Spyderco Gayle Bradley vs Sage 1

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Mrbladedude

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Aug 2, 2010
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Which do you prefer and why? How does M4 stack up vs S30V?
Primary use : EDC
 
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I don't have a Gayle Bradley (yet), so I can not comment on which I prefer. I can tell you that I do love my Sage 1 though.

As for M4 vs. S30v, M4 has better edge retention but will take more time to sharpen. M4 is not a stainless as well, so it will rust more easily than S30v.

All in all it would depend on what the knife was going to be used for. The Sage is great for EDC or when a more gentlemanly knife may be needed. The Gayle Bradley is primarily designed as a hard use knife.
 
Both are great IMO, they are my two most used folders. The Bradley is my goto work/woods knife these days, and I carry the Sage most other places. The M4 is definitely the better steel in myexperence, but the s30v is great in an edc role. Between the two, it really depends on what you want the knife for to say which one is preferable
 
I'm close to buying another spyderco and I'm looking at:

-GB
-Sage I or II
-Caly 3 CF ZDP

I love how the GB is beefy, looks awesome, and has M4 steel. I've heard a lot of good things about M4 being a great steel. I like the design of the sages, the CF and Ti versions (since I'm too poor to buy a sebenza) but I have a ton of CPM-S30V knives, which is a great steel as well. And, as you guessed, I want to try the Caly 3 CF for the ZDP steel, which has a lot of positive reviews as well.

But who are we trying to fool, we'll just end up getting them all anyways, right?

I can't get enough of these threads! Keep those opinions coming guys! :D
 
Mrbladedude said:
Which do you prefer and why? How does M4 stack up vs S30V?
Primary use : EDC
Click to expand...

You have picked two very, very different knives. About all they have in common is that they are made by Spyderco and both have a sharp edge. One is a seriously tough, relatively large and heavy knife. The other is a "pocket knife." Both are well made from premium materials, and both are very good values. EDC means a lot of different things to different people. Someone who works in an office is going to have a very different idea about that than someone who works on construction sites. Tell us more about what you need?

For one view of S30V vs. M4, see this thread.
 
i have the sage 2 and the gayle bradley. i had the bradley for 2 weeks, though its been getting allot of pocket time. its heavier than the sage2. larger blade. it cuts better than the sage or any of my other ffg blades. dont really know if its the steel or the blade grind but its a cutting fool. i dont mind the weight and find i cant leave the GB at home and edc something else i start missing it. I still love the sage 2 though. and plan on a sage one and anxiously awaiting the release of the sage 3 4 5 ... the sage has the same kind of fit and finnish to it that the GB has, which is first rate. id carry the sage if weight were more important an issue. the titanium frame gets cold to the touch and would prefer the sage 1 if i carried a sage in the winter.
 
kadinh said:
But who are we trying to fool, we'll just end up getting them all anyways, right?
Click to expand...

This is truer than I ever imagined.

I have the sage 1 and GB on their way to me in the mail, and I have a large sebenza also! So I guess I'll be able to say my opinions about the soon enough.
 
gayle bradley is really the flagship of the spydie line. smooth as velvet & outcuts s30 about 100%. not only one of the best made of the line but a true heavy duty cutter.--dennis
 
Sage 1 < Gayle Bradley
Both are great knives, but the GB is on a different planet.
 
Different strokes I suppose, but I like the Sage 1 better. I place a significant value on weight and the Sage 1 is lighter and less noticeable in the pocket. Also, the GB's ergos take some getting used to. For example, the GB pushes/places the index finger in the direction of the blade, which is great for pull cuts but not exactly comforting when pushing. In addition, the GB's lock was intentionally made to make it difficult for unintentional disengagement - great for a secure lock but takes more focus to unlock than the Sage 1.

Don't get me wrong, the GB is a great knife at a tremendous value, but the Sage is worth considering. Especially if edge retention isn't the be all, end all for you. The Sage has great steel, quality manufacturing, the best clip in the business, relatively light, and really nice ergos.
 
Wow - that's crazy, those were the first two knives I bought from Spyderco (together). I specifically bought those two because they were on the opposite end of the spectrum and I wanted to see a good example of both a larger knife and a 3" pocket/EDC knife from Spyderco.

Both knives are made in Taiwan which means top-notch quality fit/finish. Both knives were flawless in every single possibly way when I got them. Both have the same carbon-fiber scales on them (very nice - just grippy enough to be effective, but still very attractive). Both came razor sharp w/polished edges, and both are liner-lock models.



The Gayle Bradley's locking liner is probably twice as thick (at least) as that of the Sage's, and the blade-shape is more of a traditional drop-point/spear-point with a spyderco thumb-hole stuck on the top of it (very thick spine).

The Gayle Bradley was honestly just too big for me to EDC. It is deceivingly large/heavy as when you pick it up, it doesn't feel as "big" as it is on paper (if that makes sense), but its very much larger than any of the videos or pics I've seen on the net.

The Sage is quite possibly the perfect carry knife for me (I like 3" knives). The choil and thumb-ramp are nearly perfectly placed/shaped and while the blade is a bit thin at the tip, I don't have a need to pry with it, so its not a big deal for me. The wire-clip is very cool as it allows minimal exposure while sitting very deep in the pocket. The Ergos (when opened) for this knife are just about perfect for me (I have medium-sized hands) and the knife is so perfectly shaped when closed that it doesn't snag anything in the pocket (nothing is sticking out, uneven or rough).

The only odd thing about the Sage 1 is that it feels almost too light with the skeletonized liners, open construction, and carbon-fiber handles (almost delicate) but its way tougher than it feels - I've cut some stuff with this thing that I didn't think I was going to be able to and its done it with no issues and is still plenty sharp (Spyderco heat-treats their S30v to a super-hard point).

I sold the Gayle Bradley, because I'm not a large-EDC kind of guy, but if you are, its probably perfect for you. If you're not, then get the Sage 1 and you'll not regret it.
 
Thanks everyone for their experiences with these two knives. It's only made me want to get them even more in the mail. Why is waiting so painful???
 
Definitely the GB. The steel is much tougher and holds an edge better, and the knife is both more tough and a better slicer (they do that by making the edge thin; CPM-M4 can take it). I think the GB is one of the best values out there in pocket knives.
 
GB came yesterday. It's one awesome knife. Now I'm just waiting on the sage to arrive. I'm starting to think it's not really coming tho....
 
The GB is......friggin awesome! It's way better built than all my Benchmades and other Spydie's.

Unbelievable knife:)
 
I finally have used all 3 knives (GB, sage, caly 3) and while they all are excellent knives, I must say the GB gets way more pocket time than the other two combined.

The combination of size and weight (which are acceptable to me) and blade steel, plus the fact that it's super beefy and you don't have to worry about what you throw at it, makes it my favored out of all 3.

When I'm dressed up going out, I reach for the other two more often, but the GB is also very "dressy" with the SS liners and CF scales.
 
I have not used the Sage 1, but the Gayle Bradley is my go-to work folder right now. It handles an 8 hour day cutting cardboard, plastic, tape, and lots of other things in my shipping department job and still shaves a bit at the end of the day. M4 is a great steel and outperforms S30V by far. The only problems I have with it are that it is not stainless and it takes forever to sharpen compared to S30V. But if you coat it in oil now and then and have a decent sharpening system M4 is a joy.
 
They're both great knives, but I prefer the Sage for an EDC. It carries very low profile, and is one of Spyderco's best 50/50 choil knives. The M4 is an awesome steel for really beating the tar out of, but I found that my sweat just rusted the blade way too quickly. Spyderco's S30V is also great, and I marginally prefer the ffg over the GB's hollow grind.
 
I'd go with the Gayle Bradely I think CPM-M4 can get way sharper than S30V and at the same time have better edge retention also the handles on the GB are amazing.
 
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