Impressive finger guards

[NirreBosse]

I say it directly,
Im not a fan of finger guards,
But looking in the morgnings tread about a puma Im impressed. Some knifes realy has nice and well executed fingerguards. I dont see any funktion in them. Remember Im a swede, we dont have the tradition and I dare say we havent cut ourselves much because of it. BUT If I was to have one I want it to ad to looks and feeling of kraftmanship like in that PUMA. So if I was to get me a knife with a guard Id get one with a big and mabye double one.

Im hoping for bouth your opinions and some pictures to be impressed about.

Bosse

 

[jackknife]

It's always been interesting to me, that no matter where you go, the people who are using knives all the time for a living, don't have finger guards.

Go a thousand years back in history, and all through Scandinavia, the puuko looked like it does to this day. Little has changed since the Vikings carried it.

In our own country's history, the men who first ventured into the unknown west, carried a no nonsense sheath knife. The John Russell Company of Massachusetts was a major manufacturer of these knives. Looking like plain kitchen butcher knives, no finger guards on sight. These knives were used by both the fur trade at the height of the beaver trapping era, and later by the buffalo hunters, to get the hide off a two thousand pound carcass. From what I've seen of old tin types of the buffalo skinners, they seemed to have all their fingers.

I've always wondered at the need for a finger guard.

Carl.

 

[Obsessed with Edges]

I won't speculate on the origins of, or need for, a finger guard on a knife. But some knives (like the Pumas) really make 'em look good. Your mention of the Puma made me dig out the one and only Puma fixed blade I've ever owned, an 'Original Puma Bowie' I bought back around 1981/82, with 'Genuine - Pumaster - Steel'. I've never used it for ANYTHING, it's still mint. It's probably the first real 'quality' knife I ever bought, simply because I thought it was gorgeous, a true work of art & craftsmanship. I pulled it out of it's yellow plastic box (with green lid) today, just to look at it again. It's still just as gorgeous now, perhaps even more so, because 30 years have passed and I can really appreciate it more now.

The Buck Akonua and Kalinga fixed blades are a couple that (I think) have a similar aesthetic, with very substantial and attractive guards on them.

 

[Bob W]

Bark River puts guards on some models:
http://barkriverknifetool.com/Dropdowns/Woods/GK-African_Blackwood_WhiteL.jpg

Maybe a folder with guards:

 

[NirreBosse]

Thank you for interesting answers.
Also the insights from you Carl that the first Amerikan knifes lacked the fingerguards.
I have a theory that the fingerguards origin from big knifes that were ment as sidearms also. And mabye from smaller knifes that were made for kids.
I see no advantages but astetic ones and they can as easy destroy the astetics if not good designed.
The main drawback as I see it is that you loose the ability to use a simle and slim sheat without buttons or broad form.
But as I wrote in my first post, they can look very good if the fingerguard is harmonic with the overall looks of the knife.

Bosse

 

[black mamba]

The main functionality of a guard is on a fighting weapon, to stop or deflect your oponent's blade
and to keep your own hand from running forward onto the blade when stabbing.

Here is a nice "S" style guard on a custom fighter of mine, wrought iron with a bronze spacer.

Another very distinctive fighting guard style is the one designed by Bob Loveless, done here by Thad Buchanan, as posted by rbslaughter1.

The projections on the face of the guard are to catch your opponent's blade so you can twist it out of his hand, or loosen his grip.

I like the feel of a half-guard on a hunter, especially if it has a choil ahead of the guard. It gives extra security on the "choke up" hold.

Bosse and Carl, I agree with you 100% about experienced users not needing a guard, but the majority of users don't have that much experience nowadays.
The marketing ploy of guards for both looks and protection seem to be working, as there are many out there with them.

 

[A. G. Russell]

Sorry Jack,
The J. Russell was not formed until 1832 - the very tail end of the fur trade, I am afraid that they made little impact on that trade. Search Bernard Levine's forum for details. Buffalo hunting era yes.

 

[NirreBosse]

Black mamba.

That was the kind of fingerguards that impress in terms of look.

Im also giving you 100% right about the statement about experienced users. I have grown up with knifes and so has my hunting friends and their wifes. Even the kids has training since early age.
This gives me a certain wiev of knifes if Im not reflecting deeper.
BUT,
I have seen horrible users on barberques, campingtrips and even in the forest using their knifes in the most terrible ways. But even then I worry the least about the hand holding the knife and much more so for their other hand, their opposite hand fingers, their own belly or leg or other part of body in danger for their own using of a knife.
Man, sometimes looking at a rookie, one understand how complex of a tool a knife realy is.
Many of us here like knifes with locks but there are a category of users that actually NEED a lock for their own safety and even with a lock they are on a thin line of security.

Bosse

 

[NirreBosse]

http://i589.photobucket.com/albums/ss332/jwoodside4/knives/chokeup.jpg[/IMG]

As Hunters here in Sweden very seldom has fingerguards and coils this is a huntersgrip I havent seen much.
We often do very simular though by holding the handle with 3 fingers around the handle and moving the grip up the blade by squesing the blade from the sides with the index finger and thumb.

Bosse

 

[neeman]

A few of the Scandi knives I have, the handles are carved so there is a place for the front finger and is a more comfortable grip and acts as a guard
I am impressed by these handles