810 Contego backspacer fracture

woody_allen said:
I hope to buy Contego ,little uncomfort now I see that,but I think is just a one in thousands that got factory flaw.
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Same here. And since the glass breaker is part of the backspacer I'd hate to have it fail at the worst possible moment! Also, as tatfiend was saying, I hope Benchmade isn't starting to use MIM parts. A lot of firearm manufacturers are doing this to cut down on costs and I generally steer clear of those guns.
 
I've got the Contego, not particularly worried about it. I've broken car windows before, didn't seem that difficult. There is enough heft to that knife that I think it wouldn't let you down at a critical moment, with or without the glass breaker. It is a neat feature, though.
 
For what it's worth, I've broken a car window with the Benchmade Triage and it worked perfectly. . I've got the Contego too, and the glass breakers on these two Benchmades are identical.
 
Well I have never had the need to break any kind of window. I've used it for some prying and slamming it into things with moderate force. It's in one piece still. Normally I'd say that 4x4mm steel (aprox at the thinnest) supported by stainless steel liners and G10 should be pretty solid unless there is some kind of material defect as with the original backspacer. I'm not worried at all. The Contego is a sturdy folder.

Mac
 
I had a feeling I might find this problem on here. The EXACT thing just happened to me. I have owned and used knives with glass breakers before, and while taking the recycling out tonight, it occurred to me that I had never used it on my EDC Contego, so popped a champagne bottle a couple of times, it shattered easily, and as I was putting it back in my pocket, it felt funny, took a look and the backspacer snapped, looking exactly like a broken piece of cast metal, or a broken high-carbon file. Based on the rust, I don't think this was a stainless piece. I take extremely good care of my knives, and wasn't quite so shocked at it breaking, as I was that it broke as such a MINOR few taps on non-tempered glass. I'm certainly glad it happened now instead of when and if I really needed it. No complaints about Benchmade aside from that, but I did upgrade to this from my Rift solely because it had a glass breaker. I'd be carrying it or my Skirmish around still but always liked the knowledge of having a GB on me at all times. Glad it sounds like Benchmade was/is willing to send you a replacement part, as I have no trouble replacing the piece on my own, and would prefer it to sending my EDC away for who-knows how many weeks for "repair". Does anyone else have this problem? I LOVE this knife aside from this problem. But would like to feel that after being replaced, it shouldn't happen again....Other side note, minor issue but when the backspacer snapped and swung out, the inside of it hit my blade tip (while it was closed in the handle) and dinged about a mm. off of the point. Which also indicates to me that the entire backspacer is high carbon, as if it as a more mild steel that the carbide tip was embedded in, I would imagine the blade would have cut into the backspacer, and not the other way around.
 
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Interesting to note that my break was exactly the same place yours was, between the second and third teeth from the top. I also included an image of the glass breaker to show just how much I was NOT using it before this break.
 
SodySaleratus said:
Interesting to note that my break was exactly the same place yours was, between the second and third teeth from the top. I also included an image of the glass breaker to show just how much I was NOT using it before this break.
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It has broken, where the backspacer is thinnest.

Hmm...I think I need to try my Contego's glass breaker out. Could it have something to do with the bottles vs. a window? A bottle is made of different glass and is much thickere than a car window? But that doesn't explain why a steel backspacer would break.
 
`The back spacer does look cast or MIM. Discouraging. Some firearm manufactures have used this process for parts to cut costs. Parts that have little or no stress load. A back spacer with a glass breaker would potentially need to withstand high stress.
 
Yeah, I broke a bottle just because I had no junkyard tempered-glass window to experiment on at the moment. But my thought is that a glass bottle should be incredibly less stress to break than a flat, tempered glass window. And I did it holding the bottle and knife bare handed, so clearly was not even striking it very hard at all, more like a good couple taps.
One thing I have considered, was that if you view the backspacer apart from the knife, you can see its kinda "J" shaped, with the breaker tip on the curve of the "J". SO the whole point and pressure of the impact is therefore not in-line with the main "Shank" of the backspacer, thus the shock of the strike will translate out to the weakest point of the curve...If that makes sense.
Kinda like the difference of force between hammering in a straight nail, and hammering in a bent nail. Just saying that in retrospect, the very point of where the glass-breaker is placed onto the backspacer is setting up a fracture such as this to happen.

Not to mention- a part like this is cast? WTH? I don't know who thought that was a good idea. I think that once it's replaced, I'd like to touch the broken one to a grinder just to see what kind of sparks it throws, as I have a feeling it's tempered/high carbon. Which, someone correct me of I'm wrong, but wouldn't it make more sense to have this particular piece a softer steel that the carbide glass-breaker is embedded into, in order to absorb the shock and thus prevent this kind of thing from happening?

Just for the record though, I absolutely love Benchmade knives. I am not hating on them in any way, just analyzing and dissecting this one apparent design flaw in an otherwise rocking folder.
 
Seems to me the GB did the job. In an emergency, it likely would have done the job, too. it broke, but only after it did what it was designed to do, and it is warrantied. Do I like the fact mine might break if I have to use it? No. But I'm not concerned. I have too many knives to worry about sending my 810 back for warranty repair after it saves my a&&. Yeah, it could have done better. It could probably be designed better. But it worked. Then again, my 275 is what is always with me, and based on my experience with destroying parts of cars with lesser knives, even the 275 will do adequate service breaking out car glass, in an emergency. It will get damaged, but it will do the job, too.

If it were me, I'd probably use thus opportunity to replace the heavy backspacer with standoffs. But that's just me, and I'm stupid like that.
 
I've got a Contego for a couple of months and had a same problem when tried to use GB.. In my case piece of glass didn't break instead backspacer did so it didn't do the job.. Got a new one, however, didn't try to use it cause I know it will be the same. It's to thin and its construction under force will fail every time.. Maybe change of material of which it's made would do some good? Generally' I love Contego, great steel and awesome knife but this GB is a disappointment..
 
forest. said:
I've got a Contego for a couple of months and had a same problem when tried to use GB.. In my case piece of glass didn't break instead backspacer did so it didn't do the job.. Got a new one, however, didn't try to use it cause I know it will be the same. It's to thin and its construction under force will fail every time.. Maybe change of material of which it's made would do some good? Generally' I love Contego, great steel and awesome knife but this GB is a disappointment..
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What kind of glass was it?
 
PropThePolecat said:
What kind of glass was it?
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Some kind of tempered glass about 4 milimeters thick so it should break without any problems

Edit: I hit it 5 times, first lightly then with a bit more force. Fifth hit was still preety weak but backspacer split into two..
 
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forest. said:
Some kind of tempered glass about 4 milimeters thick so it should break without any problems

Edit: I hit it 5 times, first lightly then with a bit more force. Fifth hit was still preety weak but backspacer split into two..
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Well, THAT is less than satisfactory.
 
Well...it would be great to hear from Benchmade about this issue....
Had been considering getting a 810...but not so sure now....
 
416isToronto said:
Well...it would be great to hear from Benchmade about this issue....
Had been considering getting a 810...but not so sure now....
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This is my opinion, as well...will probably get a 275 instead. As a new Benchmade customer,it is highly reassuring to see Benchmade provide such excellent customer service, however.
 
416isToronto said:
Well...it would be great to hear from Benchmade about this issue....
Had been considering getting a 810...but not so sure now....
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Contego is great blade IMO its only weak spot is GB. If the backspacer would be stronger and could endure much more than it can at present, 810 would be my #1. Decision is yours to make ;)
 
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