Bradford Knives Guardian3
Let me get one thing straight before I start talking about this knife . . . . I love it. There, take it for granted that this review is biased from here on out because having carried and used this little EDC knife for the last eight months I am totally taken with it.
Let’s start with the specs, the knife is only 6.5” overall length and 3.5” of that is blade (3” cutting edge). That means it is a small little package, easy to carry and always handy. The full tang knife is only .145” thick blade, but, it is ½” thick through the handles for a good grip (more on that later). The Guardian3 is only available in Bohler M390 steel. M390 is becoming legendary for its edge holding ability, and I have to say, this knife can hold a sharp edge for a very long time.
The Guardian3 comes in two blade main blade options, both saber cut, it is just that one has a false edge on the top and one does not. My Guardian3 does not have the false edge. Since I purchaced mine Brad has also done runs of the Guardian3 with a full flat grind and Wharncliffe style blade. Finish for these knives are either stone wash or darken stone wash. However he does change it up and offer something different every once in a while. For example the knife in this review is surface ground flats with darken stone wash blade, I just thought it was cool looking.
As for the handle scales the Guardian3 is offered in 13 colors of G10 and carbon fiber. Additionally, Brand refers to the CNC milling done on the scales as 2D. Basically they are little flat top pyramids relief carved into the scales. These scales just stick in your hand like super glue. I can’t say enough about how this knife fits in my hand. The handle is short and ends in my palm allowing for a good two to three finger grip (with first finger in the well-executed choil). Yet, the butt of the knife is rounded just enough that it is not uncomfortable in the hand. There is some good jimping on the top of the knife, however, when I really want to cut through something hard, like in creating a feather stick, I usually place my thumb just forward of the jimping for a more comfortable use.
I tend to not talk about cutting vegetables and fruit with a knife, due to the fact all decent knives should, but I had to throw in some pictures from slicing a tomato. My Guardian is a Saber ground one not full flat ground, yet, look at those slices. Brad really did a great job with the thin stock and grind angles on this blade. It truly is a super steel as it gets razor sharp and stays that way, oh yeah, it’s stainless.
The sheath that comes with the knife is a leather cross draw sheath. Simple design with an insert to stop the blade from unintentionally cutting through the leather. I have heard other people grumble about this sheath, but I don’t understand why. No, it is not the quality of a custom leather sheath, however, it is a solid sheath that holds the knife well and is very comfortable to wear. Over the last eight months, 90% of the time this knife has been worn it was carried in this sheath. Oh, and I wear this knife every day after work and all day on the weekends. The other 5% of the time in rain or while camping I carry it in the kydex sheath made for it by Buy Brown Sheaths. Buy Brown does all the kydex work for Brad’s knives and the kydex is top notch. This kydex sheath is also were the knife is carried during the work day as it rides in my Spec Ops Brand messenger bag. Now my abdomen has what you might call a superabundance of adipose tissue, or, as I like to say I’m fat. In most aspects of life this is not a good thing, but thanks to my gut this knife just disappears in the leather sheath under a t-shirt. That said, I don’t think this knife would be noticeable even under the shirt of a skinny guy.
As I said first, I love this knife. It has replaced my folders (heck I’m down to just one with a pocket clip) and a couple SAKs as my EDC knife option. As Brad has said, he made this knife as a real hard use option instead of a “hard use” folder. In the pictures you can see it compared to two similar knives, an ESEE 3 and a Survive! GSO 3.5. Both these fixed blade knives are often mentioned when someone is looking for an EDC fixed blade. Both of them are great knives in their own regards. But neither of them are as convenient to carry as the Guardian3. Brad’s Guardian3 is truly an EDC knife. It is easy do deploy, always handy and sharp as all get out. I don’t know what more to say but get yourself one, you won’t regret it.
Best,
Dick Currey
 |  |  |
|---|---|---|
 |  |  |
 |  |  |
 |  |  |
 |  |  |
 |  |  |
 |  |  |