I'm one that has this issue. I have an older Craftsman saw that was a hand me down. No guard, no splitter, knife etc. I dont know if it ever had a guard. This is the saw I learned on and I never feel the least bit nervous about a cut. I am extremely safe when working. But I found myself wondering how many others are in this boat? Does it bother you? If you got a new saw with all the safety bells and whistles, would you keep them all in place?