Gayle Bradley or PM2

[RamZar]

Is it really that heavy? Only two ounces more than the PM2, but I guess in knife weight it's alot? I need to pick up both and handle them before I put down my money on one.

Heavy in the sense that if you had to carry it in dress pants. Overall, heavy is quite subjective.

 

[Hayes]

I own both. The quick and dirty:

Ergos: PM2 by FAR. The GB has next to nothing stopping your hand from sliding onto the blade, which is odd, considering its "intended use".

Blades: The GB can't be beaten in this category. By anything. The geometry is spot on, the M4 stays sharp FOREVER, and with a small amount of effort, may be the best slicer you'll ever know.

Locks: The PM2 has it. It's near Axis-Lock easy. The lock on the GB is strong, but absurdly difficult to access. I had to Dremel a cutout into the liner and slab in order to make the knife EDC worthy.

Fit and finish: GB by leaps and bounds. I needed to disassemble my PM2 to remove a metal burr from the liner that was marring the bronze bushing. The edge grind was also funky, and the pivot tension took forever to set properly due to the number of screws in charge of the tension.

Weight: PM2.

Use: Contrary to what most people think, I'd trust the PM2 for heavy tasks over the GB. Thicker blade, thicker behind the edge, and better ergos for imparting force. Also, when you compare them, the PM2 has a more robust tip. Unfortunately, force destroys the S30V, so that's a moot point. If Gayle had given his knife a deeper choil, some light jimping, and a blade as thick or thicker than a PM2, I'd trust myself with it a little more.

With these points I am in 100% agreement.

 

[JNewell]

Is it really that heavy? Only two ounces more than the PM2, but I guess in knife weight it's alot? I need to pick up both and handle them before I put down my money on one.

The first run was heavier than the current version - solid liners vs. skeletonized.

 

[sunandsteel]

Heavy in the sense that if you had to carry it in dress pants.

That's pretty darn heavy. I think my keychain feels heavy in dress pants.

 

[Chris "Anagarika"]

IMO, GB has enough choil to prevent hand slipping onto blade. I just realized how to check: compare it with other knives that people don't complain about worrying hand slipping onto blade: Endura.

As seen here, aligning the choil and hump ('neck) area, first look at the choil - the depth & curve is similar:

In normal saber grip, the hump above the hole works as the counterforce:

Overall, the GB actually has same 'neck' width with the Endura:

As seen, both width and curve at the 'neck' between handle to blade right where choil+hump forming stopping force are of same width, with slight curvature different on the hump. When stacking them, Endura is put on top because actually GB is slightly wider and will totally cover the Endura when photo taken if I put GB on top.

It may feel dangerous to some, so this is not meant to change those feeling that way, but only to share what it really is in term of the size/dimension. IIRC someone posted that he has used it for years and even when wet it still feel secure. Perhaps he always pinch at the 'neck'.

Edit to add: perhaps the feeling is contributed (at least that's how I perceive it) by handle heavy nature of the knife. It feels as if it keeps wanting to slide back if not gripped tightly. Maybe this is the main reason?

 

[Cypress]

Place the blade and handle in line with each other and retake your pictures. What you have done is basically explained that a 10º corner is the same as a 180º corner because they both have the same radius.

If you're going to compare handles, you must place the blades in line with each other to normalize the direction of force imparted upon the different handle geometries.

 

[whp]

The Bradley is a fine knife with an excellent steel and great fit and finish. But the blade rusts far too easily for outdoor work in humid salt air. Even with attempted nightly lubrication, rust prevention is too difficult for me. I carry one of my PM2 s more than any other knife. Perfect ergonomics for me. Good rust resistance.

 

[chrisk91]

You have to get both. Don't you know what forum you're on?!

In all seriousness, the PM2 is a better EDC, and the Bradley is a better user. However, the ergos on the PM2 agree with nearly everyone, while the GB's ergos may or may not do it for you. The PM2 is 9/10 comfort in every grip, while the Bradley is probably a 7/10 in thumb forward, reverse, and choke-up grips and a 10/10 in a hammer grip, which is my hard use grip of choice. I've never held a folder that is as comfortable as the GB in hammer grip, and never held a folder as comfortable as the PM2 in thumb-forward grip. M4 is a clear winner over S30v. Scales are a matter of preference. Just know, whichever you choose, you can't go wrong.

 

[Chris "Anagarika"]

Place the blade and handle in line with each other and retake your pictures. What you have done is basically explained that a 10º corner is the same as a 180º corner because they both have the same radius.

If you're going to compare handles, you must place the blades in line with each other to normalize the direction of force imparted upon the different handle geometries.

Cypress

Got your point on blade alignment. It's something everyone that feels GB is less secure has seen for a while. What I recently found out is that if thumb & fore finger squeezing the neck, both are similar in retention. As I said, it's to provide alternate view.

One might still feel it's not enough, which Spyderco seems to be listening to: see GB2 design that's more similar to Endura in this area.

 

[csisland]

I've heard good things about the Bradley but the fact that it's made in Taiwan keeps it off the radar for me. Others will say that the Taiwan Spydercos are putting out better quality but it's a personal preference for me that they are from the US.