I'm still wondering how the shorter tang would cause failure, and where it would break. If the blade breaks at the blade/handle juncture, for example, I'm wondering how that would be attributable to the shorter tang.
For the Mora Clipper and those with similar tangs, no guessing is necessary - there are a few videos out there demonstrating
where failure occurs and under what level of
abuse - namely the plastic handle comes apart/loses hold of the tang, or the blade snaps at the point of greatest lateral stress.
Applying force to the blade or end of the handle will cause the knife to pivot against the material if it does not (is not able) to simply slice through it (e.g. very hard wood, concrete, hard metal, not things usually accosted with a Mora). Because the tang does not extend very far into the handle, it is
poor technique (although without knowledge of the tang-length, the user is excused) to apply excessive pressure on the lower unsupported portion of the handle rather than near the ricasso-area, and this results in the metal stressing the handle until it forces its way out of set. One can also force the blade out of set by hammering the pommel while keeping the blade steady (stabbed into a log, etc.) - the plastic is strong and holds the blade secure, but it's not
that strong
This is the only downside to a shorter tang that I can see...
This series of videos truly glorifies the amount of abuse one can subect a mora of even the shortest tang to.
For a thin little knife, that's pretty impressive.:thumbup:
Here is a video of a mora blade being bent until it snaps (nowhere near the handle).
And finally,
a video with a Hultafors (not Mora, but similar), showing the level of effort required to force the blade out of set into/out of the handle.
. I have done it with a 2 Mora Clippers, both with the same tang, and never even felt an ounce of movement or stress on the handle. Maybe I don't overdo it enough?
