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My replacement MTECH Trail Master knock-off just arrived (now with pics)

spydercobenchmadekai said:
The reason that it will flex instead of breaking is that it is not hard. That picture just proved in my mind that it has no heat treat at all. This means that you won't be able to get it very sharp, it will dull easily, and it will flex.

But since it only cost $20, swallow your mistake and use it.:)
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Im sure it is heat treated. Just because it flexes doesn't mean it isn't heat treated. Are my trams not heat treated? Any knife that is heat treated and tempered down a bit will flex or "spring" before it breaks or bends.
 
Yes, but it clearly isn't above 50hrc as it should snap before bending that much. Since it didn't keep the bent shape, it is very likely that it has a spring temper, which is in the 40hrc level. Most people like blades with 58 to 65 hrc.
 
A blade bending and flexing doesn't mean it's not heat treated. In fact, a test that many blacksmith take is to take one of their blades and flex it over 90 degrees without it snapping.
 

12 in tram.
You might want to check out Aaron Gough's YouTube channel. He has few bend tests of his knives on there.
 
SlippyShayne said:
A blade bending and flexing doesn't mean it's not heat treated. In fact, a test that many blacksmith take is to take one of their blades and flex it over 90 degrees without it snapping.
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Which blacksmiths, exactly? None of the knives that I have (bar machetes and cheapos like the MTech in question) will flex at all.

If it flexes 90 degrees without breaking, you either have paper thin stock or your knife is spring hardened, which is in the 30 to 40 hrc range.
 
Today was a huge disappointment with one knife but I also stripped the black oxide from my Kershaw Kuro. I thought the black paint made it look cheap and tinny.
Now it looks more like a knife I would carry and even feels more solid, opening with a clunk. This will be my new full time EDC as a slight bonding has taken place.



BTW, the earlier pic where I've got the MTech bent trying to straighten it, one or two more cranks on the C clamp and it turned into shrapnel with the pointed half ending down the hill. I sent it back in two pieces.
 
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spydercobenchmadekai said:
I don't think that you'll be able to return it in two pieces. :rolleyes:
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I already did. That was the first one. But I explained what I was trying to do and that the grind was also way off along with a guard that wobbled. In other words, the knife was "defective" and surely they wouldn't turn around and sell it to another trusting customer.
 
spydercobenchmadekai said:
Which blacksmiths, exactly? None of the knives that I have (bar machetes and cheapos like the MTech in question) will flex at all.

If it flexes 90 degrees without breaking, you either have paper thin stock or your knife is spring hardened, which is in the 30 to 40 hrc range.
Click to expand...

You should read more and post less. You know very little about knives or metallurgy.

[video=youtube;fWNh6UvE8lA]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fWNh6UvE8lA[/video]
 
Which blacksmiths, exactly? None of the knives that I have (bar machetes and cheapos like the MTech in question) will flex at all.

If it flexes 90 degrees without breaking, you either have paper thin stock or your knife is spring hardened, which is in the 30 to 40 hrc range.
Click to expand...

There are quite a lot of stress tests by bending the knives by pulling on them held in a vice, most longer bladed knives will bend a bit.
 
I don't know anything yet about metals but the guy who was on the phone when I was cranking on that knife did, he designs and and works with manufactures that make many of the parts that go into your guns if you shoot a 1911. He said after the blade broke that that showed it was inferior metal to 440a, which is what MTech supposedly uses in that knife.
 
SlippyShayne said:
A blade bending and flexing doesn't mean it's not heat treated. In fact, a test that many blacksmith take is to take one of their blades and flex it over 90 degrees without it snapping.
Click to expand...
All we can do is tell them,if they don't listen ? ;) Oh well :)
 
This is an earlier post quote I found online by another member here on the MTech 151.

"...It split two small pieces of firewood then broke on the third. The exposed steel at the break has the grey sandpaper texture of broken 'pot metal'. Crap steel."

I saw that same grainy grey, pig iron metal when mine broke.
 
So...have you been convinced that the knife your experts on YouTube told you was great, is, in fact, garbage?

If so, you should tell them that, not us, because we have been telling you that over and over for a couple weeks.
 
Blackie Scantling said:
This knifes going back. When it arrived it had what I thought was a ridge of bubbled up black coating that I couldn't scrape off with my thumbnail. After stripping the coating off I found this. I tried to buff it out but it just got longer and deeper.

It's some kind of crack or fissure in the steel. Does anyone recognize this other than a seam? It won't hold up to even normal use much less abuse. Buncha bull$#!*
Click to expand...

I guess I'd be surprised by most sellers/manufacturers of mass-produced budget knives taking back a knife after it has been stripped or otherwise "played with," but a flaw in the steel so close to the cutting edge is a safety hazard and should be presented as such. While I've bought some cheap knives in the past (including MTech) seeing that makes me hesitant to ever buy another low-end knife with a coated blade. I mean, sub-par steel is sort of to be expected, but that never should have been made to even resemble a cutting device of any kind.
 
id just look at it as a lesson learned....and a cheap one at that
 
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