Bradford knives are basically upgraded versions of Esee knives. Both material and finish. I have a Guardian 3, the best fit and finish I’ve ever seen on a fixed blade. However, premium stuff comes at premium price.
The Esee 5 which is the closest in size to the guardian 5.5 is not a very similar knife IMO, despite similarities. Esee-5: 16 ounces (453g) Guardian 5.5: 6.3 ounces (178g) There's almost 10oz (286g) between them! That's basically *two large folders worth of weight* . And the 3v will hold an edge much better. It gets even worse in the new 3D Esee-5, which adds another ounce and puts the RRP *significantly higher* than the Bradford!!! A Bradford only costs more sometimes, and put it like this - What does the 3D Esee do that justifies it being over 60% heavier and ~10% more expensive with inferior steel?
I was really watching the knife at 13:00. Aaron is a very animated talker, and with both hands constantly moving around while he's locked on the camera, I thought that 3V might demonstrate its sharpness.
I received my Guardian 5.5 with Nimbus finish and kydex sheath yesterday! Took it out made great feather sticks as well as a "try" stick. Very impressed!! Will contact Brad to let him know! No, Brad doesn't put a 90-degree spine on his knives, which is too bad, but knife is excellent!! Brad also gave me the contact info for his kydex sheath so that I could order an O.D. Green sheath. Overall great knife and customer service!!
Picked up a guardian 3.2 with the horizontal leather sheath . It carry s pretty good so far and feels secure enough in the sheath . Sometimes , almost every other time , I just like to clip on a small fixed blade so I have to figure out installing an ulti clip on the back of the leather belt strap for not needing a belt . My favorite so far is the Benchmade hidden river with the sandwich kydex . It’s small but not too small . It’s really come in handy
Bought the 3.2 and love it. Didn't like the leather sheath though. Ordered a kydex sheath from Bradford and carry it on my belt every day. Threw the leather one in the trash. Also have the 3.5 and that will fit my hunting needs very well. Now I need the 4 and 5.5 😊Great knives, great choice,God bless
@@tu-mother not at all. It seems molded to the knife. I founs this at a local knife shop ans they were happy to let me test the sheath before buying. The seller was convinced that the sheaths are good quality. After putting my hands on a couple i believe him. Personally, I ove this kife
Mossyoak747 I have one in A2 very happy with it except the slick handles but I’m sure some prefer a glossy handle comes in 3v also for a little more cash tough sharp cool leather sheath with a firesteel loop really can’t go wrong.
Have you tried wet forming the sheath? Once you wet form you can add a water resistant oil to the leather. Most sheaths don’t come wet formed to its blade.
Would you still recommend this knife 3 years later? I just picked one up (3V, Nimbus finish, Carbon Fiber scales) for an EDC. I’m a fixed blade guy, but carry a Cold Steel AD10 in S35VN, but it weighs almost as much as the 5.5! I’ve been super into knives and own nice examples from Busse, Carothers Performance Knives (my favorite), Dawson Knives, Beckers, etc.. love the weight, balance and ergonomics of the Bradford Guardian 5.5. Surprisingly, I was prepared to be disappointed with the leather sheath, but the one that came with mine has retention like it was wet formed to the knife. Love the channel BTW.
Have u tried soaking it" the sheath after it starts drying say an hour in a outside area couple inside oil knife that touches leather an finish dry, after this take knife an check, if still alittle lose spray inside mainly with water dont soak, but dry again with out knife. It works for me. Love your vids, thanks for sharing
If your leather sheath is loose, this will help. Coat the blade in oil, dunk the empty sheath in water for a few seconds, insert the knife and set it out in the sun for a while. The leather will shape to the blade wonderfully. Once you're done just oil up your sheath so it doesn't dry out and you're good to go.ive done it many time and it works really well. I've heard some old cowboys say to do this with new slip on boots and then wear them for a day, but I never wanted to walk around in wet boots for a day to see it work. Lol
@@pjvosman yeah it won't work if there's a kydex insert. Leather will shrink and stretch to form when it's wet but if there's an insert it will just form to the insert. Works well with a leather only sheath though. Ive even done this to form a sheath to a different knife. Just make sure to oil the snot outta it once it's shaped so the leather stays in good condition. Lol
@@pjvosman So far I haven't had an issue with the leather sheath on my Guardian 4.5....retention is good so far. I have both the leather and kydex sheaths.
Thx for the great review. FYI: Charlie Cline (ebay him) makes a beautiful custom leather sheath for the Bradford series (4.5, 5.5, etc) with amazing retention (& Made in the USA). And true, the spine's no good for a ferro rod, but the sharpening choil makes sparks fly. Thx again & stay safe!
Hi mate, I've been somewhat obsessively investigating some Bradfords, and the stock thickness you got is totally different to what they say on the website. They list the 4.5 as .180 and the 5.5 as .170, which seemed odd to me. Do you know if they're increased the thickness? That's the opposite of what I want!
I like the design and steel, very similar to the Bark River Aurora II (though the Aurora II's blade is 0.625" longer). If I didn't have two of those already, this looks to be a great alternative.
If you have a strop, I would start with that. If it needs major sharpening, I use my Ken Onion Work Sharp w/ Blade Grinder attachment (practice on a lot of cheaper knives before you use it on a valuable knife like a BRK!). Before that, I would use sandpaper and mousepad, but this method tends to mess up the satin finish on the sides of the blade - I don't mind bc most of mine are users.
Ever tried the fixed blade Contego from Benchmade? Thats my favorite hiking knife ATM. I have a Cold Steel Master Hunter I switch out once in a while and a Busse 4 with a custom sheath I also change out once in a while.
Good review as in you mentioned all there's to know about the knife. I use a striker for the firesteel but a somewhat 90% spine is great for debarking. But some makers take that 90% spine over the top and make it so sharp it will cut your thumb. But the knife is a NO for me because of the jimping. I've never needed jimping and it's just in the way. I also asked many knife reviewers and even manufacturers what the use of that jimping and never got an answer or good reason. So for that price but with that jimping is a no for me.
If I could only have one knife, the 5.5 is the one. It ended my search for my “perfect” woods/survival/bc/camp knife (*after i sharpened the spine). Got a spare just in case. Love the knife, wasted so much $ and time on others.
my K- BAR Jaroz Turoc does all this and more + Kydex sheath for under a HUNDRED $$$ Of course steel quality is a BIG DEAL to some. in my opinion for the $$ just cant beat K-BAR. GREAT REVIEW. 🔪🔫✌
@@Nobody_really00 That would DEF. be a NICE addition I know it's not the Ideal fixed blade for everyone. . But it's a super tough knife and the Sheath is AWSOME! !! and really easy to get the edge back to razor shar,p even after a beating. i carry mine almost daily, maybe a bit heavy for some. ✌
Great review as usual However a little confusing. We know you received the knife for this review. you also spoke very highly of it. But not that long ago you were stocked! on the ESEE 4HM. I believe you said it was a dream come true. You also spoke highly of the ESEE 6. Would you really spend more then twice the price of your hard earned money for the Bradford?
He does knife reviews for a living so if it’s a half decent knife. He’s probably gonna love it lol. I have the Tops Brakimo. Reminds me of this. 5” blades are my favorite. Not too big to weigh you down, not too small for when you must baton Wood if the need arises. Also more penetration power for self defense if the need arises.
Good review. I agree and echo what you and others have said about the sheath.It's terrible, and a potential buyer will need to consider the additional cost of a sheath when shopping.
put the knife with the leathershead for some hours in cold water, and let dry them over night. so the leather will go closely surround the knife ....and it sits perfekt ....after some time, you can repeat it :)
If this knife is as good, as some people say in comments, why there is only 1 review on it, on TH-cam?? How does this compare with the Bark River 1.2 LT. Which one is better?
Their nylon sheath for the guardian5 is also not good. Blade can just slip out. Kinda sucks you have to send another $50 for a kydex sheath from them. But the knife is great
I purchased the Guardian 4.5 in 3V. I haven’t had this knife for 24 hours and it’s fallen out of the sheath twice. Both times the edge has been damaged. I really like the knife but the sheath is junk.
i love this knife, but the TRC k1 is simply better, also comes standard with a fantastic kydex sheath, while on the guardian 3v with leather is a terrible combination and i just dont understand these companys ( include bark river ) dont get that, if your sheath gets wet on a hike, which obviously on a belt knife is very likely... it will only take a few hours TOPS to rust your blade becouse of the damp leather beeing wet forever... i think people just buy these and dont use em often becouse as this will get wet you will be blown away on how quick your 3v will rust! ( if its not in a kydex sheath but in a damp leather one! ) ... think about it, you spend alot of money on steel that holds an edge way longer so you dont have to sharpen too often but after every damp day you will have to steelwool your blade to remove spotting... whats the point.
I had a Bradford Knives Guardian that I purchased from Massdrop and it had such poor fit and finish that I sent it back for a refund. The lanyard hole was rough and sharp, the jimping was crooked and miss aligned, the scales didn't fit properly. It was hands down the worst quality knife I've ever had and damn expensive too. I expected much more and will probably never purchase another one.
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Bradford knives are basically upgraded versions of Esee knives. Both material and finish. I have a Guardian 3, the best fit and finish I’ve ever seen on a fixed blade. However, premium stuff comes at premium price.
TRC Knives Fit and Finish is Next Level 👌
The Esee 5 which is the closest in size to the guardian 5.5 is not a very similar knife IMO, despite similarities.
Esee-5: 16 ounces (453g)
Guardian 5.5: 6.3 ounces (178g)
There's almost 10oz (286g) between them! That's basically *two large folders worth of weight* . And the 3v will hold an edge much better.
It gets even worse in the new 3D Esee-5, which adds another ounce and puts the RRP *significantly higher* than the Bradford!!!
A Bradford only costs more sometimes, and put it like this - What does the 3D Esee do that justifies it being over 60% heavier and ~10% more expensive with inferior steel?
@@jameshealy4594 totally agree man !👏🏻
Dang, that's the knife from your logo!
Bradford knives had a great bunch of blades at blade show 👍🏻😍.
I was really watching the knife at 13:00. Aaron is a very animated talker, and with both hands constantly moving around while he's locked on the camera, I thought that 3V might demonstrate its sharpness.
LUV THE HUMOR !!!!!!!
Just realized how much of a dad this guy is.. made my day
I received my Guardian 5.5 with Nimbus finish and kydex sheath yesterday!
Took it out made great feather sticks as well as a "try" stick.
Very impressed!! Will contact Brad to let him know!
No, Brad doesn't put a 90-degree spine on his knives, which is too bad, but knife is excellent!!
Brad also gave me the contact info for his kydex sheath so that I could order an O.D. Green sheath.
Overall great knife and customer service!!
Picked up a guardian 3.2 with the horizontal leather sheath . It carry s pretty good so far and feels secure enough in the sheath . Sometimes , almost every other time , I just like to clip on a small fixed blade so I have to figure out installing an ulti clip on the back of the leather belt strap for not needing a belt . My favorite so far is the Benchmade hidden river with the sandwich kydex . It’s small but not too small . It’s really come in handy
Bought the 3.2 and love it. Didn't like the leather sheath though. Ordered a kydex sheath from Bradford and carry it on my belt every day. Threw the leather one in the trash. Also have the 3.5 and that will fit my hunting needs very well. Now I need the 4 and 5.5 😊Great knives, great choice,God bless
Just picked one of these up. The sheath issue seems to be completely fixed!
good to know, you enjoy your leather? doesn’t drop out when held upside down like his?
@@tu-mother not at all. It seems molded to the knife. I founs this at a local knife shop ans they were happy to let me test the sheath before buying. The seller was convinced that the sheaths are good quality. After putting my hands on a couple i believe him. Personally, I ove this kife
Great knife! I would look at a JRE industries sheath. LT Wright uses these and they are great leather sheaths! They have a ton of different sizes
Great review. I would love to see you do a review on the Bark River Bravo 1.5. Keep up the good work.
Mossyoak747 I have one in A2 very happy with it except the slick handles but I’m sure some prefer a glossy handle comes in 3v also for a little more cash tough sharp cool leather sheath with a firesteel loop really can’t go wrong.
Have you tried wet forming the sheath? Once you wet form you can add a water resistant oil to the leather. Most sheaths don’t come wet formed to its blade.
Would you still recommend this knife 3 years later? I just picked one up (3V, Nimbus finish, Carbon Fiber scales) for an EDC. I’m a fixed blade guy, but carry a Cold Steel AD10 in S35VN, but it weighs almost as much as the 5.5! I’ve been super into knives and own nice examples from Busse, Carothers Performance Knives (my favorite), Dawson Knives, Beckers, etc.. love the weight, balance and ergonomics of the Bradford Guardian 5.5. Surprisingly, I was prepared to be disappointed with the leather sheath, but the one that came with mine has retention like it was wet formed to the knife. Love the channel BTW.
Have u tried soaking it" the sheath after it starts drying say an hour in a outside area couple inside oil knife that touches leather an finish dry, after this take knife an check, if still alittle lose spray inside mainly with water dont soak, but dry again with out knife. It works for me. Love your vids, thanks for sharing
Hi I just thought I would let you know that if you wet form the sheath the retention will be fixed
If your leather sheath is loose, this will help. Coat the blade in oil, dunk the empty sheath in water for a few seconds, insert the knife and set it out in the sun for a while. The leather will shape to the blade wonderfully. Once you're done just oil up your sheath so it doesn't dry out and you're good to go.ive done it many time and it works really well. I've heard some old cowboys say to do this with new slip on boots and then wear them for a day, but I never wanted to walk around in wet boots for a day to see it work. Lol
This won’t word, as the sheath has a plastic insert. Worthless sheath on a great knife
@@pjvosman yeah it won't work if there's a kydex insert. Leather will shrink and stretch to form when it's wet but if there's an insert it will just form to the insert. Works well with a leather only sheath though. Ive even done this to form a sheath to a different knife. Just make sure to oil the snot outta it once it's shaped so the leather stays in good condition. Lol
@@pjvosman So far I haven't had an issue with the leather sheath on my Guardian 4.5....retention is good so far. I have both the leather and kydex sheaths.
Thx for the great review. FYI: Charlie Cline (ebay him) makes a beautiful custom leather sheath for the Bradford series (4.5, 5.5, etc) with amazing retention (& Made in the USA). And true, the spine's no good for a ferro rod, but the sharpening choil makes sparks fly. Thx again & stay safe!
Aaron, any chance you can do a quickie side-by-side comparison video with the Guardian 4, 5, 5.5 and 6?
Hi mate, I've been somewhat obsessively investigating some Bradfords, and the stock thickness you got is totally different to what they say on the website. They list the 4.5 as .180 and the 5.5 as .170, which seemed odd to me. Do you know if they're increased the thickness? That's the opposite of what I want!
Why wouldn’t they just make Kydex? I’ve never understood leather at all. Kydex is so much mere versatile...
Agreed. Leather is classic, but no longer (since the inception of plastics) the best choice.
I like the design and steel, very similar to the Bark River Aurora II (though the Aurora II's blade is 0.625" longer). If I didn't have two of those already, this looks to be a great alternative.
If you have a strop, I would start with that. If it needs major sharpening, I use my Ken Onion Work Sharp w/ Blade Grinder attachment (practice on a lot of cheaper knives before you use it on a valuable knife like a BRK!). Before that, I would use sandpaper and mousepad, but this method tends to mess up the satin finish on the sides of the blade - I don't mind bc most of mine are users.
Ever tried the fixed blade Contego from Benchmade? Thats my favorite hiking knife ATM. I have a Cold Steel Master Hunter I switch out once in a while and a Busse 4 with a custom sheath I also change out once in a while.
Good review as in you mentioned all there's to know about the knife.
I use a striker for the firesteel but a somewhat 90% spine is great for debarking. But some makers take that 90% spine over the top and make it so sharp it will cut your thumb.
But the knife is a NO for me because of the jimping. I've never needed jimping and it's just in the way. I also asked many knife reviewers and even manufacturers what the use of that jimping and never got an answer or good reason. So for that price but with that jimping is a no for me.
great looking piece. Would you get the sabre grind or the full flat?
If I could only have one knife, the 5.5 is the one. It ended my search for my “perfect” woods/survival/bc/camp knife (*after i sharpened the spine). Got a spare just in case. Love the knife, wasted so much $ and time on others.
Exactly what I wanted to see. Thanks for the great review! 'Definitely a contender for my hiking needs.
my K- BAR Jaroz Turoc does all this and more + Kydex sheath for under a HUNDRED $$$ Of course steel quality is a BIG DEAL to some. in my opinion for the $$ just cant beat K-BAR. GREAT REVIEW. 🔪🔫✌
L8nitebass the only thing I wish I could get for the Turok is contoured G10 scales
@@Nobody_really00 That would DEF. be a NICE addition I know it's not the Ideal fixed blade for everyone. . But it's a super tough knife and the Sheath is AWSOME! !! and really easy to get the edge back to razor shar,p even after a beating. i carry mine almost daily, maybe a bit heavy for some. ✌
Great review as usual However a little confusing. We know you received the knife for this review. you also spoke very highly of it. But not that long ago you were stocked! on the ESEE 4HM. I believe you said it was a dream come true. You also spoke highly of the ESEE 6. Would you
really spend more then twice the price of your hard earned money for the Bradford?
He does knife reviews for a living so if it’s a half decent knife. He’s probably gonna love it lol. I have the Tops Brakimo. Reminds me of this. 5” blades are my favorite. Not too big to weigh you down, not too small for when you must baton Wood if the need arises. Also more penetration power for self defense if the need arises.
Been using the Winkler Woodsman a lot more than my Bradford 3.5 lately.
Awesome review would love to see you do a review of the work tuff gear Elbrus knife
What would you recommend for edc fix blade up to 4 in . . . Live in the city but A lot of outdoor activities on the weekends
Good review. I agree and echo what you and others have said about the sheath.It's terrible, and a potential buyer will need to consider the additional cost of a sheath when shopping.
At last a knife without blade choil. I must get it.
I'm considering replacing my esee 6 with this one. Maybe
put the knife with the leathershead for some hours in cold water, and let dry them over night. so the leather will go closely surround the knife ....and it sits perfekt ....after some time, you can repeat it :)
If this knife is as good, as some people say in comments, why there is only 1 review on it, on TH-cam?? How does this compare with the Bark River 1.2 LT. Which one is better?
Like this review. Made my choice about the size I want.
The stock sheaths from Bradford need retention. I lost my Guardian 3.5 in M4 after it fell out of the stock sheath.
Man the neck is super slim on it though. Just grabbed it and my xl hands are not alligned
To expensive for me..... But it is a nice looking knife and from what you said, performs quite well.
Their nylon sheath for the guardian5 is also not good. Blade can just slip out. Kinda sucks you have to send another $50 for a kydex sheath from them. But the knife is great
So its basically an upgraded Esee 5?
Sure like this one.
Would you pick this over a Benchmade Bushcraft?
Chris Calderon I have not used that blade so I can’t say for sure
This "Bradford" has got "Nothing" on my "Swiss Army Tinker" 😂😁👍. Great Video , Sweet looking Knife !!!
Don't hate on the tinker
Anyone? How does this knife Generally compare against the Esee-6?
Great review...
Sweet piece...
Good review
I purchased the Guardian 4.5 in 3V. I haven’t had this knife for 24 hours and it’s fallen out of the sheath twice. Both times the edge has been damaged. I really like the knife but the sheath is junk.
Sounds like a crap heat treat?
Nice knife but not something I'd give up my Fallkniven S1 for
Why would you it’s twice the price point.
$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$ !
How come you don’t review Bark River knives?
Prepared Mind 101 stole them all lol
Haha! Hilarious!!
The sheath is indeed poor. . . But the knife is fantastic!
Do you ever cry when you hit the edge with a rock and have to resharpen the whole knife
i love this knife, but the TRC k1 is simply better, also comes standard with a fantastic kydex sheath, while on the guardian 3v with leather is a terrible combination and i just dont understand these companys ( include bark river ) dont get that, if your sheath gets wet on a hike, which obviously on a belt knife is very likely... it will only take a few hours TOPS to rust your blade becouse of the damp leather beeing wet forever... i think people just buy these and dont use em often becouse as this will get wet you will be blown away on how quick your 3v will rust! ( if its not in a kydex sheath but in a damp leather one! ) ... think about it, you spend alot of money on steel that holds an edge way longer so you dont have to sharpen too often but after every damp day you will have to steelwool your blade to remove spotting... whats the point.
I got the Elmax 5.5 with micro texture carbon + Kydex. $280.00
Not digging the ricasso or the lack of a 90° spine, Bradford's other knives in the guardian line are better.
Cool!!!
I had a Bradford Knives Guardian that I purchased from Massdrop and it had such poor fit and finish that I sent it back for a refund. The lanyard hole was rough and sharp, the jimping was crooked and miss aligned, the scales didn't fit properly. It was hands down the worst quality knife I've ever had and damn expensive too. I expected much more and will probably never purchase another one.
www6droppin sorry you had that issue, I have owned 7 different sizes and designs from them with no issues like that.
www6droppin you must have gotten a unicorn. I have had nothing but perfection from Bradford.
*Shows competitive options
*all Bradford knives
What does this tell you?
There's no competition...
David Rutan haha no, just don’t have much else in this size range and steel size.
👍
You OG !
daddy like;-)
Wow im early
Early
Pass; too big for my taste.