John, could you better explain what you mean about,
"The guard point, or the actual quillion part of the guard looks thick and chunky and maybe a bit short. Hard to tell from pics but there might also be just a bit of a "flow" problem in the transition from the handle into the curved part of the guard. Often a problem area for many, myself included."
I'll do my best. I'll use two of my own pictures as examples. Also I would like to note that the suggestions I made were based on my own experiences when I had my own knives critiques as I struggled with the same issues.
Also, I'm not using this to say that my knives are perfect and above critique because they are not. The pics here are strictly visual aids only. And if anyone wants to critique, by all means feel free to do so please.
First, I'll address this part: "The guard point, or the actual quillion part of the guard looks thick and chunky...
In the picture below, #1 in red is the area I'm talking about, notice that the point of the guard, also called the quillion is really thin. This helps keep things looking sleek and not chunky and adds to the overall balance and flow of the guard.
Next #2 in the photo below deals with this ...there might also be just a bit of a "flow" problem in the transition from the handle into the curved part of the guard...
It is often difficult to make a smooth flowing and seamless transition in this area as when grinding and sanding the wood handle wants to sand away faster than the metal of the guard. This leaves a dished out area in the handle that can be seen and felt. It disrupts the flow of the knife and the feel of a seamless fit. I don't know for sure that he has that going on as it's difficult to tell from the pics but my picture at least explains what I'm talking about.
In the next photo, you can see what myself and many others do to combat the problem of the wood sanding away faster than the guard material and that is to intentionally leave the wood of the handle proud, that is sticking up evenly all the way around the guard. The trick here is to make it even and look like you've done it on purpose. This also helps negate any issues if the handle shrinks or expands a little down the road. This is a popular practice when using ivory as well.
I hope this helps clear up my meanings and my wordings.