Hi Ed:
  I love those little red "Defiance" knives, too, and if I'm not
mistaken, they precede the Stanley 199.  The Defiance is just as good
as the Stanley, except far heavier---cast iron vs. cast aluminum. 
(Aluminium, royal subjects) 
   When you've got a belt full of tools, you wanta choose the
lightest ones---carry a twelve foot tape; you practically never need
25', sixteen ounce hammer's usually big enough, if you're cutting all
90s on a framing job, carry the try square instead of the
combo---like that.
  I have a tin-lined leather sheath in the knife pocket of my
Carhartts, and an identical sheath pop-riveted to my toolbelt, so I
don't have to worry about protection from the blade---I've never been
very good at keeping track of the little guard.  IINM, the new 199's
come with a clip like you describe, and if you have kids, or keep it
in a toolbox (or both) it's probably a good idea.
  All of my 199s are different in some way---no-name, Craftsman,
PowerKraft, one with a square butt----my favorite 199 is very slim, a
Strat compared to a Les Paul, but it slips out of the sheath every
time I sit down. SO, it's the bench knife, living in the pencil tin.
                 call me Slash, in Seattle; GAM
  
  
--- Michele Minch  wrote:
> 
>   gary may wrote:
> 
> >  But the 199, blade sticking out extra far and never rattling,
> pretty
> > much unbreakable and almost as solid as a REAL knife, now that's
> a
> > smoke!  And yes, they look cool.
> 
> I picked up one of the red Defiance 199's and it had a little 
> triangular folded steel guard over the blade - marked Stanley. 
> Just 
> pull it off to use the knife, then stick it back on to protect
> yourself.
> 
> Ed Minch
> 

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