GB1 - perhaps the knife I would miss the most.

I say this with no disrespect intended to Sal or Gayle, two men I hold in very high esteem, but it seems like the GB2 was a knife that gave in to the vocal minority that complained about the GB1, and in so doing, drifted away from the “no concessions” spirit of the GB1.

Forum members complained the GB1 was too heavy, the finger Guard was too small to be safe, it was too hard to unlock, the handle shape and droopy blade looked goofy.

The GB2 arrives, with thinner, lighter liners, easier to unlock, straight blade, eye-pleasing handle shape, deeper choil/finger guard.......all the complaints addressed, but somehow not what the GB1 was.

The GB1 was a stroke of genius. Kudos to Gayle for designing it and Spyderco for producing it for the time they did. A wonderful tool for its intended uses.
 
Oddly enough, the GB1 is one of very few knives I've disliked in use enough to give it away. "Digital rounding" is an oxymoron, and proud liners should be a hanging offense in my personal opinion.

The good news for the rest of you is that since I didn't like it Spyderco will probably bring it back.
 
It would be great if Spyderco rereleased this knife. I would get a couple backups to my well used one and a couple for my son lol. Probably won’t happen but these kind of threads are quite enjoyable to read through.
 
yablanowitz said:
Oddly enough, the GB1 is one of very few knives I've disliked in use enough to give it away. "Digital rounding" is an oxymoron, and proud liners should be a hanging offense in my personal opinion.

The good news for the rest of you is that since I didn't like it Spyderco will probably bring it back.
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So I have to ask: Do you like the GB2?
 
Never tried it, or the Air either. Once the bruises on my hands healed I swore off anything with liners sticking out past the scales.
 
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yablanowitz said:
Never tried it, or the Air either. Once the bruises on my hands healed I swore off anything with liners sticking out past the scales.
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Fair enough. To each his own. I have not experienced any hand-bruising from the GB1 myself. Sounds painful.
 
Between the weird looks, (non) finger guard, non stainless, and high used pricing I would have never looked twice at this knife. Posts like this made me buy one. I don't have a huge collection to compare it to - Military, PM2, Advocate, 551, Green thorn Shirogorov knockoff - but it fits my hands much better than any of them. It's the last one I'd give up and I'm now watching the classifieds and Ebay for a spare.
 
kidcongo said:
Fair enough. To each his own. I have not experienced any hand-bruising from the GB1 myself. Sounds painful.
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It isn't fun. It didn't help that the next knife I tried on that project was a Manix 2 CF. I ground off all the jimping and swore off that model as well.

By the way, the project was a cabinet rebuild and I was shaving down 1/2" high density particle board on the sides to get the top to lay flat. Ended up using a Military for the job after the others had chewed up my hand.
 
aspade said:
Between the weird looks, (non) finger guard, non stainless, and high used pricing I would have never looked twice at this knife. Posts like this made me buy one. I don't have a huge collection to compare it to - Military, PM2, Advocate, 551, Green thorn Shirogorov knockoff - but it fits my hands much better than any of them. It's the last one I'd give up and I'm now watching the classifieds and Ebay for a spare.
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I have a similar story. I bought one, even though it looked wrong. I figured if such a strange looking knife offering, could have such a loyal following, there’s gotta be something to it, which there is. Wish I bought 2.
 
yablanowitz said:
It isn't fun. It didn't help that the next knife I tried on that project was a Manix 2 CF. I ground off all the jimping and swore off that model as well.

By the way, the project was a cabinet rebuild and I was shaving down 1/2" high density particle board on the sides to get the top to lay flat. Ended up using a Military for the job after the others had chewed up my hand.
Click to expand...
While I use my knives for a lot of things, there are better tools for that job. That said, I'd definitely grab a CQC-7B for that task. If not available, second choice would have been a GB1 though.
 
There are much better tools for it for certain. My Makita power planer would have made short work of it, but I didn't have it in my pocket and it was a six mile round trip to get it, so I decided to go with what I had on hand.
 
yablanowitz said:
Never tried it, or the Air either. Once the bruises on my hands healed I swore off anything with liners sticking out past the scales.
Click to expand...
The Air is a great little tough knife. I own two because I misplaced my first, then found it in a suit pocket almost six months after buying the replacement. Due to its size the proud liners are a non-issue compared to the GB1.
 
So after not buying a GB1 at a discounted price when they were readily available after the discontinuation I always had regrets.

I pushed it to the back of my mind and just decided it wasn't meant to be, that is until you enablers and this thread. HAHA

After going reading this thread and seeing the praise that the GB1 gets I casually put a WTB ad for a Gayle Bradley 1. I didn't mind if it was a user or NIB, I just wanted to see if I could find one. Well, a couple days later I get a message from someone willing to sell. I replied by asking the asking price, all the while thinking it'd be too much. I was pleasantly surprised on what the seller wanted and jumped on it immediately. It didn't have the original box, bummer but not a deal breaker as I use all my knives but still store them in the original packaging.

Well, it arrived and let me say this, my first impression before even opening the USPS box was that this thing is a tank! It's heavy but that was to be expected. My next impression after opening it was a huge grin across my face. The GB1 has an entire different "feel" than any of my other Spyderco models (PM2, Para 3, Manix 2, Delica, Native, Dfly, Endura, etc. etc.)

The precision, tolerances and build quality are of a much higher priced knife. Maybe that's why I've heard it referred to as a "poor mans Sebenza". This GB1 is a tool, and an excellent one at that. It doesn't have the quick opening, or closing of a PM2 or Manix 2 and definetely doesn't have that fidget factor so many other Spydercos possess. The liners are thick, the lockup is stellar and I really like the grip on it especially with gloves on. My only gripe is the soreness of my thumb after closing it multiple times. But, to be fair I knew that going in. It's fine because like I mentioned early, this is a tool, not a fidget piece.

Every single knife I own, even sprint runs and dealer exclusives are used by me, even if sometimes all that's needed is opening an Amazon package. Unfortunately I don't have many discontinued Spydercos and don't know if I can bring myself to use this one. It doesn't look to have ever cut anything but the previous owner put a screaming sharp mirror edge on it. I got it for a steal IMO but that doesn't matter if it's a hard knife to find. I think I'll casually start looking for another to keep as a backup. Or, even better hope and pray that @Sal Glesser and team someday bring this gem back in the lineup. It would especially be killer with some Micarta scales.

Anyway, here are some quick pics I snapped, they're not the best but many more to come. Guess it also fits in with CF Friday.
Enjoy your weekend everyone!


Untitled by Caleb Bender, on Flickr

Untitled by Caleb Bender, on Flickr
 
One of my favorite Spydies as well
rCMgZjS.jpg
 
Cscotttsss said:
So after not buying a GB1 at a discounted price when they were readily available after the discontinuation I always had regrets.

I pushed it to the back of my mind and just decided it wasn't meant to be, that is until you enablers and this thread. HAHA

After going reading this thread and seeing the praise that the GB1 gets I casually put a WTB ad for a Gayle Bradley 1. I didn't mind if it was a user or NIB, I just wanted to see if I could find one. Well, a couple days later I get a message from someone willing to sell. I replied by asking the asking price, all the while thinking it'd be too much. I was pleasantly surprised on what the seller wanted and jumped on it immediately. It didn't have the original box, bummer but not a deal breaker as I use all my knives but still store them in the original packaging.

Well, it arrived and let me say this, my first impression before even opening the USPS box was that this thing is a tank! It's heavy but that was to be expected. My next impression after opening it was a huge grin across my face. The GB1 has an entire different "feel" than any of my other Spyderco models (PM2, Para 3, Manix 2, Delica, Native, Dfly, Endura, etc. etc.)

The precision, tolerances and build quality are of a much higher priced knife. Maybe that's why I've heard it referred to as a "poor mans Sebenza". This GB1 is a tool, and an excellent one at that. It doesn't have the quick opening, or closing of a PM2 or Manix 2 and definetely doesn't have that fidget factor so many other Spydercos possess. The liners are thick, the lockup is stellar and I really like the grip on it especially with gloves on. My only gripe is the soreness of my thumb after closing it multiple times. But, to be fair I knew that going in. It's fine because like I mentioned early, this is a tool, not a fidget piece.

Every single knife I own, even sprint runs and dealer exclusives are used by me, even if sometimes all that's needed is opening an Amazon package. Unfortunately I don't have many discontinued Spydercos and don't know if I can bring myself to use this one. It doesn't look to have ever cut anything but the previous owner put a screaming sharp mirror edge on it. I got it for a steal IMO but that doesn't matter if it's a hard knife to find. I think I'll casually start looking for another to keep as a backup. Or, even better hope and pray that @Sal Glesser and team someday bring this gem back in the lineup. It would especially be killer with some Micarta scales.

Anyway, here are some quick pics I snapped, they're not the best but many more to come. Guess it also fits in with CF Friday.
Enjoy your weekend everyone!


Untitled by Caleb Bender, on Flickr

Untitled by Caleb Bender, on Flickr
Click to expand...
Thanks for sharing this. Hope your weekend is good as well.
 
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