knives with inherent design flaws

[shinyedges]

So what knives have inherent design flaws?


Knives that have design features that take away from performance or durability or some how detract from the knifes use.



I'll start out with Emerson cqc7 I really want to like this knife but the chisel grind being on the wrong side of the blade for right handed users is a no go for me. I know I know its a stabbing tool yadda yadda what ever its a pocket knife with a chisel grind on the wrong side of the blade. The point of a chisel grind is to plane material off..

Yes it still cuts things but for me that's a design flaw.

 

[Insipid Moniker]

Classic Kabar fighting knife. Maybe they've since changed this, but they don't radius the transition to the stick tang. That point becomes a stress riser and commonly breaks when you push the knife hard.

 

[shinyedges]

I did not know that thanks

Classic Kabar fighting knife. Maybe they've since changed this, but they don't radius the transition to the stick tang. That point becomes a stress riser and commonly breaks when you push the knife hard.

 

[Insipid Moniker]

I did not know that thanks

No problem. It's one of the reasons I prefer a full tang knife, not necessarily for the added toughness but for the fact that it's easy to examine and check for those kinds of flaws.

 

[atavist]

Insipid monkey...
Out of curiosity. Have you ever seen a classic kabar fail?

Not saying it can't happen but after countless field exercises anf 3 combat deployments and mis-using mine to dig holes in rocky ground, chop firewood, and pry and hammer time and again I have not.
Interested to hear how one was.broken.

 

[atavist]

Back on topic...
To me the worst design flaw possible (and common) imho is improper heat treating... many many blades are either WAY to hard, making them them brittle to the point of self destructive under normal use conditions, or so butter soft they won't hold an edge and are relatively useless.

Examples: every Smokey Mountain Knife Works knife I have come across won't hold an edge past cutting paper. And the new Case knives (the old ones rock) as so brittle they snap if you apply even the least bit of lateral pressure.
... just the other day I watched a buddy snap the blade in his new case knife when he attempted to pop the cover on his car battery... after the blade broke he popped it off using his finger nails....it was not hard to remove...

Yes that was a "misuse" but its also just rediculous. ..

 

[collim1]

Most all Gerbers I have handled have an inherent lack of sharpness.

Bad geometry and poor/rough grinding.

 

[Insipid Moniker]

Insipid monkey...
Out of curiosity. Have you ever seen a classic kabar fail?

Not saying it can't happen but after countless field exercises anf 3 combat deployments and mis-using mine to dig holes in rocky ground, chop firewood, and pry and hammer time and again I have not.
Interested to hear how one was.broken.

Got my name wrong, there. Also, yes, I watched an instructor snap one in half bare-handed to prove the point. There's also the simple point that a flaw is a flaw, regardless if failure occurs. The knife would be better and stronger if they would simply radius the transition.

 

[marcinek]

Knives without design flaws: The ones I like
Knives with design flaws: The ones you like

 

[shinyedges]

Perhaps those making brittle blades try and squeeze to much edge holding out of it to keep up with "super steels".

Back on topic...
To me the worst design flaw possible (and common) imho is improper heat treating... many many blades are either WAY to hard, making them them brittle to the point of self destructive under normal use conditions, or so butter soft they won't hold an edge and are relatively useless.

Examples: every Smokey Mountain Knife Works knife I have come across won't hold an edge past cutting paper. And the new Case knives (the old ones rock) as so brittle they snap if you apply even the least bit of lateral pressure.
... just the other day I watched a buddy snap the blade in his new case knife when he attempted to pop the cover on his car battery... after the blade broke he popped it off using his finger nails....it was not hard to remove...

Yes that was a "misuse" but its also just rediculous. ..

 

[Tmack]

Microtech tachyon 2 tanto.
Blade spine contacts the spacer. That just unacceptable. How was that allowed to leave the shop. A simple shift in spacer position /shape, would have solved this. The bowie however is fine. So in designing the bowie, the proper quality control was performed. It seems like the tanto was just an after thought, and they refused to adjust the design for that blade shape.

Balisongs that have no latch gate! The latch will hit the point of your blade.
Benchmade 6x series
Typhoons
Among many others. A simple latch stop would prevent this, and save the blade point.

Spyderfly spring latch. Notorious for breaking after minutes of flipping. There's you tube tutorials on replacing it with a stronger spring. If that were my design, and there were tutorials online telling customers to immediately replace a component before it breaks, I'd be ashamed.

I know I know, all balisongs, but I can only speak on what I know.

 

[shinyedges]

Not always, beyond preference there is design flaws with not just knives but many other products hence the recall board 10 ft long at Walmart lol as far as knives go design flaws also go beyond preference.. there are many strider fans that will readily acknowledge that lock rock is an issue even on new knives in some cases. Just because someone likes it doesn't mean there isn't a design flaw.

Knives without design flaws: The ones I like
Knives with design flaws: The ones you like

 

[shinyedges]

I wasn't aware of any of those , thank you. Seems when manufacturers have afterthoughts they should test it for problems before selling it to customers.

Microtech tachyon 2 tanto.
Blade spine contacts the spacer. That just unacceptable. How was that allowed to leave the shop. A simple shift in spacer position /shape, would have solved this. The bowie however is fine. So in designing the bowie, the proper quality control was performed. It seems like the tanto was just an after thought, and they refused to adjust the design for that blade shape.

Balisongs that have no latch gate! The latch will hit the point of your blade.
Benchmade 6x series
Typhoons
Among many others. A simple latch stop would prevent this, and save the blade point.

Spyderfly spring latch. Notorious for breaking after minutes of flipping. There's you tube tutorials on replacing it with a stronger spring. If that were my design, and there were tutorials online telling customers to immediately replace a component before it breaks, I'd be ashamed.

I know I know, all balisongs, but I can only speak on what I know.

 

[shinyedges]

I also prefer full tang , for much the same reasons.

And holy smokes broke a ka bar with his hands?!?!?

No problem. It's one of the reasons I prefer a full tang knife, not necessarily for the added toughness but for the fact that it's easy to examine and check for those kinds of flaws.

 

[Tmack]

Oh and the Brs Replicant. The scorpion tanto tip on some models will contact the spacer when the knife flexes. So guys are flipping over their bed, and still chip the tip.
Now I love Brs, and will continue to support them, but this is a problem that should have never made it to the customers.

Before releasing a knife I plan to mass produce, I'm going to torture test for every possible accident, drop, twist, torque in every direction, situation, surface impact , pressure etc.

At first customers thought the steel was too brittle. But later found the tip was being weakened, or just broken from contact with the spacer.

While a quick reprofile of the tip will remedy this, by making the distance greater to allow for flex, it's something that shouldn't have to be done.

Who wants to pay a few hundred bucks for a knife, open the box, and break out tools to make it "right"

 

[draggat]

I don't know if you'd necessarily call it a design flaw or just poor design, but most knives that have an upward curve at the butt of the handle tend to be extremely uncomfortable with any reasonable amount of use. The Lion Steel SR1 and the Microtech Metalmark are ones that instantly spring to mind. Also, the use of slotted screws on a pivot is a terrible idea IMHO.....even phillips are a poor choice.... I'm an advocate for torx... more surface contact between tool and screw means much lower likelihood of stripping out.... I also find it questionable that anyone really needs to disassemble their knife in the field.... loctite generally works. Not trying to knock Emerson.... I do have some that I'm quite fond of.

 

[Muaddib1116]

I don't think this knife is in production anymore, so it's a moot point, but the AG Russell Italian Made Tactical had a huge design flaw. The stop pin did not work when the knife was closed, meaning it didn't prevent the blade from closing too far and hitting the stand-offs. The knife depended entirely on the lock's ball-detent to secure the blade position when closed, which obviously is not adequate. When I received mine, there was a big round dent in the edge, and it was easy to determine why once you pushed the blade more-closed. I ended up returning it immediately (AG Russell made it very easy) and I explained the problem in detail, suggesting it might need some redesign, but I never did get a response about it.

 

[shinyedges]

Interesting, that is absolutely a design flaw.

I don't think this knife is in production anymore, so it's a moot point, but the AG Russell Italian Made Tactical had a huge design flaw. The stop pin did not work when the knife was closed, meaning it didn't prevent the blade from closing too far and hitting the stand-offs. The knife depended entirely on the lock's ball-detent to secure the blade position when closed, which obviously is not adequate. When I received mine, there was a big round dent in the edge, and it was easy to determine why once you pushed the blade more-closed. I ended up returning it immediately (AG Russell made it very easy) and I explained the problem in detail, suggesting it might need some redesign, but I never did get a response about it.

 

[shinyedges]

I guess the handle curve could be preference as there is literally someone who will like anything lol As for the slotted screws ... I kinda like them because I like to take my knives apart so again that's preference.

I don't know if you'd necessarily call it a design flaw or just poor design, but most knives that have an upward curve at the butt of the handle tend to be extremely uncomfortable with any reasonable amount of use. The Lion Steel SR1 and the Microtech Metalmark are ones that instantly spring to mind. Also, the use of slotted screws on a pivot is a terrible idea IMHO.....even phillips are a poor choice.... I'm an advocate for torx... more surface contact between tool and screw means much lower likelihood of stripping out.... I also find it questionable that anyone really needs to disassemble their knife in the field.... loctite generally works. Not trying to knock Emerson.... I do have some that I'm quite fond of.

 

[marcinek]

.. there are many strider fans that will readily acknowledge that lock rock is an issue even on new knives in some cases. Just because someone likes it doesn't mean there isn't a design flaw.

And there are bigger Strider fans who say it isn't an issue, and that anybody who says it is is a hater. Look, there's already a debate in this thread about pecieved flaws in the Kabar USMC.

While there atre, of course knives with undeniab?e design flaws, threads along this line invariably turn onto debates based on personal preference. Seen dozens of 'em.