this is the only time i'll chyme in on this, when i keep hearing about people saying that they're going to damage the guard batoning wood, i can't help thinking, you're doing it wrong.
I’ve split a LOT of wood, and I’ve never damaged a res-c handle. If it hits a knot and tries to rotate, I just muscle down on the handle and force it back toward where it should be and “fight it” from rotating. If it gets stuck in a knot you can’t baton through (only happened to me a couple times) there are a couple ways you can get it back out without damaging the handle.
1. You can use another knife and carve some wedges. Use a baton to drive them into the split near the knife, widening the gap so you can remove your knife.
2. If you’re camping and have a towel or similar piece of cloth, you can wrap it around the handle to protect it, then beat it out with a baton.
3. If you don’t have something to wrap the handle with, you can turn the piece of wood upside-down and kick at the handle with your shoe until you back it out.
