Hmmm, just took one off an old bike and it feels really well made. I was doing some searches on it and found all these quotes by Sheldon Brown about how they were the best derailleurs made in the 70's with "fabulous shifting", etc. He really gave a resounding endorsement to the Eagle stating that it is the strongest and smoothest shifter built in the 20th century. That's the only reason I posted the question. It is pretty heavy though, but hey I would rather have a heavier, rock solid component than something light and flimsy. Then again I'm not really a weight weenie. As for the guard It does protect the moving parts so it's not totally useless. I was impressed by how well it shifted on this old piece of crap bike. I really like it and it looks cool too. That's what made Sheldon Brown so great. The man had no bias and did'nt give a hoot about trends and brand names. I think it's so funny when you hear people talk about how great a product is only to find out it was made in China for all kinds of different brand names. People are suckers for marketing.