How bad / dangerous is this?

U

ubuwalker31

Joined
Jun 16, 2008
Messages
55
So, I have a Ken Onion Shallot that I like to EDC. I use it pretty heavily and I have always been impressed with how strong and flexible the steel has been. I was working on creating another post about sharpening a new machete I bought, by using my zipScope to take pictures of the edge, when I thought, "why don't I show an extremely sharp edge as an example?" So I looked at my blade under ~200x magnification and saw this:

n31ha1d.jpg0


I flipped the knife over, and to my horror saw that it ran through the other side:

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So, my question is, how dangerous is this micro crack? I guess I should stop opening cans with it...but other chores are ok? Would Kershaw replace / repair?

And yea, I haven't sharpened this knife in a year...because its still razor sharp...even though it doesn't look like it.
 
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I would ask Kershaw, although it sounds like that bad boy has been "abused"
 
Seeing as you're unlikely to throw it, or baton with it, or chop stuff, it should be ok to keep using as a slicer. I suspect that opening cans is how it got that crack in the first place. The crack is unlikely to propogate further due to the weld line and different material. You've also got a lot of chips and dings in the edge, that I would say suggest neglect/abuse. You can only try and I don't know what Kershaw are like regarding warranty/guarantee etc. but there's a few things suggesting "abuse" that would lead me to suspect the work wouldn't be for free.
 
I'd send it back - Kershaw has very good CS and there's no telling if you caused that fracture or if it was from abuse or not. Keep the embellishment to a minimum and just tell them you spotted it as you were preparing to sharpen it.
 
HeavyHanded said:
I'd send it back - Kershaw has very good CS and there's no telling if you caused that fracture or if it was from abuse or not. Keep the embellishment to a minimum and just tell them you spotted it as you were preparing to sharpen it.
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I hope you aren't serious. The knife has obviously been abused and it cracked. Why in the world would you tell somebody to lie to the manufacturer and have them pay for something that was in no way their responsibility?
 
HeavyHanded said:
I'd send it back - Kershaw has very good CS and there's no telling if you caused that fracture or if it was from abuse or not. Keep the embellishment to a minimum and just tell them you spotted it as you were preparing to sharpen it.
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I concur with Martin's assessment. Knife doesn't crack on hard nor light abuse usage. Going further to say that the lower half of the blade has too long and irregular brazed edge which could lead to this crack. i.e. designed flaw.
 
protourist said:
I hope you aren't serious. The knife has obviously been abused and it cracked. Why in the world would you tell somebody to lie to the manufacturer and have them pay for something that was in no way their responsibility?
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Where did you see anyone ask anyone to lie? "obviously been abused?" Were you there when it was manufactured? You don't know anything about this knife or the user.

Whatever you decide to do, OP, I would consider that blade a liability, i.e. I would stop using it.
 
Magnaminous_G said:
Where did you see anyone ask anyone to lie? "obviously been abused?" Were you there when it was manufactured? You don't know anything about this knife or the user.

Whatever you decide to do, OP, I would consider that blade a liability, i.e. I would stop using it.
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You seem to though, please...do tell. ;)
 
Magnaminous_G said:
Where did you see anyone ask anyone to lie? "obviously been abused?" Were you there when it was manufactured? You don't know anything about this knife or the user.

Whatever you decide to do, OP, I would consider that blade a liability, i.e. I would stop using it.
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Perhaps it was the part where he said "I should stop opening cans with it".
 
IIRC, Camillus and others made knives with can opener blades on them. Might be time to get the right tool for the job. They even have screwdriver blades for opening paint cans so you can spare your cutting knife that ab-use as well. Use the knife until it fails, replace it with a new one and use it only to cut things, my recomendations.
 
Magnaminous_G said:
Where did you see anyone ask anyone to lie? "obviously been abused?" Were you there when it was manufactured? You don't know anything about this knife or the user.

Whatever you decide to do, OP, I would consider that blade a liability, i.e. I would stop using it.
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To the OP, I agree with the idea of you though in sending in the knife, for two reasons. First, you have nothing to lose. It is a broken tool, and broken tools are dangerous, especially those that cut. To me (recognizing I don't have the finely hones skills of monitor perception that tells the actual condition of a tool) the brazed cover/sandwich is all that is holding that blade together. Not good. Otherwise, that knife looks a little chewed up to me, but the cries of abuse probably come from the fact that many here are light users or collectors. Aside from the crack, there is plenty of steel to sharpen out those chips.

Second, Kershaw is run by a group of adults, all of them full grown at this time. They have a reputation for great customer service. But... they can also say no. If they decide you have used the knife for something that is well past their design intentions, (if they follow their past behavior) they will fix it for a fee or send it back. Let them make the decision. Heck, they may fix it just so that you will come back here and brag on them to get another couple of hundred knife sales in the future when the repaired knife comes back and you let everyone one know that they "took care of you".

I mean, after all, rereading your post, it wasn't like you were expecting something for free... :rolleyes:

Robert
 
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Kershaw's customer service is excellent. I would send it in and let them descide wether or not it was abused and covered under their warranty. If its not covered they charge $10 for replacement blades, but the blades are sterile with no markings.
 
Noctis3880 said:
Yeah, I wouldn't open cans with a ZDP-189 blade, composite or no.
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If that's ZDP, totally agree. I managed to snap the pointy tip on a ZDP Leek with just a little too much pressure on a glass-backed strop. ZDP's edge retention is great, but comes at the expense of toughness. Brittle stuff, when it's that hard. It doesn't bend or flex before it fails. This is why can openers on SAKs and other camp knives are often made of softer steels, at lower RC. Still hard enough to penetrate a piece of tin can, but soft enough to retain some toughness & flexibility while doing so.

BUT, there's no harm in sending it back to Kershaw, and let them decide what to do with it. Even if they charge a nominal fee, it may still be worth it, if the blade is replaced in the process. I'd not be comfortable using it cracked, like that. Even if it doesn't snap, the weakness created in the steel by the crack will likely generate more chipping at the edge itself, especially if/when the crack snags on something being cut.


David
 
Kershaw / ZT blade replacement fee is 10 for Kershaw and 30 for ZT. Just send the knife to them with a payment for 10 bucks and. If it is a defect, they will send the money back. If it broke because of use, then you get a replacement blade for 10 bucks. simple if you ask me.
 
nachomamas said:
Kershaw / ZT blade replacement fee is 10 for Kershaw and 30 for ZT. Just send the knife to them with a payment for 10 bucks and. If it is a defect, they will send the money back. If it broke because of use, then you get a replacement blade for 10 bucks. simple if you ask me.
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I was just about to say that.
 
I would stop using that knife and send it into Kershaw to fix it. It's a nice knife and worth having in good working order. Just be ready to pay for it if they say you abused it. Work with them, don't lie about what you did. I hear their customer service is amazing!
 
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