Little dissapointed in Fallkniven F1

[Mikael W]

I also experienced a chip just like the one pictured above in my F1, not even sure how it got there as I never carry or use the thing, blade is too thick for me.

It's about sharpening and to shape an edge, for Your needs and way of use.
I have bought a 1"x30" beltsander for reprofiling and resharpening.
It sure was a good investment!

Regards
Mikael

 

[Mikael W]

That's the reason why I sold mine. Whatever I whittled, or used in kitchen, I always ended up with chipping no matter how many times I sharpened it. Doesn't happen with thinner 1095 blades. On top of that, I didn't like the uncomfortable handle.

The same thing has happened to my thinner 1095 blades too!
It's not about the steel or heat-treat, but about the final steps in factorygrinding of the edge!
Either the edge goes too thin or too hot, or maybe both in the same time.
I don't know for sure, but I guess this is the case, when the edge microchips.

The cure is to regrind until the micro-chipping stops, or claim the warranty.

Regards
Mikael

 

[brownshoe]

"It's not about the steel or heat-treat, but about the final steps in factorygrinding of the edge! Either the edge goes too thin or too hot, or maybe both in the same time."

I disagree. I;ve only had one knife that had a brittle edge due to factory sharpening. I had a very slight chipping problem with S30V that the manufacturer said should be resolved with a sharepneing. It was resolved with one sharpening and has been fine ever since. I've got 1095 blades, S30V, S35V, ATS34, CMP154, 440C, 420HC, O1, L1, damascus, 440V, Accu, etc. and never seen this brittle edge due to factory sharpening problem but the one time. I've never had the problems described here with any steel or with any knife.

The company that makes Fallkniven knives is Moki and I've got other knives made by them w/o any problems. The chronic problems with Fallknivens chipping is probably due to the manufacturing instructions and materials specified by Fallkniven, not by the execution of the manufacturing by Moki.

 

[Mikael W]

"It's not about the steel or heat-treat, but about the final steps in factorygrinding of the edge! Either the edge goes too thin or too hot, or maybe both in the same time."

I disagree. I;ve only had one knife that had a brittle edge due to factory sharpening. I had a very slight chipping problem with S30V that the manufacturer said should be resolved with a sharepneing. It was resolved with one sharpening and has been fine ever since. I've got 1095 blades, S30V, S35V, ATS34, CMP154, 440C, 420HC, O1, L1, damascus, 440V, Accu, etc. and never seen this brittle edge due to factory sharpening problem but the one time. I've never had the problems described here with any steel or with any knife.

The company that makes Fallkniven knives is Moki and I've got other knives made by them w/o any problems. The chronic problems with Fallknivens chipping is probably due to the manufacturing instructions and materials specified by Fallkniven, not by the execution of the manufacturing by Moki.

Brownshoe,You seems to know best, but to my knowledge Moki makes the folders and the new kitchen knife series.
The fixed blades are made by Hattori!

Every batch is followed by a heat-treatment protocol and a test sample.

Your experiences with various steels contradict mine.
To my experience it has to do with the final steps in refining the edge.
It has nothing to do with materials or anything else specified by Fällkniven.
You are simply wrong on this!

Regards
Mikael

 

[Brisket]

I've had the same micro-chipping issue with an F1 that was resolved by sharpening. I have a dozen other Fallknivens including 3 other F1's that have never had that problem. I've also experienced micro-chipping with a Spyderco Caly 3.5 ZPD which is a Moki made knife. I've also had a similar problem with a Bark River Bravo Necker edge that was ground too thin. The common ground (pun intended) is that all of those companies produce some of the sharpest out of the box hand ground edges out there and I think that is directly related to the rare micro-chipping occurrence. They will all take care of the problem for you if you like.

 

[craytab]

Gah, these micro chips wont stop. I havent even been using the damn thing, ll ive done is cut a pepper on a wood cutting board. I have to conclude that the blade that I bought is simply too hard and chipping over everything and nothing.Ive resharpened most of the old chips out and a new one just appeared. I really hate to have to warranty the thing but I think I have no other choice.

Whatever you do, don't sit on the problem. Your knife only has a 2 year warranty. Also, if they deem no problem in the manufacture of the knife, they will not replace it, only resharpen. These are the two biggest factors in why I don't own a Falkniven. The warranty is not what were are use to for the price here in the states.

 

[The cow]

If you are worried about a fake, you should reevaluate who you buy your knives from.
Nowadays, I buy my high end knives from 3 or 4 very reputable companies (and ones that this board tends to approve of), that way I know I'm getting the real deal and could return it if any problem should arise.

 

[Bjorn1]

Brownshoe,You seems to know best, but to my knowledge Moki makes the folders and the new kitchen knife series.
The fixed blades are made by Hattori!

Every batch is followed by a heat-treatment protocol and a test sample.

Your experiences with various steels contradict mine.
To my experience it has to do with the final steps in refining the edge.
It has nothing to do with materials or anything else specified by Fällkniven.
You are simply wrong on this!

Regards
Mikael

If it's a laminated VG10 from Hattori, I've had the experience with my Hattori kitchen knives made like that that they come factory ground for a more delicate user than me, but after sharpening to taste they don't chip.

The easiest recourse here would be for the OP to resharpen to taste and try again.

I'm thinking there is little risk that Fallkniven/Hattori or Fallkniven/Moki would consistently fail in their production of the F1, it being selected consistently for mil usage as well.

If the specs are vg10 to 59hrc that should make it an ok tough edge (?)

 

[Mikael W]

Whatever you do, don't sit on the problem. Your knife only has a 2 year warranty. Also, if they deem no problem in the manufacture of the knife, they will not replace it, only resharpen. These are the two biggest factors in why I don't own a Falkniven. The warranty is not what were are use to for the price here in the states.

True!
The 2 year warranty follow European standards and that differs a lot from US warranties.


Regards
Mikael

 

[Mikael W]

I've had the same micro-chipping issue with an F1 that was resolved by sharpening. I have a dozen other Fallknivens including 3 other F1's that have never had that problem. I've also experienced micro-chipping with a Spyderco Caly 3.5 ZPD which is a Moki made knife. I've also had a similar problem with a Bark River Bravo Necker edge that was ground too thin. The common ground (pun intended) is that all of those companies produce some of the sharpest out of the box hand ground edges out there and I think that is directly related to the rare micro-chipping occurrence. They will all take care of the problem for you if you like.

This reply contain a lot of common sence as I se it!
I have experienced one broken blade on a knife I bought new.
It was a totally handmade Sami knife with beautiful engravings.

The tip broke off like it was made of glass!
The blademaker asked me to resharpen the blade as he thought the edge might have been burned.
It didn't help and the blade snapped by light pressure from my hand!
I got the blade changed to a new one under warranty, without any questions.


Regards
Mikael

 

[Mikael W]

If it's a laminated VG10 from Hattori, I've had the experience with my Hattori kitchen knives made like that that they come factory ground for a more delicate user than me, but after sharpening to taste they don't chip.

The easiest recourse here would be for the OP to resharpen to taste and try again.

I'm thinking there is little risk that Fallkniven/Hattori or Fallkniven/Moki would consistently fail in their production of the F1, it being selected consistently for mil usage as well.

If the specs are vg10 to 59hrc that should make it an ok tough edge (?)

The Airforce has special staff assigned to check the flightsuits before they are used by the pilots.
They also check that the F1's, are in place and in working order.

I agree with You that it's easier to resharpen, than to send the knife back and that's also what I personally do.
I have so far never got a knife from Fällkniven, that didn't start to perform once the factory edge was gone!

I guess many of the micro-chip issues, could be solved with a more thorough removal of the factory edge and setting the bevel to taste.

The targeted RC 59 is perfect for combining edgeholding and toughness in VG-10!


Regards
Mikael

 

[miltmaldo]

Same kind of chip happened to mine . I was just making a Y stick to put my fishing pole and it chipped . I sharpened the edge and it's almost out . I have used it since and haven't notice any other chipping . The Fallkniven is much harder to sharpened than a Bark River and it's a 3V steel . Must be the angle

 

[Mikael W]

Same kind of chip happened to mine . I was just making a Y stick to put my fishing pole and it chipped . I sharpened the edge and it's almost out . I have used it since and haven't notice any other chipping . The Fallkniven is much harder to sharpened than a Bark River and it's a 3V steel . Must be the angle

VG-10 has a high wear-resitance, but for many users, it feels fairly easy to sharpen.
The angle has nothing to do with it.
The recommended DC stones works well, for an easy touch up!

Seems like there's a need for pic's, about how to get a factoryedge set for work!
I will look into my archive and return with pic's!


Regards
Mikael

 

[Mikael W]

A favorite series of Fällkniven knives I like, is the NL's.

I have 4 of them, The NL1, NL2, NL4 and NL5.
Those are made with the regular FK laminated VG-10/420j2 steel at RC 59/55.

I have used them all very hard and they have showed good edges already out of the box.
No microchipping at all, except for the NL4.

I've had this knife for a number of years and put it through normal duty's like batoning, without any signs of micro-chipping.

This year I started to use it at my work.
This means I don't baby my knife and it sees a lot of hard work, bordering to abusive use.
Among the things the edge has to cope with, is cutting close to metal and somtimes into metal.
That's when I started to see microchipping in the NL4 edge.
When resharpening I used the diamond side of the Fällkniven DC4 sharpening stone.

At home I also used the ceramic side and finished on a piece of leather, loaded with Autosol Chrome-Polish.

This procedure was to be repeated 4 or 5 times before the micro-chipping stopped.
What I could see was that for every sharpening, the number of micro-chips decreased and the edge-holding increased.

Today the edge shows denting instead of chipping in contact with metal.
This is a good sign and the edge is a lot more stable today, but still needs normal maintenance to perform at the top.

I have another knife, a Bark River Rogue in A2 tool steel, that suffered from visible half-moon chips.
That's a lot more difficult to fix by hand and I switched to powertools.
To fix those 2mm chips, I had to use the 1" x 30" beltsander, with a discsander at the side.

I used the disc to remove the 3 chips in the edge, by flattening the slightly curved edge.
Then I switched to the beltsander and started the reprofiling.

This takes some time and it's better not to hurry.
I keep a bowl of water nearby, to keep the blade from overheating.

The result is a new edge that in this case also was made thicker, as the factory edge was too thin for my kind of use.

Chopping into a pine knot showed no more chipping!

So, sharpening out factory edges by myself, has saved me a lot of worries and shipping costs.

Maybe this isn't for everyone, but for me it sure enhances the joy of the hobby, to be able to solve a sharpening issue by myself!


Hope this helps!
Mikael

 

[Cielmerlion]

Thank for all the great discussion guys! I'm just ReSharper ongoing and reprfiling until I get something that works for this one. I hesitate to do the warranty since it means I will have to send it overseas. It seems like a lot of hassle for just a knife. I like it enough that I don't want to sell it yet anyways and I would feel bad selling something I thought was faulty. Hopefully I'll find an angle that it likes eventually.

 

[Cielmerlion]

Damn, one year on and it started chipping all over again, which is especially disappointing because ive been using it for nothing more than cutting soft vegetables. Love the knife but Im disheartened. Lets see about that warranty.

 

[Alberta Ed]

Just sharpen it out. If serious chipping continues, depending on what you're cutting, send it back to Falkniven. Cutting hard stuff -- wooden cutting boards, bone, etc. -- may cause a fine edge to deflect or chip. That's not a serious fault of the steel.

 

[craytab]

Damn, one year on and it started chipping all over again, which is especially disappointing because ive been using it for nothing more than cutting soft vegetables. Love the knife but Im disheartened. Lets see about that warranty.

Well, since the last time you posted I believe Falkniven has changed to a 10 year warranty which is very good, but still not what we get with most other top quality brands. And you will still need to jump through some hoops to warranty it. I would not be putting up with the problems you describe (and haven't had any knives exhibit this sort of behavior for this long). Send that puppy in!

Just sharpen it out. If serious chipping continues, depending on what you're cutting, send it back to Falkniven. Cutting hard stuff -- wooden cutting boards, bone, etc. -- may cause a fine edge to deflect or chip. That's not a serious fault of the steel.

Um.....did you read the thread? He has been dealing with this since June of 2014. He has sharpened it out many times. It certainly seems like there is a serious fault of the steel.