Have "you" experienced a knife failure?

I'm sure I broke a few in my preteen years, but I remember this one....

A swiss army knife(not sure if it was a Victorinox or a knock off.)
prying apart a broken radio
At the time pretty low. I was around 9 years old or so.

I don't know why I didn't use the screw driver or bottle opener. I used the main blade to pry apart the radio and snapped it off.
 
I had the framelock on my Paraframe released on my fingers and I have a nice little scar on my index finger. I was working at a theater cutting up some cloth on some seats when it slipped through the material. My reflex was to pull the knife back and the spine hit the bottom of the seat. It didn't hit hard, but the framelock let go and the serrations dug into my finger.

That knife went straight to the trash.

I was a 17 year old kid, but I had used pocket knives all my life. I wasn't abusing the knife or using it for any unintended purposes. It was even a brand new knife. I had JUST bought it for work, to use it as a beater.
 
The knife: Kershaw "Needs Work"
The activity: Opening the knife
Your experience level: high
Your Comments : The flick on the assisted opening was to high, when I deployed the knife it caused one of the screws to snap and the knife literally fell apart in my hand.

The knife: Gerber Multitool
The activity: taking it out of the box
Your experience level: high
Your Comments: The pliers weren't in line, when I tried to squeeze them together they slid past eachother and locked in place. Never got around to returning it.

The knife: Leatherman Fuse
The activity: twisting some wire, and screwing a screw
Your experience level: high
Your Comments: I was twisting two pieces of wire together, needlenose pliers shattered. Screwing a flathead screw in on a revolver and the screwdriver snapped. Leatherman replaced the knife.

I also had a lot of failures in my early days of knife making, due to poor heat-treat... but I don't know if that really counts.
 
I am a new bushie type guy and had my all stainless Spyderco Native fail like two to three light whacs while batoning a straight grained 2x4 to the point of becoming trash. This was quite a while back and even though I know not to baton with folders I was amazed at how easy it broke down and it motivated me to have at least one fixed on me at all times. I should mention that I really like spyderco and carry a paramilitary 2 as my beater side pocket knife every day.
 
Huh. Haven't we been here before??

Two. First was an Mtech knockoff. Slipped out of my hand, fell three feet, hit the concrete floor and snapped the pivot pin. What you get for ten dollars.

Second was not a true failure, but enough to make me stop carrying the knife. Spyderco Crow, cutting fibrous plastic shipping sacks. The blade was dull and I was trying to compensate with muscle power. Squeezed the knife tighter in the process, casing the lock to disengage. The blade was still in the cut, and did not fold in on me. Experience by that time was about ten years with various low and mid-priced linerlocks, but not in any kind of "hard use" context.
 
I've never experienced a knife failure while cutting things with my knives (which I take to be the sole thing those particular knives were designed to do). I've only experienced failures while doing things other than cutting (prying, stabbing, or the like).
 
Never had one fail doing even moderate/heavy cutting slicing with any knife and Ive carried one for almost 30 years..Hunted,trapped and fished the whole time..Farm work too..Ive broke some tips here and there but that was my fault, not the knife..
 
The only knife failure that I have experienced that wasn't my fault was a Buck build 110 in 154cm with Dymond wood handles. which developed blade play after forcing it through some pine fire wood.. Buck fixed it, but it did take a while. And I lost the cool patina that the brass had on it :mad:
 
The only failure I have experienced when I was using a knife for an activity for which the maker advertised was its forte was when I tried whittling with a Bark River Mini Canadian (first time to use it). The edge rolled and crumpled like cheap aluminum foil. It was fairly thin at the edge, but I have other knives almost as thin that have no problems, so it may have been a heat treat issue coupled with a thin edge.
 
I have a Case Mini Trapper that I bought in 84 that hade a backspring break.It broke setting in a box inside a rental storage unit,I have no idea how this happened.It was fine when it was put away and was broke when I looked at it several years later?
 
abused a rat 1 and a tenacious both stop pins came out of place and such the tenacious i was batoning fairly hardcore through dry oak filled with knots and i wasnt surprised when it broke

the rat 1 i think broke randomly i defiantly wasn't batoning

i was comparing stabbing reverse grip and reverse grip with edge towards my forearm not out and i was stabbing ice pick style and reverse grip the liner failed

also snapped a buck 119 right in front of the guard from chopping and fairly light batoning

not exactly "intended use" but whatevs thats my exp
 
When I retired year before last. The last 2 of my websites that I had open were self defense products because I liked helping folks out with some Mace a Taser, ASP or a kubotan to try & defend themselves with.

Before I closed them I closed up I had an Mtech (CCC folders) sent back to me as undeliverable. I still have that knife. It's built like a knock-off of the CS Ti-Lite with the same turned down linerlock and the little quillons for wave opening. It has hardwood scales over the steel lined frame.

Cost me $3,95 and sold for $10 to $15. The only problem it's had is that the thumbstud is riveted in place and has fallen off 3 times. I really epoxied it good with JB weld for metal (the gray stuff). On the 2 earlier repairs I used some generic epoxy which worked good but didn't last.

I've started to throw it out many times but this last repair has about a year on it and feels solid. If it fall off again I'm going to throw it out. A shame really since it would be a solid little folder and fancy looking too. Ultimately though - FAIL! :thumbdn:

MTech 121S:

mt121.jpg
 
Please indicate:
The knife fake spyderco delica
The activity opening a anti theft cover that cd's were packaged in. the blade went back luckily i was fine.
Your experience level low
Your Comments i would never by a knock off again.
 
A cheap "USMC Ka-Bar style" I think maybe by Ontario? bent at tang/blade from throwing it ...lesson learned, buy real Ka-bar.

Spyderco lady bug, broke off tip digging into wooden handrail while walking post in Marines...lesson, don't use a small sharp cutting blade as dull prying object.

what I think was an Old Hickory butcher knife with 10 inch blade...(at least it was this style, and would have been ~30+ yrs old at the time) Used as a true bushcraft blade, chopped thin cane-like "elephant grass" near daily as well as southern pine branches. Broke a half silver-dollar size chip out of blade cutting pine branches...lesson, get another one! this blade was one of the best overall usefull bush tools I've used, even with that thin blade...but I should have used an axe or hatchet on the thick stuff.
 
RDog said:
A cheap "USMC Ka-Bar style" I think maybe by Ontario? bent at tang/blade from throwing it ...lesson learned, buy real Ka-bar.

Spyderco lady bug, broke off tip digging into wooden handrail while walking post in Marines...lesson, don't use a small sharp cutting blade as dull prying object.

what I think was an Old Hickory butcher knife with 10 inch blade...(at least it was this style, and would have been ~30+ yrs old at the time) Used as a true bushcraft blade, chopped thin cane-like "elephant grass" near daily as well as southern pine branches. Broke a half silver-dollar size chip out of blade cutting pine branches...lesson, get another one! this blade was one of the best overall usefull bush tools I've used, even with that thin blade...but I should have used an axe or hatchet on the thick stuff.
Click to expand...

I think the lesson should be - don't throw your knives :D
 
The knife: Spyderco Police Stainless
The activity: Sharpening a stick
Your experience level: High
Your Comments: Locking lever broke, rendering knife useless.
Spyderco replaced with a new Knife, which I then sold.
 
The knife: Queen Button Lock

The activity: Opening and closing, fondling the knife, and locking/unlocking.

Your experience level: My experience level fondling knives? Second to none.

Your Comments: The knife was discontinued and Queen promptly refunded the purchase price.
 
My old Balisong/butterfly opened in my pocket and sliced my small finger open.
Still have the scar
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top