Broken Knife! Have you ever? Overused scenario or Reality?

Is the term "The knife will break" over used and actually does not happen often at all?

  • Yes, I am sick of hearing about broken fixed blade knives, it rarely happens to good knives.

    Votes: 57 87.7%

  • No, I break knives all the time, I could tear up a ball bearing...

    Votes: 8 12.3%
  • Total voters
    65
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el dub said:
I think 19-3 ought to give his kid a .45 auto to play with. Just sayin.
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Apparently you missed the post below.

knarfeng said:
I have given a warning with points to the first one who posted insults in this thread. I will give more if there are any further insults in this thread.

Answer the question and stop the bickering.
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Never truly snapped a blade. However I don't regularly baton or pry with my knives. If you are gonna be excessively rough on equipment It may fail.
 
19-3ben said:
In life there are no absolutes, and it's unwise to characterize an entire group of people as "knuckleheads" because they do things differently than you.
Sometimes I split wood with a hatchet, sometimes I baton with my knife. The fact is, Beckers, ESEEs, many OKC, etc... are designed to withstand that kind of use with no undue damage. In fact there are many very wise people, Ethan Becker included, who feel it's safer to baton so that you're not swinging around a thing with an edge.

When I go camping or I'm outside with my kids, I baton rather than use a hatchet for that exact reason. You can't ever count on a kid to be where he's supposed to be. So far, my knives are fine with it. I also have taught my 4 yr old how to split wood with a baton because he's actually very good at it. I would not, at that age, trust him to swing a hatchet. He'll learn about that when he's older, but for now, I'd rather the knife blade the steady in the wood, and have him swinging a built object. When I do teach him to use the hatchet, it'll be the Ray Mears technique where you put the edge of the hatchet to the side of the wood and bring them down together onto a hard object to split the wood.

Don't call my son a knucklehead. I assume apologies will be tendered...




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Thank you! That is a great answer to the benefit of batoning I had never heard before.

I often wondered if there was some inherant advantages to batoning.

It does seem logical that it is alot safer. I would rather break a blade than accidentally split someone’s body part unintended.
 
If the fixed blade maker is reputable, and made from appropriate steel such as: 1095, 5160, s-7, 1075, etc., there is no reason the knife should break while batoning. I do so frequently when a single fire is called for, so as not to build such a roaring fire as would occur from using entire 12” logs. If I have my hawk with me, I’ll use that in addition.
 
Batoning with a knife has been discussed frequently in BF. For the most part, you either do it or you don't. I would have no hesitation batoning a knife for a camp fire. I will add a caveat to that statement. If I were stranded out in the woods (lost or just stuck there for days) and only had one knife with me, I would be hesitant to baton a knife I was depending on possibly for my life. Otherwise, go for it!! :D
 
shinyedges said:
Maybe we just have good luck? :confused:

This is my process:

1. Buy quality knife from reputable manufacturer.

2. Use common sense when splitting wood.

Enjoy countless fires.
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That's preposterous.

But in all seriousness.
I baton with my own knives. Never broken one. Even through knots, and less than perfectly straight grain. I use common sense. So if the grain is something awful I will skip batoning. Nice and straight grain and all in to baton it with a knife 0.2 or thicker. Even 0.187 can do it, again common sense goes a long way.
 
I was cutting carrots with a kitchen knife about 24 years ago, and the blade broke in half.
It was an old, old knife.
I put a new point on it, sharpened it up, and it is still being used to this day. :thumbsup:

Apparently I was a knucklehead though, using knives for things they weren't intended for...like cutting carrots. ;)
 
Lapedog said:
What are your thoughts on spraying the blade with wd40 or some lubricant?
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I'll do that when I'm gathering fatwood. It keeps the knife gliding through the sticky wood easier. Actually, I use mineral oil, it's cheaper. When turning a single log into a campfire, I just use the knife with no spray or lube.
 
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