Bradford Knives, made in the USA by skilled artisans, command quite a mystique among those that don’t just collect knives, they use them.
Among the laurels on which Bradford rests is its use of super steels, 3 of the best of which will be covered here.
Popular Bradford Knives like the Guardian 3 and Guardian 4 are made with these alloys, which offer a high degree of edge retention, toughness and corrosion resistance. Start your search here and then do your own research.
ELMAX
ELMAX steel is an alloy that is rich in carbon, chromium, manganese, molybdenum, and vanadium, with a smidge of silicon.
Chief among the attributes of this alloy are that it is very tough, with a high hardness, and solid corrosion resistance, which are not commonly encountered in the same alloy.
Nearly 2% of carbon, paired with a full percent of molybdenum and 3% of vanadium result in a wear-resistant steel that forms carbides for an even better heat-treatment.
Ultimately, this produces a steel that is hard enough to hold an edge and tough enough to take abuse, and with a shocking concentration of chromium, at 18%, you get a steel that is surprisingly corrosion-resistant as well.
It has been called the best knife steel of all. You should get a knife in ELMAX steel (Bradford or otherwise) and try it for yourself.
MagnaCut
Like ELMAX, MagnaCut is another super steel that has been called among the best. It has some unique differences from the former entry, though.
One is that MagnaCut has only around 10% chromium, which means that while it is stainless-adjacent, it is way easier to get MagnaCut to rust, if you try – so don’t.
It has a little less carbon, at 1.15%, but the real change here is that it contains more vanadium and molybdenum, at 4% and 2%, respectively.
It also has 2% niobium, which refines the grain structure and, for its part, also forms carbides with carbon that harden the alloy.
This makes MagnaCut extremely wear-resistant, giving it an excellent ability to hold an edge, but the cool thing here is that unlike some other types of super steels, like S90V, MagnaCut is relatively easy to resharpen.
M390
The last super steel we will cover here, which is prominently featured among many Bradford Knives, is M390, a German steel that also offers high corrosion resistance paired with toughness and hardness.
With almost 2% of carbon (1.9% to be precise), along with 4% vanadium, 1% molybdenum, and an added touch of tungsten at .6%, M390 is dense, tough, and strong.
It is not only resistant to abuse, it is resistant to wear; once you put an edge on it, it will keep it for a while.
The important caveat here is that this super steel is probably a bit harder to sharpen than the other steels on this list, so while you get excellent edge retention, you end up paying for it.
One more thing to note about M390 steel is that it contains 20% of chromium, a crazy high concentration for a super steel, which gives it arguably the best corrosion resistance on this list.
Where to Explore Bradford Knives
Want to add a gem from Bradford Knives, like a Guardian 3, to your collection? Chances are it will feature one of the super steels mentioned in this post, but you can learn more for yourself over at The Knife Connection.
Check out their catalog and get in touch with their customer service team directly if you have any questions about what they sell, or the steel alloys represented.
For More Information About Bradford Guardian 3 and White River Knives Please Visit: The Knife Connection.
