General outdoor utility with or without guard??

B

Burtess

Joined
Oct 10, 2004
Messages
12
Hi there,
I would like some opinions on whether it is beneficial or not to have a guard on a fixed blade for general utility and camp use.
Maybe some reasons why I should or should not purchase one with a guard. Looking at a drop point in the 4-5 inch range.

Thanks!!

Burt :)
 
With.....unless you aren't fond of your fingers...

Seriously, any camp/utility knife for field use should have either a good guard or a choil that gives you a place to grip below the blade enough that you can't slip up unto it.
 
I agree you should have a guard - better safe than sorry. It doesn't have to be a large guard and some handle shapes may not absolutely require one.
A blade that extends to or beyond the guard is useful - think kitchen knives.
 
There is no reason to buy a knife without a guard, except that a utility knife should probably only have a lower guard, not an upper also. But a guard is not absolutely necessary, depending on the care the user will take.

A puukko weould make an excellent choice for a fixed blade for general utility and camp use. This ancient design has no guard or choil, and relies on the woodsman's skill for safe use.

The Swedish Mora is typical:
1.jpg


The Norwegian Helle knives are elegant, often with more shape to the handle:
odel.jpg


The leuku is a similar knife used by the Lapps:
r150.jpg
 
Burt,
I have to disagree with what has been written before.
If you read the works of Mors Kochanski or Ray Mears, two of the finest experts in bushcraft, such a knife would never have a guard.
It is no coincidence that the great majority of Scandinavian utility knife designs all have no guards fitted.
The reason behind this is simple, there are grips and techniques essential to bushcraft where a guard would be an encumberance.
The answer to the safety issue is practice and skill. Become expert in the use of your knife and the chances of injury are much reduced.
Regards
Tack
 
Scandinavian knives have no guard. Ed Fowler thinks all outdoors knives should have a guard. So you can find all kinds of experts that disagree. It's your fingers, and your call.

I agree with Ed. I think that not having a guard is a major design mistake. You get wet and cold, fine motor skills go right out the window, no matter who you are.

YMMV.
 
Gee... Get a Mora with and without a guard. It'll only cost you $20 at most. Get a feel for yourself and see which you prefer.

Yeah.. I have to agree with Sodak, when you're cold and wet there's a tendency to slip.
 
I'm generally not a big fan of guards, as I find most of them too large and uncomfortable. They really get in the way of my work. But I wouldn't be opposed to a smaller, better designed guard, that doesn't leave my index finger looking like it was hit with a hammer.

For the most part, I'm quite happy with a large choil.
 
One thing I don't think anyone has mentioned is double guard vs. single.

I don't have a strong feeling either way between a single guard, choil or no guard (although I prefer a single guard or choil), but I do feel a double guard on a field knife is pretty much useless and tends to get in the way a lot and prevents a proper grip in many utility cutting activities.

Shame too because there are sooo many knives with double guards that I like.
 
guard can get in the way for food prep duties, maybe also for whittling. Small guard is ok, good compromise is knife with index cut out like on the Spyderco Fred Perrin. Main concern for guard is stabbing type chore i think, otherwise not so concern.
Everyone uses a SAK or opinel, they have no guards.
Martin
 
I find guards to encumber me more often than I find guardless knives to endanger my finger. At one point in time I bought only knives with guards because I read about the safety concerns from knife boards. Then after using a couple of guardless puukkos and loving them, I noticed that most of my knife using prior to my officially becoming a knife nut was of guardless knives—SAKs, kitchen knives, slip joints, box cutters, X-actos. I got much more relaxed about not having guards on my knives after that.

On the loss of dexterity in cold weather, I find that more often it causes fumbling with getting the knife out of its sheath or opening the folder. And when in usage, it's more that I'll drop the knife totally from not having a secure grip rather than my hand slipping forward into the blade. I think a properly used lanyard wrapped around your thumb and hand helps with cold weather use.

But if you're going to be doing alot of hard stabbing I can see wanting a guard. That's just not something I've needed to do with my knives.
 
UnixDork said:
I got over the whole guard thing when I realized none of my folders have guards.
Click to expand...

I realized that most of my folders didn't have guards and started carrying only folders that did.

;)

--Bob Q
 
UnixDork said:
I got over the whole guard thing when I realized none of my folders have guards.
Click to expand...

That about sums it up.

With all the scandinavians using pukko's and the old fur trade trappers using Green River knives, and cowboys using stockmen, they must have been on to something, huh?

I don't recall hearing about alot of mountain men loosing fingers. :rolleyes:
 
jackknife said:
That about sums it up.

With all the scandinavians using pukko's and the old fur trade trappers using Green River knives, and cowboys using stockmen, they must have been on to something, huh?

I don't recall hearing about alot of mountain men loosing fingers. :rolleyes:
Click to expand...

On the other hand, grizzly bears and injuns don't have guards either. A HA! :)
 
Guardless.

But either way, Bark River guardless or guard knives will please you no end.

Phil
 
A big double guard might be of use on a dueling bowie. But for field and camp use? Naw.

Besides, it's the design of the handle that dictates whether or not a knife needs a guard. Ever see an original EK Commando? Read about how John EK conviced the military that a crossguard was not needed:

http://www.ekknife.com/ekstory.html

Edited to add: I second Grapevine's suggestion about wrist cords.
 
A guard can get in the way if you're cutting right up to the choil. I like my Bark River Woodland -- the Professional series is beautifully designed so you can use all the blade, and the handle is designed so a guard really isn't needed. Same with the Russell traditional belt knife. Neither of these have or need a guard. The short guard on the CS Master Hunter and my Marble's blades isn't long enough to seriously impede use.
 
Are you an expert with a knife? At least very experienced? If not, you might consider disregarding all advice addressed to experts until you feel yourself to be one.
 
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