Trashed my Recon 1 today UPDATE

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stjust33

Joined
Jan 18, 2016
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35
I had a dead tree branch fall in my yard today, and I was using it to chop the small branches of the main branch with my Recon 1. After I came in and went to clean and sharpen it before I put it away, I noticed the blade chipped. I am pretty disappointed, especially since I have had it less than a month. I have emailed them to see what I can do. Anyone else have anything like this happen with a Recon before?

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I've not seen it. But likely there was a lot of torque at that spot. Contact Cold Steel. They should replace it for you.
 
A forward finger choil, most excellent.
 
Yeah, defective. It happens. They'll replace it I'm sure.
 
How thick and hard were the tree branchs? Folding knives aren't typically intended for chopping wood. And serrations can make very good stress risers.

Cold Steel might replace it, but that doesn't mean the knife was defective. The damage may simply be the result of chopping wood with a knife that was not designed for chopping wood.
 
killgar said:
How thick and hard were the tree branchs? Folding knives aren't typically intended for chopping wood. And serrations can make very good stress risers.

Cold Steel might replace it, but that doesn't mean the knife was defective. The damage may simply be the result of chopping wood with a knife that was not designed for chopping wood.
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small stuff, nothing bigger around than my pinkie.
 
That blade was defective.

I have used my Vaquero Voyager XL for trail clearing purposes on hikes, and dealt with larger branches than you are describing.
You can expect teeth to bust off from the serrations, as well as chips from the scalloped areas (larger serrated sections between the "toothy" sections), but nothing like that.

Get a Rajah 2 though if you want to have a folder that can handle such things with no worries at all. :)
 
Now that's a chip.

The half-moon shape of that giant breakout indicates powerful lateral stress. When chopping small branches, your blade will go through changes in grain alignment that will transfer vertical stress to lateral stress. The serrations make things worse because each serration is a stress riser that can facilitate a break out of your blade.

The exact same thing happened to me with my big Voyager 2 (non serrated) in AUS8 many years ago.

This doesn't happen a lot, but when just the right combination of stress acts on a thin blade -- with or without stress risers or inclusions in the steel -- you can get this half-moon breakout.
 
I bet you have a HUGE pinkie!
They have awesome customer service so I am sure they will just exchange it for a new knife for you.
Im sure it is isolated though.

Good luck and thanks for the picture.

Twindog. Thanks for the explanation pal! I see exactly what you mean when looking at the picture.
 
stjust33 said:
small stuff, nothing bigger around than my pinkie.
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Doesn't take much ... twisting motion while the blade is in the wood will take out large, moon-shaped chips from a thin blade. Sound familiar? :thumbup:

Which is why you don't chop with a folder.
 
marcinek said:
Which is why you don't chop with a folder.
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Except for a Rajah 2.
Or Benchmade Skirmish...the blade on that one is even more beastly.
Spyderco Tuff will take all the finger-sized braches (or fingers ;) ) that you put it's way with no damage.

A thin hollow-ground blade is not a great choice though...doesn't matter if it's a fixed blade even.
 
stabman said:
Except for a Rajah 2.
Or Benchmade Skirmish...the blade on that one is even more beastly.
Spyderco Tuff will take all the finger-sized braches (or fingers ;) ) that you put it's way with no damage.

A thin hollow-ground blade is not a great choice though...doesn't matter if it's a fixed blade even.
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The voice of reason.....[emoji106]

I'll add the Spyderco Military, Paramilitary 2, HK14715 Axis, Manix 2, or Emerson Mini CQC 15 to that list from personal experience.

Pinkie size twigs? Come on, just because a knife is a folder doesn't make the blade brittle.
 
Todd21969 said:
The voice of reason.....[emoji106]

I'll add the Spyderco Military, Paramilitary 2, HK14715 Axis, Manix 2, or Emerson Mini CQC 15 to that list from personal experience.

Pinkie size twigs? Come on, just because a knife is a folder doesn't make the blade brittle.
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Used the Military to trim some forefinger sized branches before. :)
 
Im not stirring the pot im trying to learn about steels.

do you guys suppose the same thing would have happened if all circumstances were the same but it were a different steel than aus8 in that folder?
 
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