guard or no guard

S

sasqualogist

Joined
Mar 26, 2004
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24
I want to know what you guys think about guards on camp/survival & tactical blades.It seems like alot of companies/makers are going guardless these days,I don't really see the advantage of this.I personally have both types but tend to lean towards ones with guards,I just like the security of knowing my hand isn't going to slip past that point.I also like the overall look of knives with guards.
 
I like a 'single guard' with a significant projection in front of my knuckles. A guard projecting on the thumb side often just gets in the way. I prefer the guard to an elaborate handle shape since these handle/guard units take up more length than a thin guard. Often I want to turn the blade edge-upwards and choke up on the blade with the guard against the web of my thumb (for opening a body cavity on game) and the thin guard lets me get my finger tips nearer to the blade tip.
 
Two of MY favorite fixed blade knives have no hand-guard (Camillus CUDA CQB-1 and Smith & Wesson HRTDR), so I'd have to say that I like guard-less knives the best.:).
 
i prefer a front guard only. i like to "choke up" on the blade if needed for fine work. i even cut off, filed and profiled smooth, and cold blued the shiney area of my kabar.

todd
 
I prefer guardless blades. I don't use them for stabbing and I like a contoured handle that fits my hand. The weight difference of one without the guard may make a lot of difference in using one for long periods of time. A paring knife can do a lot of cutting.
 
Guards have always gotten in the way for me. Use what works best for you.

Paul
 
I prefer a single guard, for "choking up" on the blade a single guard is better IMO, and for certain cuts i also like a knife where i can get my thumb on the spine of the knife for more control.
 
I like a single guard with little or no choil for a multi-purpose camp knife and no guard for a hunting knife but I like the shape of the knife to be such that I can feel there the blade starts as on a bark River Woodland.

Collecter
 
While it is true a guard's purpose is to keep your hand from slipping onto the edge, most of the time that happens when you are stabbing. every day outdoor knife use doesn't really require much in the way of stabbing so I go toward guardless. I do like the look of guards, but here lately I been going guardless, I agree for hunting they get in the way and can add extra weight to the knife. As for a large bushwhacking blade, look at the machete, no guard.
www.knifeshows.com/gossman ScoGo@aol.com
 
I like single guards that are integrated into the handle. (vs. folwer type)

sorry....don't have a pic....:(
 
I have no use for a full combat guard, such as found on a Bowie-pattern knife.

But 'finger guards' are easily justified. For example, check the fore-and-aft finger-guards in the Spyderco Tempest:
http://www.spyderco.com/online_prod...1010&mscssid=AEKUSBSLNCSL9JRC4L4EUWNRHAWDDE57

The forward finger-guard serves to prevent the forefinger from slipping onto the blade-edge in a stab, and the rear guard serves to prevent the hand slipping off the handle during a chop or draw-cut.
 
Bottom line is, I firmly believe that the guard type needs to be matched to the rest of the knife. The guard alone does little - if not suited to the overall design, it just gets in the way. Having said that, the most forgiving compromise is with a nice single guard or a deep finger contour at the ricasso for security to prevent your hand sliding forward, all other things being equal. I'm interested to take this issue further - I'm going to start another thread with pics to discuss handle positions and design. You got me thinking ! And thats dangerous... Cheers. Jason.
 
Definitely or integral guard for me. Doziers have a small bit of guard, but I depend on the fit of the handle to keep my grip from slipping. If I was butchering game and needed to be inside an animal, I would agree that a nice finger guard is a must.
 
A knife with no kind of guard or choil makes me a bit uncomfortable, but on the flipside a big guard just gets in the way. A compromise that works pretty well is a finger cutout like this Spyderco Fred Perrin:
FB04.jpg
 
I agree with James. And practically the entire cutting edge can contact a flat cutting surface...kinda like a chefs knife. I like that.
 
I won't buy, carry, or use a knife that doesn't have something deep and long keeping my hand from sliding forward onto the blade, whether it's a choil, a handle guard, integral guard, drop in the profile, or 2-piece guard.

Had it happen once, during a routine slice. It wasn't stabbing. I was slicing through dense material and the blade binded (bound?) up on the material and I wasn't paying close attention -- and woops. There goes the fingers onto the blade.

Ouch. Never again.

-j
 
I prefer an integrated guard knive like the Spyderco Wayne Goddard and the Benchmade Mel Pardue folders.

And I also agree that you don't have to be stabbing something for your hand to slide up on the blade, especially in wet, bloody, slimey, and juicey situations.

Allen.
 
There are many national knives around the world that are guardless - such as the Japanese tantos, Scandinavian knives - like Puukkos, Mora knives etc. - they also have the reputation of being some of the sharpest blades around. These have all existed for centuries and have been in many everyday and hard use tasks.

Part of the trick to not having one's hand slip on to some of the sharpest blades in the world, is the way the knives are gripped.

I figured out the reverse/stab hold without much problem -
just put the thumb over the butt/pommel - like an "ice-pick" grip -

Puukko_stab_C.jpg


(disclaimer: A knife with a good substantial guard is intrinsically "safer" - but its safety is still further enhanced if this thumb over the pommel grip is used - so one is not entirely reliant on the guard alone)

Also another "safe" way of doing this is to steady the handle with one hand and hit the butt/pommel with the other - then one is not reliant on the hand grip at all.

For the normal cutting grip - especially for pushing hard with the point - I learnt with "sudden enlightenment" :p when trying to dig an arrow head stuck hard in a tree, with a guardless knife - it dawned on me how easy it would be for my hand to slip on to the blade - then just as quickly it also dawned on me to "palm" the knife handle - ie: place the handle butt against the palm near the heel of the hand - like:

Hendrix11_C.jpg


so when one pushes the pressure is actually against the palm, with no danger of the hand slipping on to the blade.

--
Vincent

http://UnknownVincent.cjb.net/
http://UnknownVT.cjb.net/
 
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