Knife with blade guard

A knife with a guard assembly generally comprises a blade member, a handle assembly, and a blade guard assembly. The blade member includes a blade having a sharpened edge and an integral shank. The handle assembly is mounted to the shank. The blade guard assembly is mounted for pivotal movement about the blade member between a retracted position adjacent the handle to a protective position covering the sharpened edge. The blade guard is spring loaded by a spring about a pivot axis and a biased actuator secures the blade guard in the retracted position and the stable protective position. Upon depressing the actuator the blade guard assembly is pivoted to the protective position from the retracted position by a force of the spring.