guards on knives ?

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Robbi

Full Member
Mar 1, 2009
10,226
1,026
northern ireland
i seem to be moving away from the accepted "woody" shape / scandi like the ones below

123.jpg


to knives with guards on them like these,

023-1.jpg


BT.jpg


bailey.jpg


not sure why really but they do feel slightly "safer" in the hand, without the possibility of slipping forward and cutting fingers etc.

any one else think like this ?
 

rmbriar

Tenderfoot
May 30, 2011
82
0
Bangor
Held a few with guards before, I can relate to the safe feeling thing, I think they're more comfortable in general too
 

Samon

Bushcrafter (boy, I've got a lot to say!)
Mar 24, 2011
3,970
44
Britannia!
I do mate, I love the mild finger guard! the woody knives (and clones) just look like small kitchen knives to me. I'd go for a guarded classic any day ;)

the first guarded blade looks sweet btw!

I don't like using the common 'bushcraft' knives and a new one in the hand makes me feel a bit unsafe compared.

Do you think it has something to do with our 'anti knife' time? the guard may make a knife look like a weapon?
 

Robbi

Full Member
Mar 1, 2009
10,226
1,026
northern ireland
the first one is a lovely little bird and trout, very thin blade and oh so swet to use :)

you may have something there with the "weapon" perception, may be they look like more of a stabbing tool. I'm just finding that i'm moving towards the guard style more and more ( can't wait to get the little Ka-Bar 2225 :) )
 

Retired Member southey

M.A.B (Mad About Bushcraft)
Jun 4, 2006
11,098
13
your house!
Though I light the look of those knives, I can't get on with guards, find they get in the way if I'm holding the base of the blade, probably more of a psych thing than a real issue, but it still puts me of them.
 

John Fenna

Lifetime Member & Maker
Oct 7, 2006
23,106
2,833
66
Pembrokeshire
I am not a fan of big guards on knives - I find they just get in the way too much!
Also - I was always taught "If you need a guard you are using the knife wrong" ...how often do you stab with a utility (as oposed to combat) knife ...so when is your hand going to slide down the handle and onto the blade?
For almost ever use I have for a knife a guard is just in the way and stops you using many grips for carving and general cutting!
 

santaman2000

M.A.B (Mad About Bushcraft)
Jan 15, 2011
16,909
1,114
67
Florida
I cain't think of any time I've ever used a fixed blade without a guard unless it was a filleting knife. Not in an outdoor context anyway. I suspect that's just due to my perception of what an outdoor knife is rather than any real, practical reason though.
 
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Xunil

Settler
Jan 21, 2006
671
3
55
North East UK
www.bladesmith.co.uk
I think guards have their place in the right context.

I am not a fan of the double lugged guards commonly seen on military knives but a smaller single forefinger guard can look nice and work well, particularly if your hands are cold and wet/bloody. You don't have to be stabbing to slip.

I guess sometimes you can combine the aesthetics with the practicalities :)
 

Sparrowhawk

Full Member
Sep 8, 2010
214
0
Huddersfield
I find a small tooth-like guard such as found on the Woodlore and equivalents is more that sufficient to prevent my fingers from slipping forward. It also allows me to know which way the knife is facing if I have to find it in the dark or in my rucksack. Anything bigger just gets in the way when I want to choke up on the blade. I agree with the Fen Meister, if you find you need a guard to feel safe then try altering your style of working, as the chances are you're using it in an unsafe manner anyway.
 

Robbi

Full Member
Mar 1, 2009
10,226
1,026
northern ireland
it's not so much an unsafe way of working but i use my knives a lot around water, fish prep, light chopping duties, nothing heavy duty at all but when my hands are wet and / or cold or both, i just find that the small guard as seen in the above piccys gives me an extra margin of safety, i can still choke up pretty well just by putting my 2nd finger at the guard instead of the 1st finger.
 

Sparrowhawk

Full Member
Sep 8, 2010
214
0
Huddersfield
I'm petrified of working with wet hands, once had a bad experience like that. I guess if you work on a fishing boat or something then different margins of error have to be considered.
 

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