"Hard Use". and "Abuse" . . . .What Is The Difference? Opinions Welcome

[JBoone]

Abuse is hard to define but I know it when I see it
Anything that makes me think damage is on the menu. Damage to me meaning substantial chips, breaks, etc.

 

[Blues]

 

[JJ_Colt45]

I think some have said it well already so I won't carry on long. I think there is some grey area, but when I read the thread title the simple thought was ... if something needs done and you have to ask yourself if you should use your knife for this task ... you've probably found the line.

 

[Knives&Lint]

I haven't had time to read through the whole thread yet, but to me hard use is:

Using a knife within its reasonable limitations, for whatever intended task may arise, without regard for keeping it pristine. Normal wear and tear is embraced; and while proper maintenance and care still is a priority, sometimes the knife is "rode hard and put away wet" as the situation dictates and tended to later.

Abuse is purposely using the knife for tasks in which it is LIKELY to be damaged, just to prove that it can or cannot withstand such use.

 

[RPZIP]

Cutting or piercing/stabbing anything is potentially hard use. Mostly doing anything else with a knife is abuse.

 

[HwangJino]

I abuse my knives, with alcohol.

 

[David Mary]

Using a carbon steel knife while out in the rain, and then putting it right into its sheath for storage without a proper clean and dry first is abuse.

 

[EatingSarma]

Normal use: tape and opening boxes, using your knife on your meals, slicing tasks and so on.

Hard use: cuts you need to power through (push cuts), zip ties, hard plastics, cutting thick abrasive ropes for a while, piercing through stuff like hard plastics or some animal/plant materials (like big hard pumpkins), cutting through animal cartilage and fish spines, chopping wood... and so on. Knife is still made for these tasks.

Abuse: using a knife as a screwdriver, prying with a knife, using a knife as a chisel, twisting while cutting into something hard, batoning, hammering a knife, pounding a knife through something, cutting wires and metal, piercing though metal or stabbing cars...

 

[skirm]

Abuse is when you risk instant damage to your knife – it depends on the construction.
Batoning with a 1/4" thick fixed blade? Child’s play.
Doing the same with a folder or kitchen knife? Definitely abuse

 

[EatingSarma]

Abuse is when you risk instant damage to your knife – it depends on the construction.
Batoning with a 1/4" thick fixed blade? Child’s play.
Doing the same with a folder or kitchen knife? Definitely abuse

Well if you have ESEE 5 or something, then go for it.

 

[norcalAF]

You guys are killing it. This thread should be required reading for newbies to the knife hobby.



Or serrations!

Love my modded Spyderco with your serrations! It's a ripper!

 

[calm]

I remember Cold Steel, that what they were designed for and shown to do would have been considered abuse by other brands.

Lynn was unique

 

[Astrogator]

Batoning or using ANY knife as a pry-bar is the supreme example of abuse in my opinion.
Knives are made for cutting.

 

[DangerZone98]

I remember Cold Steel, that what they were designed for and shown to do would have been considered abuse by other brands.

Lynn was unique

Brand braggadocio aside, I’ve never had a Cold Steel knife fail yet. Prime Cold Steel (when Thompson was still at the helm, and we still had Mr. Demko and Mr. Wallace) was something else.

Back on topic. Hard use for me is pushing the knife close to its intended limits. Abuse is any action that falls outside or way beyond normal cutting, piercing. The knife in particular and what you’re doing determine what’s normal use versus abuse.

I would consider batoning abuse for a Morakniv. With a kukri or Carothers, normal hard use IMO.

 

[DangerZone98]

Abuse is when you risk instant damage to your knife – it depends on the construction.
Batoning with a 1/4" thick fixed blade? Child’s play.
Doing the same with a folder or kitchen knife? Definitely abuse

curious thing that knife failures and human genetics have in common: You can do everything right, and yo knife can still break. You can do everything wrong, and that folder you thought flimsy will still truck on.

I guess my point is that I’d be wary pushing a knife to its limits unless absolutely necessary.

 

[skirm]

I guess my point is that I’d be wary pushing a knife to its limits unless absolutely necessary.

That's a great point. Pushing a knife to its limits is often just a slow way of destroying it.
The damage builds up microscopically — you don’t see it until it fails. Like in those JoeX tests: a knife survives 100 hits on a steel bar, but breaks on hit 101 with the same force.

I once saw two guys sitting near me. One proudly showed off his new “best knife in the world” — some S&W folder, half-serrated. Said it could handle any abuse.
The other guy smiled, took his knife, and said, “Let’s prove it.” Then he tried to cut through a glass beer bottle…

Some people really don’t understand the difference between hard use and pure nonsense.

 

[DMG]

I think it is important to consider that hard use vs abuse is relative. In the late 80s or early 90s, teenage DMG bought a cold steel SRK and subjected it to indescribable horrors because it was the only shovel or prybar I had within reach at the time. The edge is perfect, the only signs of use is wear on the coating.

I also have a Protech Godfather which I love but I use it very carefully. I am pretty sure I could damage the point in daily use. I actually have a matching (black) alox victorinox I carry with it in case I need to pry or poke something or open a beer

 

[DeadboxHero]

Analogy:

Driving a performance car to its performance limts on the road.
Hard Use.

Driving a performance car into a brick wall.
Abuse.

 

[Danke42]

Analogy:

Driving a performance car to its performance limts on the road.
Hard Use.

Driving a performance car into a brick wall.
Abuse.

Taking a Lamborghini around the ring at 10/10ths. Hard Use.

Taking a Lamborghini around the acreage as a lawn mower. Abuse.

 

[DeadboxHero]

Easy use:

Sharp knife cuts things.

Hard Use:

Dull knife bludgeoning things.

AbUSE:

Pry bar thingy (knife) must pry everything.