Couldn't hack the Gayle Bradley 2

[glbpro]

The liner lock is so disappointing, however, I have not been able to bring myself to carry it.
The claim to fame for Spyderco has always been the ease of one handed operation.

Totally agree with you on that one! However personal preference is everything in these cases, which is why Spyderco has so many designs and designers.

[hoimin]

Took me a couple of days, but I have no trouble with unlocking this knife with either hand. Just use the thumb meat and build a callous.

Yeah my issue is that I have quite a long nail on my right thumb (guitar playing) which gets in the way when working with frame or liner locks. So I need a larger cutout than most to access the lock bar - with the GB2 this was practically impossible.

Yeah that'd definitely be a limiting factor for your situation. Glad you found something you liked instead.

With gloves, I can't close the GB2 with my thumb. I need to use my index finger to pinch the lock bar and press the blade spine against my leg or something else to start the closing.

[hoimin]

Sometimes the Taiwan knives have very sharp edges. They do not take the time to work the metal edges so that they will be more finished. My carbon fiber Chaparral was like that. It was so sharp in some places it could cut you. However, 2 minutes with a Blade Medic and I fixed all of that.

Sal has said precise edges like this are considered high quality, so it's not quite a case of lack of finishing. (Me, I'll take comfort.)

I do not think that is what he meant. For example, my Millie is nicely finished and all the edges broken. Even the hole is smoothed out. Precise, I believe, means that the edges are exactly what they are supposed to be without any flaws. High quality Spydercos like the Techno have wonderfully broken/smoothed edges. I do not think Sal would say those are not signs of high quality. Personally, if I spend over $100 on a knife and the edges are not finished I feel someone did not do their job and I could just as well have bought a $10 knife. My $40 Cat (Taiwan) was wonderfully put together and all edges broken but my $110 Chaparral (also Taiwan) needed work. It takes time, skill, and money to properly smooth out the edges without ruining them. Just sayin.

Regarding the GB2's proud liners, there aren't any problem with sharp edges on this model. The liner edges appear slightly crowned and polished to ~1000 grit, so they're very smooth, and mildly reflective.

The Techno has very nice edges thanks to the stonewash finish on blade and handle scales.

[SpyderNut]

I can't comment on the GB2, but my GB1 requires a bit of thumb acrobatics in order to disengage the Liner Lock. It isnt too bad on my thumb, except I probably wouldn't want to open/close it several times in a row either.
However, I recall this is exactly the way the knife was designed per Mr. Bradley. Regardless, my GB1 doesn't see a lot of pocket time mainly because I find it far too bulky/big for daily carry in dress pants.

[Mad Mac]

...Adding some downward pressure to mine its easier to disengage...

Eureka! Pushing down firmly and over works much better
than simply trying to sweep the liner over as I would my Tenacious.
At the same time, I also have to apply a bit of pressure to the jimping on the spine
with my index finger to move the blade out of lock position a little when it unlocks.
Then the rest is easy. Thank you, abbazaba. Carrying my GB2 now.

[ImageX]

Some folks over British forum posted using the thumb pad rather than tip. Swipe it on top of the liner to left. I found this is easier to do and works with both left and right hand.

That's what I do and is the most natural way to do it. It's clearly designed to be closed that way and not with the tip of thumb/nail.

[SG89]

Good to hear you are carrying it again Mac

[Ferris Wheels]

It is the best folder I have found for use with work gloves on. If you own a GB1 or GB2, I encourage you to give it a try with a pair of gloves on.

You can operate that liner lock with leather work gloves on? I'm impressed.

Works great with leather works gloves. The precise, un-rounded edges get a good bite into the leather allowing ease of use.

Regarding "Unbroken Edges", these are considered a sign of quality and shows the makers mastery of their craft. While undesirable to some, every culture prizes different characteristics. Having a background in precision metal fabrication I can appreciate the effort and expertise required to produce a product with such perfect edges, no burs and no rounding a.k.a. "Breaking of the Edges".

The wonderful thing about Spyderco is that they give us more then one great knife to choose from, I just need more time and money to try them all.

[mrtodd777]

Exactly what Ferris Wheels Said. I am a Quality Control Supervisor at a CNC machine shop and after receiving this knife yesterday, I was thoroughly impressed. The Fit and finish is flawless (at least on the one I received, excellent detent strength, and no problem whatsoever with closing it one handed. The machining is top notch.

[gdwtvb]

I don't have the Bradley two, but I had a similar complaint with the sharpness of the edges on my Chaparral 2. Fifteen minutes with 2000 grit wet and dry and it looked identical to when I got it, but it felt perfect.

Grizz

[ohcyclist]

One easy way to round off edges you find too sharp is to run a fine sharp maker rod over them. Let's you really control how much you want to break them in.

[ferider]

Sorry to revive an old thread, took the photo below this morning and thought might be interesting for others.

Funnily enough I have no problems closing the GB1, but it's hard to close my GB2; don't really understand why.

So my GB1 stays unmodified, but the GB2 looks like this now:

[steelcity16]

It would awesome to see a dealer do some GB1 and/or GB2 exclusives with a nice color of Peel Ply G10, and DLC 4V. St. Nicks exclusive in Red/DLC?? :)

[Doeswhateveraspidercan]

A few days ago I got a Gayle Bradley 2 - loved the look of the knife and the way it felt in my hand. Unfortunately I just couldn't deal with the lock release - the combination of the non-relieved scale, the sharp jimping on the lockbar and the sharp edge of the proud liner which is exposed by the slightly undersized handle scale were just too much for me in the end. So I returned it and got a Mantra instead, which is proving to be a much less painful experience!

Guess I'm not man enough for that knife! :rolleyes:

Bruno

This is exactly why I sent mine back.. Glad to see I aint alone!! Got a RAT1, a couple cases of beer, and a fill up in its place!! :cool: John :)

Iron City Beer? Nasty stuff never did like it even when I lived in Bloomfield.

[Mako109]

My copy doesn't exhibit sharp jimping on the lock bar, nor on the edge of the liners. I don't doubt the OP's assertions as I can see that happening. Guess I got lucky (for once) with sample variation.

The minimal lock relief has never been an issue for me because I prefer to use the tip of my index finger for locks of this nature.

My issue with the GB2 is the minimal index finger guard and "short" jimping on the thumb ramp. I'm always afraid my hand will slide up into the blade, something that's happened to me a number of times using other knives also lacking in these features. Luckily I was wearing leather gloves and let go quick enough to avert disaster. If these two shortcoming were rectified, the GB2 would have been a wonderful hard use knife and would have earned solid place in my top 5 (which I now anticipate will go to my (soon to be received) Shaman Sprint).

Otherwise I love the blade shape which I think stands among Spyderco's finest, and I love the overall proportions and looks. My wish is for Spyderco to continue evolving the GB.

[Sharp Guy]

Sorry to revive an old thread, took the photo below this morning and thought might be interesting for others.

Funnily enough I have no problems closing the GB1, but it's hard to close my GB2; don't really understand why.

So my GB1 stays unmodified, but the GB2 looks like this now:

I have two GB1s. The first one I bought had the cut-out mod done (very nicely too). The second one is LNIB and unmodified. I struggled with the lock on the second a little at first. Then I realized if I put downward pressure on the lockbar as I'm moving it over it's much easier to release. I'm getting ready to part with one of the GB1s and now I'm having trouble deciding which one I want to move.

[lonerider1013]

Some folks over British forum posted using the thumb pad rather than tip. Swipe it on top of the liner to left. I found this is easier to do and works with both left and right hand.

That's what I've done.