Modded Gayle Bradley 1

[Sharp Guy]

As I posted previously, I recently received a GB1 and I think it's a great knife. About the only thing I might complain about is how difficult it is to access the lock to close the blade. I can unlock it easy enough but it's not something I'd want to have to do repeatedly. At some point I believe I've read that Mr. Bradley intentionally designed the knife this way so that the user couldn't accidentally press the lock bar and close the blade while squeezing the handle during a difficult cut. That might seem like overkill to some but heavy duty is what this knife is all about.

So.... a few days ago I see an ad for a GB1 for a very attractive price. The pics for the ad weren't visible at first so I went against my (usually) good judgement and committed to buying the knife based upon the seller's description. The next day the pics appeared in the ad and I saw right away that the knife had been modded. I was disappointed at first and I probably could've backed out of the sale but the knife was priced accordingly, the mod appeared to be very well done, and I was genuinely curious to see how much easier it would be to unlock the knife.

I received the knife today and I have to say that having that access to the lock is, at least for me, a drastic improvement. The person that did the work executed the modification so well that it looks and feels like it belongs there. They even went as far as polishing all the edges of the liners on both sides of the blade to make everything blend so well that, if you didn't know better, you can't tell that non-lock side liner's been modded.







While waiting for the knife to arrive I was thinking that there was no way I would keep a knife that was modded like this. I've been handling both knives on and off while typing this and now I'm thinking that there's no way I can part with it. The cut out not only serves to make it easier to unlock the blade but it also makes a nice place for your middle or index finger to ride when using the knife. I was wondering if I could possibly press on the lock with my finger while using the knife but with the liners being exposed from the scales the way they are I don't see that happening.

[Flipping Addict]

Would loove to have that modded version. I wish they were like that originally.

[sabb8pro2]

I did the same to mine, plus a few other changes. Makes a huge difference.

[RadioactiveSpyder]

Boy, that knife is certainly making the rounds! :) I think there's another thread on this specific knife somewhere... I've certainly seen pics of it before.

Congrats! The GB1 is incredible and probably way more so with that mod! :D

[MacLaren]

He did a really good job. Congratz!

[Evil D]

This would be mandatory if I owned a GB1.

[Sharp Guy]

Boy, that knife is certainly making the rounds! :) I think there's another thread on this specific knife somewhere... I've certainly seen those pics before.

Congrats! The GB1 is incredible and probably way more so with that mod! :D

I thought I'd seen this before too but a quick search last last night turned up this thread. I'm pretty sure this is the thread I had seen previously.

viewtopic.php?f=2&t=53743&p=747222&hili ... on#p747222

You definitely haven't seen the pics before as I just took them last night with my phone.

The mod looks more subtle in person than it does in those pics. I think I'll be keeping this one!

[ronT2]

I like the mod a lot, really well done but would have a hard time doing it to mine.

[Evil D]

Boy, that knife is certainly making the rounds! :) I think there's another thread on this specific knife somewhere... I've certainly seen those pics before.

Congrats! The GB1 is incredible and probably way more so with that mod! :D

You've certainly seen this mod before, maybe not the exact pics but this has been posted here many times. When the GB1 came out this was a pretty hot topic. If there was anything about this knife that was more debated than the proud liners, it was the almost non existent lock access.

[Sharp Guy]

I like the mod a lot, really well done but would have a hard time doing it to mine.

While I'm perfectly capable of doing the work I don't think I could bring myself to mod one either. I like the aesthetics/clean lines of the stock knife too much. I'm happy I found one that was already modded. It may not look as pretty but it's way more functional in my opinion.

[RadioactiveSpyder]

There you go, I changed my original post to correct that I hadn't seen those exact pics... Another example of my crappy memory I guess...

[ABX2011]

Nice mod! A lot of people have found this mod to be a big improvement. I enjoy my GB1 in its original state and I have no trouble disengaging the lock. To each his own. I have had trouble with other models like the Positron and the Navaja. I guess it depends on hand/thumb size/shape.

[Tdog]

Here's a picture of mine with a bit less relief. Prefer it over the original.

:spyder:

[Sharp Guy]

Nice mod! A lot of people have found this mod to be a big improvement. I enjoy my GB1 in its original state and I have no trouble disengaging the lock. To each his own. I have had trouble with other models like the Positron and the Navaja. I guess it depends on hand/thumb size/shape.

I can unlock my un-modded GB1 easy enough but if I do it a few times my thumb starts to get a little raw.

Here's a picture of mine with a bit less relief. Prefer it over the original.

20160710_145118_resized.jpg

:spyder:

I think I prefer how your's looks. Less obvious than the way mine was modded. As I said previously, mine actually looks better in person than it does in pictures but still pretty obvious to someone who knows what they're looking at.

I'm really having trouble deciding on which one to keep (I know keep both). I like having the factory original but I like the functionality of the modded version. Decisions...decisions...

[Tdog]

Nice mod! A lot of people have found this mod to be a big improvement. I enjoy my GB1 in its original state and I have no trouble disengaging the lock. To each his own. I have had trouble with other models like the Positron and the Navaja. I guess it depends on hand/thumb size/shape.

I can unlock my un-modded GB1 easy enough but if I do it a few times my thumb starts to get a little raw.

Here's a picture of mine with a bit less relief. Prefer it over the original.

20160710_145118_resized.jpg

:spyder:

I think I prefer how your's looks. Less obvious than the way mine was modded. As I said previously, mine actually looks better in person than it does in pictures but still pretty obvious to someone who knows what they're looking at.

I'm really having trouble deciding on which one to keep (I know keep both). I like having the factory original but I like the functionality of the modded version. Decisions...decisions...

You're right, keep both :D I like the added relief on your knife, more functional than the original. I have an older GB1 that has only Taiwan on the blade, still new. These knives are tanks, and the fit and finish superb. Classic blades. :spyder:

[farnorthdan]

Nice mod! A lot of people have found this mod to be a big improvement. I enjoy my GB1 in its original state and I have no trouble disengaging the lock. To each his own. I have had trouble with other models like the Positron and the Navaja. I guess it depends on hand/thumb size/shape.

I can unlock my un-modded GB1 easy enough but if I do it a few times my thumb starts to get a little raw.

Here's a picture of mine with a bit less relief. Prefer it over the original.

20160710_145118_resized.jpg

:spyder:

I think I prefer how your's looks. Less obvious than the way mine was modded. As I said previously, mine actually looks better in person than it does in pictures but still pretty obvious to someone who knows what they're looking at.

I'm really having trouble deciding on which one to keep (I know keep both). I like having the factory original but I like the functionality of the modded version. Decisions...decisions...

I'd stash the factory version away as a back up and use the mod as a EDC. :)

[Sharp Guy]

I'd stash the factory version away as a back up and use the mod as a EDC. :)

I've thought about doing just that but I'm not sure I'll ever need a backup. The money could go toward a Mantra 1 or Caly 3 that I've been considering adding to the collection. I'll hang onto both GB1s for now and see what happens.

[Malfeasant]

Nice pickup Sharp Guy. The liner on mine doesn't bother me. I haven't felt unsafe with other liner locks although this one gives me a nice cozy feeling being extra thick and stiff while working on a tough job. That sounds dirty.. Caught it as I typed it and I still did... Wouldn't mind having one with those mods myself. Looks nicely done.

[RadioactiveSpyder]

Nice pickup Sharp Guy. The liner on mine doesn't bother me. I haven't felt unsafe with other liner locks although this one gives me a nice cozy feeling being extra thick and stiff while working on a tough job. That sounds dirty.. Caught it as I typed it and I still did... Wouldn't mind having one with those mods myself. Looks nicely done.

Hey buddy, we don't judge here, whatever you do with your Spydies is your own business. :D

[10just]

drool