The incident that caused you to end lending a knife.

[sinkrate]

Fortunately I dont waste my time with people like that. I've lent my folder to family for a quick cut - box, food etc. and already happened twice where they cut their hand or finger. Some are scared of the sharpness of a factory edge Spyderco. Now I just ask what they need and help them. I only lend to people who I know are careful or use tools, scared of stories like in this thread where they hurt themselves.

I had my uncle used my RAT-1 once, he wanna cut open a package in a restaurant, i offered help but he insist he wanna open it himself, 10 seconds later instead of having the chocolate fountain, we had a blood fountain. I don't really feel like lending out knives anymore now.

 

[vanslem6]

I've worked around my family the last 10 or so years, and I've been regularly carrying a knife for at least the last five years. We're all, constantly opening boxes and packages, so everyone usually has their own. The only people I hesitate to lend a knife to is my Dad and Brother, lol. My brother might just break it in half, and my dad will likely lose it. Haha. So dad is welcome to lose the Skyline I gave him, and my brother is welcome to break the Manix 2, Rat 2, Skyline or Zancudo I gave to him. My sister has a handful of Schrades and now a Spyderco Squeak. Mom just borrows the closest one she can find. But generally I'll loan a knife to whomever needs one, within reason. I recall my cousin who is roughly 95lbs asking to borrow a knife once - as she knows I always have one. When I handed her my PM2, her eyes nearly popped out of her head when she opened it, lol. About a half-hour later, she returned it unscathed and the way I handed it to her - closed. I know she's used my 940 before as well.

 

[Mitchell Knives]

I don't loan out knives.

If a person is tool irresponsible to be prepared, they are too irresponsible to use a knife.

 

[TheDandyLion]

I was practicing some firecraft techniques with a friend of mine. FIRESTEEL TIME! I give him a little tinder bundle and a fire steel and my knife, half way through telling him to use the sharp spine he says "Oh I know what this is for!"and then speed strikes (Taking several very fast scrapes at the ferro rod) WITH THE EDGE throwing a few sparks and and blunting my knife. I was to shocked to say a word so he takes my silence as a go ahead to start chopping up my fire steel with the edge like it was a stick. Taking massive chinks out of the rod and my knife. I promptly slap him across the face hard enough to leave a nice *crack* and he looks at me like I... Well slapped him in the face "knife is no good anyway" he mutters and tosses it onto the cement breaking the tip. I was too angry to tell him off until later..

To be fair I don't think either of out actions were justified but really... Payback was swift and deserved

Also earlier he hurdled one of my tomahawks at a piece of lumber, taking a massive piece out of that (hit a rock) and started chopping up my wooden saw horse with a machete. Mauling my sawhorse and destroying the edge of my machete on the screws.

EDIT: Friends brother did this while I was teaching my friend some bushcrafty stuff.

 

[The cow]

I still lend it out, while I usually tell them that I'll cut it myself. It really depends on what they're using it for and how much I trust them. Usually my cheap SAK.
During our scouting trips, I give my old man my junglas quite a bit. He has a tendency to cut into the ground, but all the hardwood we have to chop, edge usually needs touching up anyways.

Ironically, the only tool I lent out that came back busted was a bahco saw that some girl decided to use as a machete down in South America.

 

[Rappy]

Not really a lend but

Every time I sharpen a kitchen knife with my Lansky system, My Father somehow manages to cut himself.
I guess it's because he watches soccer from the Kitchen

 

[JohnnyO]

I've learned from reading all the horror stories on this site.

Had a guy at a gun range last week ask me if I had a knife. Rather than saying yes, I asked what he needed it for. He was going to use the tip of my knife to pry out a stuck 22 lr case from his gun. Gave him a wooden dowl instead.

 

[bdmicarta]

I never understood the concept of carrying a "loaner." Why would i go out of my way to carry an extra piece of crap to loan to someone too stupid to have their own and use it without destroying it?

For some of us it is a protective measure.
If your friends know that you carry a knife, want to borrow it, and you refuse, they will (unfairly) think your are a jerk.
But also one reason I carry a cheap second knife is maybe I will want to use it for something that I shouldn't use a nicer knife for.

 

[Peter Hartwig]

I don't have a firm no lend policy, but this certainly got my attention that I had to beware. We were removing screws on the panel on my AC and my friend asks for a screw driver or he said I can just hand him my knife. I chose the screw driver option vs my $500 small Sebenza. I wouldn't hesitate to use my knife as a screwdriver if there was an emergency situation, but not when 15 screwdrivers are 30 ft. away.

 

[Esav Benyamin]

For some of us it is a protective measure.
If your friends know that you carry a knife, want to borrow it, and you refuse, they will (unfairly) think your are a jerk.
But also one reason I carry a cheap second knife is maybe I will want to use it for something that I shouldn't use a nicer knife for.

Perfect example: carry a SAK for those times you need a knife for something other than cutting.

 

[SOFileworks]

While deer hunting with an extended family member back in the 90's, I came upon one of the older fellows trying to field dress a deer he'd just shot with a really old vintage Schrade 125OT. I don't think that knife had been sharpened since it left the factory, so he was hacking and slashing that poor carcass up and then asked if I had a knife that he could use to "gut his deer with". I handed him my brand new Buck Fieldmate, he was amazed at the sharpness of the knife, but when he got to the pelvic bone, he couldn't get the knife to cut through it, he then proceeded to pick up a rock and bang the spine of the knife with it until the bone broke. I just stood there, amazed that anyone would beat on a knife with a rock, much less a knife that had a spine with a serrated tip and teeth cut into it. He ended up flattening out two of the serrations and bent the corners over on 3 of the teeth...since that day I haven't loaned anyone a knife, a lesson learned too late...as they generally are unfortunately.

 

[CoelacanthNZ]

So a couple years ago a friend came to visit and was very keen to get out and shoot some feral goats. I had my Tikka and lent him a beautiful G2 Contender in 7-30 Waters. As if that wasn't enough, he tells me he has forgotten to bring his hunting knife, so with great trepidation I sift through my collection and add my specialist boning knife to a sheath for him to carry. I figured I would take my skinner myself, and if we got a few goats - we could bone them out in the field to lighten the walk home.

As it turned out, we bowled over a half dozen animals and began the prep work. I was showing my noob mate how to get down into the hip joint to separate the back leg...... You guessed it, my wonderful boning knife I had carefully shaped and sharpened to just perfect over years of trial and error went end-on into the joint - "Like this?" he says....... "NNN...." I almost say.... SNAP! That thin sickle of a blade just wasn't the crowbar my mate thought it was.... Blast.

Still, it wan't as messy as the time he asked to borrow my Kershaw Talon II to cut a rope - then proceed to 'lean into' the job when the wrong edge of the knife just wasn't doing the cutting. I saw it too late - he sliced his hand open on the blade, thinking it was the spine of the knife. 25 Years in the British Army too.

No more lending the Talon to anyone (I can see how the blade shape could confuse the uninitiated) and I am ver y picky about who touches even my old hunting blades - knives don't always have to be new, pretty, tactical or made of Kryptonite to hold great worth to me - and I ain't never quite managed to find a replacement boning knife that was quite as good as the one sacrificed to a goat....

 

[jc57]

I never started lending knives so there have been no incidents in the first place. I never find myself in that situation anyway. I have given a few people knives as gifts but I really don't care what they do with them after that.

 

[Sullie]

I can't think of a time I have lent my knife out either. But it reminds me of a time I was on a job site and asked someone to help with something. After watching them struggle I just did it myself and a buddy who was initially helping me said "never take a tool out of a man's hand." this was quite a few years ago but it stick with me. I was embarrassed for myself and the guy I took the job from. I will make more of a point to lend my knife out and try to gently encourage them to use it properly rather than make the cut myself.

 

[Sullie]

Don't know how to edit a post on tapa talk...
Actually I have lent my knife to teach people how to filler fish and dress animals. I have never had an issue with either

 

[Monofletch]

The lady at work borrows my knife every morning to cut open her magazine bundles for sorting. It's been a number of years without an incident so she must know how to cut plastic straps. I will not loan it to anyone else at work!