Broken backspring Queen

r8shell

r8shell

Knifemaker / Craftsman / Service Provider
Joined
Jan 16, 2010
Messages
23,990
Some years back, I was at a knife show and bought some NOS Queen knives in cocobolo. The price was very affordable, so I bought a #48 Balloon Whittler and two # 26 Small Stockman: one to use and one to keep as a spare safe-queen Queen. I've often kicked myself for not buying a couple more (there was a large Stockman on the table but at the time I was only into smaller knives), especially as I never liked the other covers they used as much as the cocobolo.

Now, I'm glad I didn't buy out the seller's inventory. Last night, I was looking at a few knives in the knife box and found that the secondary backspring on my user Stockman is broken. This didn't happen while stressing the spring. It just snapped while sitting in a box. :mad:
It may just be confirmation bias, but I feel like I've read more reports of Queen knives with broken backsprings than other brands. Reports of knives that were manufactured over a good range of years, not just a matter of short-term heat-treat problems
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I'm pretty annoyed. I feel like the other two are ticking time-bombs, just waiting to break. I don't think there's anything to do about it, except go ahead and start using them. I may as well enjoy them until their backsprings break as well. The Whittler is a sweet knife with two springs and a tapered spacer, like the new GEC 38s.
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Perhaps I'll gift the broken Queen to one of our knife modders to use for parts or make themselves a single blade knife out of it.
 
This is why I gave up on Queen knives a long time ago. My two main complaints were they came dull or too think behind the edge, and the back springs broke on a regular basis. Far too regular for me. I grew to mistrust them. I had a few Queen knives, and all them bit the dust on me.

"Fool me once, shame on you, fool me twice, shame on me. "

Over a brand lets me down a few times, I'm gone and never coming back.
 
mrknife said:
Are Queen springs the new celluloid gassing issue? I better check my #90 heavy jack :eek::oops:
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I'm afraid that might be so, and a lot harder to fix than just replacing the covers.

I may be overreacting, but I don't know that I'd feel right about selling mine off at this point. I'll just consider them disposable and use 'em until they snap.

Bigfattyt said:
I feel your pain. The coping blade spring on this three blade gunboat snapped.

It was my favorite carry knife. I spent considerable time regrinding all three blades in to full convex, thinner slicers.

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That's a shame; sorry you lost a favorite like that. :(
 
Sorry r8shell. :( Troublesome news indeed! :mad:
At least they didn't take out other favorites with 'em, like gassing has done.
I'll be keepin' fingers crossed for your Queens that remain intact and the few that I have. :eek:
 
r8shell said:
I'm afraid that might be so, and a lot harder to fix than just replacing the covers.

I may be overreacting, but I don't know that I'd feel right about selling mine off at this point. I'll just consider them disposable and use 'em until they snap.


That's a shame; sorry you lost a favorite like that. :(
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same, maybe its time to take out that Schatt & Morgan and carry it
 
This is terrible news, sorry. I don’t have many but enjoy the ones I do. They’re holding for now, and hopefully continue to do so.
 
dsutton24 said:
In a very selfish way. The more you all convince everyone that Queen turned out nothing but junk, the more knives are available for me.
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Ah! I get it. I sometimes feel that way about Boker . ;)

Seriously, I never said Queen turned out nothing but junk. This is a pretty serious flaw, though. Especially since it's a flaw that can't be seen or predicted until it manifests. I'll take minor cosmetic issues and even bad grinds over this. Grinds can be sharpened out and cosmetic flaws are apparent from the beginning.
 
r8shell said:
Ah! I get it. I sometimes feel that way about Boker . ;)

Seriously, I never said Queen turned out nothing but junk. This is a pretty serious flaw, though. Especially since it's a flaw that can't be seen or predicted until it manifests. I'll take minor cosmetic issues and even bad grinds over this. Grinds can be sharpened out and cosmetic flaws are apparent from the beginning.
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Queen made a LOT of knives over many years time. If this was a widespread problem it would have been represented by numerous threads here. My search only yielded a couple threads, and they weren't huge threads with many respondents, so, maybe just some bad luck here and there. In all my years I have only personally experienced one broken spring, and that was on a Buck early on in their in house slip joint days. They fixed that knife and I still have it.

I have a bunch of Queen made S&M knives and have no worries about them.

I agree about the serious flaw bit though, suddenly self destructing is about as bad as it gets...
 
I wouldn't stress it too much. I've had and continue to have many Queen/S&M knives, and never had a problem. The only broken spring I've had was on a very early RR congress. It can happen on any production knife, what with large batch heat treatments.
 
I like to go through old knives at flea markets...some are big whole town flea markets. I go to small knife shows where parts knives are sold. Sometimes in bags of parts. Seen broken springs in old knives from a variety of brands. Seen broken springs on customs too. It can happen to any brand. Seen a broken spring out of the box twice. No one brand was more prevalent than another except maybe Cammilus, but I'm really not sure. Queen's dead, it's nice you all now have a reason to use your safe Queens :)
 
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