What $50.00 to $150.00 knives have you broken

T

Tony Turner

Joined
Apr 15, 2003
Messages
175
I just finished reading the thread about 1 $300.00 or 3 $100.00 knives. Every one talks about the less expensive knives not being able to take a "beating". I for one do not abuse knives, I use them for what they are made for, don't get me wrong, I use them to their limits. But I don't use them as crow bars, shovels or anchors to repel with (exaggeration there). I also don't believe you have to spend over $120.00 to get a good reliable knife that I would bet my chances of survival. So what I am asking, name the knife, $ amount you paid, and what ill proper way you were using that knife when it broke.
 
None, the couple I broke were old, rusty and had stick tangs. Drive one into a standing tree, then use it to pull yourself up and hang from it. I get the feeling that you still wouldn't be close to what some of these people put their blades through to insure that it won't fail them when they need it the most.
 
I am not going to get into my exprience on what I have done or haven't done, that is not the question. I have broken only two knives one was a ka-bar, using it as a throwing kife (miss used) and the tip snaped off in a tree. The other was a m-19 boynet, snaped the blade in half using it as a crow bar trying to get a vehicle door open (mis used). Some one had a tire wrench, but I wanted to show them what the knife could do (not). Those two occasions were when I was young and dumb and both examples of what should not be done with knives.
 
None.
I use my knives like a...well...knife.
I...gasp...cut stuff with them :eek:
If I need to pry, dig or chop I get the proper tool or rethink the problem.
:D
 
Really the only reasons for a broken knife are...
1) a defective product, or
2) using the knife for tasks that it was not designed to perform.

I've never seen anyone break a knife simply by cutting material that it was designed to cut.

Allen.
 
Tony Turner said:
I use them for what they are made for, don't get me wrong, I use them to their limits. But I don't use them as crow bars, shovels or anchors to repel with (exaggeration there).
Click to expand...

You don't use them to there limits self admitted. A "SURVIVAL" knife is just that a tool to help you live in a bad situation. By definition a survival knife is anything you need it to be when you need it. It is a shovel and a prybar and any other use you can think of.
So you dont know your blades limit until you have done all these things.

Someone point me exactly to the great owners manual of knives where it says it should only be used for cutting. :rolleyes:

HOund
 
I broke a becker patrol machete a few years ago in california. I was chopping very lightly on a 2x4. the knife should have NEVER broken during that kind of useage. The knife was definetly defective. I took a picture of the knife and then sent the blade back to becker. They replaced it and i have nearly abused a new one with no i'll effects. I have also broken a cold steel ltc kukri while chopping with all of my might into a pine sappling. I have warped a few of the ltc's as well as my friend. thats all folks.
 
there dont seem to be that many stories on broken blades, i had asked this same question on jeff randall's forum and got about the same reply, i cant seem to find many folks that have actually broken knives using them for survival type tasks. none of the folks that i know that have given instruction in survival seem to have broken honest knives in the 50-150 range. i know of some instructors that have bought cheap "survival knives" with hollow handles etc and broken them, but these sell for about 20 bucks or so.

it seems to boil down to this, if you carry a tool then you need to work within the tool's capability. if the only knife you have is a mora, they prying or twisting the blade will most likey result in a broken knife. if you want a pry bar/ shovel/ knife as this is what you think will be the best tool for your needs then you should carry a very stout blade that will handle that type of use. criticism of one or the other choice is not relevant as each will carry what he sees as the tool that fills his needs. when i spent time with the african bushman, they were carrying some pretty basic cutlery, cheap POS knives (as i remember one of them carried a folding knife that looked like a pistol and came with a snap sheath that looked like a holster), and a bushmans axe, these tools have been used by these folks for many centuries, and they can live just about indefinately with these tools. certainly not 300 dollar blades, not even 50 dollar blades, but they have learned to use them within their limits to accomplish the tasks they need to survive.

dogmatic statements from either camp are only reflections of a person"s perseived needs in a survival tool. as far as my personal needs, i need to have a knife, preferably a fixed blade, although if i had a stout lock back or even a large SAK with a saw blade i feel i could manage on the short term here in the lower 48 states.

when i was hunting in alaska or africa where it might be some time before i would get help then i would and do carry a saw, small axe/ machete, and a fixed blade and leatherman tool. as my needs in this situation are different than a walk in the woods here in the lower 48 states.

when i lived in central america, i would carry a machete and a fixed blade as well as a large SAK. the environment and my survival needs were different. so my tools were different.


alex
 
I have had two blades break within the past year. The plain edge blade on a Leatherman WAVE multi-tool while cutting some twine out from around a weedeater head and the tip off a Dozier K-13 Whittler while cutting twine out from underneath a mower. Something went wrong with a Benchmade CQC7 while I was trying to cut off a dried used roll off a paint roller (30 minutes to town and had forgotten to get a new roller after leaving the old roll on).

I don't think any of those situations were abusive. Obviously must have been applying some torque / twist while cutting twine. I do like knives that actually cut though so just know that is a risk with thin blades. For any kind of planned prying where I didn't have a crowbar and had to use a knife, I'd use one of my Grecos (very sturdy, inexpensive, and no emotional attachment).

Just FYI... I explained to both Leatherman and Dozier exactly what happened to the knives. Leatherman sent me a brand new WAVE for free (after I sent old one in). Dozier reground the Whittler for an $8.00 fee (to cover shipping and etc.).

I haven't taken the CQC7 apart yet to check just what happened. The hinge may have just jarred loose, but something not quite right. That CQC was my first $50+ knife many years ago. I never have really liked it (pocket clip screws kept coming out (finally lost), initially seemed hard to sharpen, edge bevel on wrong side for right handed person, large / heavy, etc.). I don't like that CQC, but I did grow to admire it a bit. My sharpening skills improved some. I finally gave up on worrying about sharpening serrations and it became mostly a plain edge over the years. It always seemed stout so I subjected it to things I wouldn't have a knife I liked and (until the paint roller), it withstood them just fine.
 
alco141 said:
there dont seem to be that many stories on broken blades...
Click to expand...

Negative reports in general are rare on the forums for a number of obvious reasons, it isn't conductive of that type of posts because people are too defensive about their favorite makers. I get more pictures and email about them than are seen on the forum, I even get broken blades from people from time to time.

-Cliff
 
Negative reports in general are rare on the forums for a number of obvious reasons, it isn't conductive of that type of posts because people are too defensive about their favorite makers.

What?????? :eek: That is what I have been seeing lately, every one trying to prove someone wrong or tell someone they are full of sh#$. I would think that most of the guys in here that spend over $200.00 on a knife would jump all over the chance to show and prove that the less expensive knives are junk and you couldn't survive unless you had one. All this hype on how you got to spend a fortune on one knife, I just don't get it. I for one, would bet my chances on a $20.00 knife, the cold steel bushman. Do I like that company, not really, I think some of there stuff is a big waste of money.
 
Tony Turner said:
Negative reports in general are rare on the forums for a number of obvious reasons, it isn't conductive of that type of posts because people are too defensive about their favorite makers.

What?????? :eek: That is what I have been seeing lately, every one trying to prove someone wrong or tell someone they are full of sh#$. I would think that most of the guys in here that spend over $200.00 on a knife would jump all over the chance to show and prove that the less expensive knives are junk and you couldn't survive unless you had one. All this hype on how you got to spend a fortune on one knife, I just don't get it. I for one, would bet my chances on a $20.00 knife, the cold steel bushman. Do I like that company, not really, I think some of there stuff is a big waste of money.
Click to expand...


Well Tony looks like you had this threads outcome already decided before you started it hmmm.

The reprizal for listing damagable knives by name on this forum is not worth the effort. Your comments above a perfect example.

Take your bushman and be happy.

Skam
 
Come on Skammer, tell us which ones you've broken, and how you broke them.
After all, we're here to learn about knives--both their strengths and their weaknesses.

One of the things I hate about the knive magazines is that they always give good reviews.
I know that they have to worry about pissing off their sponsors, but I think we can all handle the truth here on the forums.

I've broken several knives and posted my reviews because I think that knife-nuts like us find it interesting and useful.


Allen.
 
I once tried to limb a tree with a very hollow-ground knife 5" fixed-blade and, "ping," there was a half moon chip out of the edge - maybe 6 mm deep.
Had I chopped from below the fork, it might not have happened, but I was chopping down into the fork of a branch on a standing tree. Still pisses me off to this day. How could I be so dumb? Wrong tool and wrong technique invokes Murphy every time.

I presume that if I am planning for a survival situation, I want a knife that can do at least more than cut, including chop, pry some and dig some. If it can't be sure to do those things, then I have to adjust to the capacity of the tool, 'cause I sure can't afford to break it in such a situation.
 
I have never seen a question avoided by so many experts. Skammer, I am sure you have broken many with all your travels and adventures. These $200.00+ knives have to purchased by people who have broken the less expensive makes and models. Don't be worried about offending any knife makers, I am sure they are all big boys and girls and can handle some critisism. WHAT KNIVES HAVE YOU BROKEN, AND WHAT WERE YOU DOING WHEN THEY BROKE. It's a simple question, every one can learn from this.
As far as:
Longbow
Sevenedges
Jagged

you all get an A for following directions, thanx for the imput
 
I havn't broken a blade yet, but I can sure say knives sure have "broken me" I seem to alway want another knife :D
 
Needless to say, I have snapped a few folders over the years but I don't abuse folders anymore becasue I assume they will break and have no reason to believe this will change. It just not in a folder to withstand prying.

I will give out one blade and one only that is used by MANY! and is a good little blade in its own right but can't take a beating if you are serious about it.

That said its a lot of blade for very little money and is a good starter blade for kids.

I snapped one USAF survival knife (Ontario) in half in winter and bent one (Camillus) 45 degrees with little trouble. After that I stopped the using as I pretty much knew the outcomes.

Ontario don't e-mail me!!!!

Skam
 
Now we're getting somewhere.

So, what exactly were you doing with the knives?

Allen.
 
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