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

Finally got my GB1 this week. Was going to order it via knifeworks (still in stock as of my most recent check this past week... in case anyone needs their first or a spare ;)) but ended up getting a helluva a deal via the exchange. Enjoying it so far, but haven't had much chance to put it to real use yet.

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Might still end up getting a Southard, but supplies have definitely dwindled at the disco'd prices. Lots of dealers have it at original or higher. Appears more DLC available than uncoated.

Thanks again on all of your suggestions and info!
 
I have 1 GB 1 and 2 GB2’s. I honestly think Thr Gayle Bradley is best knife for the money out there. I do also have a small love affair with my Southard. Thr 204P gets razor sharp and just a light touch on strop and it is back to scary sharp.
 
mr2blue said:
Since the Southard is now discontinued it is a smoking deal for about $160
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Think I missed the boat on that one. Can’t seem to find the brown g10 anywhere for less than $190-ish. Same for the dlc.
 
Razor said:
GB1 on the way! Last one knifeworks had. You guys cost me money. Lol
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I think a couple other BF Approved Vendors still have some in stock as well, but not at the deal KW had.

If anyone sees the Southard sub $170 from an approved vendor, let me know. Still interested in picking one up, but not at $200.
 
Deinos said:
I just might. Not bothering me at all as is so far, but that could change with prolonged use.
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Im with you. I never had any issue unlocking my gb1. I think if you have thicker thumb pads it isn’t a problem as they seem to wedge down between the liners no problem.

I used to think it was fat thumbs that have the issue but a friend who had trouble with the unlocking told me it is that his fingers have thin pads. (He ended up doing the mod)

Deinos Deinos even at $200 the southard is a good deal imho. The steel, the beautiful mirror stone wash, also the liner under the scale is titanium. (On many knives it is stainless steel, most ZTs for example)

My southard has so much quality in it that sometimes after I have put it away I find it left a little quality in my pocket. ;)
 
Lapedog said:
...even at $200 the southard is a good deal imho. The steel, the beautiful mirror stone wash, also the liner under the scale is titanium.
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I agree with this statement. I picked up a DLC version on closeout to complement my brown one (I have a second backup brown locked away too).

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The brownie was my EDC today, but they’re both dang sexy!
 
4mer_FMF said:
I agree with this statement. I picked up a DLC version on closeout to complement my brown one (I have a second backup brown locked away too).

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The brownie was my EDC today, but they’re both dang sexy!
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Any preference between the two? Drawbacks on DLC (minus obvious scuffing over time)?
 
Deinos said:
Any preference between the two?
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I’ve heard people say the DLC versions tend to be a bit snappier. My experience supports that. Note that the Southard is not as snappy as the average ZT flipper. That threw me for a loop at first. Once I figured out it’s intended for push-button, everything made sense (the flipper tab is really well designed for push-button action).

The brown G10 is overly grippy out of the box, but it smooths out to perfect with a week or two of carry. The black G10 is a bit finer. Both came perfectly ground and very sharp, the DLC insanely so. It surpassed my XHP Manix 2 LW for sharpest out-of-box knife ever.

Even though I’m homeymooning with the DLC and it may look more sleek overall, I think I like the brown a bit better. As stated above, the stonewash on both the scale and blade is truly superb and really highlights the amazing fit and finish. Every angle and corner is perfectly melted into the next. All of the fine details are present on both knives but they just show up a bit better with the stonewash.

I picked up two brown models on the Exchange last year; I thought they were a bit undervalued on the secondary market. I was really surprised they transiently went even lower on closeout, definately the best deals I have ever seen for a knife of this quality.
 
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