How much do you care about guards on a blade?

[Kailash Blades]

Depends on what I'm doing...... Can we see the blades on the far right in that pic please
Hell all of them..

Good eye for those background knives. They'll be shared shortly- they're sent off for engraving currently

I care a lot. I'm pro-guard. I'm averse to any knife design that facilitates my hand slipping forward and slicing along the blade during use. Not every knife must have a full guard - most of the time, handle contours are sufficient to be confident of grip.

For me personally I've never slipped onto the edge of a blade and it's not for lack of trying. I think the handle contouring has been doing the heavy lifting and generally the least guard possible will give the best knife- lighter, better balance, lower profile. I think there's something reassuring about it visually though and understand the appeal.

IMO, that particular blade is too small/short for a guard like that...looks silly and might get in the way. But I could see it on larger versions, like the left one on the table.

I think that for a blade of this size it can definitely limit utility. For the mutiny in the background it wouldn't be such a bother but would still impact balance and feel in hand a fair bit

Guard-less knives have a place and purpose, but generally, a small guard or finger choil is enough to ensure a good, safe grip. I actually like some Scandinavian designs as they are good for EDC cutting tasks, but anything that will require any forward directed force will benefit from some form of a guard.

Never understood the use of oversized guards on modern knives, but to each there own.

I think the very large guards are mostly a styling thing- they can give a knife a "ready for anything" kind of look without impacting function too much. At the same time I think that the market for a lot of knives isn't based on a clear functional need and is more about wanting something cool so I can see why it has such a large sector.

I want a guard. Non-negotiable.

A lot of our customers would definitely agree! It's a strange one though as khukuris have been generally guardless for such a long time without issues- what do you think has led to this change in desires from users?

Is that a finger choil integrated into the guard of the knife you currently have for sale?

Is this directeed at me? In which case no, the scourge anniversary has a bottle opener integrated there haha

I prefer *some* sort of guard even if it is just a speed bump to let me know I'm close to the edge. SD knives always need a more robust guard.

I like the speed bump approach. Some people have suggested that's what the cho on a khukuri is- a lightweight and minimal way of letting the hand know when it's gone too far forward.

I second this. It only took one instance where my hand slid forward onto a sharpened edge to dispel any illusions.

I'm not generally concerned about a guard when it comes to Khukuris as long as the angle of the handle and the ring in the middle of the grip are executed well, both of which provide security against slipping forward in normal use.

Fingers crossed it never happens to me! I've been looking at some earlier khukuris recently where it seems clear that the bolster is so wide that a hand at the time wouldn't be able to slide past it despite no actual guard protrusion.

There seems to be a huge trend of guardless knives in the last few years.I like a traditional guard,like on a Cold Steel Trailmaster; my Busse Hellrazor is the only one without one.

I think this comes from the larger trend of bushcraft! and also a move towards historical traditional blade styles or their influences.

All of this is more or less exactly what I was about to say. I enjoy knife designs without a guard, because I think it's an extremely clean look and it's what I prefer. Also, I tend not to have any needs for a knife where I'm stabbing into something, so I'd need at least a deep Spyderco-esque finger choil for a knife that might see that sort of use. Most guards on knives I own or have owned, a significant guard tends to get in the way.

I'm in the same boat- I feel like I use the tip a fair bit but haven't ever really felt the need for a guard.

I like the look and practicality of guards.

I think aesthetic is a big part of it! They can make a knife look tougher for sure

Depends entirely upon the pattern...and intended use.

Very diplomatic- absolutely right

I didn't care for the guard/finger choil on the Mule Team.

Looks better deleted.

View attachment 2903432

That's a great little mod! I like a tiny little guard stub sometimes though- I feel it can make the blade profile look a bit "pointier" as the body of the blade is no longer the widest point.

Some Scandinavian makers make knives without guards, but commonly offer a variant with a guard too.
Mora 511 and 510, Marttiini 240 and 245, all lovely.

I wonder how much of the inclusion from guards is due to demand by modern western audiences? I've seen some old Leuku with just the slightest hint of a guard but it could also be the handle wearing behind the bolster from lots and lots of use.

I like a guard, either part of the scales or separate, I don’t trust myself without one. Not like the kukri pictured though.

The feeling of security is definitely a draw. Do you have much experience with guardless designs?

Obviously, it depends on the use, but generally.. I don't find much need for guards (especially exaggerated ones), or concern for safety without them, in my normal knife tasks. If they exist in a design I like, then.. cool I guess? I don't love full guards and am definitely not a fan of anything that interferes with comfortable thumb placement in my usual saber/Filipino grip, like the one pictured in the op probably would for me..

On this blade the protruding part above the spine is the killer for me- I really like being able to access that part of the spine. I feel like it could snag on some deep cuts too.

 

[Monofletch]

Guards on fixed blades are fine. Not on folders.

 

[junglefighter]

Guards on all

 

[JWright214]

I don’t like big guards but I want something to separate my hand from the blade. Even with deep finger grooves, I don’t like for the blade to be right next to my finger.

I don’t like this.

This is fine.


This is even better

 

[EatingSarma]

A lot of our customers would definitely agree! It's a strange one though as khukuris have been generally guardless for such a long time without issues- what do you think has led to this change in desires from users?

I think traditionally khukuris have been used mostly as agricultural tool, while today a lot of people buy it as a fighting knife.
Also, it depends on where users are from. People from the west, Europe and so on - will generally prefer a guard, as most European blades through the history have had a guard (swords, sabres, daggers, in newer history bayonets, fighting knives and so on).

 

[The Zieg]

I use a puukko frequently. So you can imagine I do not require a guard.

 

[shunsui]

I think your knife collection should be like a set of golf clubs, different ones for different purposes. I like finger guards but not all my knives have them. I find that not many are well designed, at least for my hand, but even an uncomfortable finger guard might be your best friend one day. I carry two folders, one has an understated but functional finger guard design and the other has no finger guard. I prefer fixed blades that have some kind of functional finger guard, esp on larger ones.

A couple of folders with finger guards.
XM-24 Skinny, Amalgam, and XM-18 3.5 Skinny

Busse ASH2, a larger fixed blade with good finger guards.

 

[Kailash Blades]

Guards on fixed blades are fine. Not on folders.

Not even the cool ones that swing out on folders?

I don’t like big guards but I want something to separate my hand from the blade. Even with deep finger grooves, I don’t like for the blade to be right next to my finger.

I don’t like this.
View attachment 2903978

I've cut my finger on one of these before- the corner of the blade pressed into my finger during a cut squished it around enough to make a cut. I like the concept of being able to get right on top of the edge to have maximum leverage for carving but the angle that the finger cutout hits the edge has gotta be closer to 90 than in this pic

A couple of folders with finger guards.
XM-24 Skinny, Amalgam, and XM-18 3.5 Skinny

Some beautiful pictures here! The amalgam looks great

 

[Monofletch]

Not even the cool ones that swing out on folders?



I've cut my finger on one of these before- the corner of the blade pressed into my finger during a cut squished it around enough to make a cut. I like the concept of being able to get right on top of the edge to have maximum leverage for carving but the angle that the finger cutout hits the edge has gotta be closer to 90 than in this pic


Some beautiful pictures here! The amalgam looks great

No guard on any folder. If I need something more I’ll grab the right tool for the job. I don’t like flippers or finger choils on folders either!!

As far as fixed blades- any more guard than this is too much for me!

 

[JWright214]

I've cut my finger on one of these before- the corner of the blade pressed into my finger during a cut squished it around enough to make a cut. I like the concept of being able to get right on top of the edge to have maximum leverage for carving but the angle that the finger cutout hits the edge has gotta be closer to 90 than in this pic

Exactly! That’s happened to me before as well. I love the concept as long as it’s executed well.

As far as fixed blades- any more guard than this is too much for me!

View attachment 2904906

Yes! This.

 

[scdub]

I like knives with and without guards, but in general I wish more knives came with substantial guards - they’re much too rare. I often end up grinding in a better finger stop on fixed blades for this reason - as per below:

 

[SharpBits]

That's like a double guard, to my eyes.