Spyderco Bushcraft total failure.(Warning:Knife gore present)

[Shoki]

May I just say that this is Spyderco's first, as far as I know, foray into bushcraft knives and we are essentially writing the book on the subject. Problems are expected and we shouldn't dismiss the company based on first impressions of a new and relatively untested model. The problems with the handle materials aside, we should approach any other problems with the knife with an open mind since Spyderco has shown an open mind to any steel, HT, etc. flaws that may exist.
I am anxious to find out what factors are to blame in this particular case but I am certainly not willing to start bad-mouthing Spydeco for one bad-luck model.
For what it's worth; I have owned several Spyderco models in the past including, but not limited to, the Police model, the Dragonfly, the Ladybug, the Spyderfly, the Ladybug, the Bob Lum Tanto, and a first production model of the Civilian. Spyderco has never had any of my favorite designs and I've never really held on to one for a long period of time but I can not find a single fault in any one of their knives I've owned other than clashes with personal taste. They build a solid, reliable, sharp-as-all-get-out, knife that does what it's designed to do. Don't bad-mouth the company because one knife isn't doing so hot at the moment.
I purchased a Bushcraft at nearly a third of the retail price and I hope I didn't waste my money but I'm not about to write off Spyderco because I spent $90 on a basically untested factory second.

 

[savagesicslayer]

You won't find me writing off Spyderco anytime soon either.I love the Spyderco knives I own.This is an unfortunate turn of events but life's full of those.Mine may be a fluke God willing it is.If it's not I hope my broken knife can help them make future models better.

now,My camera is having a hard time with the super macro shots of the broken edge.I did get these 2 shots though.

 

[akthor]

Yeah I wouldn't use it to cut anything cept people just such a cool looking knife

Yeah, I know what you mean. I've almost bought the Civilian several times, but that's one that you'll definitely break the tip off of. It's the thinnest tip I've ever seen on a folder. I don't really get the knife, it would be difficult to stab with, and I fear it would snag in a slash (yeah, I know it was meant as a last ditch weapon, but I would rather get all stabby if my life depends on it), but I still want it because it just looks cool!

 

[beef]

Spyderco is a top company. I'm sure they'll sort it out. Once they rerelease the knife, I'll probably buy one. Meant to be a super comfy handle.

 

[shunsui]

Interesting coming after the problem they had with the ZDP-189 Mule. I'm sure Sal will sort it out. He's into it.

 

[Rasenkrieger]

http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php?t=328256
Remember that incident?
The ricasso touching the log induces a point of maximum stress on the blade.


In the picture above the residing left part of the handle did obviously touch the log. Producing torsional stress.


Still...

 

[Smash05]

like all things spyderco, their prices are too inflated for me to justify spending. Even at 90 dollars for a factory second... for a factory made stainless steel bushcrafting knife? I have one that Cristof made me for just over that and I have damn near nuked the thing, haven't had to sharpen the edge in the 4 months I owned it. It's still shaving sharp. I just don't understand how companies can mass produce knives like these and sell them at such a high price when makers are producing handmade, custom blades for the same price.

Couldn't disagree more buddy, sorry. Not stainless anyways, O-1 is an oil hardening tool steel. And I think Spyderco makes some of the most affordable knives out there. They easily occupy my top three in terms of companies for production quality, price, and standing behind a product.

 

[Bruce Culberson]

This just shows how important it is to test out your rigging before heading into the bush.

The second point is that everone should pack more than 1 knife, and yes being a knifemaker I'm completely biased

 

[Toucan Oasis]

Those holes look milled and not drilled?
Irregardless, any holes in the tang should be deburred/polished and chamfered.
Machine marks are stress lines........like scoring a piece of glass.
I'm no knife maker but I've built enough racing engines to have seen what and where steel fails under stress. With a proper hand finishing in those areas it probably wouldn't have failed/

As to beating the crap out of a knife with a baton ?
Buy a damned $20 hatchet.:jerkit:

 

[pitdog]

I guess this is why many people swear by Busse,Swamprat and Scrapyard knives.Sure they are super tough but even if you break one through abnormal abuse they just say" Yeah send it back no problem ", there is never any 'lets analyze it first' scenario !

 

[Tostig]

Wow , that's terrible.

Arent you glad you didnt have to pay full price for it now ?

Tostig

 

[Smash05]

I guess this is why many people swear by Busse,Swamprat and Scrapyard knives.Sure they are super tough but even if you break one through abnormal abuse they just say" Yeah send it back no problem ", there is never any 'lets analyze it first' scenario !

Actually, I think Sal wants to analyze it to figure out what went wrong. It will more than likely get replaced before it is tested, that's how spyderco rolls.

 

[ChapmanPreferred]

Full price would give you full warranty which is a comfy place to be for me... Sal did offer to help out even though the knife is a factory second. I'm looking forward to seeing how it turns out and if anyone else has the same issue.

 

[resinguy]

Shame that. Good to see Sal on the case. :thumbup:

You might want to protect that broken surface with some oil, so rust doesn't interfere with the analysis.

 

[pitdog]

Actually, I think Sal wants to analyze it to figure out what went wrong. It will more than likely get replaced before it is tested, that's how spyderco rolls.

Oh thanks buddy, I don't have much experience with Spyderco blades !:thumbup:

 

[Big Mike]

Looks like a flaw in steel that acted as a stress riser.

This could happen to any knife by any maker.




Big Mike

 

[Ravaillac]

For what it's worth; I have owned several Spyderco models in the past including, but not limited to, the Police model, the Dragonfly, the Ladybug, the Spyderfly, the Ladybug, the Bob Lum Tanto, and a first production model of the Civilian.

Those are made in Japan.
If Spyderco had contracted G.Sakai who makes the best part of their production outcome might have turned different.

 

[ScotchDave]

You won't find me writing off Spyderco anytime soon either.I love the Spyderco knives I own.This is an unfortunate turn of events but life's full of those.Mine may be a fluke God willing it is.If it's not I hope my broken knife can help them make future models better.

now,My camera is having a hard time with the super macro shots of the broken edge.I did get these 2 shots though.

Thanks for the pictures, I study materials science and was hoping to come to some conclusion about the failure. There's a small white speck in part of the blade, that could well be a void that acted as a stress raiser as Big Mike said. It's hard to tell without a decent look at it under a microscope or in person, but fair ideas can be had about the failure mechanisms from the images you provided. It's interesting to notice that what I think is the ductile area of failure (the big spur at the top), where the fracture would have initiated, is in the area that was closest to the plank as you were batoning. In this sort of impact loading, once failure has initiated it's only a matter of time before the object falls apart.

There are a few other possibilities, but a stress raiser seems most likely assuming the steel was properly heat treated, not below its embrittlement temperature (which according to my software is -53 celsius/-63 Fahrenheit), not being struck with an object close to its own hardness and that the knife did not already have a crack from improper cooling.

Good luck getting this sorted with spyderco, I'm sure they'll do right by you and I hope you're not knifeless for too long. To make the lab's life easier be careful when you send the knife off, as fracture surfaces are very delicate. Make sure the fracture surfaces are not touching and cannot be abraded during transport. I would suggest you tape the pieces side by side to a piece of card/carboard/plywood and then secure another over the top. This would create a sort of blade sandwich, protecting everyone else from the blade and the fracture surfaces from everything else.

Looks like a flaw in steel that acted as a stress riser.

This could happen to any knife by any maker.




Big Mike

Beat me to it mate, good on ya.

 

[bodhi_]

Full price would give you full warranty which is a comfy place to be for me... Sal did offer to help out even though the knife is a factory second. I'm looking forward to seeing how it turns out and if anyone else has the same issue.

The factory second price was based on cracks in the handles not issues with the design or the steel. I'm a bit miffed, had this happpened earlier I would not have bought the knife because frankly 90 US$ ain't cheap. When mine arrives I will button is before I even fix the scales, just to be sure it works.

 

[Lord Kafer]

I have to say I'm a little concerned that the skeletonizing holes weren't beveled, and that there is one so far forward. I've got one of these knives that needs a little fixing - the scales have pulled away from the tang on the front end - and another on the way.

About the scales, were you batoning on the handle or on the tip when the wood broke?