I've never wondered how they'd hold up in fire, let alone how they hold up to smashing.. Although an amusing post, I'm with Jay, I'd rather have had real grasp on longevity say with them on a knife for instance.. dropped from various heights off a bridge, ran over, dragged down the street with your monkey wrench hanging out of a car sparks flying everywhere... (at night)
now that's scientific
Yes there will always be some kind of damage even if it is a light scratch.I think there is a big difference with the scales bolted securely to a piece of steel. Dropping a knife on concrete usually results in some damage somewhere on the knife. Hell, dropping an anvil on concrete will leave a mark on it. Just keep the scales away from monkey wrenches and they should be fine.
i dropped my bk-9 from chest level once when i took my pack (the bk-9 strapped to the outside) out of the truck the snap button brushed against something, it unsnapped and the knife slid out of the sheath. it hit concrete pommel first and now there's a slight dent on the corner of it but the grivory was unharmed...like TwinStick said, the tip or pommel is more likely to hit concrete first...i wouldn't worry about it
