Great review, just ordered mine in stonewashed cpm magnacut with black micarta scales tumbled scale fasteners and a taco styled kydex sheath. They’re just a little bigger than the white River M1 Caper and has the same basic finger choil/ guard that I love. Can’t wait to get it in!
Great knife, I have been carrying one for several months now It's one of my favorite cross draw belt knives the handle is very comfortable Nitro V is an awesome steel. I highly recommend for easy carry EDC fixed blade..Great review RJ👍
Cool looking fixed blade. Sure wish I could afford to buy whatever I wanted. Thanks for the shout-out and the joining the live stream yesterday. Take care RJ.
Thank you, TK! I think everyone is in that boat, we all wish we could afford everything that we want. But for what you are getting with this knife, the materials and it being made in the US, it’s not way out of line for what they’re asking for it. I really enjoyed your live and I look forward to participating in future lives with you! This is a really exciting period for us!
This is the knife that got me into knives. It's a joy having this with me all day, every day. I'm eyeing the tanto variant next! The leather sheath doesn't do me much good, but their Kydex taco sheath is awesome.
Just got one of these for Christmas in Nitro V. I actually bought my son one for Christmas and my fiancé happened to buy me the exact same knife lol. I love it. Such a fantastic size for edc use. Will make for a great camp knife, hiking companion, and all around use. The choil feels great along with the handle, I have medium size hands but very wide palms and this knife feels fantastic. Great review.
Thank you! I thought that the Guardian was a fantastic knife. Sounds like you had a great Christmas! Thanks for letting me know how you liked the knife, good luck with it!
You’re welcome, J N! The sheath is really nice, I was surprised that they didn’t finish the edges, that’s the only thing that could be improved. Everything else is perfect! Thanks for watching!
I only had it a short time but it really impressed me. If you are on the fence I would say get one. There are many good choices in materials so you can get one that really suits you.
That is a beautiful knife, and definitely worth the money! Here is a little known fact about rich light material however it's spelled! Martin on their lower in Mexican made guitars which are excellent, use Rich light dyed black for the fretboard. I've had one it makes a very good fretboard and it looks and feels exactly like they're higher in ebony fretboards. There's a little bit of useless information for you thank you RJ for the video!
Great looking knife, like how they give you enough handle to grab onto so you get great control with the blade. Would love to grab one of these but for my personal use I'll probably go with the Guardian 4 as it will end up being primarily a in the woods carry as opposed to EDC. Thanks for the look see and keep making sharp things fun and enjoyable.
Thanks Zito! I thought that the sheath should have been burnished from the factory but that is a small thing. The knife is perfect. Really nice. I like it a lot! Thanks for watching, my friend, take care!
That would be a fun road trip! I think going to any of the manufacturing sites would be really cool. It’s a very nice knife, glad I was able to check it out! Thanks JB!
Also, Nitro V is probably in the top 5 toughest stainless steels, and any small chips and rolls will be very easy to sharpen out with a little patience.
Speaking of saving Pennie’s to get one . I unloaded a jar into one of those coinstars and picked an Amazon card in return and that’s how I got a Bradford . Haven’t got it yet though but the reviews all say it’s good to go .
Got one of these and love it. With Amazon Prime points, I know it was under $100, plus free shipping. The one and only thing I didn't like was the sheath, the stitching of which was fraying and generally defective...but I loved the knife, and there was no way I was returning it. HOWEVER, for $5--yes, five bucks--at a flea market, I found a 1970s German fixed blade sheath that fits it brilliantly. Has a good heat treat for Nitro-V, too! They still have some of these on Amazon, albeit not with all of the handle options. Great choice for fixed blade EDC and on my "to-review" list!
I agree, the sheath was a little lacking but the knife is excellent! By the way, I added you to the channel list that I include in the description box of my videos.
@@RJsKnives Thank you very much!! In the next round of shoutouts I do, you’re definitely getting shouted out! And not just because of that; you’ve got some great content on this channel!
I recently picked up a 3.5 in Magnacut. It's a pretty good little knife! I have 4 or 5 knives with Nitro-V, including one fixed blade. It's a decent enough steel.
Very nice Timbo! I haven’t had anything with Magnacut yet but am looking forward to getting a knife in that steel. Thanks for sharing your experience with your 3.5, it sounds like a great knife!
This was my first Guardian and I was really excited to review it. These are awesome knives and I think that you can’t go wrong with any of them. Thanks Gruggs!
Great review of a real nice knife. You might try a little bit of brown edge dressing on the sheath welt. It won’t finish the leather, but it will give it a bit of color.
Thanks Larry! That was a pass around group knife so I didn’t do anything to fix the sheath. I really liked the knife and the sheath would not stop me from buying one. I feel they missed an opportunity to make it perfect. Thanks for sharing a fix for it!
Great video and knife...looking at this and the Lionsteel B35. I don't mind the welt on the sheath...looks like it would be a good option to strop the blade while you are out in the field. Enough to hold on its side, maybe add a little compound to one side and keep the other unfinished, and strop away! Have you tried to use a ferro rod with it?
Having a hard time choosing between saber and sheepsfoot. Thought being the sheepsfoot may/could be more useful for day to day use, i.e. things other than stabbing (which ideally never happens)
I agree, no stabbing! That being said, if you prefer a sheepsfoot style blade, get that one. You will use it more and that’s what you want in an edc fixed blade.
I think that by the design of the handle and the choil that even in wet conditions, you won't run in any problem. The handle is nice and thick rounded, so no soure spots after much use. The saber grind is very versatile in different cutting action. Short said: nice knife, like it. Thank you RJ.
You’re welcome, Jeroen! This is a fantastic knife. You’re right, very well designed! Thank you for watching and being here for so long, I appreciate you my friend!
I don’t think you can go wrong with any of those choices, Dave. All of them make fantastic knives. Richlite is coming out in a lot of different knives. It seems like it will hold up but I have no long term history with it. The phenolic resin should make it pretty durable.
I've owned every edc fixed blade there is. Nothing comes remotely close to the quality of Bradfords leather sheath. I began wearing crossdraw almost like a belt buckle. But the guardian the is a waste of money and materials BECAUSE THE "3" doesn't have enough handle to cover even half a palm. Go with the 3.5 you will own the best EDC fixed there is. Period.
Skip to 5:28 to actually see the knife out of the sheath.
Thanks Jason!
Great review, just ordered mine in stonewashed cpm magnacut with black micarta scales tumbled scale fasteners and a taco styled kydex sheath. They’re just a little bigger than the white River M1 Caper and has the same basic finger choil/ guard that I love. Can’t wait to get it in!
Bradford makes excellent knives. Enjoy yours, sounds like a great choice! Thanks Jaybird!
Great knife, I have been carrying one for several months now It's one of my favorite cross draw belt knives the handle is very comfortable Nitro V is an awesome steel. I highly recommend for easy carry EDC fixed blade..Great review RJ👍
Thank you, JP! I agree, this is a perfect EDC knife. I really like it. Really well made. Definitely on my wish list!
I was really looking forward to a Bradford. After contacting the company I realized they didn't want someone "like me" as a customer. Wow. OK.
Don’t know what happened there. That’s ok, if they don’t work out there are plenty of companies that would like you to be their customer.
Cool looking fixed blade. Sure wish I could afford to buy whatever I wanted. Thanks for the shout-out and the joining the live stream yesterday. Take care RJ.
Thank you, TK! I think everyone is in that boat, we all wish we could afford everything that we want. But for what you are getting with this knife, the materials and it being made in the US, it’s not way out of line for what they’re asking for it. I really enjoyed your live and I look forward to participating in future lives with you! This is a really exciting period for us!
This is the knife that got me into knives. It's a joy having this with me all day, every day. I'm eyeing the tanto variant next! The leather sheath doesn't do me much good, but their Kydex taco sheath is awesome.
It is a very nice knife. The tanto version sounds awesome! Let me know what you think once it arrives!
They come with a cool sheath but what a good deal and Bradford makes awesome knives
Totally agree, Brandon! Really cool and a good value for everything you get. Really nice knife. Thank you for watching!
Just got one of these for Christmas in Nitro V. I actually bought my son one for Christmas and my fiancé happened to buy me the exact same knife lol. I love it. Such a fantastic size for edc use. Will make for a great camp knife, hiking companion, and all around use. The choil feels great along with the handle, I have medium size hands but very wide palms and this knife feels fantastic. Great review.
Thank you! I thought that the Guardian was a fantastic knife. Sounds like you had a great Christmas! Thanks for letting me know how you liked the knife, good luck with it!
Good stuff! Wondered about that sheath; I guess I didn't realize it had a plastic insert. Thanks for the look!
You’re welcome, J N! The sheath is really nice, I was surprised that they didn’t finish the edges, that’s the only thing that could be improved. Everything else is perfect! Thanks for watching!
Gorgeous looking knife there mate. Thanks for sharing it with us.
You’re welcome! I really enjoyed getting to handle that one, definitely a sweet knife!
It really sounds stellar. I've considered the guardian series for a while. Great review RJ 👍
I only had it a short time but it really impressed me. If you are on the fence I would say get one. There are many good choices in materials so you can get one that really suits you.
You got my attention with that one my friend! Thanks for sharing.
Thank you, Tom! Yes, this definitely falls into the small fixed blade collection. These are right up your alley for sure. Take care!
That is a beautiful knife, and definitely worth the money! Here is a little known fact about rich light material however it's spelled! Martin on their lower in Mexican made guitars which are excellent, use Rich light dyed black for the fretboard. I've had one it makes a very good fretboard and it looks and feels exactly like they're higher in ebony fretboards. There's a little bit of useless information for you thank you RJ for the video!
Thank you for the useless knowledge, you never know when you’ll end up in a trivia contest! The Bradford is a sweet knife. Thanks kj!
@@RJsKnives LOL👍👍🎯🎯
Thank you for adding me to your list brother! Still watching but this is a fantstic fixed blade. I appreciate you my friend.
Thank you and you’re welcome! I appreciate you also and I am glad I can help!
Great looking knife, like how they give you enough handle to grab onto so you get great control with the blade. Would love to grab one of these but for my personal use I'll probably go with the Guardian 4 as it will end up being primarily a in the woods carry as opposed to EDC. Thanks for the look see and keep making sharp things fun and enjoyable.
Thank you, Todd! I think it’s a very comfortable knife. I dig it. Nothing wrong with the 4” model. I cannot recommend enough, it’s that good.
Ended up getting this exact one
Nice! I really like what Bradford does. I hope you enjoy your knife!
This is a very good little fixed knife with an exemplary finish. All that remains is to burnish the sides of the leather sheath. Great video as usual.
Thanks Zito! I thought that the sheath should have been burnished from the factory but that is a small thing. The knife is perfect. Really nice. I like it a lot! Thanks for watching, my friend, take care!
Hello RJ. A great looking piece. I like small fixed blades even though i can't carry them that does not stop me admiring them. All the best.
Hello Rhino! It’s a really nice knife. Thank you for watching and I am glad you enjoyed seeing the video!
Really nice knife and sheath combo! Bradford is on the other side of Washington...I would love to go visit their operation!
That would be a fun road trip! I think going to any of the manufacturing sites would be really cool. It’s a very nice knife, glad I was able to check it out! Thanks JB!
Also, Nitro V is probably in the top 5 toughest stainless steels, and any small chips and rolls will be very easy to sharpen out with a little patience.
Nice! Thanks for sharing your knowledge! Definitely good to know!
Great blades, great review on this piece!!!
Thanks Big J!
Speaking of saving Pennie’s to get one . I unloaded a jar into one of those coinstars and picked an Amazon card in return and that’s how I got a Bradford . Haven’t got it yet though but the reviews all say it’s good to go .
That’s awesome! I know you will be happy with it. That’s literally the way to go!
Hello RJ, a great utuber "We Paddy from across the shuck" sent me. So I wish you well sir!
Thank you, knifelore1! Welcome aboard, I hope you will enjoy the channel!
One of the great EDC fixers.
Completely agree! Thank you, Zen!
Got one of these and love it. With Amazon Prime points, I know it was under $100, plus free shipping. The one and only thing I didn't like was the sheath, the stitching of which was fraying and generally defective...but I loved the knife, and there was no way I was returning it. HOWEVER, for $5--yes, five bucks--at a flea market, I found a 1970s German fixed blade sheath that fits it brilliantly. Has a good heat treat for Nitro-V, too! They still have some of these on Amazon, albeit not with all of the handle options. Great choice for fixed blade EDC and on my "to-review" list!
I agree, the sheath was a little lacking but the knife is excellent! By the way, I added you to the channel list that I include in the description box of my videos.
@@RJsKnives Thank you very much!! In the next round of shoutouts I do, you’re definitely getting shouted out! And not just because of that; you’ve got some great content on this channel!
@@j.w.greenbaum thanks, I appreciate the compliment and am happy that you enjoy my content!
@@RJsKnives Keep it up! Looks like you’re awfully close to a milestone!
@@j.w.greenbaum yes, we are close to the magical 1k mark!
I’m going to add a Bradford knife to the collection eventually, just not sure which one. Between the 3.2 and 3.5 at the moment.
I only have experience with the 3.5 and I think it is a good size. Either way, you will have a fantastic knife.
I recently picked up a 3.5 in Magnacut. It's a pretty good little knife! I have 4 or 5 knives with Nitro-V, including one fixed blade. It's a decent enough steel.
Very nice Timbo! I haven’t had anything with Magnacut yet but am looking forward to getting a knife in that steel. Thanks for sharing your experience with your 3.5, it sounds like a great knife!
Excellent knife! 3D Guardian 4 - CPM-3V is really nice!
This was my first Guardian and I was really excited to review it. These are awesome knives and I think that you can’t go wrong with any of them. Thanks Gruggs!
Just bought a 3.5 m390 , stone wash camo micarta off of theknifeconnection, cant wait to get it
Congratulations Sean! That is going to be an awesome knife!
Thanks for the intro/review of the Drop Bradford G3. New to the channel ... looking forward to your content (kudos PPP for the referral).
Welcome Byron! I am glad you’re here and thanks to Paddy! I hope you enjoy the content and I look forward to hearing from you in the comments!
Beautiful fixed blade! Really like this one RJ.
Me too Rick! Sorry to see it go but hope to add one someday.
Great review of a real nice knife. You might try a little bit of brown edge dressing on the sheath welt. It won’t finish the leather, but it will give it a bit of color.
Thanks Larry! That was a pass around group knife so I didn’t do anything to fix the sheath. I really liked the knife and the sheath would not stop me from buying one. I feel they missed an opportunity to make it perfect. Thanks for sharing a fix for it!
Awesome fixed blade! Cheers, buddy!
I agree David, it’s a gorgeous knife! Cheers!
That knife is so fast, it's a real scorpion blade!
Thanks for watching!
Gorgious rj great EDC hunting type very cool
Agreed, Tom. Really nice all around knife. Perfect size and nice blade shape. Thanks for watching my friend!
Nice, seems like a handy little fixed blade 👍🏻
It is. I really like this one. Thanks kwillin!
Great video and knife...looking at this and the Lionsteel B35. I don't mind the welt on the sheath...looks like it would be a good option to strop the blade while you are out in the field. Enough to hold on its side, maybe add a little compound to one side and keep the other unfinished, and strop away! Have you tried to use a ferro rod with it?
I did not try to use a ferro rod. That’s a good idea about the sheath. I think it’s an excellent knife. Thank you, Dave!
@@RJsKnives thanks! Pulled the trigger on it today. Will test the ferro rod for sure.
@@daveevans7151 Very cool! Let me know if you get a shower of sparks!
Sweet brother nice knife RJ…….. enjoy that one buddy stay well
Thank you, Pete! Those are really cool knives, I know that you appreciate a good fixed blade. You stay well also my friend!
Does the finger choil get in the way when you free hand sharpen?
I don’t think it would. I reviewed it as part of a pass around group so I only had it a short time and didn’t sharpen it while I had it.
Awesome thank you for the reply, great video.
Love the blade but can’t do horizontal carry. Sad.
Yes, for scout carry you would need a custom sheath. Or modify the supplied sheath. Thanks rjlewis!
What's the difference between the "drop" and "massdrop" versions?
From what I found out, it’s just a name change. Mass drop is now Kaviso drop.
Having a hard time choosing between saber and sheepsfoot. Thought being the sheepsfoot may/could be more useful for day to day use, i.e. things other than stabbing (which ideally never happens)
I agree, no stabbing! That being said, if you prefer a sheepsfoot style blade, get that one. You will use it more and that’s what you want in an edc fixed blade.
I think that by the design of the handle and the choil that even in wet conditions, you won't run in any problem. The handle is nice and thick rounded, so no soure spots after much use. The saber grind is very versatile in different cutting action. Short said: nice knife, like it. Thank you RJ.
You’re welcome, Jeroen! This is a fantastic knife. You’re right, very well designed! Thank you for watching and being here for so long, I appreciate you my friend!
Interesting, never heard of Richlite before.
Nice little fixed blade there, RJ. I will also save up to buy one, or maybe an ESEE or LT Wright.
I don’t think you can go wrong with any of those choices, Dave. All of them make fantastic knives. Richlite is coming out in a lot of different knives. It seems like it will hold up but I have no long term history with it. The phenolic resin should make it pretty durable.
I've owned every edc fixed blade there is. Nothing comes remotely close to the quality of Bradfords leather sheath. I began wearing crossdraw almost like a belt buckle. But the guardian the is a waste of money and materials BECAUSE THE "3" doesn't have enough handle to cover even half a palm. Go with the 3.5 you will own the best EDC fixed there is. Period.
Thank you, Austin for sharing your experience!