discount from BHQ. They are a steal right now.

I tend to like knives that have something eclectic about them, so the asymmetric scales don’t bother me, though maybe it could be a skosh thinner overall. It took me a while to realize that it’s a push button flipper; after that, true love. I’m even fine with the pocket clip (though sometimes I feel alone in that regard—LOL!).
 
The Southard offers pretty unusual geometry for a Spyderco and the tip has stood up to some hard use. It’s all belly and I think their heat treat for CTS-204P is perfect for a EDC friendly stainless steel.
The GB1 is a workhorse, plain and simple. I thinK the GB Spyderco’s are the best value they offer. If I were to pick up a Gayle Bradley I would suggest the GB2:thumbsup:
Between a the Southard and GB1 it’s hard to beat a hollow ground, framelock in CTS-204P for less than $160. I would get the Southard now while they are on clearance and hunt for a GB later
 
The Southard will disappear soon. The GB2 is a pretty good substitute for the GB1.
 
I tried the Southard a couple times. Didn't like it.
GB1 is a classic and still one of my favorites. GB2 is not a good substitute, IMO. They're very different knives.
 
GB1, love the hard use M4,and even though the liner lock is a little hard to disengage, it works.
 
At one time said the GB1 was the best value in folding knives out there, and today I'd probably stick by that. A Southard at reduced prices is tempting, but still GB1 all the way for me.
 
I only have the GB 1 but its pretty dam good. I thought it looked like a gentleman's folder but it is really solid and overbuilt. M4 steel, I live in NC about 10 min from intracoastal salt marsh and oil up the blade every few months and its been fine (I carry it but not everyday). It also seems to live up to the hype with how crazy sharp it stays. The carbon fiber grips are meh. I know the qualities of CF and how strong and light they are but they don't do much for me. They're a little smooth but the proud liners are awesome, really locks the hand in. Great ergos, looks a little weird to me kind of old school but feels really solid and great to use. It might lack a little refinement as far as sharp edges go around spyder hole and liner lock so if you don't like aggressive grips you might want to pass. The action on mine is easily as smooth as any knife I have (flicks open with any finger) and falls closed. I looked at a lot of reviews on the GB1 and 2, picked the 1 and have always been very happy with it. Its a great knife thats not like every other tactical folder.
 
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