Kershaw Camp 18 fail.

Huh, interesting. I can't see anywhere where it states that the Kershaw Camp 18 was designed to bust through rock, and their warranty language states:


Limited Lifetime Warranty

Kershaw Knives from Kai USA Ltd. carry a limited warranty for the lifetime of the original owner, except when stated otherwise. We guarantee our knives against manufacturing defects in material and construction and to perform as advertised when properly used and maintained. The Limited Lifetime Warranty is non-transferable and does not extend to normal signs of wear, rust, damage or breakage due to improper use, improper maintenance, accidents, loss or theft. Any product we determine to be defective will be repaired or replaced solely at our discretion. To receive warranty repair or replacement, the owner must send the product to be evaluated by Kai USA Warranty Services in our Tualatin, Oregon headquarters. In addition to the provisions of this warranty, the owner may also have other rights that can vary by state. No other warranties are implied or expressed other than what is specifically stated here.

Interesting.
 
Don't see that it matters how the op broke it just looks like Kershaw has some good customer service nothing wrong with that. Probably not the best idea to post about it here though. ;)
 
LEGION 12 said:
Don't see that it matters how the op broke it just looks like Kershaw has some good customer service nothing wrong with that. Probably not the best idea to post about it here though. ;)
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You're right, it's not that big a deal. Oh man, did I tell you what I did last week? I crashed my car into a telephone pole! Took it down to the dealership and said "I totally don't understand it, I was just driving down a dirt road and then the entire front just caved in. Yeah, I know right? No idea! Must have just been a defect!"

So, they're giving me a new car. I love when companies stand by their warranties! :thumbup:
 
I think it's great Kershaw is taking care of you! I have hit rocks accidentally with my ESEE Junglas, ESEE 6, and KaBar Khukri and the edge has chipped. (Obviosuly I need to be more careful. :o) With a glancing blow that is what I would expect to happen with the Camp 18, not a catastrophic break. Kershaw's customer service is excellent and it looks like they are taking care of you. :thumbup:
 
If I'm not mistaken, this is like a $30 knife, right?
So of course Kershaw is just gonna replace it. Not sure I fully understand the tone of the "OMG you're ripping off Kershaw!" crowd here.
Seems like a lot of people are disappointed (?) with the OP for not fully disclosing the details about the cinder block, like that would have made any difference?

You guys think he should have been more honest? Or that Kershaw should have denied him a replacement? I'm not sure I get your point.
 
Rasco said:
If I'm not mistaken, this is like a $30 knife, right?
So of course Kershaw is just gonna replace it. Not sure I fully understand the tone of the "OMG you're ripping off Kershaw!" crowd here.
Seems like a lot of people are disappointed (?) with the OP for not fully disclosing the details about the cinder block, like that would have made any difference?

You guys think he should have been more honest? Or that Kershaw should have denied him a replacement? I'm not sure I get your point.
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I think you get it just fine. And here's the thing, as much of a cheap product as this is, maybe the guy's response would have been the exact same, who knows? "Hit a cinder block? Accidents happen, here's a new one!" Kershaw is a fantastic company, and one of my personal favorites.

But the OP here essentially just admitted to being just as dishonest as people who, say, misrepresent knives during a sale in the Exchange. And hell, we have a whole section for shaming those people. So, I don't know why you're posting and acting like it's some big mystery here that a guy who knew there was a possibility that he'd be told to pound if he disclosed the ACTUAL events that led to the blade breaking, carefully omitted that fact when explaining to the company rep what happened. I just don't like dishonesty, sorry.

Anyway, no skin off my nose. I just took note of this guy's username, so I know never to do any business with him on the Exchange. It's the end of the work day so I'm off for cigars and drinks with the boys. Later gents. :thumbup:
 
marcinek said:
Well sure..if you can't chop a cinder block with it, what good is it? :D
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If you can't chop a cinder block with it, it's not a Busse/Kin

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Forgive me for abbreviating the conversation I had with the gentleman at Kershaw.
I did indeed disclose the fact that I had made contact with a cinder block and pointed out to him the small roll on the edge near the tip where I believed the contact had been made.
As I stated in a previous post, the rep agreed that the blade should not have broken because of this, which is why he was so quick to offer a replacement.
As to he cost/cheapness of the product; the 18 cost considerably more than any other machete I have ever purchased. Previously I had purchased $15 Trams and $20 Cold Steels, and while those have always worked splendidly I was looking for something with a bit more heft, you know, for killing zombies and stuff :-)
Yes. Kershaw's customer service is outstanding, that's part of what has kept me as a loyal customer for most of my adult life.
It's amazing the amount of negativity many of you have posted on here. Some of you must have very sad, sad lives.
Thank you to those that have added something positive or constructive to the conversation.
 
Yeah, Quiet, I think we are agreeing with each other, mostly.
Sounds like the contact with the cinder block was accidental on the OP's part, and for a $30 knife, I'm guessing Kershaw would have replaced it all the same.
But as far as your "I expect people to be 100% honest when dealing with big companies", c'mon man.

If, like you said, there is a chance he stands to LOSE something by being honest, of course he's going to omit certain details to increase his odds of getting what he wants, which in this case, is a replacement knife.
His goal here was to obtain a new knife, not maintain some kind of moral integrity.
 
Well there ya go.
He DID mention it, and they replaced it anyway.
So you guys can stop copy & pasting from Kershaw's warranty page...
 
Mrknot said:
Forgive me for abbreviating the conversation I had with the gentleman at Kershaw.
I did indeed disclose the fact that I had made contact with a cinder block and pointed out to him the small roll on the edge near the tip where I believed the contact had been made.
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Ah. You told the rep but neglected to tell us that.
suspicion_zps8503493d.png


Whatever. You whacked a cinder block with your knife.
Good on Kershaw for replacing it when the didn't have to.
Bad on you for questioning Kershaw's quality because they don't stand up to being whacked into a cinder block.
 
The blade steel could've had a seam or scratch that got closed and acted as a stress riser. And, Mrknot, you've had enough spinach!
 
Holy crap. What if it happened in Ecuador but it had been a rock instead of a Cinder block. Relax people it's a Chinese kershaw it's awesome CS. Kershaw rocks
 
Tagging an occasional concealed rock is pretty much an inevitability for a machete. It definitely shouldn't have broken like that, glad to hear KAI is taking care of you.
 
Insipid Moniker said:
Tagging an occasional concealed rock is pretty much an inevitability for a machete. It definitely shouldn't have broken like that, glad to hear KAI is taking care of you.
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Thank you.
That's exactly what I was trying to say and seem to have missed the mark.
And yes, Kershaw CS is awesome!
 
marcinek said:
Whatever. You whacked a cinder block with your knife.
Good on Kershaw for replacing it when the didn't have to.
Bad on you for questioning Kershaw's quality because they don't stand up to being whacked into a cinder block.
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The OP stated that the TIP knicked a cinderblock nowhere NEAR the fracture. Look at the blade tip, see the damage, note the lack of catastrophic failure at the tip. If the blade had failed at the tip, Kershaw could claim abuse (maybe, it'd be kind of weird to do so given the intended use of the tool and expected occurrences). But the blade did NOT fail at the tip, it failed in the belly much closer to the 'sweet spot' where there is more material to resist such damage. Again, the knife is made of spring steel. Impact with the cinder-block was incidental, it simply provided a point of leverage to shock a MAJOR flaw in the material further down the blade, resulting in fracture. That should not have occurred from such minor incidence.

A better analogy than crashing your car into a pole, driving over a pot-hole and having the chasis fracture and break the car in two. I'd definitely expect warranty service, and Kershaw did well, :thumbup: To the OP - if you liked the way it handled, I'd give the replacement a shot. If it fails again (and doesn't injure you this time), you'll know to stay away. Even Beckers have inclusions resulting in failure now and then... of course you could always spend a little more for a Becker and stay within the USA...
 
Well, it must be the HT.
The half with a handle may make a decent knife then.
 
chiral.grolim said:
...of course you could always spend a little more for a Becker and stay within the USA...
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Love my Beckers!
Unfortunately the biggest I have is the 9, and for clearing pointy, thorny brush, it's just a bit on the short side.
A Becker Patrol machete is a bit out of my price range as they are no longer in production and fetch a premium price on the used market...though I've heard rumors that KaBar is bringing it back, along with the Reinhardt Kukri...as soon as that happens I will own one.
My 9 with my stripped CS Riflemans Hawk on a recent camping trip:
 
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In my opinion, a machete should be able to withstand numerous impacts with rocks without the blade breaking. It is certainly conceivable that a tool intended for clearing brush might come into contact with a rock. If the OP had complained about the edge deforming after a rock impact and expected Kershaw to replace it then I would have said that he was out of line. But that's not what happened. The blade broke, and like I said, in my opinion a machete blade should not break from hitting something hard like a rock.

My opinion is based on a lot of personal experience using a machete. Here's my "machete story"- When I was 12 years old I bought a cheap, no-name $5 machete at a camping store. I didn't have any use for it, I just thought it was cool so I bought it.

Years later as a teenager, my first job was landscaping. More specifically, I cleared brush from hillsides around rural homes for purposes of fire protection. That cheap machete really came in handy for that job, and it saw A LOT of use. I literally cleared TONS of brush with that machete (truck loads of brush).

I don't know if the blade of that machete had any heat-treat because it would bend a little if I struck something hard like a tree limb or thick bush trunk at a bad angle. But I think the softness of the blade was a good thing, because it never broke, and all I had to do to put it back in working shape was to bend it over my knee. As far as rocks, I hit a lot of rocks with that machete. And though the edge would get ruined, the blade never broke. I would just pull out a file, put a new edge on it, and go back to chopping.

I made a lot of money with that machete (paid for my first motorcycle), and it still serves me today at the age of 44 for chopping brush around my house. I posted a picture of the machete below. Originally the blade was 5 inches longer, but I cut it shorter years ago because a shorter blade served me better around the house. I never used the "saw back" for sawing, but the teeth did come in handy for grabbing and moving piles of chopped brush.

And that's my machete story. Heck, my fond recollections of that machete (and all the money it helped to make me) actually inspired me to take and post a picture. Viva la cheap machete :)

I'm glad to hear that Kershaw replaced the OP's machete. Frankly though, I would be concerned that a new one might break in the same way if it hit a rock.

As far as what the OP may or may not have told the guy at Kershaw, I don't think it's relevant, because like I said, I don't think the blade should have broken in the first place.

Just one man's opinion.

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