No gauntlet. The Ratmandu can do anything the Scrapper 5 can do and maybe a bit more with its full tang construction. It's just a matter of preference. The Scrapper's Res C handle is lighter, but you can beat on the Ratmandu's full tang handles without harming them. I like them both, but it's nice to have a lighter knife sometimes. And then there are those pesky squirrels who eat Res C.