Fingerguard; Choil; or Karambit? Which one is safest for utility work?

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AfterDark

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Apr 9, 2007
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Are fingerguards like on the kabar or a cutout choil safer for utility work that involves some thrusting? How about karambits or a neck knife with a hole for the pinky? My main concern is to prevent my index finger from slipping up into the blade. Thanks.

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If you don't really feel the need to rest your thumb on the spine of the knife, and you are planning on thrusting, I'd go with the full guard - like on that KaBar.

Tangling/locking my fingers into a blade (like with a pinky hole) always scares me a bit. Worst case scenario that thing you just thrust into decides to pull back...now you got a potentially messed up pinky.
 
I prefer a choil and thumb ramp. The Spyderco Byrd Cara Cara 2 I EDC is very secure in the hand, especially if I have my thumb on the thumb ramp. I also use a Cold Steel Spartan for gardening, and the incredibly deep choil there is even more secure, though it lacks a proper thumb ramp and jimping. I definitely feel safer when I can use my thumb on the back of the blade to help guide it. The knife with the minimum traction plan I feel safe pierce cutting with is the Kershaw Leek. The Leek's flipper/guard is minimal, but just enough to keep my hand from slipping forward.

If I can get grippy texture on the handle, like Spyderco's FRN or a good G10, that helps too.
 
If you make a proper fitting lanyard out of quality cord, you can make it near to impossible to slip on to the blade of any knife, regardless (no pun intentended) of guard, choil, or handle matirial. -Assuming it has a lanyard attachment.
Other than that, a double guard, the bigger the better, with a grippy handle material ideally. As has been pointed out, if you can mix all of that, you're that much safer from that edge.
 
The finger choil or guard is much safer then hooking your pinky into the k-bit ring. Your fingers pile up behind the guard when thrusting instead of hanging off of your pinky knuckle. I'm partial to a serrated thumb ramp since I work with a hammer or saber grip. To make it really safe, use a hiking pole style strap for the lanyard. Attach it to the pommel running down one side of the handle. The strap should cross over the back of your hand, loop around the webbing between your thumb and your index finger knuckle, and come back up between your palm and the knife handle. Even if you lose your grip, your fingers aren't going onto the blade. I use the same grip reversed (loops under the pinky knuckle) for my hiking staff.
 
What utility work involves that much thrusting in the first place? :confused:

I've never had much use for guards on knives, although I don't use fixed blades all that often outside of camping and the kitchen. For my uses they get in the way more than anything. I'd go with something more like the Emerson you posted or many ESEE knives.
 
I wanted to mention that I like to use a lanyard (when/if I do) in the fashion that loops over your thumb, around the back of your hand, and then attatches to the butt of the knife. If you take your time fitting it right, you wont slide up or down on whatever your lanyards on, club, knife, hatchet, flashlight, ect..

imagesCA43UGTN.jpg

Here's a picture of how I like to use one. But this one looks to have been left intentionally loose to allow a shorter knife some chopping ability by choking down on the handle.
If it was tight, it would work well on a full sized chopper you didn't want to fly outta your hand, or a small knife you don't want to slide up on. As long as your thumb is in place, it locks the object to your hand. -It works both ways, you wont go up or down on the handle.

One last thing I'll mention is that you can experiment with synthetic pine-tar and/or baby powder on your handles if you think it'll work for you.
 
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I think the karambit style finger ring is more to give you something to pull against when cutting than to keep your fingers off the blade, with the secondary use of letting the knife dangle when you need two hands quickly available (cutting cordage and then tying it off, etc.)
 
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