wow....my military tip broke off...

you know, in some ways thats why i had rather have aus6 or something similar as opposed to some of these newer "super" steels like s30v or zdp189. ive read so many articles on here about the tips of knives breaking off and edges chipping that it makes me refrain from buying any of these types of steels. now i know you are not supposed to pry or use a knife tip as a screwdriver but sometimes situations demand that we use the tools that we have with us and this may have to be our knives. at least with aus6 or aus8 you probably would bend the tip way before it would beak off. and most of the time these tips can be bent back to true if done properly. i had rather bend a bent tip back than try to reshape a broken off tip.,,,VWB.
 
On the plus side with the tip gone....Now you have a Spyderco Military Screwdriver.
 
gunmike1 said:
but will penetrate like a mother on a stab.

Mike
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As long as you stab something like oh, say, Jello you'll be OK. I am no expert, but if the tip broke so easily then it is useless for stabbing anything IMO as it would easily snap off in any medium to be stabbed. I sharpened my CRK Green Beret to a shallower angle than it came with, I stabbed a piece of particle board from a cabinet and tried to dig/drill a little hole in it and the tip snapped right off like a piece of glass. I conceded to the idea that it was likely my fault for grinding the blade too thin, and thats why it broke. HOWEVER, I tried the same task with various other knives (non S30V blades) and I was very aggressive and there was no breakage whatsoever. So, from my little but of experience I would not throw out the idea altogether that S30V can be more brittle than other stainless steels. The other knives I pried with were a kabar in 1095 and a stainles steel dagger with a VERY pointy tip.
 
I've never broken a tip or bent a blade in 35 years of knife usage. Perhaps it's because I don't use it like a screwdriver, or prybar then complain about it afterwards. Yep, the right tool for the right job. I learned that early. BTW, S30V is no more or less brittle than any other high carbide, wear resistance stainless steel or "supersteel" as some people call them. Nothing has to be wrong with the heat treatment to have it break when misused. Joe
 
T-BAG said:
On the plus side with the tip gone....Now you have a Spyderco Military Screwdriver.
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Spydercos are so kewl! This one obviously sensed that a screwdriver was needed and turned itself into one!!
 
It has a fine point. Strong enough for cutting and puncturing, but it has no strength along the lateral axis, which is what happens when it is used for pying. Lesson learned the hard way. Its better to take the effort to go to the tool box for the right tool.
 
Sorry to hear about your loss. The military is a well loved knife. I guess you can have it reground if it's a small fracture in the tip. Or you can turn it into a military rescue knife. Any pictures?
 
I sometimes use my folders for dressing chicken and/or turkey. When doing so, I sometimes use the tip to pry and twist between the bones to find the soft cartilage to separate the parts nicely. I know I am just using a cheaper folder and not a $100 folder aptly name MILITARY. By naming a knife MILITARY, isn't there some expectation that it can withstand at least some "military" and/or harsher conditions (survival, sd, misc. chores, etc.) or does it mean just a nice tactical black or foliage green g10 handle. I don't know, but the original posters knife should have withstood a tiny plastic screw (if it was really plastic and not some titanium alloy they now use on outlets:), even if it is named Military, Pussycat, Bazooka, or Samurai slayer.

Having said that, why don't you send it back to Spyderco for evaluation, maybe there was a kink in the heat treating process and give them a chance to correct it, if it was the case. All it will cost you is postage to know for sure.
 
I've broken the tip off almost all my spydercos and i was doing no prying at the time. I think the tips are weak by their needle point nature. This isn't a knock on them, i've owned various models over 13 years or so (still use my broken ones) and they are a great knife. i just will not be buying any more of them. I agree with the guy that said the word "military" conjures ideas of durability and if a plastic screw will crack the blade, a bone (on a stab) sure as heck will as well.
 
crom said:
I've broken the tip off almost all my spydercos and i was doing no prying at the time. I think the tips are weak by their needle point nature. This isn't a knock on them, i've owned various models over 13 years or so (still use my broken ones) and they are a great knife. i just will not be buying any more of them. I agree with the guy that said the word "military" conjures ideas of durability and if a plastic screw will crack the blade, a bone (on a stab) sure as heck will as well.
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I have never broken a tip. . . so the problem must be your technique.
 
yeah, that must be it. 30 years of owning knives of all makes, it's my technique for sure.
 
I've read so many broken point stories lately that I'm beginning to think most folks need to anneal the last 1/4" of their blade.
 
Artilary6 said:
As long as you stab something like oh, say, Jello you'll be OK. I am no expert, but if the tip broke so easily then it is useless for stabbing anything IMO as it would easily snap off in any medium to be stabbed. I sharpened my CRK Green Beret to a shallower angle than it came with, I stabbed a piece of particle board from a cabinet and tried to dig/drill a little hole in it and the tip snapped right off like a piece of glass. I conceded to the idea that it was likely my fault for grinding the blade too thin, and thats why it broke. HOWEVER, I tried the same task with various other knives (non S30V blades) and I was very aggressive and there was no breakage whatsoever. So, from my little but of experience I would not throw out the idea altogether that S30V can be more brittle than other stainless steels. The other knives I pried with were a kabar in 1095 and a stainles steel dagger with a VERY pointy tip.
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Stabbing flesh or through a softer material will bring on huge penetration. I think Cliff Stamp tested one and got well over 600 pages of penetration into a phone book without ill effects. You are right about stabbing into a hard material and twisting, though, as that will break a tip off real quick in my estimation, which is why I don't do it. And yes, there are much tougher steels than S30V that would perform better at prying/twisting, especially quality tool steels. I personally like the needle tips for precision cutting with the tip, and can live without the pry bar strength of thicker knives. I value cutting ability over pry bar ability any day.

Mike
 
I said i snapped of most of my tips. If you want to get into an online pissing contest at least do me the favor of quoting me correctly. One time that comes to mind in which i snapped a tip was when i was forced to break into one of my apartments after being locked out. It was winter, i was cold, i didn't have a "proper tool" but I had a delica. I went to work on the window frame where they met up at the lock, hoping to whittle away some wood to get the blade in there and slide the lock. I'm whittling away (and i'm 15 feet off the ground having to chimney up to the window between my neighbor's house and my building) and I hear a distinct snap sound. I hadn't even gotten to the steel window lock yet and the tip cracked off in 90 year old window frame wood. I realize Spyderco fans are very loyal and that's OK, but a quick search of "broken tip" returns many similar stories. Peace.
 
crom said:
I said i snapped of most of my tips.
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Exactly. . . :thumbup:

crom said:
the tip cracked off in 90 year old window frame wood. I realize Spyderco fans are very loyal and that's OK, but a quick search of "broken tip" returns many similar stories. Peace.
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So after a certain amount of time, Wood turns buttery soft?

There are lots of people snapping their tips off. . . Just like the Original poster, many people use thin tips for prying and twisting.
 
To the O.P.
Send that knife back to Spyderco, there might have been a problem with that one. I just went around my office with my BG-42 Milli, unscrewing all the metal screws holding on faceplates. A couple were very tight and the tip on my Milli held up flawlessly.
 
Rat Finkenstein said:
There are lots of people snapping their tips off. . . Just like the Original poster, many people use thin tips for prying and twisting.
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Ding ding ding ding! We have a winner! I've never broken a tip on any knife, even those with needle-points. Because I don't pry with them. Screwdrivers are cheap and plentiful, why pry with your knife? If a tip looks delicate and fragile- well then, treat it as such. The tip of a Military is a lot tougher than you would think just by looking at it, but common sense indicates that it can be broken quickly if used in a manner inconsistent with its design. It is just steel, after all- not some miracle indestructible material. Used properly, however, that thin tip will provide a lifetime of service. If you REALLY need to pry something, chances are that you have a key in your pocket that is better suited to the task.
 
Hi Oneformula.

Sorry the tip broke. I would suggest sending it in to Spyderco for a "look-see". It's always possibe the problem was in the knife. They can also regrind the tip.

It's hard for me to imagine that the tip would break on a plastic screw with no marks on the screw. There is usually more going on that would cause a tip tip break.

But in the end, we can look at the blade, Rc, measure, check the hinge, etc and determine the problem better than anyone on any forum can from a verbal description.

sal
 
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