Broken Blur...I need an explaination

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Dao.Hung_105

Joined
Jun 6, 2011
Messages
247
A friend of mine was going on a trip to a Pagoda in Vietnam, on the way he wanted to make a walking stick. SO that he pulled out the S30V blur and started chopping with it. The bamboo is not that big as you can see in the picture, but the blade of the blur snapped into pieces. At first I figured what the... I can't think of a way how this thing can happen. But then I realized that he's chopping with it, not batoning, so it might be the reason why the blade snapped into halves. So, what do you guys think?

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Oh and 1 more thing, will Kershaw see this as abusing? If it's a deffect will there be any warranty? Thanks for the input guys.
 
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I don't see how chopping bamboo could make a blade just snap like that :confused:
 
That knife is made for cutting and slicing, not chopping. Bamboo is some tough stuff too.
 
I don't see any cut marks on that bamboo... :confused:

My guess would have been that a previous fracture seeded around the thumb-studs propagated through the blade when subjected to impact shock. This would be more likely to occur due to spine impacts... or due to lateral stress from prying. But contiguous steel shouldn't have fractured like that. A crack was already present.
 
Thin knife, trying to chop something hard? Yup, broken blades may occur.

There is a reason that people cut bamboo with swords. It is a good test of the edge strength. If you blow a cut (meaning get off line, or have bad form), you can break, or get a sword to take a twist, or a set, or chip out the edge.

A folder with a thinish edge is not meant to chop. Wrong tool. Better technique for that job would have been to set the knife on the bamboo, and use a stick to tap it through, being careful not to side load the blade.
 
Chopping bamboo with a folding knife probably isn't the right tool for the job, but still, that's definitely not what I'd expect to happen. Something must have been wrong with the blade... I've chopped at bamboo about that thick and other stuff and never snapped anything. There must have been a defect... :confused: right?
 
chiral.grolim said:
My guess would have been that a previous fracture seeded around the thumb-studs propagated through the blade when subjected to impact shock. .. But contiguous steel shouldn't have fractured like that. A crack was already present.
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^ this :thumbup:

I ran into problem when I used high speed drill bit to bore holes thru the blade. 4 out of 12 holes had seed cracked in them after quenched. Well, I tempered 2 blades (s90v) anyway, they broke on chop and baton impact (no lateral, just impact) originated from the hole. Funny how a crack can propagate through steel like that. Having said this, I am sure KAI/Kershaw has their processes almost perfected however defect is unavoidable. Give Kershaw a call.
 
Thanks for the inputs guys. I can see the blade snaps rite at the thumbstud to the thinnest part of the belly. The owner of the knife said the he only chop Bamboo with it. weird right? So, I think it's his bad day or he shoulda use the rite tool for the rite job :)
 
I don't see any cut marks on that bamboo...

My guess would have been that a previous fracture seeded around the thumb-studs propagated through the blade when subjected to impact shock. This would be more likely to occur due to spine impacts... or due to lateral stress from prying. But contiguous steel shouldn't have fractured like that. A crack was already present.
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that's becuz the knife snapped before it drive through the bamboo, so he had to snap to bamboo to pay back for his poor blur :D
 
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Originally Posted by chiral.grolim
My guess would have been that a previous fracture seeded around the thumb-studs propagated through the blade when subjected to impact shock. .. But contiguous steel shouldn't have fractured like that. A crack was already present.
^ this

I ran into problem when I used high speed drill bit to bore holes thru the blade. 4 out of 12 holes had seed cracked in them after quenched. Well, I tempered 2 blades (s90v) anyway, they broke on chop and baton impact (no lateral, just impact) originated from the hole. Funny how a crack can propagate through steel like that. Having said this, I am sure KAI/Kershaw has their processes almost perfected however defect is unavoidable. Give Kershaw a call.
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I'll ask him for more picture. tthere might be some deffection at the blade right where it snapped, an air/pit hole or something I hope.
 
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chiral.grolim said:
I don't see any cut marks on that bamboo... :confused:

My guess would have been that a previous fracture seeded around the thumb-studs propagated through the blade when subjected to impact shock. This would be more likely to occur due to spine impacts... or due to lateral stress from prying. But contiguous steel shouldn't have fractured like that. A crack was already present.
Click to expand...

This.........
 
send a pic to kershaw, try your luck with a warranty, if they say no, just buy a blem and beat on it some more. i would think they would warranty it, if they dont not like you lost a ton
 
No matter how hard I try, I just can't see an S30V Blur failing like that. Call Kershaw and they will look after it.
 
Call em' I sent in a scallion one time because the speed safe broke,they sent me a new knife..Great service in my book
 
If he happened to buy the knife in Vietnam, it may not have been an actual Blur, but a Mainland China knock off. If it's real, I'm sure the manufacture will replace it.
 
I'll tell him to give Kershaw a call. Hope they'll send a new knife or replace a new blade or...just to weld the pieces together (I'm just kidding). I just don't see how an S30V blade can be broken so easily, cuz I've seen Spyderco knives with a giant hole on the blade being batonned thruogh wood with ease.
 
Batonning and chopping are entirely different processes causing entirely different stresses.

You can baton an Opinel. You cant chop with it.
 
Dao.Hung_105 said:
I'll tell him to give Kershaw a call. Hope they'll send a new knife or replace a new blade or...just to weld the pieces together (I'm just kidding). I just don't see how an S30V blade can be broken so easily, cuz I've seen Spyderco knives with a giant hole on the blade being batonned thruogh wood with ease.
Click to expand...

Batoning isn't the same as chopping, though. Batoning is more precise in that you can direct the edge where you want it to go, whereas with chopping you are swinging the knife itself, so it's going to be less precise and much easier to strike at the wrong angle.

That being said, he should get a fixed blade in 1095 or some other relatively tough steel if he wants to chop bamboo. A machete would probably work better.
 
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