Quick Question About Bradford

[prov]

I recently purchased a Bradford Guardian 3.5. It's my first time purchasing a knife that wasn't under $25 or at a flea market since I was a kid. I purchased it from a reputable seller/authorized dealer. I also know it was the last knife (or only knife) in stock for these specs because after I purchased it, the website stated it was sold out. Also, the box looked like it had been opened a few times. It wouldn't stay in the close position seamlessly unless it's taped. It was obvious it had been opened more than once or for a long period of time.

My question is, when I got it, the leather sheath looked worn. Not too worn but it has a dark sort of pressure point that a worn sheath would have. There's also no significant pressure from this knife in that area. See photo below:

Next, from what I heard about Bradford was that it came with a great sharp blade out of the shop. This blade is great but it won't cut the hair on my arm. It won't cut paper super easily unless it's held tight.

So, I'm wondering, is there a chance this was like a demo blade or something? I guess the biggest give away would be the sheath from the markings. I don't have anything to measurer the knife's sharpness against since this is my first one.

However, overall, I love the knife. I was just a little surprised it wouldn't cut the hair on my arm and the sheath marking. I would def get another Bradford. I am not quite ready to sharpen it and wasn't expecting to need to sharpen it yet. Or is cutting the hair on your arm an unfair benchmark for a new knife? Again, I'm new, so I have no idea.

Here's the knife:

 

[lieferung]

I've always liked hair shaving as a sharpness measure, some folks don't see it as all that telling, and I can sort of see why. A good sharpening can easily remedy your situation. I mostly consider this when judging factory edge quality.

 

[Skidoosh]

My box was taped, the mark on the sheath could easily be from movement while shipping, not use by someone else

 

[dalefuller]

"Sharp" means different things to different people. Even knife nuts don't always agree on what's sharp and what's not. I've had 8-10 Bradford Guardians over the years. Most were bought new, a few were "pre-owned". My new Bradfords came with very nice edges, but I wouldn't describe them as "clean-shaving" sharp out of the box. They came with what I would call working edges, as in, "ready to go to work doing whatever". That kind of edge might not be the most impressive when it comes to shaving or fileting phone book pages, but it handles a variety of tasks on different kinds of materials, and it holds that working edge for a long time, especially with M390. Now... I do confess that, as soon as I get a Bradford, or any other knife, it gets introduced to my collection of strops. I'm not satisfied with anybody's edge except mine (OK... I won't mess with the edges I get from Josh at REK). I like to refine an edge until it works best for the relatively limited types of cutting I do.

That's my long-winded answer. The short answer is... your knife is fine. Strop it a bit to refine the edge and it'll shock you with how sharp it can get.

As for the sheath... it does look like it's been rubbed against something there. If you bought from a dealer that also has a storefront, it could be a demo model. Or the sheath could have rubbed against the knife or the box while it was in the box. All of my new sheaths came loose in the box (not individually wrapped), so they could have rubbed against something. I doubt that there's any damage done. I always coat mine with Obenauf's to weather-proof 'em anyway. That darkens the sheath so that those rub marks likely won't be noticeable.

Enjoy your Guardian. They are really great small fixed blades.

 

[halden.doerge]

I recently purchased a Bradford Guardian 3.5. It's my first time purchasing a knife that wasn't under $25 or at a flea market since I was a kid. I purchased it from a reputable seller/authorized dealer. I also know it was the last knife (or only knife) in stock for these specs because after I purchased it, the website stated it was sold out. Also, the box looked like it had been opened a few times. It wouldn't stay in the close position seamlessly unless it's taped. It was obvious it had been opened more than once or for a long period of time.

My question is, when I got it, the leather sheath looked worn. Not too worn but it has a dark sort of pressure point that a worn sheath would have. There's also no significant pressure from this knife in that area. See photo below:

Next, from what I heard about Bradford was that it came with a great sharp blade out of the shop. This blade is great but it won't cut the hair on my arm. It won't cut paper super easily unless it's held tight.

So, I'm wondering, is there a chance this was like a demo blade or something? I guess the biggest give away would be the sheath from the markings. I don't have anything to measurer the knife's sharpness against since this is my first one.

However, overall, I love the knife. I was just a little surprised it wouldn't cut the hair on my arm and the sheath marking. I would def get another Bradford. I am not quite ready to sharpen it and wasn't expecting to need to sharpen it yet. Or is cutting the hair on your arm an unfair benchmark for a new knife? Again, I'm new, so I have no idea.

Here's the knife:

There’s always the possibility that your knife was purchased previously and returned to the dealer. Unlikely, but you never know.

I’d just touch up the edge and call it good. The heat treat on Bradford’s is on point, and those G3.5s perform great. I love mine.

 

[prov]

My box was taped, the mark on the sheath could easily be from movement while shipping, not use by someone else

Hmm yes, my box was clearly opened before--like it was obviously opened for a long time or opened/unopened a lot. I wonder if it was a demo. No tape here on mine.

That's my long-winded answer. The short answer is... your knife is fine. Strop it a bit to refine the edge and it'll shock you with how sharp it can get.

As for the sheath... it does look like it's been rubbed against something there. If you bought from a dealer that also has a storefront, it could be a demo model. Or the sheath could have rubbed against the knife or the box while it was in the box. All of my new sheaths came loose in the box (not individually wrapped), so they could have rubbed against something. I doubt that there's any damage done. I always coat mine with Obenauf's to weather-proof 'em anyway. That darkens the sheath so that those rub marks likely won't be noticeable.

Enjoy your Guardian. They are really great small fixed blades.

Yes, I'll have to do something to slightly sharpen. I was just hoping to have a little more time to learn about sharpening while it had the factory sharpening.

And for the sheath, if you saw this in person you'd be able to tell it wasn't from being in a box. Almost feels like something else may have been in it. Along with the super loose box, which wasn't taped, like the other person Guardian's was, I wonder if it was used in house or as a demo. I had the distinct feeling that the knife/sheath had been used when I opened it. Especially because the box couldn't stay shut by itself. This was not purchased directly from Bradford. It was purchased from a super well known online blade retailer.

Anyway, if the knife has been used or demoed,it's only a small disappointment. I was hoping for a factory edge and the sheath is fine but I'd prefer indentations from the knife that's supposed to be in it. To be clear, if I press on the darkened part of the sheath it dips in probably 2-3mm. With that marking I would think the metal would be pressing against the leather. Bulging into the leather so to speak.

I'm just being anal bc this is my first lol.

 

[prov]

There’s always the possibility that your knife was purchased previously and returned to the dealer. Unlikely, but you never know.

I’d just touch up the edge and call it good. The heat treat on Bradford’s is on point, and those G3.5s perform great. I love mine.

For a beginner would you recommend diamond fine/coarse block and a leather strop? When reading the forums, that's sort of what my impression was for the consensus on m390.

 

[JOELSM]

I picked up a couple Guardian 3s at the first of the year. Both came extremely sharp ( hair poppin). The sheaths came tight with no wear marks. As far as the sheath goes in your case check the belt loop. Both of mine were very tight out of the box and were difficult to get over my belt initially. They have since stretched out. If the loop on your sheath is loose it may very well have been a display or used item. If the loop is still tight I would put my money on the marks having been caused by the sheath sliding around in the box.

If you got a screaming deal on the knife I wouldn’t worry about the marks on the sheath or sharpness. If you paid full retail price you may want to discuss with the dealer.

 

[Ajack60]

Contact the dealer an ask if it was a returned knife. If the answer is no, ask about the marks on the sheath. If you feel like they’re not being honest with you, return the knife. I've got a guardian 3 in Vanadis 4E and it came sharp, the sheath didn’t have any scuffs on it.
If it’s the one you really want then touch the edge up and start using it.
I don’t remember it the box was sealed on mine.

 

[halden.doerge]

For a beginner would you recommend diamond fine/coarse block and a leather strop? When reading the forums, that's sort of what my impression was for the consensus on m390.

Yeah, that should do the trick. Just start out slow doing freehand. Practice on some cheaper knives first.

Also, a Spyderco sharpmaker works wonders for basic edge maintenance as well, including steels like M390.

 

[JOELSM]

Yeah, that should do the trick. Just start out slow doing freehand. Practice on some cheaper knives first.

Also, a Spyderco sharpmaker works wonders for basic edge maintenance as well, including steels like M390.

Well worth the investment. I just honed up my Guardian on a Sharpmaker. Was back to Whittling paper in less than 5 min.

 

[prov]

I picked up a couple Guardian 3s at the first of the year. Both came extremely sharp ( hair poppin). The sheaths came tight with no wear marks. As far as the sheath goes in your case check the belt loop. Both of mine were very tight out of the box and were difficult to get over my belt initially. They have since stretched out. If the loop on your sheath is loose it may very well have been a display or used item. If the loop is still tight I would put my money on the marks having been caused by the sheath sliding around in the box.

If you got a screaming deal on the knife I wouldn’t worry about the marks on the sheath or sharpness. If you paid full retail price you may want to discuss with the dealer.

Contact the dealer an ask if it was a returned knife. If the answer is no, ask about the marks on the sheath. If you feel like they’re not being honest with you, return the knife. I've got a guardian 3 in Vanadis 4E and it came sharp, the sheath didn’t have any scuffs on it.
If it’s the one you really want then touch the edge up and start using it.
I don’t remember it the box was sealed on mine.

It 100% is starting to seem like it was returned. However, the belt loop is tight but I wouldn't expect that to necessarily even used by someone who buys quality knives and maybe keeps them for 20 days. As soon as I opened it, it seemed fishy.

The blade sharpness threw me off, the wear marks, that it was marked "sold out" immediately after I bought it, and the boxes' wear. Those are 4 big indicators--that it was at least a demo. It was the last one like this that they had on hand for sure. I think I'll call and just ask. It was about $10 under from some other ones but none were the same steel, wash, handles, etc for the 3.5s. I honestly just thought it was $10 under because it was the 'ghost' shade and I thought they had a harder time selling it. Honestly, for a used knife I would want a little more than $10 off. Maybe $30 off or a new sheath added. That would be about 15-20% off.

 

[jonnieb27]

I understand the disappointment when you purchase something that should be pristine, but you did receive a small discount.

Learn a little about sharpening or stropping (you really can't go wrong with a Spyderco Sharpmaker if you are new to sharpening the higher end steels like M390).

Sharpen that baby up, and use it. The sheath is going to start to show wear marks very rapidly anyway, and I guarantee that once you start using the knife you will soon overlook the issues that are concerning you right now. FYI, I have a Guardian 3 in M390, just love it!