FB33 Bradley Bowie
The FB33 Bradley Bowie is Spyderco's first fixed blade design collaboration with custom knife maker Gayle Bradley.
Appearance in catalogs
The FB33 Bradley Bowie appeared in the following catalogs:
- 2015 Spyderco Product Guide
- 2016 Spyderco Product Guide
- 2017 Spyderco Product Guide
- 2018 Spyderco Product Guide
- 2019 Spyderco Product Guide
- 2020 Spyderco Product Guide
Designer
Gayle Bradley
History, mentionings etc. from the forums
- FB33GP Bradley Bowie – a review, posted by forum member, 'N. Brian Huegel'
- Seeking field experience rpts of Gayle Bradley Bowie, posted by forum member 'Mako109'
Information from the Spyderco catalog on the web
FB33 Bradley Bowie
Gayle Bradley’s experiences as a custom knifemaker and competitive cutting champion give him an exceptional insight into high-performance knife design—an insight that is directly reflected in his first fixed-blade collaboration with Spyderco, the Bradley Bowie.
The Bradley Bowie’s blade is precision ground from PSF27—an incredibly tough spray-formed tool steel. Like the particle metallurgy process, spray forming rapidly solidifies molten steel into small particles so its component alloys cannot “segregate” or settle. This creates an ultra-fine, extremely homogenous grain structure that is ideal for knife blades. PSF27’s alloy composition includes molybdenum, vanadium and a generous 1.55% carbon, but because its chromium content is 12%—just below the official threshold for stainless steel—care should be taken to maintain it properly.
The full-flat-ground blade has a pronounced “belly” for precise cutting control and a long straight swedge (unsharpened bevel) that helps defines its “Bowie” character. It is complemented by full-tang handle construction and a prominent integral lower guard to protect the user’s hand. The handle’s gracefully contoured G-10 scales are 3-D machined and polished to an attractive finish that still ensures a secure grip during use. They are secured to the tang with stout tubular rivets that help reduce weight, allow easy attachment of a lanyard, and in a survival situation, allow the knife to be lashed to a pole to create an improvised spear.
A unique blend of expert design and state-of-the-art metallurgy, the Bradley Bowie comes complete with a custom-molded Boltaron® sheath with a versatile G-Clip™ attachment.[1]
Variations
The FB33 is made in Taiwan and features:
- a Bowie Shaped Blade
- polished G-10 handle scales
- lanyard hole in the handle
SKU | Handle | Edge | Steel | From/To | MSRP | Note | Number made | Grind | Sheath | Clip | Collectors club |
FB33G | Black G-10 | PE | PSF27 | 2015 - | $430.00 (2020) | Full Flat grind | Boltaron | G-Clip | Main |
Most collectible variation
The original FB33 Bradley Bowie, complete with original box and papers in mint condition, is likely to be the most collectible version.
Questions regarding collecting the FB33
Some interesting questions we are looking for an answer to:
Questions with an answer:
Technical information
Measurements (mm and grams) of the FB33 Bradley Bowie:
Variation | Length overall | Length blade | Length edge | Blade thickness | Weight |
FB33G | 252mm | 130mm | 116mm | 4.0mm | 218g |
Measurements (inches and ounces) of the FB33 Bradley Bowie:
Variation | Length overall | Length blade | Length edge | Blade thickness | Weight |
FB33G | 9.93" | 5.13" | 4.57" | 0.156" | 7.7oz |
References
- ↑ The FB33 Bradley Bowie in Spyderco's online catalog