Bonecutter, HI warranty and "advertising" pictures

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snowwolf

snowwolf

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Good morning all,

This one is just to fire the discussion and a bit of friendly trolling.

I just read the Himalayan Imports-Limited Lifetime Warranty and was very pleased until reading this:

Bone - As Bone can be as hard as rock in many cases, H.I. khukuri are not warranted for chopping thru bone.
If you must dress an animal, it is best to use the right tool (such as a hatchet or saw) or to pry the joint apart.
Despite the name Bonecutter, it is not warranted for chopping thru bone.

Ok... This is looking for trouble.

Especially when looking at advertising pictures coming from an authoritative source
8-11-13001_zps1900581c.jpg


I don't know about the rest of the world but in my neck of the woods, HI would have two options if someone damage his Bonecutter while trying to cut bones.

1- Replace it under warranty... Even if the warranty says you can't cut bones. Considering the cost and trouble of option #2, companies will typically opt for this one and tweak their advertising material accordingly.
or
2) Get sued for false advertising.

BTW, I'm seriously considering getting one of those and I have absolutely no intent to test the above. This thread is only Food for thoughts...
 
They could have called it zombie slayer. Are zombies real? If you go cutting down someones ganga patch with your new Ganga Ram youll probably get in trouble by people more fearful than lawyers! . Its just a name. Would be a sad day so see someone attack HI over a blade name. I suppose they could change the name to Pansy Cutter....Urrrgg!
 
I agree with ndoghouse, it's just a product name, nothing more. There are a lot of products out there that have names that do not necessarily claim that a product will function as it's name implies. HI has a disclaimer in the warranty, and that should be enough to properly address any possible mis-representations of the Bonecutter kuhkri.
 
:-)

Ok but there is a nuance between fantasy naming and functional naming (zombie slayer vs Screw driver)

Massive blades like cleavers will go thru most of the bones you will find in a kitchen. Even some competitors are showing videos on youtube demonstrating their blades while slicing bony beef/pork quarters.

It isn't just an attack over a blade name. I think the name itself falls closer to functional than fantasy.

But if I'm the only one who sees it at misleading then there is no discussion. I know enough about blades to use them within their limits.
 
Survival knife sounds close to a possible function. Would be interesting to sue any company if it doesn't life up (pun) to its name.

Katanas cut through bones as intended but take a bit of damage every time are there any interesting court cases regarding warranty claims?

Rambo knife....
 
Jens Schuetz said:
Katanas cut through bones as intended but take a bit of damage every time are there any interesting court cases regarding warranty claims?
Click to expand...

Good examples.

First the word Katana doesn't mean anything else in Japanese. A Katana is a type of sword.
Second, the Katana is not a chopping device. It's a slicing device. Chopping with it will clearly be using it for something else than what it is intended for.

The survival knifes often has minimal first aid kits, fish hooks, etc. in the handle and the blade is designed for the most survival tasks possible including sawing. It doesn't mean it will succeed, but you can die trying ;-)

I'm playing the Devil advocate here. So far the arguments thrown at me are not very convincing.
 
The origin of the name Bone cutter seems to be unclear (at least to me)
What if its based on a traditional design which was called bone cutter? Does any original bone cutter cut all the bones all the time without damage and need for touch ups or repair? Does a Killabear knife kill every bear? Does my Cutzall saw really cut all?
What if the first bone cutter was a custom order where the guy who made the order gave it the name Bone cutter and HI simply kept using that name to honor the inventor?

There are so many fantasy names for knives Im sure the bone cutter is more true to its name than most of the other ones. Truer than a Combat Bowie in actual combat. I bet it will cut through more bones than a survival knife will help you to survive or a dragon slayer will cut big lizards.

Taliban Takedown
Cat Skinner
M4X PUNISHER
Stratofighter
Badger Attack

According to your logic I'm sure there are many more names which could be sued for implying a use which can't be fulfilled 100% by the knife bearing that name.... Still nobody does it.
I also bet that the Taliban Takedown knife isnt as honest to have written in its warranty that its not guaranteed to take down terrorists more than a kitchen knife. The bone cutter (cutter, not chopper!) warranty however says that if you break it while chopping bones ...
Ever seen a cleaver used by a butcher? They dont smash through bones. They use saws, and chop, if at all through joints only.

If common sense alone is not enough to decide what this knife is useful for and the name is really more (?) misguiding then that of other blades then at least the warranty gives honest information on what not to do with it.:thumbup:
 
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As a lawyer, I would say that they pretty much covered their a@# with that disclaimer. Just as with anything else you buy it doesn't matter what you think you can use it for, it has certain warranties uses and other uses that are not under warranty. Can the bonecutter cut through bone better than other hi blades? From the ergonomics of it I would say that is probably the case. Would it take damage doing so? Probably. I don't know of any blade that could cut through bone without taking damage. Even cleavers that I have used when I worked at a rib house would occasionally chip when cutting through bone.
 
Personally if after I get my Chiruwa AK or my Bonecutter or any of the other countless blades I'll have and use it to jack up my van to change a flat and it breaks, Auntie will never hear about it.

I guess I'm just not into testing warranties on something like our beloved HI knives. If I break it, it was probably my bad.

I did get a Bilton and the (crap, I'm drawing a blank) the metal at the front of the grip wasn't really right, I sent it back and Auntie gladly allowed me to upgrade to something else, I don't recall what it was, so I got no worries.
 
This is all interesting theoretically, and we can always find some lawyer with nothing else to do, but how much is a case like this really going to be worth pursuing?

In fact, this is exactly the kind of possibility that drove the current more detailed warranty.
 
I really think you fishing for something here, what convincing do you need? The thing is a beast of a blade and will serve you well, as far as im concerned this is a ridiculous issue and should be locked as it has no merit. Its a name of a blade, because there is a shank bone next to it you consider it false advertisement and open for law suits? HI expressly notes the warranties, whats covered and not, so this is a non issue. Sorry if this seems rude, but this sounds like someone that used to prowl around here before he was banned.
 
Jens Schuetz said:
The origin of the name Bone cutter seems to be unclear (at least to me)
What if its based on a traditional design which was called bone cutter? Does any original bone cutter cut all the bones all the time without damage and need for touch ups or repair? Does a Killabear knife kill every bear? Does my Cutzall saw really cut all?
What if the first bone cutter was a custom order where the guy who made the order gave it the name Bone cutter and HI simply kept using that name to honor the inventor?

There are so many fantasy names for knives Im sure the bone cutter is more true to its name than most of the other ones. Truer than a Combat Bowie in actual combat. I bet it will cut through more bones than a survival knife will help you to survive or a dragon slayer will cut big lizards.

Taliban Takedown
Cat Skinner
M4X PUNISHER
Stratofighter
Badger Attack

According to your logic I'm sure there are many more names which could be sued for implying a use which can't be fulfilled 100% by the knife bearing that name.... Still nobody does it.
I also bet that the Taliban Takedown knife isnt as honest to have written in its warranty that its not guaranteed to take down terrorists more than a kitchen knife. The bone cutter (cutter, not chopper!) warranty however says that if you break it while chopping bones ...
Ever seen a cleaver used by a butcher? They dont smash through bones. They use saws, and chop, if at all through joints only.

If common sense alone is not enough to decide what this knife is useful for and the name is really more (?) misguiding then that of other blades then at least the warranty gives honest information on what not to do with it.:thumbup:
Click to expand...

"There are so many fantasy names for knives Im sure the bone cutter is more true to its name than most of the other ones."
That's the thing, it seams true to its name.

Did you made up the other names you mentioned? I didn't Google them.

But in there you not only have fantasy vs function but you also introduce other ethical issues. I would dare a company to sell the Cat Skinner in the US even if it's a best seller in China.

I'll just take the Cat skinner vs the Dragon Slayer. I would expect the first one to be a skinner, which is a known legitimate knife function (With an unethical name, but that's not what we are talking about here)
Versus the Dragon Slayer that fall without a doubt in the fantasy land.

As you pointed out, the Bonecutter "seams" true to its name and then we see it right besides a cut bone.

You and other in this thread relate the performance of the device vs the name it carries. Nothing in my logic is talking about performance.

I'm just saying the name and the picture leads to think it is made for something. Then doing it will void the warranty.

Don't try to convince me it is not smart to cut big bones with a blade. I know that and it is not what I'm debating.

Few years ago, a British insurance company was offering coverage for Alien abductions. The marketing people were laughing all the way to the bank. Then someone sued them because they didn't want to pay when he claimed to be a victim of alien abduction.
The customer won the case. The small prints and common sense are not always enough to cover against false advertising.

The new "Zombies" everything is a nice loophole finding by weaponry marketing people. If a country ban your Taliban Takedown product, you can still sell it under Zombie Takedown and it will still put the right image in the customer's mind. Every body will know it is not a Kitchen knife.
 
snowwolf said:
Agreed,

Don't you think the picture works the other way and tend to expose more butt skin?
Click to expand...

I don't. The word bone is in the name so a picture of a bone is apropos. The warranty was very well written and should handle any questions.
 
pugs75 said:
..... Sorry if this seems rude, but this sounds like someone that used to prowl around here before he was banned.
Click to expand...

Yep. When I read the original posting I thought it was well-intentioned, but as the subsequent posts by "snowwolf" became more argumentative I was reminded of that banned person with a (coincidentally?) similar moniker.

I actually agree that showing a photo of the bonecutter next to a thick bone might be misleading to an inexperienced user, and if it were up to me I would not display that photo. All the stuff about lawsuits, however, is nonsense. The internet and television are full of advertising that is far more misleading than this. By comparison, HI is a paragon of honesty. Not to mention that the warrantee is what counts. Can anyone seriously contemplate hiring a lawyer and going to court over a chipped edge from trying to chop through a dry bone? Evidently, "snowwolf" can.

I recently attempted to write with my new Pen Knife and the point tore up my paper. Is that perhaps worth a lawsuit?

As for changing the name of the Bonecutter, that would be an insult to the memory of our friend, John Bonecutter, after whom the blade was named.
 
stabman said:
I'd just cut bones with it and sharpen out the chips. :)
Click to expand...

For all practical purposes, this ^

I have a Busse Fusion Battle Mistress, I would never carry it into a battle, nor is it my mistress.

Ford's Mustang Mach 1 does not go Mach 1.

Bonecutter's name and photos are just marketing.

Nov 2013. Legendary trolling is legendary.
 
Ahem... If you would like to cut bones with no damage to your blade, you should probably consider a lightsaber :).
 
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