The thin line between use and abuse?

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KennyB

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Jan 19, 2010
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So, knives cut things... That's pretty much what they're supposed to do. A lot of knives wind up being useful for other purposes though, and a lot of the time we wind up labeling these uses "abuse".

What I'm curious about is what types of things you guys use your knives for that aren't cutting, but not necessarily abuse... Abuse meaning it's going to cause some harm to the knife, not that it's being used for something other than its intended purpose... Yeah I know that's not the definition of abuse, but gimme a break. :P

Anyway, one of the most common things I can think of to demonstrate my example is digging splinters out. Ever since I was little I remember this being done with either a needle or a fine tipped pocket knife, depending on which was closer at the time.

The other day I was at a bus stop and my MP3 player froze up on me. Whenever it does this I have to trip a small battery switch that's on the inside of the casing--usually I do this with a safety pin, but here I was waiting for the bus without my tunes and all I had was my pocket knife so I just used the tip off of that. The tip slipped the button and hit the inside of the metal casing and put a little ding into the knife and I thought, "Well, shouldn't have been abusing it." Then I thought, "Well, wait, is hitting a small switch with the tip really abusive?"

So yeah, I don't know, I think there's lots of things that are done with a knife outside the realm of "cutting" that might technically be abuse, but that really aren't that outside the norm for knife usage or even that likely to break it.
 
I use mine to scratch lottery tickets. (It is under 18 years old)
 
.. and since I paid for it with my own scratch I reckon that gives me the right to treat her pretty much any way I want to with her,, right?? :confused: :yawn: :p :rolleyes:
 
Well this thread didn't take long to go off the rails. In before the move to W&C... :p
 
Dulling a knife and light chipping isn`t really abuse and as far as that goes I have split aged ash with my ESEE3 and I didn`t even think about that it might be abuse. But never use a knife as a screwdriver that takes forever to fix.
 
My use is abuse. If the knife can't take it, then I've wasted my money.


**EDIT: Come to think of it, I used my CS Finn Wolf (fairly cheap knife) to open a can in an emergency. (The emergency being I was hungry and I left my P-38 in my bag.) I used it to pry the lid off when I'd cut it halfway, which was probably not the best idea, but I didn't see it as misuse of such an inexpensive knife. About 3/4 of an inch of the tip snapped right off. A file, cold water, and a rough stone, and I had a 3/4 of an inch shorter Finn Wolf. Works just fine now, but I know it's limits. It could have been a fault in the steel, though.
 
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i think a screwdriver(knife tip in screw head) is the most "abuse" ive ever done. i heard two different guys at the flea market today say that they (guy#1) used his leek as a screw driver and broke the tip and (guy#2) used his to pry up the lens on a welding mask and snapped the tip of his unspecified buck folder.
 
I think "use" would be the term as long as you need to complete a task or job, it doesn't count as abuse. Some say cutting though a can or battoning some wood would count as abuse, but if you need the can cut and the wood split, then its fine even if there are chips and scratches on the blade.

"Abuse" is unnecessary. I stabbed though a mini-keg with my ZT0500 Mudd just for the hell of it. That is definetly "abuse". I scratched the hell out of the DLC and its a bit dull, but everything else is 100%.

If I needed to stab a couple holes in the Mini-Keg for a specific reason, say to make it into a strainer, or cut it open to make a cooker, then that is "use".
 
goodeyesniper said:
I tell it that it's worthless and smack it around a bit.

Neighbors think it fell down the stairs.
Click to expand...

Hahahaha, Oh, man, that's funny... :D

I've used a couple of mine for scraping, hammering in tent stakes, even as can openers for kicks. I pretty much cross the line between use and abuse all the time.
 
They are tools bottom line. Do what you will with them. You buy it, you break it, your problem. I have used folder to pry things but it was all I had and I took the risk. I might have been bummed if it broke but my fault.
 
I like to flick my folders open and sometimes very fast. I was told this is abuse to my frame-lock but it seams OK with my lock backs, liner locks and arc locks as they are fine after many hundred openings.
 
Chipped tips can be reprofiled. A knife is a tool. You cannot abuse a tool, only push it beyond its capabilities (or detract from its resale value) and in so doing abuse your own time, safety and budget. :)
 
I just got educated earlier about the definition of "common sense" by Mr. Unit.

I was taught that common sense has as many definitions as there are people applying, or not applying it :D

So, one persons use may be another persons abuse, and vice versa depending on who's applying the common sense :)
 
I think the definition of "abuse" changes based on your ability to fix any damage you cause. For me, anything that could possibly chip the edge on the knife constitutes abuse because I have a very limited ability to repair my edges (I'm not very good at sharpening, and I don't have any kind of belt sander or very good sharpening system). If you have tools like that available to use and the confidence to use them, you can fix most things wrong with it and as such have much more freedom in what you can use your blades for.
 
A long time ago, I was given this helpful tid-it of information. I was told, "A knife is the most expensive prybar you will ever own." Honestly, after 26 years of owning knives ( got my first one at age 8), I find it very true. Granted, a knife has a specific purpose-to cut, but I view it as an invaluable tool, there to be used. I know many on this forum are like me and carry one (or more) knives daily, and I put mine to good use. I have done every thing possible, both in the line of duty and off duty. On that note, I have to include the disclaimer that I have lost and broken more good knives than I care to admit.....but they served their purpose to that point in time. If you have a knife that takes the abuse and begs for more........you found a good knife.
 
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