How important are safety features on a knife?

Buying a knife without choil/guard?

  • Definitely no

    Votes: 3 6.0%

  • Only for specific purposes

    Votes: 25 50.0%

  • I prefer knives with no guard/choil

    Votes: 6 12.0%

  • It doesn't matter

    Votes: 16 32.0%
  • Total voters
    50
Guards are for stabbing: if you are looking for bushcrafting, butchering, camp knives or choppers the guard only gets in the way. You are swinging the knife, not pushing it forward, so your impact is going to be perpendicular to your line of thrust. If anything, you need a good pommel to help you retain the knife.

n2s
 
I prefer to have a guard.

But, I agree that some guards do compromise ability to use the knife. Example of that is Ka-Bar USMC - but that's a fighting knife, therefore that guard has it's place on it.

Examples of well executed designs are SRK, ESEE... and similar knives.


In short story - buy whatever you like.
 
Depends on your definition of, "guard". As long as the blade has a decent front quillion, I'm good. I like a small choil or none at all.
 
I’d like to add. I’d be more hesitant to hand a guardless knife over to a rookie. Someone unused to gripping a knife properly may quite easily slide over to the cutty cutty ouchie part. A guard will at least make that less likely to happen although it won’t prevent tomfoolery.
 
Guards are helpful if one intends to use the knife for thrusting vigorously into something. On the other hand, guards get in the way frequently when you're using a knife to actually cut stuff. The design of a knife and its handle have to match the intended purpose(s).
 
For me in general, I'd say that safety features are low on my list of needs from a knife. I carry primarily Victorinox and GEC knives paired with a (usually) a custom or high end ti framelock. However, I did change my vote to "only for specific purposes" because when I'm camping or going to be working outside for the day, I'll carry either a fixed blade, or a Cold Steel. Those are usually because I know that there might be a situation where I might have to use a knife in a way that could be considered abusive. However, for the most part, no, I don't really require design features like some companies like CRKT, SOG, or Lionsteel have* where they institute a secondary locking mechanism or one that locks the knife closed when it's in your pocket.


* Off the top of my head
 
NG VI said:
I like choils but guards, outside of knives that are likely to see impact or some kind of wild use that I don't engage in, usually just feel like obstructions
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I'm 61 and my grip is still good so a decent front quillion is fine for me. But in 10 - 15 years my grip may not be very good. In that case I may change my mind and prefer a full guard. I guess it mostly comes down to a person's physical limitations.
 
I grew up on knives (and trucks, and guns, and tools) without safety features as they’re defined today. I don’t miss them, because I never had them.

Probably some people consider my gear “unsafe”. Good, keep your fragile paws off it, then. It isn’t safe for you.

I don’t see safety as a thing, a button or lever or knob. It’s hazard recognition, and paying attention to what you’re doing, and no horseplay. It’s performing dangerous tasks while thinking, and making choices that mitigate the risks, consistent with getting the job done.

As wiser members than I have already said, safety lives behind your eyeballs, under your topknot, between your ears. Accept no (mechanical or electronic) substitute.

If any of you knew my dad, I sound just like him now.

Parker
 
Well, I personally don't use my knives for any tasks were guard would get in a way.

I mostly chop bush and brush, sometimes chop pork ribs or cut larger pieces.

When it comes to camping - also chopping, I never needed to baton to get the fire going.

I however sometimes do need to pierce something, either drywall or buckets, or I'm reusing old car tire for something.

EDC - mostly food and opening various stuff, cutting a string sometimes... and despite the fact that I don't carry a knife for self defense - I still want my knife to be able to do it.

I just want to use my knife without too much thinking. Grab it, do the job, put it away. If I'm ever under stress or in a hurry or both - I at least won't risk cutting myself.

I agree that your brain is the best safety feature, but in my opinion - we are all just human and in some circumstances we just might not be in our right mind, we all can make mistakes. And I see my hands as my most valuable tool.
 
catspa said:
I grew up on knives (and trucks, and guns, and tools) without safety features as they’re defined today. I don’t miss them, because I never had them.

Probably some people consider my gear “unsafe”. Good, keep your fragile paws off it, then. It isn’t safe for you.
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You know that guards are far from a newfangled gadget, right?
 
000Robert said:
These days people call anything and everything a guard. Just like they call anything and everything a Bowie knife.
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True, but safety feature is everything that'll stop you from sliding your hand onto blade.

Even chef knife can be considered safe because blade is a lot wider than the handle. That's just an example.
 
I love guards on most knives and wish more had them.

For outdoor/carry knives in particular, I like something that can function as a tool AND potentially as a backup for my concealed pistol.

Hiking without a pistol? Even more reason to have a guard on your knife imho.

(Unless of course you’ve made a binding contract with the bad guys and other wild predators in your area that you’re strictly off limits. In that case you should be fine with just a puukko…)
 
scdub said:
I love guards on most knives and wish more had them.

For outdoor/carry knives in particular, I like something that can function as a tool AND potentially as a backup for my concealed pistol.

Hiking without a pistol? Even more reason to have a guard on your knife imho.

(Unless of course you’ve made a binding contract with the bad guys and other wild predators in your area that you’re strictly off limits. In that case you should be fine with just a puukko…)
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As I can't have firearm here in Europe, that's just a reason more to carry my Warcraft Tanto when hiking. It's also a good chopper and camp knife in general.

And knife for finer things is ESEE 3.

And other security is my pretty large dog.
 
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