A raised thumb ramp will NOT stop a blade from rotating into a log that is being split. If you are splitting a log that is too large then this will ALWAYS be a potential problem
no, it won't prevent the blade from rotating, but it will protect the handle when the blade rotates. Again, maybe it wasn't the clearest because I am typing on a phone, but the point I was making is that, since the SOD has no guard on top, the thumb ramp is enough to protect the handle if the blade rotates - if the blade spins, the first thing to make contact with the log is likely to be the thumb ramp, and not the res c. With the regulator, all I think you would need to accomplish the same protection with the guard on top would be to add a protrusion of metal in front of the res-c, similar to the one in between the choil and handle on the sod. Since the blade blanks are probably already cut, this might be impractical, which is why I also suggested the battle guard style with a separate piece of metal. This is most likely what I will try to do with mine if I ever get around to modding it.
And I also regularly baton with knives that are too long to hit the blade on both sides of the log - Andy described most of the best techniques for dealing with a stuck blade, but I usually just muscle it back to straight, and give it another whack on the tip.
I agree with Dan on the thumb ramp. Go try it with a thumb-ramped knife. If the handle rotates upward, a thumb ramp (as I picture a thumb ramp => being the same thickness as the spine) will not prevent such Res-C guard from hitting the wood. The ramp would slide right through the opening created by the blade. However, a "SR Battle Guard" style would. For such a knife, I have purchased other brands.
For some reason when I baton/split wood with a knife, the wood does not just close back together above the blade as it passes through. Does that happen for you so that a thumb ramp would stop it?
My comments sent to Dan (and pasted elsewhere in this forum) regarding dual blade catches would not solve your batoning dilemma either, but I still want(ed) them. He didn't go with that idea or my other ideas...at least not yet. <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />
Oh well, I still like the TT Regulator and the looks of the newer rendition. I look forward to purchasing a few.