Should I get a 119 or a Nighthawk?

[ashtxsniper]

Wow I have batoned the 650 for hours and hours and never broke one. I tried to break it to see if it would hold up to serious use or not. I batoned it into mesquite wood which is very very hard. I cant imagine this happening. I have never batoned my 655 though. If you buy another buy the 650 they are a little longer and it has no serations. You can get them on the bay for $50.00 or less.

 

[ashtxsniper]

Knife Use
Buck knives are designed for cutting. Using them for other purposes, such as throwing, pounding, prying, chopping or other purposes may create an unsafe condition and may void your warranty. Strong impacts or twisting forces may damage the knife or lock mechanism, and may result in the blade folding or otherwise failing during use. Any such use could result in severe injury. On lock blade models, always check to assure the locking mechanism is engaged prior to use. Keeping your blade sharp will also reduce risk of injury, as a sharp blade is safer than using a dull blade.

This is off there web page so you might be out of luck. What a crappy warranty. If its only use is cutting and not chopping why give it a 1/4" thick blade. I hope they warrant it for you since I think you just got a deffective one.

 

[Haebbie]

Well I am absolutely heartbroken.... I had my new Nighthawk out in the backyard this afternoon and broke it in under 30 minutes

Knifeschmied, what Did you do?

the only knife I know that is designed for straining it with splitting tree trunks is this one. If you want to timber with a knife you have to think about this ugly tool:



Its Designer, Tony Lennartz, constructed it, that it tolerates chopping. The back of the blade you can hit it with a Hammer. This knife is somewhat stonger than the Nighthawk. You can beat it in a tree and use it as a stand.



But i think now you know that you can't do that with your Nigthawk.

 

[Messersmith]

Well I'm still grieving here this morning Although I can see there may be a point in time I can give a good hearty laugh about it. Just not yet.

I have never tried to chop or split wood with a knife before (and never again!) but the beefieness of the Nighthawk 'inspired' me. Imagine my surprise As jb said, just like a kid on Christmas who broke their favorite toy before Christmas dinner.

Nice point on the serrations yoda. It broke crisply at the first serration in front of the guard. The 650 (without serrations) would probably be stronger, although if I refrain from splitting wood either one should be fine.

The wood I was laying into was red maple which is a soft maple. And the temperatures here were in the 40's so not cold enough to make the steel brittle.

About the warranty... I sent Joe an honest email about what happened and refered him to this thread for pics. If he feels it's not something to be covered under warranty, I'm fine with that. I've already convinced Mrs Messy that I was stupid (that didn't take much convincing) and that I should go get another one (that was a much tougher sell!).

 

[wh4f]

Too funny, Messy!
At least the Mrs. is understanding!
Also be thankful the knife isnt too hard to come by!
It could have been a rare proto or one of a kind

 

[WA Martin]

I know I have two Nighthawks and after looking at the first set of pics I'm pretty sure I have or have had a 119 also. I find the Nighthawk much superior. The grip suits me much better and I find the blade a much better profile. I've used the Nighthawk gutting a deer and slaughtering hogs. It works great unless its just physically too big for the job you are doing.

Messer... - I see I came to the party a day or two late. Remember, we only laugh because it wasn't our knife that broke. Now I remember why I carry that axe around in my truck.

 

[Buckaholic]

Yeah Messy, if it was me I'd be REALLY bummed.
So, you are going to get another one instead of a 119?

 

[wh4f]

Yeah Messy, if it was me I'd be REALLY bummed.
So, you are going to get another one instead of a 119?

Or are you going to get the 650 unserrated version?

Hey, we're not laughing at you either just with you! Thanks for the life lessons!

 

[Buckaholic]

Or are you going to get the 650 unserrated version?

Hey, we're not laughing at you either just with you! Thanks for the life lessons!

No Jim...I'm laughing at him.

But I know some day, he'll be laughing too.

Reminds me of my beagle pup chewing through the laptop power cord. Messy will also only do that once.

I still think a knife like that should stand up to being pummeled by a stick. Even if it was frozen maple while out in the freezing air. Sirusly.

 

[wh4f]

No Jim...I'm laughing at him.

But I know some day, he'll be laughing too.

Reminds me of my beagle pup chewing through the laptop power cord. Messy will also only do that once.

I still think a knife like that should stand up to being pummeled by a stick. Even if it was frozen maple while out in the freezing air. Sirusly.

O.k. LOL

I do agree also though, I wouldn't have thought it would break like that!
I know I won't be beating on your nighthawk with a stick
She has a cool new sheath coming soon though! It will be just like old times for the ol' girl. Just maybe a different color.

 

[Buckaholic]

"Buck's rugged Tactical knives are engineered for trained professionals in military; law enforcement; fire, search & rescue, first response, and survival, as well as other demanding situations where "failure is not an option." Each Buck Tactical knife (also referred to as survival knife) is designed for safe deployment and is manufactured with materials that are virtually indestructible."
http://www.buckknives.com/catalog/214

.

 

[wh4f]

virtually.

I think that may be the one key word!!!


I still think its worth a shot at warranty,
I mean its not like batoning a 110

 

[jb4570]

Well I'm still grieving here this morning Although I can see there may be a point in time I can give a good hearty laugh about it. Just not yet.

I have never tried to chop or split wood with a knife before (and never again!) but the beefieness of the Nighthawk 'inspired' me. Imagine my surprise As jb said, just like a kid on Christmas who broke their favorite toy before Christmas dinner.

Nice point on the serrations yoda. It broke crisply at the first serration in front of the guard. The 650 (without serrations) would probably be stronger, although if I refrain from splitting wood either one should be fine.

The wood I was laying into was red maple which is a soft maple. And the temperatures here were in the 40's so not cold enough to make the steel brittle.

About the warranty... I sent Joe an honest email about what happened and refered him to this thread for pics. If he feels it's not something to be covered under warranty, I'm fine with that. I've already convinced Mrs Messy that I was stupid (that didn't take much convincing) and that I should go get another one (that was a much tougher sell!).

Oh messy,

Tell MRS. messy that if you go and get a new one and your broken one is replaced for you....I'll by one from you to help recoup any lost funds....I've been looking at those for a long time. As for your lost toy...Sh-t happens learn from it and move on.

Messy here is a short tail for you to get a chuckle at my expense. I used to belong to a Black Powder club...twice a month we would get together and have a club shooting event (competition). I was still new to shooting a smoke pole...so I was no competition during the shooting event....However, I was hard to beat at the knife & hawk throwing event.....as a kid I spent countless hours throwing knives and a throwing ax is like tossing darts...easy. As I was new to the club....the good K&H guys were feeling a bit chalanged...so some of our competions were getting serius; at least for them...I was just having fun . I was using two throwing knives and well every now and then you miss your mark during a throw and I tossed my knife and it hit completely flat against the log and snapped like a twig....looked just like your KnightHawk......my heart broke...and so did the laughter of those old timers . That knife was designed to be used in that manner and should not have broken like that.....I think my face was red that day at the failure of my tool. Just remember if it don't kill ya it will make you stronger. You learned a valuable lesson....and better yet shared it with all of us.....I would never use a knife in the place of an ax or saw....unless it was a matter of life and death for me, my family, or my mates. As you discovered the hard way....it was the cause of death for your new toy. Now go and buy a new one and don't beat it to death so fast this time!!!!!! .

jb4570

 

[Captain Mark]

Wow, I can't believe your Nighthawk broke. I have put mine through holy hell in the last 3 weeks, and you can hardly tell it. I used again today for a good two hours, re-sharpened it and it's back good as new. I say you should get another one and try it again! It's a great knife, you must have bought a defective one.

 

[chickentrax]

Can you post a pic of the faces of the two broken blade ends???

The only way I could imagine it fracturing like that is if the structure had crystalized...in which case, Paul Bos [thru Buck] might want to take a look at it...

 

[Joe Houser]

Quote from Captain Mark "I say you should get another one and try it again! It's a great knife, you must have bought a defective one."

Yes, I agree with the Captain, you should get another one, in fact, I have one here for you. Just send in the pieces, (snicker ) and we will replace it under warranty. Don't feel bad, we all have stories like that. Just this weekend, Mrs. Houser had to go and ask me how i got all these scars on my hands. Doing dumb things with knives was the short answer.
Although I would not classify what you were doing as dumb. The knife should have stood up to the task.
I would like to take a look at the ends to see if there is any obvious structural flaws.

 

[Maverick4546]

Now thats what you call customer service!

 

[Haebbie]

Quote from Captain Mark "I say you should get another one and try it again! It's a great knife, you must have bought a defective one."

Yes, I agree with the Captain, you should get another one, in fact, I have one here for you. Just send in the pieces, (snicker ) and we will replace it under warranty.

Joe, that's great. I am impressed. Chapeau!! :thumbup:

My very best regards,
Herbert

 

[Messersmith]

Cool deal Joe :thumbup: In addition to Joe's post here in the forum, I also got a nice email reply from him this afternoon. I continue to be pleased and impressed with Bucks customer service. :thumbup:

I can appreciate all your enjoyment at my expense Had I not been the poor pillock who broke his new knife I would be laughing as well Perhaps the best comeback was from my alwayse affectionate brother who said "Buck should send you a camp axe instead of a new knife!"

Trax: I'll try to get pics of the broken ends for you before I ship the pieces back to Joe. To me they appear a little grainy, not a nice clean break. So perhaps there is something going on there?

Goose: Had Joe not so graciously extended an offer to replace the knife I was planning to buy a 650. My thought was that the non-serrated version would be maybe a little stronger. I may get one anyway since I really liked the 30 minutes I had with 655. One of each would be cool.

Capt Mark: Could you give more detail about the hell you've put your Nighthawk through? Do you have the 650 or 655? They look and feel indestructable so you can imagine my surprise when I broke it It would be nice to know what is considered within the capability of the knife in case I am ever in a situation where I need to push it hard. (I'll stay away from the wood pile Joe, I swear!).

JB: I appreciate your offer to buy a surplus Nighthawk off of me. And I got a chuckle out of your story. Thanks.

 

[Buckaholic]

I still like the NightHawk series better than the 119 Messy, so good choice.
As for "Kodak Moments" like you had...we have all had them. So while, this time, we ("I") laughed at your fortune (c'mon, that IS funny...esp with the pics), it is great to know that Buck and Joe are there. Imagine the response from any number of other brands.