Spyderco Gayle Bradley vs Benchmade 810 Contego

Jibbles

Jibbles

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Now I realize I'm on the Spyderco sub-forum, but I was hoping to get some objective input.

I really want to try M4 steel out and have narrowed it down to these two candidates.

I am a Spyderco fanboy, but I also love the Contego. I also like the clip on the Benchmade.

Anyways, what do y'all think?

810bk_1_zpsae38b20c.jpg
 
Now I realize I'm on the Benchmade sub-forum, but I was hoping to get some objective input.

I really want to try M4 steel out and have narrowed it down to these two candidates.

I am a Spyderco fanboy, but I also love the Contego. I also like the clip on the Benchmade.

Anyways, what do y'all think?

810bk_1_zpsae38b20c.jpg
 
No contest. The Gayle Bradley is one of the best production knives made. Extremely good value.
 
I'd take the axis lock and warranty any day. Plus. Merica. I'm a huge Spyderco fan. But. I feel like the contego edges it out.
 
I have a GB and it is great. I would like to try a Contego but I read about them and they seem to be large knives that are good for working but maybe not so good for EDC. The GB would be good for both.
 
Jibbles said:
Now I realize I'm on the Spyderco sub-forum, but I was hoping to get some objective input.

I really want to try M4 steel out and have narrowed it down to these two candidates.

I am a Spyderco fanboy, but I also love the Contego. I also like the clip on the Benchmade.

Anyways, what do y'all think?
Click to expand...

Benchmade's are generally prettier but not as good at EDC (though the difference is minimal in most cases). This applies here to some extent.

The Contego is significantly bigger than the GB. Both are hollow ground and both have a moderately strong and not particularly pointy tip.

Didn't get to use the Contego, but Benchmade and Spyderco are both known for their good HT.

The ergos are great on both, although I found the Contego (only from a quick handling) more abrasive in the hand than the GB, and I loved the smooth, woven texture of the CF laminate scales on the GB.
You can choke up really well on the GB, but if you tend to stab things a lot or put a lot of forward pressure when using a knife, I'd say the GB may not be your best choice. The index finger choil on the Contego makes for a "safer folder" in that respect, but I doubt it would affect anyone who really uses their knife. That said, for cutting/slicing/etc in real-world use, the GB is in my opinion a superb choice, and I would pick it over the Contego. If size vs weight is a big issue, note that the GB is almost as heavy as the Contego while being significantly smaller. Also the Axis lock tends to be smoother than most other locking systems, but is very sturdy and secure UNTIL the omega springs break.
 
Any carrying constraints? They're both excellent cutters with the edge retention of the M4.

GB has better looks and more comfortable carry due to its 3.4" blade versus 4" for Contego. They weigh about the same though. Contego does have a small issue with the backspacer sometimes cracking when using the glass breaker but Benchmade will send one out pronto. GB is about $25-$30 more.

GB is my favorite Spyderco after the Southard.

Contego is one of my favorite Benchmades but the size limits my carrying it.

If you like M4 you'll probably end up getting both.

I can get some side by side comparison pictures of the two.
 
Thanks for the input guys. I am not the biggest fan of Axis locks (prefer the BBL on the Manix) and I'm generally not a fan of liner locks either. But so far I am leaning towards the GB.
Also, I have some carry constraints, but nothing too unreasonable. My usual loadout is my EDC pistol, a spare mag, small leatherman, phone, wallet, etc. I can usually carry a larger folder no problem, but sometimes I need something a big more carry-able. I think the GB definitely edges out in that category.
 
I handled both of them at knifeworks a couple of months ago and ended up buying the GB for the superior ergonomics. The contego was not a comfortable knife for me at all.
 
Despite being brand loyal; In this case the Bradley would be the easier one to carry. The 810, to me, was a catch and release, it was rough on my hands and much too large. And then there was the fragile coating to deal with. There's nothing wrong with knives made in Taichung, IMO the Sage series remain some of the best I've ever owned.
 
Love my contego, I've broken 6 vehicle windows (on used junk doors at work) no back spacer fracture yet
 
I would get the GB. It is a wicked slicer. Plus Gayle Bradley is a great guy.
 
I've had and used both. GB, hands down. I don't have soft hands by any means, and the Contego became very uncomfortable when gripping it with any amount of force. It's aggressive texturing is meant for use with gloves, IMO. The GB does have exposed liners, though, that extend beyond the edge of the cf scales.
 
I see that this same thread has been posted over in the BM sub-forum, so I am going to put my answer here in this forum and I'll explain why. I choose the Contego over the Gayle Bradley and I think that more people will recommend the GB here in the Spyderco forum and more people will recommend the Contego over on the BM forum so I'm choosing to mix it up a bit.

I own both knives and consider them to be in my top 5 knives that I have ever owned. Primarily, I love the M4 blade steel. It, along with CTS-204P on my Southard (which is my favorite knife), are my two favorite steels. Being able to cut all day long without having to stop and sharpen is far and away my number one requirement in a blade steel. Even though I live in Miami, I choose high wear over corrosion resistance every time. I use my knives enough that corrosion just hasn't had time to form on the blade. My Bradley looks brand new and my Contego has a black coated blade so corrosion on the M4 is a non-issue.

To me, the main thing that differentiates the Contego from the Bradly and why I recommend the Contego over the Bradley is a simple one, although my criteria probably won't help many people. I really love the aggressive nature of the Contego with regard to ergonomics. This seems to be a love or hate thing with most people, I never hear anyone say that they have no opinion on the grippiness or ergos of the knife. It's always one or the other. Personally the Contego fits my hand perfectly and it stays locked into place. I haven't noticed any hot spots under heavy use and I certainly haven't suffered from any slippage so to speak.

Some secondary observations that I've made between the two are as follows;

I prefer the axis lock over a liner lock, but have no problems with the liner lock in general. The nature of the Bradley lock access is such that it was designed to make it difficult to accidently unlock the blade. This is fine, but it just makes the axis lock easier to actuate one handed.

For both knives being similar in weight, I like the fact that you get more blade length and hence, more blade usage out of the Contego than the Bradley.

I think that the Contego is thinner in profile from top to bottom when closed. I notice that it is slightly easier to slip my hand into my front pocket to get my keys out with the Contego clipped in rather than the Bradly. It seems like the Bradley just takes up a little more space when clipped in.

So these are the reasons why I recommend the Contego ever so slightly over the Bradley. For the ergos and grippiness, this is wholly personal, the Contego works for me but may not work for you. Blade length is important to me and I have no restrictions so I carry the biggest one that is still comfortable for me. Knife profile and ease of pocket access when clipped in is really the differentiation that may help set one apart from the other for most people.

All that being said, I still consider both knives to be pretty much equal as far as joy of ownership. I love them both dearly and would not hesitate to immediately replace either one of them if they were to get lost. And as far as where they sit on the list of my favorite knives, they are right behind my Southard which I believe to be one of the finest production knives for sale today. The Southard truly is a spectacular piece in every way (except for that horrible brown scale), but this thread isn't about the Southard is it?
 
That's a good versus matchup!

I like the newer 810 but I stuck with my 710 because I still like it better so I'd go with Gayle Bradley between these two.

Now between the 710 M4/orM390 versus the GB.........................................................
 
If you want objective input, go to General Knife Discussion. Starting threads that contain "versus" comparing 2 different manufacturers should not be done in the manufacturers forum itself. It's just poor form, particularly when they are posted in multiple locations.
 
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