Have You Ever Exhausted the Lifetime of One of Your Knives?

[Moxy]

Just a quick question, have you ever used/resharpened any one of your knives so much that it no longer performs well enough to be carried anymore? Have you sharpened back the blade so much that you needed a replacement? Did the lock finally fail on you after 25 years of use? I sometimes see guys ask "I want a knife that will last a lifetime", but has anyone here ever got the full mileage out of one of their folders? What kind was it and how long did it last you? I'd imagine that is an extremely rare occurrence for knife nuts. My dad's SAK Classic is older than I am(24) and has seen more use than my whole collection combined. The blade is worn down to almost nothing. That was his one and only pocket knife for a lifetime. Since I rotate through 30+ knives and I am always buying and selling, I don't ever see myself wearing out any of my folders. Kinda sad actually. I'll never be attached to just one knife for a lifetime. There are too many awesome folders out there to be committed to just one!

 

[whitty]

I have never exceeded the lifetime of one of my folders but I never carry one specific one to be worn down enough.

I can say I own an old Boker and Case knife that were passed down to me from each of my Grandfathers. Those knives are sharpened down to a nub. They are done and definitely were well used!

Here is a pic of the Boker:



003 by http://www.flickr.com/people/57703464@N02/, on Flickr

 

[Cypress]

I used and sharpened a Benchmade 3550 to the point that the blade needed to be replaced. When I sent it in for a broken main spring, they replaced the blade ($30), all of the internals, the push-button, the screws holding the knife together, and included a new pocket clip separately in the box.

 

[Cereal_killer]

The only knife I've ever truly wore out was a spyderco ladybug, sharpened it so much the tip of the blade was no longer below the scales when closed so it couldn't be carried or it would come open in your pocket.

 

[treeshaker]

I run heavy equipment, my EDC's for the last 30 years have all been nice knives, crk, hinder,striders, benchmades, none last a year before I am holding pcs. just sent back a BM 9501 via a friend here xpressblades who lives near benchmade, all he had was about 40% blade and a separate frame. BM sold us a new, newer model for $35. This will happen at least every 10-12 months.

 

[Firestrike]

Only Leatherman's (excellent warranty btw) the rest are usually lost, borrowed permanently, stolen, or given away.

 

[Franciscomv]

I've had a few knives show some wear (a couple of my older SAKs look like crap), bent a couple of tips and stuff like that, but they are all still in working order. I switch around too often to really wear any knife out. I also tend to use fixed blades whenever possible, and those are more resilient than folders.

 

[theyoungone]

I have never exceeded the lifetime of one of my folders but I never carry one specific one to be worn down enough.

I can say I own an old Boker and Case knife that were passed down to me from each of my Grandfathers. Those knives are sharpened down to a nub. They are done and definitely were well used!

Here is a pic of the Boker:



003 by http://www.flickr.com/people/57703464@N02/, on Flickr

Wow that is crazy. The only thing I have to offer is a Ontario SP2 that I keep with my yard tools. I beat the heck out of that poor thing, broke the tip off of it and resharpened it hundreds of times, but it keeps chugging along. Its also my test knife, that I try things on first like putting a convex edge or doing a patina (the black coating wore off years ago). The thing that finally killed it was I took it with me to help someone with some demo/cleanup work at a New Jersey shore home after hurricane Sandy. I spent the whole day with it on a sand pile that washed against the homes cutting up vinyl siding to throw in trash bags (there were no dumpsters available yet). So I was stabbing into the sand while cutting, and the tip and belly of the blade was rounded dull. The knife was already a PITA to sharpen because of the thick blade and crazy blade geometry from the factory. I might play with a grinder and change it from a 5.5" clip point blade to a 5" modified Tanto. If I screw up I can just replace it with another SP2. They still sell for around $35.

 

[Quiet]

I always marvel at stories from members here about how hard they use their knives. It's in direct contrast to my own use case because my job consists of driving a desk and directing a team of engineers, not working on a job site*. However, I have tremendous respect for those who do that sort of work. In fact, I've purchased knives after reading threads like those, even though the odds of me personally putting that knife through those paces is almost nil. A good example is my Spyderco GB. That "Hard Use" thread was eye opening. But will I be cutting up drywall or prying nailed-together beams apart? Most likely not.

In any case, to answer the question posed, I'd say the same thing others above have already said. It's a combination of me rotating my knives, buying new ones, and so on that ensures that I won't ever have a knife show that much use. Even my camp knives are still looking great, and those have seen years of general BSA/camping use. I kept (and keep) my knives plenty sharp, but I can't say I have a single knife whose blade profile is noticeably different as a result.

 

[Daniel Dorn]

I no longer sharpen with Diamond. That has helped me prolong the life of my blades. Not that I was ever in danger of wearing out a blade. It's just a way of keeping them in better shape for when my kids get them.

I have two knives that do the hard work. A Benchmade 730CFHS with M2 blade and a Cold Steel 5" Twistmaster tanto in CV. I use the CS for yard work, and the BM for days when I do any construction/carpentry type work. Neither are close to being worn out, but they do show the scars of a hard life.

 

[Blackie Scantling]

I have a 70's era lockback Gerber I carried most of my adult life thats now a future heirloom in the safe that I practiced thumbing open so many times after I found it, we're talking while sitting there in a reclyner watching TV every day thumbing and closing plus actual usage, now it won't stay locked open. The stainless blade was so hard and impossible to sharpen it stayed semi-sharp most of that time.

I came across it awhile back and opened and looked at it. Spoiled by pocket clips, flippers and thumb studs, the shape and ergonomics are now awkward and outdated. I would hate to have to dress and skin a deer or hog with it now.

 

[HwangJino]

I haven't but have seen kitchen slicers (yanagi) so old that it's half the length and width of original length.

Still works like a charm. Almost a pairing knife haha.

 

[Sonnydaze]

With my casual knife use, I'll never wear out my large Sebenza. It will certainly outlast me.

 

[McVeyMac]

I wish that I have, then I would have a justification for buying the 40+ knives I have purchased in the last 1.5 years to my wife. I guess that this is a luxury problem, hence no problem at all. All I can say is that if my life circumstances change to the point that my knife usage becomes hard and frequent (4-8 hours a day), then I am well prepared for the rest of my life without purchasing another knife. But I doubt very seriously if either of these two things will happen. Looking for a hand made fixed blade utility (subject to change) next.

 

[evanPGH]

I haven't but have seen kitchen slicers (yanagi) so old that it's half the length and width of original length.

Still works like a charm. Almost a pairing knife haha.

Wow! That's pretty impressive. Any idea how old it was?

 

[jc57]

This old Parker Frost I bought in '78 has seen better days. Though more from my failure to take proper care of it over the years and some abuse. It has never had a perfect fit and finish to begin with, so some of it's problems were from the factory. I'm not sure what caused the bolster to come off, it was long ago. Probably dropped it. The tip was bent due to me using it as a screwdriver at some point (abuse) and then trying to straighten it back out with pliers, which caused it to snap off (abuse). Poor reprofiling skills resulted in the rounded butter-knife tip. The pitting and blade discoloration was from leaving it sitting forgotten in a tool box for 20 years (neglect), since cleaned off and polished up a bit.

However, it's still takes a very sharp edge and has that great older Schrade 1095 steel. The liner lock has some wobble but it stays locked, and if you need to cut things, it will do that. I just have so many other good knives that this one sits in a desk drawer.

However, it's still takes a very sharp edge and has that great older Schrade 1095 steel.

 

[The Mastiff]

I've worn out a couple knives to one extent or another. Most were inexpensive. One I recall was a Imperial Ireland green lockback carbon steel. It was less than $5 and had very cheap internals. I sure wouldn't choose it to work hard, nor test the lock by spine whacking it. It didn't take long to develop side play but it kept cutting and slicing paper, plastic, cardboard, etc, etc. It was a very thin blade and probably something like 1070 but it sharpened up easy and took seconds to resharpen it to shaving sharp, which I sometimes had to do at work.

It finally got sharpened down to a tanto like remnant of a blade. I still have it , still could use it in a pinch but am hard pressed to find cause to carry it with the blades I have.

Love those old Imperial ireland blades in Carbon steel. Had a Barlow, still have a Stockman, and even had a scout type. None were above $4.95 at ACE Hardware in the late 80's.