Love of the Nub

[Netherend]

I do not know the official term for them but I love the small guard that Spyderco puts on their finger choils. I have seen people call them the nub, or a protrusion but I do not know what they are referred to as by professionals in the knife making world.

I love those little finger guards. They are such a simple and effective safety feature for a knife and they are helpful for sloppy sharpeners like myself . I took a picture of my Bradford Guardian 3 and my Shaman for an example of what I am referring to in this post.

The small choil guard/nub is very helpful when push cutting on the fly. It reduces the chance that your hand can slip forward on to the edge. While it is not necessary for all knives it is a safety feature that Spyderco often employs for which I am grateful.

It also helps make sharpening knives on fixed angled system easier and more precise since you have a protrusion that stops when you have reached the end of the edge.
It is hard to see on my picture but I my sloppy sharpening had extended slightly into the finger choil cut out on the Guardian which made for a less comfortable hand hold.

This post is not meant to serve as a detractor for knives that do not have the nub. There are plenty of wonderful designs that do not employ a nub or a finger choil at all. The Guardian 3 is a great little knife and I know that Bradford recently added those nubs to their 3.2 and 4.2 models and I think that it is a useful addition to any knife that employs a finger choil.

Spyderco seems to have mastered the choil quite well. You can see it on the Manix, PM2, Native, Shaman as well as others. It is a great design choice that makes knives safer to use for harder work tasks and for that I am grateful.

[Ramonade]

Mmmh, so you're a nubjoyer !

I admit that even if 50/50 choils aren't always my "thing", the one on the Native has that nub and it makes it way more enjoyable and useful to my eyes.

[Bolster]

Agree 110%! I have stopped buying knives whose finger choil just fades into the edge...those present needless risk for me. I have admired that fixie Bradford on many occasions, but the last thing I need in the backcountry is for my index to slip forward and get cut. Imagine being 100 miles away from medical help and having a sliced index finger!! No thanks.

Vive la Nub!

[vivi]

I have never had an issue with edges going all the way to the choil in terms of safety. That was something that annoyed me about the bow river - that they failed to sharpen the full edge. The shape of the choil itself prevents my hand from sliding up, and I'm never doing hard thrusts while using a choil anyways.

That said I do like the nub for a different reason. It helps keep materials from sliding off the heel of the edge and getting stuck on the choil. So they're nice for that.

I can take them or leave them.

The one thing I've never understood is people that complain about the nub getting in the way while closing comp lock knives. It is so brain dead easy to simply move your finger out of the way. I avoided comp locks for years, but when I finally got my Yojumbo it took me 2 or 3 tries to get the closing technique down.

[Bolster]

Smart to not use the choil on a thrust, IF you have time, and presence of mind, to correctly position your hand away from the choil, and IF the knife is of large enough size that it allows a full grip behind the choil.

The solid nub is such a small but important detail, I don't understand why it's not universal on choils.

[kennethsime]

I have admired that fixie Bradford on many occasions, but the last thing I need in the backcountry is for my index to slip forward and get cut.

Checkout the new Guardian 3.2

[kennethsime]

The one thing I've never understood is people that complain about the nub getting in the way while closing comp lock knives. It is so brain dead easy to simply move your finger out of the way. I avoided comp locks for years, but when I finally got my Yojumbo it took me 2 or 3 tries to get the closing technique down.

If I try, I can catch my finger in the nub of my PM2s, but you never hear people complain about the nub on that model. I feel like people just like like complaining about stuff, especially after their favorite YouTube celebrity has done so.

[Xplorer]

While I genuinely respect the opinions of those who enjoy the nub, I do not share that opinion. To me, the nub provides a sense of security that isn't necessary, while it limits the type of cuts that can be made and makes sharpening more difficult. For years I've been carrying a knife with no nub and have never once cut myself on that corner of the blade, which has caused me to view concerns about the potential danger of 50/50 choils to be mostly unwarranted. As well, it visually looks like a wart on otherwise nice looking knives...imo.

[olditguy]

I like the nub, and jimping on the underside doubles it's effectiveness. The grip is great for me.

[TimButterfield]

That little choil guard is one of the things I love about my Chaparral. It lets me pinch the handle to unlock the back lock safely as the choil guard can hit the finger instead of the sharp edge of the blade.

[Wartstein]

...
The one thing I've never understood is people that complain about the nub getting in the way while closing comp lock knives. It is so brain dead easy to simply move your finger out of the way. I avoided comp locks for years, but when I finally got my Yojumbo it took me 2 or 3 tries to get the closing technique down.

With all due respect to those who apperantly have issues with the Shaman - nub:
I completely agree.

Could handle a Shaman once, and it was a completely natural move and went without any thinking about it and easily to move the finger out of the "way of the nub", right after one or two tries.

No issues at all, and I am not even a comp.lock guy. Though perhaps this actually even helps, cause thus my "comp.lock closing style" is not that engraved in my motor memory and so easier to be adapted?

[Wartstein]

While I genuinely respect the opinions of those who enjoy the nub, I do not share that opinion. To me, the nub provides a sense of security that isn't necessary, while it limits the type of cuts that can be made and makes sharpening more difficult. For years I've been carrying a knife with no nub and have never once cut myself on that corner of the blade, ....

This is how I feel too.

It's not that I genuinly don't like the "nub" on any Spydie (I even like how it looks on my Chap), but it serves no practical purpose for me personally.

No issues ever and whatsoever when choking up on "nubless" choils or even Endura style ricassos, not even in harder outdoorsy tasks.

[Wartstein]

That little choil guard is one of the things I love about my Chaparral. It lets me pinch the handle to unlock the back lock safely as the choil guard can hit the finger instead of the sharp edge of the blade.

What do you mean by "choil guard"?
The choil itself or the "nub" towards the blade?

Cause imo a choil without such a pronounced "front guard" would be suited as well to hit the finger when closing the backlock like you do?

That said: I love the choil on the Chap, though I almost never use the "let the choil drop on your finger" closing method but other methods.

The Chap has the perfect overall size for a choil though, without one the grip area would just be too short for even just somewhat larger hands.

[TimButterfield]

What do you mean by "choil guard"?
The choil itself or the "nub" towards the blade?

Cause imo a choil without such a pronounced "front guard" would be suited as well to hit the finger when closing the backlock like you do?

That’s what I was calling the nub between the choil and the sharp edge. Whatever it is, it works for me.

[aicolainen]

I like the nubbed choils.
They’re probably a bit safer, but not in a way that has made a difference to me yet. I haven’t cut myself on either type.
But they’re definitely more comfortable as they stay the same width as the blade stock throughout the whole blade section of the choil. Some of the choils that are cut into the blade grind can be pretty thin and uncomfortable, especially toward the heel of the edge.
And as mentioned already, the nub helps prevent material getting caught in the choil or even worse; into the pivot area of the handle.

Love? may be pushing it. Like? definitely

[TkoK83Spy]

I don't find it the nub very attractive, and as noted, it does make sharpening a bit more difficult. But, it is also helpful as a guard.

When I was still working in the warehouse, I was using my Shaman one day. While making a push cut, I underestimated how easily I was gliding through some double walled cardboard top of a box and the tip went right into the concrete bollard next to where the boxes are placed. I felt my hand/fingers/grip change a bit on impact, but my index finger never slid past that nub. I honestly believe it prevented that from happening.

Back when I had a Watu, one time I was cutting through some plastic banding on a crate and the knife glided right through and hit a screw head that wasn't all the way screwed down. That caused my hand to slip a bit and my index finger slid over the small choil and onto the blade. Thankfully I was wearing gloves, because that possibly could have resulted in a cut.

[Steeltoez83]

I got to checkout out the 3.2 guardian at bladeshow. Didnt like the feel of it and ended up with the 3.5 instead. That knife has been my testing for magnacut ever since. the 3.2 felt like a wierd size, too big for a necker, too small for a belt carry. I didnt like how my hand felt cramped while holding it, but i never got to cut anything with it. I always carry a folder even when im carrying a fixed blade anyways so the folder would be used more than the 3.2. The 3.5 felt the best balance between blade length, ergonomics, and carryability. I can say the magnacut has done very well in my own testing. In regards to the shaman nub Id rather have it removed. Id like to have a tanto version of the shaman personally but thats my opinion.

[Wartstein]

What do you mean by "choil guard"?
The choil itself or the "nub" towards the blade?

Cause imo a choil without such a pronounced "front guard" would be suited as well to hit the finger when closing the backlock like you do?

That’s what I was calling the nub between the choil and the sharp edge. Whatever it is, it works for me.

My question (out of real interest, not to criticize you by any means, btw!) is rather what that nub does for you concerning safety in the particular scenario of dropping the choil on the finger.

I can understand how the nub / a more pronounced guard can keep the finger from slipping forward on the edge when cutting - but when the choil just "falls down" on the finger from above while closing the knife, I don´t really see how the nub enhances safety.

[GarageBoy]

I don't like choils without "guards"

Like the ProTech Mordax - beautiful design, but I'd end up wrapping my fat index finger over the edge for sure

[Bolster]

Back when I had a Watu, one time I was cutting through some plastic banding on a crate and the knife glided right through and hit a screw head that wasn't all the way screwed down. That caused my hand to slip a bit and my index finger slid over the small choil and onto the blade. Thankfully I was wearing gloves, because that possibly could have resulted in a cut.

Interesting you mention this. I'm late to the game with getting a Watu, and its 'nearly nubless choil' has been a point of concern for me. When I get a new knife I test it for "slide" in my hand, and unfortunately, I noticed my index finger creeping up near the blade and stopped the test. As you know, there's nothing to 'lock in' your hand on a Watu, it's a continuous gentle curve. Thanks for your story...I'll be extra careful with the Watu.