Anyone break their Nilakka?

Rotte

Rotte

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Aug 30, 2008
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I recently picked up a Nilakka by Spyderco, maker of "Reliable High Performance" knives.

I think it's a fabulous design and love the handle. Often on knives in general, and folders especially, the handle is designed after the blade, sometimes they seem like an afterthought. Not so with the Nilakka. This knife has a real handle and one might almost guess the blade was designed after the handle. Brilliant. I really like the brown G-10, understated & not the usual tactiblack, almost woodsy.

And who can complain about S30V steel for a folder's edge? The blade is thin and narrows nicely to a needle-like point. Should be a very efficient slicer.

I was curious to note, however, that this Spydie came with a small card with fine print warning that the knife is "not intended for hard-use cutting chores". It further states that any such use could be construed as "intentional abuse", voiding the Spyderco warranty.

Thanks for the warning, but that's a bit disappointing to read. I'm pretty careful with my knives and I'd like to think I don't "abuse" them, but a puukko is a traditional woods knife. A hunting and fishing tool. I'm sure for some Finns a survival tool. And I'm wondering if form followed form or function?

So, I'm curious, has anyone broken their Nikkala? And, if so, how?
 
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No experience with the knife, but I'd bet the warning comes due to our overly litigious society, and the fact that there are entirely too many people who are, quite honestly, f***tards.

Someone with any bit of sense would know what to use this knife for, and what NOT to use it for.
Translated, that statement means that there is/are a percentage out there who will try to chop a cinder block in half, baton their way through a Redwood, or use it in place of a piton while climbing K2.

Use it for what it is and what it's intended for, and there will not be a problem with the knife, nor with a warranty should there be a failure.
 
Yes, I did break a bit of the tip off. Maybe 1/16". It's extremely delicate so it wasn't that much of a surprise. I just re profiled it. I figure it's stronger now anyway. I use it at work building furniture and cabinetry. It is a fantastic knife for veneers and edge banding . Also great for onsite repairs.
 
Here is one my son dropped to the wood floor, unfortunately it landed tip first, as you can see it didn't fare well. I was able to re-profile it back to a usable tip.

 
I re-profiled a Kershaw Black Horse once. Tip snapped. I ended up liking the new shaped a bit better!
 
Esav Benyamin said:
Nilakka. The edge was fragile on the original run.
Click to expand...

I believe the original early runs were full zero ground, so unless the user is familiar with that then chipping will be more prone to happen (especially with S30V?). So now they all have a micro bevel to beef up the edge.
 
I have one of the originals with the zero grind and love it.
I dont do anything harx with it.
Slices like a razor... Would love to see a sprint run in 52100...
I can attest to the tip being fragile, as mine is bent just a hair...
 
I trashed the edge on my original, zero grind Nilakka whittling basswood for a minute. It didn't take long for Spyderco to jump on the problem and add a secondary bevel, fixing the problem as far as people like me are concerned. The newest ones are ground thicker, resulting in a much more sturdy edge, but it is still much more delicate than most production knives. The card is there to let the idiots know that it wasn't made for them, it is a throwback to the days when knives were sharp and people used them accordingly.
 
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