Very Newbie Questions: Use or Abuse?

J

JamesA

Joined
Jun 2, 2001
Messages
696
1) One of the largest cutting jobs I have to do is slicing up cardboard boxes -- fairly large boxes, but not immense. I could fit inside some of the larger ones, and I'm not tiny. So it's probably fifteen or twenty feet of cutting for each box, maximum. Now, I've been using my G-10 Spyderedge Harpy to slice them up: push cuts, only sawing when I'm starting a push cut.

Several of my co-workers have told me that this (using a knife instead of a razor or a saw) will wreck the blade. I can't imagine how; I've noticed that the blade gets hot from the friction, after a while (but not too hot to touch). I'm sure that after a bit it'll get dull, but I've got a 204, and if you don't need to sharpen your knife occasionally, you might not be using it enough.

I've probably gone through twenty of the above boxes in the past two days, and I haven't noticed a change in the performance.

So you guys tell me: am I using the knife too hard? Normal use or ridiculous abuse?

2) The "Spyderdrop" opening; is this destructive to the stop pin or the stop sleeve or whatever you call it? I know that some people <coughchrisreevecough> absolutely despise it when people flick open a knife, and I can see how that would be very hard on the stop pin.

I don't see how the drop would be any different, since it seems like the same opening method, only reversed.

But then I see that /Sal/ does it, and I hear that a lot of BFers do, so maybe it's not harmful.

Someone help me out?

 
I found out why cardboard ruins knives...
cardbaord contains sand, and this creates more friction, thereby dulling your knife faster...

Ive had to sharpen my ladybug pretty well after every 8hr shift at work... thats 2x/week... I even reprofiled it to 40degrees, and it improved some, but not much...

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~Alea iacta est
~Par Palam e Flamma Fert Spiritus
~Regere Sanguine Regere In Veritatem Est
~Moritori te Salutamus
~Mortem Recipis, quod Vita in Morte Venit

What's sharper? Your Mind, or my Spydie?
 
It's true that cardboard will dull an edge pretty quickly; there are a lot of abrasives in there. If you have a really thin plain edge that is highly polished, you can notice a change in sharpness after a pass through just a foot of cardboard. If you're using a larger, fully serrated knife though, with a good blade steel, it may take a long time before you notice any difference in sharpness; serrated knives really excel at tasks like cutting cardboard.

I personally can't see how cutting cardboard could be considered to be "abuse" in any way. The abrasives in cardboard can scratch the blade and mar the finish and, over the course of several years, the knife will wear down quicker from repeated sharpenings. However, to quote H. Roselli, "Work should be enjoyable and should not be spoiled with the use of poor tools." If you think a nice knife does the job of a box cutter just as well, then you should go ahead and use it and have fun with it.

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Cerulean

"The hairy-armed person who figured out how to put an edge on a suitable rock made it possible for us to be recognizably human in the first place." - J.K.M.

[This message has been edited by cerulean (edited 06-13-2001).]
 
I would think that with a hawkbill blade, that one could score deeply where you wanted a cut, then easily tear it apart. Probably a bit slower, but puts no stress on the lock.

I don't think what you're doing is abuse, but push cutting does apply pressure to the lock. Sooner or later, there is likely to be some evidence of that pressure. Then again, the Harpy isn't the most expensive knife in the world, and if one fairly got worn out, I wouldn't think it would be a tragedy. If you've not even blunted the blade yet, then I don't think you have to worry about the blade at all.

Cutting is what knives are for. As long as the material being cut is appropriate, then I don't see how anyone could call what you're doing abuse.

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Asi es la vida

Bugs
 
The G-10 Harpy is a really tough knife and excellent for what you use it for. I've found mine easier to cut cardboard with than most other knives, because of the blade shape and serrations. Cardboard will dull a knife, but as long as you sharpen it when it gets dull there's no problem. You won't damage, destroy, or ruin that knife by cutting cardboard; it can take a lot more than that.

The drop opening is a lot like a wrist flick, and will wear the lock down faster. I don't think it's a great idea to open your knife that way every time, but once in a while shouldn't hurt it. Push cutting won't damage the lock; the Harpy's lock is very strong and has built in room for wear.

Some knives ask to be babied, the G-10 Harpy just begs to be used. Keep at it, you're doin' fine!

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Jason aka medusaoblongata
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"Is not giving a need? Is not receiving mercy?" - Thus Spoke Zarathustra
"Cutting his throat is only a momentary pleasure and is bound to get you talked about." - Lazarus Long
"Knowledge is not made for understanding; it is made for cutting." - Michel Foucault
 
If it hasn't been said already, WELCOME to the forum. ALL tools eventually will wear out and need replaced. You're using a tool and caring for it properly by keeping it sharp. Another concern will be wear and tear on the mechanics of the tool - the lock and pivot. The better built the tool, the longer all these items will last. Spyderco makes the BEST working knife. The Harpy is a well built tool. It should last a long time. And is backed up by a great warranty and repair service and FANTASTICALLY NICE PEOPLE!!!
John
colobbfan

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They say there's a long tunnel with a bright light at the end. I've been there, it's just really DARK! :) LOL
 
JamesA, just a thought. You might want to try a knife with a CPM440V blade, such as a Native Lightweight or a Military or Chinook if you want something bigger. The steel, if you want to call it that, has a 2+% corbon content and 5.5% vanadium content, which combine to make vanadium cabide crystals in a matrix. These are what make your edge and are harder than all Hell, so that the wear factor on the edge is really quite remarkable. Of course, the downside is sharpening it once the edge comes off, but that can be learned, and many have suggested the Sharp Maker 204 as the answer.

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Walk in the Light,
Hugh Fuller
 
After all is said & done, use your knife to cut up the boxes if you want. You'll have to sharpen it, eventually maybe replace it, but if you enjoy the using, by all means use it to death.

On the other hand. I'll offer some advice based on experience.

When I was a teenager I worked in a knitting mill. The yarn came off trucks in boxes ranging from washing machine to commercial refrigerator size, weighing 150-300 lbs. We then had to stack them up in the warehouse. Anyway, when they were emptied of yarn, we had to cut up the boxes, stack and tie the cardboard into bundles for the recycler. We usually had a lot to cut, so we threw the flattened bxes on the (wood) floor and cut them up layer by layer. The standard issue tool - the Stanley 99 utility knife. We used to buy the blades by the box and put the dispenser on the wall of the workroom. When a blade dulled, we'd open up the Stanley and turn it around. When that side dulled, we'd toss it and put in a new one.

I still have that same Stanley 99 hanging in my hall closet (15+ years later). With all the knives in my drawer, I ALWAYS reach for the Stanley when I'm cutting up cardboard, or doing any dirty, tough work.

Specs:
- pushbutton
- 3-position blade
- replaceable blades
- storage in the handle for spare blades
- all metal construction
- lanyard hole (mine has had a red shoelace for 15 years)
 
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