What could be in here? My grail maybe? Let's see...

A

ak585479

Joined
Jun 9, 2014
Messages
326
The package...

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I like where this is going...

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So close...

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Fully torqued at this point...

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Hitting my vinegar strokes by now...

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Aaaand boom goes the dynamite

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My first H-1 knife that will accompany me on every fishing trip, also my first fully serrated blade. I've heard amazing things about serrated H-1 and this knife fits my hand like a glove. Beautiful.

HOWEVER...

The Salt is somewhat overshadowed by my Spyderco Grail Bradley :). This is hands down the finest knife I've ever laid hands upon, let alone owned. This GB puts my pictured 810-1401 Contego, my previous favorite knife, to shame with the way it feels, slices, looks, everything. So much so that my best friend who just returned from his second tour in Iraq just got gifted said Benchmade 810-1401 :), but the way I see it he earned it anyway and putting a smile on his face made letting go of it easy. Not to mention I can't see EDC'ing anything besides my Grail Bradley for a VERY long time. I can't wait to put it to use and let it develop a nice patina earned through hard work. I love the weight of it, I love EVERYTHING about it. I'm so excited right now I can't wait to go to work tomorrow to start really using it. I am a very very happy man today! Thank you BF for I never would've had the joy of owning either of these without all of your recommendations and knowledge. I finally got my Grail knife :chuncky:
 
Just stropped the GB with some green compound then on the smooth side of the leather with no compound, then did the shave test on my arm. Let's just say it was so effective that I decided to VERY carefully shave my face with it. This thing is an absolute super tough straight razor. I got a better shave than I do from the 4 bladed Gillettes I usually use. I'm not going to make a habit of it for fear of slicing my face/neck wide open but holy hell this is one scary sharp knife.
 
Congrats on two great blades!

But I just have to ask: what the hell are vinegar strokes? Lol!
 
I'll be honest with you here......

I think the knife you used to open the package is the best of the 3 :P
That KW exclusive Contego is hard to beat...
 
^^^I have to agree. That handle is so handsome. And the Contego is a monster in any configuration. This version just adds to the awesome.
 
I disagree with above. Gayle Bradley is the best folder I've had in ages. One and half year of carry for it, and only left my pocket for special occasions (gentleman knife happenings).
 
I got my GB some days ago. It is an awesome knife by any definition. I really recommend it to anyone who want's to buy a top-end spyderco or any folder.

Still, I am seriously thinking about making a small, very small relief in the handle to make closing it easier. I know Mr Bradley made it the way it is for a good reason. The lock is stiff and you have to make a conscious effort to close the knife so it is undouptedly safe. I have to use it for some time before making a decision.

I call it my "large gentleman's knife" :) I really do not need a larger folder. Makes me want to buy some other carbon fibre handled spyderco, a smaller one for edc. Something nice, light and gentlemanly.
 
spyderco makes a saltwater H-1 knife with a straight edge, i bought one in all black for my nephew when he started working on boats in the harbor, great knife since im not a huge fan of serrations, especially not full blade serrations
 
Don't get me wrong I loved my Contego but it scared some people at my job so I only carried outside of work. Then my friend that just got out of the Army couldn't stop talking about how great it was (he used a CRKT M21 through 2 deployments so the Contego is like a grail to him) and I wanted to get him something nice and it dawned on me that's what he'd really like and I can tell the GB is in my pocket to stay whereas the 1401 was essentially a safe queen because it was "scary" to 1-2 people at work who complained and my boss said use a smaller knife or I'll have to start just using company supplied box cutters for every cutting task :eek:. I know I'll miss my Contego but it couldn't go to a better home than it did.

I haven't had any issue at all with the liner lock (more like a frame lock lol) on the GB. I rather like how it's tucked away actually. My hands are pretty calloused so it doesn't hurt closing repeatedly. I really have zero complaints about this knife. Some don't like that its non stainless but I take pride and actually enjoy maintaining my tools and have been looking for a non stainless folder for awhile, not easy to come by a great one these days.

As far as the SE Pacific Salt, I was never a fan of serrations either but I wanted to own at least one SE knife and from what I understand H-1 serrated blades are a far greater value than plain edge H-1 since the steel work hardens when the serrations are made the edge hardness is like 64 hrc (correct me if I'm misinformed please) whereas a plain edge H-1 is maybe 58 hrc tops. I also thought serrations could come in handy for a fishing knife and the many tasks it may be used for, especially on a boat.

Overall, even though I haven't put either through their paces yet, there's no doubt in my mind they'll handle whatever I throw at them and ask for more. I post pics and reviews after fishing and using the blades for at least a few weeks (hopefully I'll have some fish to show too :)).

Have a great day BF :D
 
AntDog said:
Congrats on two great blades!

But I just have to ask: what the hell are vinegar strokes? Lol!
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Lol it's a term from the TV show "The League". You can Google it since it may be against the rules for me to describe it here lol.
 
The Gayle Bradley was my first Spyderco, bought August 2013. One of my favorites. Took it apart, clean and lubed it, fantastic knife. Gonna get some custom scales for it eventually. Holds an edge forever.
 
You definitely received some nice hardware there. The GB is a fantastic piece (though some really struggle with the "made in" portion of the blade).

Few knives will perform as well for the price.

I just gave my pacific away, that was a nice one also. Really flimsy compared to the GB but in spite of the flimsey, it wouldn't break or fail in some respectably-hard use.
 
K.O.D. said:
The Gayle Bradley was my first Spyderco, bought August 2013. One of my favorites. Took it apart, clean and lubed it, fantastic knife. Gonna get some custom scales for it eventually. Holds an edge forever.
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I'm thinking about taking it apart to lube it and maybe slightly sand/polish the washers but I'm hesitant because I don't want to fix what isn't broken. I was also considering custom scales but the CF actually has far more grip then I expected. If I come across some beautiful scales in the future I may try them out. If I don't like them I can always swap back to the CF. I've got time though, I feel like this knife will last me a lifetime. I don't have words to describe just how much I love this knife. I slept with it in my hand last night lol. The only way I'll ever get rid of this knife is if I give it to my son when he's old enough but he's only 8 months old now so I've got time. Plus I'm gonna start him off with an SAK then maybe a custom Buck 112 or something. He's gonna have to earn the GB lol. Until yesterday I thought the Delica was the perfect EDC...not anymore :)
 
unit said:
You definitely received some nice hardware there. The GB is a fantastic piece (though some really struggle with the "made in" portion of the blade).

Few knives will perform as well for the price.

I just gave my pacific away, that was a nice one also. Really flimsy compared to the GB but in spite of the flimsey, it wouldn't break or fail in some respectably-hard use.
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Thanks! Some people for some reason seem to think Taiwan = China which couldn't be further from the truth. The build quality of the GB is unparalleled by any other knife I've ever owned. Even better than the 810-1401 Contego I gave away as a homecoming gift to my Army friend and that was a nice knife but the F&F is even better on the GB imo and I hear its like that for all Taichung Spyderco's. You're right though some people are stuck on buying USA only which I can respect but I like to buy quality no matter where it's made. Besides its still an American company owned by a great guy (Sal)
 
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