I have a bone to pick with Taylor Martin. Taylor is a wonderful ambassador for the EDC community. He and Bernard Capulong represent the two Founding Fathers of EDC. But like with the US Founding Fathers belief in slavery and sexism, even Founding Fathers can be wrong. Taylor has long been a proponent of EDC fixed blades. This class of smaller, more compact knives, according to Taylor, offer a host of benefits over folders. I am not sure Taylor is right and I thought the Guardian 3 would make an excellent test case. For this review I carried the knife with its stock leather sheath and the upgraded kydex design (plus an Ulticlip). I’ll note to the score difference below, if there is one. The Guardian 3 seems to be an especially appropriate choice as it is pretty much the Ur-EDC fixed blades. In doing this review, we are also going to keep track of whether or not EDC fixed blades make sense.

Here is the product page. The Bradford Guardian 3 costs $180. Here is a written review. Here is a video review. I also purchased the first party kydex sheath, which is great, for $45 and a Slim 3.3 Ulti Clip, sold by Ulti Clip not Bradford, which is also great for $14. My set up costs $239 all together.

TDLR: Held back by a terrible sheath, like almost all production fixed blades.

Design: 2

The largest benefit of switching from a folder to a fixed blade isn’t the strength of the knife—most knives are strong enough to do most work—its the comfort of the handle. Here you get a full 3D handle and an excellent one at that. It is easy use in a bunch of different grips and with a relatively small overall size, especially in the kydex sheath, the G3 is a real, viable EDC choice. Really leaning into a handle that would be impossible in a folder design makes a lot of sense as it takes the EDC fixed blade’s biggest advantage and really capitalizes on it. The entire knife is pretty well designed, but I love, love, love the size and handle in particular.

Fit and Finish: 2

Fixed blades, other than very high end designs (like an integral fighter with guard), are simpler to make and easier to refine. Here the Guardian has a ton of details that tell you its maker is very good at producing knives: the handle fills invites your hand without being overly textured; the choil allows for a fully sharpened blade; a carefully created swedge tapers the blade to just the right thickness at the point; and the lanyard hole stays out of the way. The G3 is expertly made and each detail counts. Its easy to phone in the details on a fixed blade, but they don’t here.

Handle Design: 2

I could imagine a world with the flat version of the handle and I would be pleased, but man, this 3D version is great. This is one of the best handles on a small fixed blade I have ever had. Compared to something like the Candiru or the Little Creek, this is lightyears better. Honestly, this reminds me of the handle on the Bark River Adventurer, and I loved that knife. Oddly, this knife is just as good in the hand as that knife, but a little more compact. The G3’s handle, the most important part of a fixed blade, is elite and that, above everything else, is what makes this knife worthy of your attention.

Steel: 1

You can find a Guardian 3 in pretty much any steel you want. I was on a trip when I purchased this one at Blade Gallery a few summers ago in Seattle, so I bought whatever steel they had. In this case, it was AEB-L, which is an excellent non-powder metal steel developed in Germany for use in razor blades. I have had a few knives in AEB-L, and its performance is pretty good. The steel takes a great edge and is easily user serviceable. It is also very corrosion resistant with the stonewashing here serving as more aesthetics than actual rust inhibition. It is an older steel and as a result doesn’t hold an edge quite as long as something like M390 or Magnacut. If I had a choice when I bought it, I would have opted for Magnacut and the score would be 1 point higher. That said, for the money, AEB-L is an excellent choice, probably the best bargain priced steel on the market in 2025.

Blade Shape: 2

A classic swedge drop point blade, is pretty versatile. If you are going for pure slicing, its probably not the best choice, but if you want a nice balance between cutting performance and durability, its hard to beat. I have always liked the look of swedge knives, but I feel like in a folder that extra bulk at the tip is wasteful, but here, where you could conceivable do some real drilling or piercing, I can’t think of a blade shape I’d want more, acknowledging, of course, that I don’t like wharncliffes or tantos all that much at all. The first takes away the tip of the knife and replaces it with um…something…and the second because it I don’t see an advantage that justifies its increased difficulty in sharpening.

Grind: 2

Like with the choice of blade shape, the grind here is trying to ride the balance between slicey and durable and I think it strikes a nice balance. I would like to see a thinner blade stock if the knife ran PM steel like on the Bark River Bravo LT, but given the steel and the intended use, I like the grind here. As a side note, I know why we get blades stonewashed, but on something this rust resistant, I’d love to see a crisp grinder satin. Its a pure preference, but just saying…

Sheath Carry: 0 (stock sheath); 2 (kydex sheath)

The stock sheath is pretty atrocious. The forced scout-style carry and the overall chubby profile of the sheath means this thing is much bulkier than it needs to be. I wouldn’t give it the time of day, especially when something like the ESEE Candiru is out there with this ultra flat nylon sheath. I generally hate those kinds of sheathes too, but this one is so bad, it makes nylon shock sheathes look good by comparison.

But the kydex number is a really great, one of the best production kydex sheathes I have seen. It is so good that it compares nicely to the custom sheath found on my Krein Whitetail. It’s not QUITE as nice, being a bit thicker and more crudely finished, but it is close. In terms of full scale production kydex it is a champ. I like the carry options on kydex and this one currently wears an Ulti-Clip, making it really solid in the pocket. I have a spare traditional hinged sheath clip from Tek Lok and it fits well. Note that the kydex can be ordered from the factory with a number of options. This versatility is another reason why I prefer kydex to leather.

As good as the kydex sheath is, however, I still don’t think the EDC fixed blade really works. It basically kills a pocket, unless the knife is Ver Steeg Imp sized. At that point, its not a fully functional knife—having tried some food prep with the Imp I can tell you knives of its size do have some limitations. For a knife with a 3 inch blade or so, the EDC fixed blade doesn’t offer enough over a well built folder to accept the carrying penalty. If you can belt carry a knife and not get weird looks, like if you are in Alaska in one of the remote towns up there, or on a job site, a small utility fixed blade might make sense everyday, but beyond that, I think Taylor is wrong. Most people don’t need the extra durability often enough to accept the carrying penalty even a svelte full sized knife represents.

Sheath Accessibility: 0 (stock sheath); 2 (kydex sheath)

The idea that you could blind reholster this knife in the leather sheath is comically. I can only imagine the blood spilled from middle aged men’s love handles as they tried to slide the G3 back into place. But with the kydex sheath, especially if it is riding in a pocket with predictable location, blind reholstering is possible. Both are sufficiently loose to allow one handed removal. The kydex sheath is pretty poppy too, which I always like to see. There is a point at which the sheath just explodes off the knife and goes flying. I don’t know why I like that, but I do. Actually, I think it is a good way to test the tactile feedback the kydex gives you when stowing the knife. Or I am just a fidgeter at heart.

Usability: 2

With a wonderful palm swell and beautifully sculpted 3D handle, the G3 is great in the hand. The choil allows for real control and seems like a natural part of the knife, as opposed to something forced into the middle. I have used the G3 for hours with no fatigue or hot spots.

Durability: 2

With hail and hearty materials like carbon fiber and AEB-L as well as no “prebroken” pivot, the G3 is a great hard use knife. I have no fear pound on this thing with a baton or driving it deep into wood and prying and twisting. Of course, this is why you buy a fixed blade, but some smaller ones feel dainty or frail and I don’t sense that here.

Other Considerations

Fidget Factor: High

With a great handle and a crisp kydex sheath the G3 is a delight for the fingers.

Fett Effect: Low

These materials, but for the terrible leather sheath, are nigh impervious to wear.

Value: Low

So the G3 isn’t as bad as a Busse, but I do think that they should offer the kydex as a base option. The leather sheath is atrocious. The fact that you have to buy the kydex separately is kind of a problem, but at least the knife ships in a way that you can use it, unlike a big ol’ Busse. But if you think this is $130 knife, it is actually a $160 one and at that price point it’s not that special.

Overall Score: as purchased 15 of 20; with kydex sheath and Slim 3.3 Ulti Clip 19 out of 20

As sold, this knife is okay. The knife itself is very good, but the sheath is hot garbage. It makes me think that Busse’s approach might be the right one—just kidding. Seriously though, this sheath is abyssmal. Its so bulky and hard to use and the knife is just too small for a belt carry set up. But the bones are there. Push through the pain. Because the knife is worth it. As a side note, I once interviewed Michael Walker, greatest knife maker of all time, and he said he stopped making fixies because sheathes were too hard. So I don’t really hold a bad sheath against a knife company. If Walker thinks there hard, that is proof to me that they can’t really be done correctly on a production scale unless they are kydex. Remember, he hand peens blades together over a period of three months. And he thinks sheathes are “too hard.”

But, if you get the kydex sheath and the Ulti Clip (note that the Slim 3.3 is the smallest that will fit without drilling into the kydex, which is not a big deal but requires tools), this is truly great EDC option if you are looking for an EDC fixed blade carry. I don’t think Taylor is correct though. EDC fixed blades aren’t a straight up trade off for folders. Sure there are smaller knives out there, like the Big I Designs model, the Little Lulu from Knafs, and others, but I feel like those tiny fixies don’t offer much over a folder. And they are harder to carry. This knife is brutal to carry compared to something like a TRM N2 or a Spyderco S6, but if I am going to bother, I want the trade off to be worth in terms of durability and the capacity to flex into truly grueling outdoor tasks like fire prep. The G3 gives you that while those smaller designs don’t. The problem for Taylor’s trade off calculus is that most people don’t do enough of these tasks daily to warrant carrying a capable EDC fixed blade over a folder. If you want to carry a smaller class of EDC fixed blades, it is basically a choice, one where you are shooting yourself in the foot (or pocket) in terms of carry in favor of a very small increase in durability that will almost never matter.

Competition

On the high end you have some Bark Rivers, but I have found like with GEC knives, they all have a same-y-ness to them. I think they are good knives, but I don’t see enough of a difference to justify the increased price over something like this knife, unless you really, really like convex grinds. I do, but not a $100 more enough. I like this knife better than the Candiru or Izula. Those knives lack the locked in grip on the handle. I think the ESEE 4HM is better but that is a substantially larger knife. The BK16 is also better, but again, it is a much bigger knife. I had the Little Lulu in for review and I like that knife a lot, but it does feel smaller in a way that limits use. I feel like I could do real fire prep with this knife and not worry about it. As a utility cutter, the Lulu is probably all you need, but if you want your EDC fixed blade to flex into harder use tasks the G3’s size and robust build offers some advantages over the Little Lulu. One is a true folder replacement and one is a mini camp knife, so I can see the respective merits of both. Compared to something like the Krein Whitetail, which is surprisingly similar in size, I wish the stock sheath was better and the grind cleaner, but the G3 doesn’t get completely destroyed by what I think is the best small fixed blade on the market. The bevy of high end steels to choose from and the available kydex sheath makes the choice very close.

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