I have never been speechless about a new knife until today

[NDJeep]

spyderco liner locks are awesome.

btw is the new batch of spyderco bradleys out now?? i have seen a bunch available on ebay as of late at decent prices.

I hope I like it as much as the OP. I just picked one up on there for a good price. Been eyeballing them awhile now and at that price I grabbed one.

Should arrive this week.:thumbup:

 

[Dagon]

The only other knife manufactured by the same Taiwanese factory I know of is the Spyderco Sage, which also features top notch build.

You're forgetting the exceptionally well finished Chokwe (my favourite ethnic-inspired Spydie) and Bushcraft (the wood stability issues of the latter had nothing to do with the Taiwanese maker). Both are beyond reproach, on the same level as Sage & GB.

Based on my experience with these, I would gladly buy new Taiwanese Spydercos. Since recently I have a small Sebenza as well, a very strong knife, yet general construction precision of the Taiwanese Spydercos seems very similar !

Cat & Chicago were from another manufacturer who -as far as I understand- doesn't make Spydercos these days. In fact these folders were very quickly pulled.
Didn't know about the Salsa being Taiwanese - I don't have one myself. Anyway it's out of production.

 

[eatrustic]

You're forgetting the exceptionally well finished Chokwe (my favourite ethnic-inspired Spydie) and Bushcraft (the wood stability issues of the latter had nothing to do with the Taiwanese maker). Both are beyond reproach, on the same level as Sage & GB.

Based on my experience with these, I would gladly buy new Taiwanese Spydercos. Since recently I have a small Sebenza as well, a very strong knife, yet general construction precision of the Taiwanese Spydercos seems very similar !
.

Agreed on the quality level from the Taiwanese plant. In addition to the Bradley I also have a Bushcraft (one that passed Spyderco's standards for a 1st quality not one of the seconds).

Having said all that I can only assume that it's the specs that have made the Bradley the amazing piece of work it is with such a high level of fit and finish and not the plant it came from.
If you gave the same blueprint to the Japanese factory and the American factory I would assume there would be little difference. Right? At a certain level of manufacturing ability there shouldn't be too much difference in quality, more one of cost from the labor and sourcing materials.

 

[Tsujigiri]

I've recently had a chance to handle the Gayle Bradley a fair bit as Dennis Strickland loaned me one to use for edge retention testing. I found it to be a very well built knife with a wonderful solid feel to it. I personally don't quite feel comfortable with the handle because I don't feel comfortable with so little between my forefinger and the blade edge. But that is purely a matter of personal taste. My grip seemed stable during my cutting tests.

The CPM M4 is about as good at edge retention as anything I've tested. It holds an edge significantly better than ZDP-189. I measured the blade hardness at 62 HRC.

It was my understanding that ZDP-189 is harder than M4, and therefore holds an edge better. However, M4 is much tougher than ZDP-189. So by your tests, is M4 better than ZDP-189 in every way? Did you compare it to Spyderco ZDP-189, or someone else's heat treat? Because that would be great, considering that the GB has made M4 accessable to the consumer.

 

[B Hess]

Where did you get it. I jumped on the train late, and cant find it in stock anywhere

http://www.knifecenter.com/kc_new/s...s&srch=gayle+bradley&SUBMIT2.x=21&SUBMIT2.y=0

 

[jfindon]

I've recently had a chance to handle the Gayle Bradley a fair bit as Dennis Strickland loaned me one to use for edge retention testing. I found it to be a very well built knife with a wonderful solid feel to it. I personally don't quite feel comfortable with the handle because I don't feel comfortable with so little between my forefinger and the blade edge. But that is purely a matter of personal taste. My grip seemed stable during my cutting tests.

The CPM M4 is about as good at edge retention as anything I've tested. It holds an edge significantly better than ZDP-189. I measured the blade hardness at 62 HRC.

I feel the same way, awesome nice and awesome build quality, just doesn't feel right in my hand. I still like it though.

Like the OP, it was also by far the sharpest knife I have out of box.

 

[misterjuiceman]

funny how you say this rivals the quality of kershaws, for the most part I figured spyderco's were better quality and some kershaws rivaled them. But enjoy your new knife it looks great!

yeah, I don't think "rivaling Kershaws" is a huge feat for Spyderco. They're in the same league, one of which I'd say Spyderco is the best in.

 

[rpn]

Nice timing for this thread- I'm hoping for one to come today!

 

[B Hess]

Got mine. Very very nice. The blade is stupid sharp. Very substantial knife. I love it.

 

[Thrustus]

Reading your thread depresses me, I've recently had a 2 Spyderco's, A Gayle Bradley and a Fred Perrin PPT confiscated by Australian Customs. They were deemed "Flick Knives" ( Switchblades in american speak) and will be destroyed, no compensation no send back to retailer. What a waste, pity I could not have donated them to a lucky Forum member. Knife collecting in Australia is looking pretty grim. hope you get years of enjoyment out of yours.

 

[JeremiahWeaver09]

Reading your thread depresses me, I've recently had a 2 Spyderco's, A Gayle Bradley and a Fred Perrin PPT confiscated by Australian Customs. They were deemed "Flick Knives" ( Switchblades in american speak) and will be destroyed, no compensation no send back to retailer. What a waste, pity I could not have donated them to a lucky Forum member. Knife collecting in Australia is looking pretty grim. hope you get years of enjoyment out of yours.

oh man thats terrible, sorry to hear. i bet they wanted to keep them for themselves once they saw them