Spyderco Gayle Bradley Review

lava_lamp

lava_lamp

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Oct 5, 2006
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Spyderco Gayle Bradley Review - Part 1

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Introduction

I received a Spyderco Gayle Bradley along with a Dragonfly as part of a pass around here: http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php?t=719946. I've actually had my own Gayle Bradley for a few months now and it has quickly become one of my favorites. The MSRP on the Gayle Bradley is $215 and our favorite online retailers sell it for about $138. These first two photos are of my knife, which came without the Gayle Bradley logo etched on the blade. The Spyderco website lists it as out of stock, but I think there are still some available from retailers.

I have owned more Spyderco knives than any other type over the years and one of the big reasons why is the company's collaborations with custom knife makers. We tend to think of Spyderco knives as lightweight designs with leaf-shaped blades, flat ergonomic handles, and the Spyderhole. In collaboration with Gayle Bradley, who is renowned for winning cutting competitions like those organized by Bladesports International, http://www.bladesports.org/, Spyderco has produced a top-notch folder with a thick and heavy handle and a more traditional blade shape. (With, of course, a Spyderhole.)

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Fit & Finish

All things being equal, I would prefer my knives to be made in the USA, but the fit and finish on the made in Taiwan Gayle Bradley is impeccable. The twill carbon fiber scales are bevelled for comfort and contrast nicely with the mirror-polished steel liners. I haven't always been a fan of Spyderco's carbon fiber scales, but they got it right on the Bradley. The version on the Native IV and Caly III looks good, but is too slick to provide a good grip. The version on the Stretch II is more like G10 -- grippier, but less attractive. The twill carbon fiber on the Gayle Bradley (and the Sage I) strikes a balance between the two and gets it just right.

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Handle

The Bradley is an open-backed design with thick steel liners and beefy standoffs. It is assembled with torx screws that are countersunk in the scales to avoid hotspots. The clip is a bronze metallic color that seems like it might be more durable than the standard coating. The clip can also be adjusted to right/left or tip-up/tip-down carry and there is an adjacent lanyard hole.

Blade

The blade is hollow ground from CPM M4 steel and one of the sharpest -- if not THE sharpest -- knives I've ever had out of the box. The hollow grind area and edge are ground very thin, but the relatively thick spine provides strength. The overall shape is almost like a rounded tanto and seems designed to cut and cut and cut. There is some light jimping on the thumb ramp that feels very grippy. There is also a shallow choil. I haven't used my Bradley enough to resharpen it, but so far it seems to live up to its reputation for holding an edge. M4 isn't a stainless steel and it acquires stains and patina with any kind of food use. I haven't seen any rust yet, though.

Size & Weight

At 5.5 oz, the sturdy Gayle Bradley is a little heavier than most of my EDC knives. I usually carry in a pocket, rather than using a clip, and I always know it is there - almost like carrying a multi-tool in your pocket. Here's how the Bradley's weight compares to some alternatives:
  • Zero Tolerance 301: 8.6 oz
  • Hinderer XM-18: 5.75 oz
  • Spyderco Gayle Bradley: 5.5 oz
  • Spyderco Manix 2: 5.0 oz (standard model)
  • Chris Reeve Large Sebenza: 4.8 oz
  • Spyderco Military: 4.25 oz
Here is how they compare size-wise:
  • Spyderco Military: 9.5" overall/4.0" blade
  • Zero Tolerance 301: 9.0" overall/3.75" blade
  • Chris Reeve Large Sebenza: 8.25” overall/3.5” blade
  • Hinderer XM-18: 8.24" overall/3.5" blade
  • Spyderco Gayle Bradley: 8.07" overall/3.43" blade
  • Spyderco Manix 2: 8.00" overall/3.375" blade
Blade thickness at spine:
  • Hinderer XM-18: .165"
  • Spyderco Military: .157"
  • Zero Tolerance 301: .156"
  • Spyderco Manix 2: .125"
  • Chris Reeve Large Sebenza: .125"
  • Spyderco Gayle Bradley: .118"

The photo below shows the Bradley with the Hinderer XM-18 and a large CRK Sebenza. Though it is a liner lock, the Bradley has a similarly robustly overbuilt handle, but not the blade, as you can see in the second photo.

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Spyderco Gayle Bradley Review - Part 2

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Ergonomics & Cutting Performance

I really like this knife. It looks great, feels great in the hand, and cuts like a laser. The action is smooth and easy -- one of the smoothest opening Spyderco knives I've ever held. It flicks open with little or no wrist action. The thick liner lock is easy to operate and locks the blade in place with no blade play in any direction. I've read some complaints about the liner lock being too hard to open, but mine is fine -- stiffer than the Spyderco Military, but far more flexible than the Spyderco Captain, for example. Here is a comparison shot of the locks on the Military, Bradley, and an Emerson Mini-Commander. Note how the Bradley liner is about half the width of the blade it locks in place, as contrasted with about 25% for the Military and 33% for the Emerson. If you want something any thicker, you'll need a framelock.

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The relatively heavy handle helps gets more mass in motion behind the blade and would be perfect for BladeSports applications like this: http://bradleysblades.com/cutting.html. That said, I almost never use my knives like that. Mine get used for office work and opening packages, household chores like cutting the plastic off a new mattress, light landscaping and gardening, occasional food prep, a little bit of camping, and all-around chores. Because it is a little big and heavy, I don't carry my Bradley as much as some of my other lighter, smaller knives like the Sage 2 and Buck Mayo TNT. They get the job done with a smaller footprint.

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Conclusions

The Bradley is a great knife with superb construction. Backed by Spyderco's warranty, it should last a lifetime. It fits a unique niche. It has the heavy duty build of a Strider or Zero Tolerance knife but cuts and slices much, much better -- more like a ZT 200 with a Krein regrind (or maybe a Spyderco Military with a tougher, heavier handle.) Who is it for? If you like the hefty feel of a bigger knife, but feel frustrated by the lack of cutting power, then the Bradley may be the ticket for you.

Thank you to Spyderco, Frank K, and BladeForums.com for putting together the pass around.
 
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i own recent versions of the stretch, bradley , & of course enduras . i.m.h.o. the bradley is the smoothest & best finished spydie made. i only wish the endura 4 in ffg was made in m4. that would be a perfect light weight -- heavy weight carry piece. i know how to use a knife & do'nt need the x-tra weight as in polished liners & carbon fiber. if i need stronger than an endura 4 i go with a straight knife like a lil canadian by bark river.i ca'nt fault the bank vault smoothness of the bradley but function comes 1st with me in a working knife.for pretty & more weight i go with gec.
 
Thanks for another great review!


The GB sure is super smooth and I really like the carbon fiber as well. It is a little on the heavy side but not too bad. I kind of wish it had a slightly deeper choil to keep your fingers separated from the blade. And a wire clip would be nice!







Frank
 
Agreed on all counts.

One thing I would like to add is this:

The Bradley feels far less refined than other Spyderco models such as the Stretch, Mili, and Delica. While the other models have near-perfect clip positioning, excellent ergonomics and great ease of deployment, the GB falls short in a few areas: the tip-up clip position is very uncomfortable to hold, the Spyderco hole is slightly occluded, reducing ease of opening, and the scale has no cutout for access (compare the locks on the GB and Military). I feel that this seems to trade comfort for strength, not something that Spyderco is or should be known for. One thing to note, however, is that the lack of cutout in the scale makes it a little more full and comfortable in the hand-this is countered by the increased difficulty of unlocking. Where the GB really hits it out of the park is in build quality and materials, as well as blade geometry. The edge is very thin, making it an excellent performer. With the tough M4 steel, edge damage is rarely an issue. I cut through two inches of Al with the Bradley, suffering no damage except a little loss of polish to the edge-it could still shave easily. The CF handles look and feel good, and the bronzed clip is one of the best finishes out of Spyderco. Lots of attention to detail went into this knife.
 
Excellent review. I agree with all of your observations and conclusions. I've owned numerous Spydercos made in the USA, Japan, and Taiwan, but the Bradley has far and away the best fit and finish of them all.

The edge holding of the close to 65rc M4 is also very impressive.

I also agree the design itself could be refined, but keep the build quality and the ~65rc M4!
 
Thanks for the excellent review lava_lamp! The GB is pretty much my favourite folder that I own so far!

Spyderco GB with some friends:

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I have carried my GB for over a year daily..(until my umnumzaan came along) anyways the Carbon fiber on my GB still looks like new.. My Umnumzaan looks like WAY WORSE after only 6 weeks..
 
My only complaint about this knife is that I waited so long to buy it. I'm normally a lock back kind of guy, but this knife is indeed very solid and also very polished. Love the design and steel. This is quickly becoming an EDC favorite of mine, and now my Caly 3's are going to have a run for their money for pocket time.
 
harleyguy02 said:
I have carried my GB for over a year daily..(until my umnumzaan came along) anyways the Carbon fiber on my GB still looks like new.. My Umnumzaan looks like WAY WORSE after only 6 weeks..
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I've carried mine frequently as well. The CF is still perfect and the blade has developed a bit of patina around the spydie hole. I've religiously use wipedowns of tuff-cloth to keep the patina at bay. I don't typically use my folders for food prep.
 
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