Bradford Knives is the brainchild of Brad Larkin, who, since 2012 has been creating hand-finished knives made with American materials in Kent, Washington, stateside.

His experience in manufacturing, passion for outdoor sports, and appreciation for quality tools have propelled his brand to great success.

These are 2 of the best Bradford Knives from our catalog, and what makes them top sellers.

Bradford Guardian 3 (3D Fixed Blade, Camo Checkered G-Wood, AEB-L)

The Bradford Guardian 3 is available here in a wide variety of configurations, with different handle scale materials and colors. The one we’d like you to check out (based not only on the fact that it is one of our bestselling Bradford blades) is the Guardian 3, with a 3D camo checkered G-wood handle and an AEB-L steel blade.

Just a glance at this knife is enough to substantiate its popularity, but we’ll break it down, and let’s start with the handle.

It’s made with what Bradford calls “G Wood” with an attractive, pleasantly contrasting camo pattern.

This is like a G10 material with some sort of wood fiber added for traction and stability. As you might expect, it produces a material that is effectively impervious to the elements, but which offers a pleasant appearance and which delivers great traction as well.

So you get the class and character of wood, without the prohibitive maintenance requirements of solid wood knife scales. These scales are also checkered, which produces an even surer grip, especially in adverse conditions.

The handle ergonomics are excellent, too. It sort of has a modified broomstick handle with a choil designed into the front, which helps with indexing and control, and helps protect your hand from slipping up or down on the grip.

The pommel features an exposed bit of the tang with a lanyard hole so you can add your own if you so choose, and that little bit of steel is good if you ever need a glass breaker.

The blade deserves its own shining callout. It is a 3.25” classic drop point made of stonewashed AEB-L steel, with a false edge along the forward portion of the spine and practical jimping near the intersection of the spine and the handle.

AEB-L steel was originally developed for razors, and that should tell you most of what you need to know about this alloy’s ability to take an edge. It is excellent for that, but the chemistry discloses the full picture.

AEB-L typically contains about .67% carbon and 13.5% chromium, giving it the ability to take an edge, as well as a solid ability to resist corrosion. The lower carbon content enables it to form relatively fine carbides, which, when evenly distributed throughout the alloy, are the key to its propensity to take a razor-sharp edge.

The steel is very tough as well, giving it the ability to withstand hard use, and the size and dimensions of the knife are pretty solid. It’s not too big or too small, making it solid as a fixed EDC knife, as well as a trail knife or a hunting knife.

The knife comes with an attractive leather sheath, which is another nice bonus.

Bradford Guardian 3 Sheepsfoot (Blue Handle, N690, Pictured Above)

Fans of sheepsfoot style blades will love the Bradford Guardian 3 Sheepsfoot with a blue handle and Bohler N690 blade.

Let’s start with the handle on this one as well. It offers exactly the same dimensions and ergonomics as the former model, but this one comes with black and blue G10 scales. They also offer excellent grip and comfort, as well as natural indexing, but deliver a somewhat more modern, more electric look.

Also, this is “regular” G10, which, for lack of a better term, lacks some of the warmth of G Wood. It’s still pretty impervious to the elements and requires no maintenance while offering a solid grip under adverse conditions.

Like the other Guardian 3, this one features a full tang with a bit exposed at the pommel, to which you can attach a lanyard and which can be used as a striking tool.

The blade of this model is where the real differences start to bubble up. Whereas the former has a classic drop point, this one features a 3” sheepsfoot style blade of Bohler N690, with a profile that is not entirely unlike the blade of a skinner.

The style of this blade also incorporates jimping, like the other, with a downturned point that is much less likely to chip or break under hard use. The sheepsfoot design is a born cutter and is great for camp chores and particularly for processing game.

The steel also deserves a callout. It’s Bohler N690, which is a unique super steel with a content of 1.06% carbon and 17.3% chromium. Like AEB-L, it can take a ridiculously sharp edge (it’s also very fine-grained) and resist corrosion. In fact, N690 is superior in terms of corrosion resistance to AEB-L.

Bohler N690 also contains some other interesting elements, including vanadium and molybdenum (which both improve toughness) and a very unique addition, cobalt. The addition of cobalt improves the mechanical properties of the steel; cobalt-bearing alloys exhibit increased carbide-bonding strength and enhanced secondary carbide microstructure.

So think of cobalt as the secret ingredient that gives N690 a superior ability to take an hold an edge, without making it more brittle.

All in all, this gives N690 an uncanny ability to take a very sharp edge and resist corrosion, without adversely affecting its toughness or wear resistance.

This Guardian 3 also comes with a very durable, heavy-duty, and, for what it’s worth, attractive leather belt sheath.

Discover Other Bradford Knives at White Mountain Knives

While these are two of the top-selling Bradford Knives on our website, there are many others where they came from and plenty of other unique and original designs from the manufacturer.

Check them out in our brand collection and contact us if you’re looking for a model you don’t see listed. We may be able to procure it for you.