CRKT Kangee T-Hawk : How durable ? "Dis-temper" fails ?

DocJD

DocJD

Basic Member
Joined
Jan 29, 2016
Messages
11,455
I see mostly positive reviews and impressive proof tests , but on Amazon reviews , there are 6% one star reviews . Most are of BAD chipping in light use , NOT the extreme use as in the video above . Pics are posted and the reviews seem legit . So I'm confused . At ~$100 , I'd be PO'd with such failure . It's a pity , because I really like the design .
 
So nobody has any input ? Well , thanks for looking ! :(
 
Doc,i meant to,but wasn't sure 1.,where to start,and 2.,whether you'd be happy to hear all that...

First,your definition of "failure" does not really work:One can fail a promise,if you will;as in if the CRKT has actually Rated this thing for a Given load or whatever,only then you could say they Failed(...to deliver on a given claim).
As it is,their "claim" consisted(i'm guessing) in something said,or even just suggested, cunningly and lawyerly in advertising,making an Emotional,vs practical/structural,appeal.

Second,the "test" in the video is goofy,i'm sorry,and is very nearly meaningless...(tests,for realz,must be rather well thought out,and based on Something).As it is,it's just some fun,berserker-action,and demonstrates Nothing about the object.
Steel,sheet steel in particular,is something that isn't terribly hard on tool edges...

So,we all know that the heat-treatment of steel alloys is a balancing act,mainly between Hardness(resistance to Indentation),and Toughness(r-to Deformation).Even with the newer,practically magical,alloys,that fact of life remains.
So,CRKT have failed to meet YOUR expectation on that proportion,(or someone's,those people you refer to).
There's just not much to go on here...
 
jake pogg said:
Doc,i meant to,but wasn't sure 1.,where to start,and 2.,whether you'd be happy to hear all that...

First,your definition of "failure" does not really work:One can fail a promise,if you will;as in if the CRKT has actually Rated this thing for a Given load or whatever,only then you could say they Failed(...to deliver on a given claim).
As it is,their "claim" consisted(i'm guessing) in something said,or even just suggested, cunningly and lawyerly in advertising,making an Emotional,vs practical/structural,appeal.

Second,the "test" in the video is goofy,i'm sorry,and is very nearly meaningless...(tests,for realz,must be rather well thought out,and based on Something).As it is,it's just some fun,berserker-action,and demonstrates Nothing about the object.
Steel,sheet steel in particular,is something that isn't terribly hard on tool edges...

So,we all know that the heat-treatment of steel alloys is a balancing act,mainly between Hardness(resistance to Indentation),and Toughness(r-to Deformation).Even with the newer,practically magical,alloys,that fact of life remains.
So,CRKT have failed to meet YOUR expectation on that proportion,(or someone's,those people you refer to).
There's just not much to go on here...
Click to expand...
:) Thanks for the reply ! The video was just the goofiest , most extreme one I could find , and it wasn't a fail . That's my confusion . It seems that mostly this hawk is very durable but then I see that some reviews claim breakage with moderate use on wood . The reviews seem genuine , so I didn't know what to think . Maybe just some of them have a bad heat treat ? I just hate to drop $100 and have it chip out like in their pics . Maybe I'll just get a cheaper one , like a Cold Steel Spike Hawk ? I've seen some nice mods .:cool::thumbsup::thumbsup:
 
Jake Pogg......I appreciate you breaking your response up into paragraphs but your word spacing and comma usage makes your response brutal to read!

Doc.......The Kangee should hold up fine. I've beaten on mine for years. You want to get something cheaper because your afraid of it failing? You get what you pay for.
 
Snakebreaker said:
Jake Pogg......I appreciate you breaking your response up into paragraphs but your word spacing and comma usage makes your response brutal to read!

Doc.......The Kangee should hold up fine. I've beaten on mine for years. You want to get something cheaper because your afraid of it failing? You get what you pay for.
Click to expand...
Great ! That's what I like hearing before I buy equipment for hard use . The Cold Steel Hawk would need a sheath and some work to get right . Plus , wood handles can break . I really do like the design of the Kangee and will probably take the plunge . :)
 
I'd say there are always going to be bad reviews here and there no matter what it is. And on the other hand, I'm not sure the recycled toaster sheet metal is really much of a test. But in either case I am guessing CRKT will make things right if it doesn't endure its intended uses.
 
DocJD said:
I see mostly positive reviews and impressive proof tests , but on Amazon reviews , there are 6% one star reviews . Most are of BAD chipping in light use , NOT the extreme use as in the video above . Pics are posted and the reviews seem legit . So I'm confused . At ~$100 , I'd be PO'd with such failure . It's a pity , because I really like the design .
Click to expand...
Probably off topic, but I wonder how old, cheap, bridgeport hatchet would stand if treated same way https://www.google.com/search?q=bri...nYAhVBtFMKHVqgAscQ_AUIiAIoAQ&biw=1708&bih=820
 
A buddy of mine got one for Christmas, and suffered a pretty massive chip out of his edge chopping wood. He knows his way around an axe, and was shocked by the damage.
 
FortyTwoBlades said:
A buddy of mine got one for Christmas, and suffered a pretty massive chip out of his edge chopping wood. He knows his way around an axe, and was shocked by the damage.
Click to expand...
Uh oh ! Yeah , that's exactly what the bad reviews on Amazon were about . So apparently , a least some have a bad HT 'cause SK5 shouldn't do that .:(
 
I was just about to start a thread like this, before I did a forum search and found this one.

I've got the same conerns about the Kangee and the reports of failing. Does CRK have trouble with good heat treatments on its products? Is it the SK5 steel that's causing issues? What's the deal here?
 
Charlie_K said:
I was just about to start a thread like this, before I did a forum search and found this one.

I've got the same conerns about the Kangee and the reports of failing. Does CRK have trouble with good heat treatments on its products? Is it the SK5 steel that's causing issues? What's the deal here?
Click to expand...
I don't think it's the steel type because some users have no problems at all . Inconsistent HT and poor QC would be my guess . So maybe if you're lucky you'd get a good one . I decided to pass on this and got a Cold Steel Viking short axe to play with .
 
DocJD said:
I don't think it's the steel type because some users have no problems at all . Inconsistent HT and poor QC would be my guess . So maybe if you're lucky you'd get a good one . I decided to pass on this and got a Cold Steel Viking short axe to play with .
Click to expand...

Well if it's an issue with the QC, CRKT's warrant should apply in the event of a breakage. Their page says the warranty covers such for as long as you own their product, so I'm tempted to take them up on that.
 
Charlie_K said:
Well if it's an issue with the QC, CRKT's warrant should apply in the event of a breakage. Their page says the warranty covers such for as long as you own their product, so I'm tempted to take them up on that.
Click to expand...
I would think that if you put it to some appropriate "hard use " upon arrival , that problems would be revealed PDQ . If the HT is bad and the steel is too brittle , it should be pretty obvious with some testing . Please post your results . I still love the design ! :)
 
DocJD said:
I would think that if you put it to some appropriate "hard use " upon arrival , that problems would be revealed PDQ . If the HT is bad and the steel is too brittle , it should be pretty obvious with some testing . Please post your results . I still love the design ! :)
Click to expand...

Once I have some disposable income I might just go and do that. If I've got a bum, they'll have to replace it. Do it enough times with enough people, and they'll have to look inward.
 
DocJD said:
I would think that if you put it to some appropriate "hard use " upon arrival , that problems would be revealed PDQ . If the HT is bad and the steel is too brittle , it should be pretty obvious with some testing . Please post your results . I still love the design ! :)
Click to expand...

Alright, JD, time for a report.

I got my Kangee about three weeks ago and have been using it semi-regularly to see how it holds up. I've used it for chopping down small trees, cutting through old lath, I even tested the spike to see about punching a couple of holes in the bottom of a 55 gallon drum. So far I haven't seen any signs of damage in its use; no blade chipping, no edge rolling, etc. I don't know how long this is going to hold up, but so far it's doing pretty well.
 
Charlie_K said:
Alright, JD, time for a report.

I got my Kangee about three weeks ago and have been using it semi-regularly to see how it holds up. I've used it for chopping down small trees, cutting through old lath, I even tested the spike to see about punching a couple of holes in the bottom of a 55 gallon drum. So far I haven't seen any signs of damage in its use; no blade chipping, no edge rolling, etc. I don't know how long this is going to hold up, but so far it's doing pretty well.
Click to expand...
Maybe you got a good one . I'd think that any tendency to chip would show up pretty quick . I still like the design ! :cool::thumbsup:
 
DocJD said:
Maybe you got a good one . I'd think that any tendency to chip would show up pretty quick . I still like the design ! :cool::thumbsup:
Click to expand...

That could be the case, or it could be lemons aren't all that common in the CRKT line. Although if you wait long enough for all the bugs to be worked out from the final product, they might be discontinued by then.
 
I don't frequent this sub forum much but I have had my Kangee for four years.

I've used it on hardwoods, softwoods, as a demo tool for home renovations, destroying old furnature for trips to the dump, and on cars for fun. ( the remains of donated wrecks after extraction drills at the FD).

rbi8vk.jpg


Just under the largest white mark you can (maybe) see what remains of the only significant chip the edge took.

That was from chopping through a free hanging cow femur bone.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top