http://www.youtube.com/user/NaturalBushcraft#p/u/6/ZpGcJ3JoFY0
An interesting review of a stick tang helle knife by a knowledgeable chap. Maybe the knife has alot of flaws but cleary its stick tang is a major one.
I'd rather go for a full tang personally, not because I've broken any stick tangs but because I like the weight and sturdy feel. If the scales come of a full tang blade in a 'survival' situation or even a few days camping you can still use it quite fine, (personal experience with cheap knives!) whereas a stick tang would be somewhat less easy.
Interesting that the commentary suggests steering clear of the model itself when an individual example of it failed.
That's a bit 'Don't buy a Ford because mine broke down' for my liking.
Also interesting that it broke under 'a bit of light batoning' which could introduce all kinds of variables.
An interesting article on batoning and how it can easily introduce failure in any knife, depending on how it is done, can be found here:
www.barkriverknives.com/docs/batoning.pdf
I am not suggesting the reviewer has over egged the pudding, but unlike most I actually own a Helle Kvernstein, among many other Helle knives, and mine has done an awful lot of work without incident. But then, as all the world knows by now, I don't baton.
Ever.
I have in the past, just to learn good technique, but unless I am caught without the means to efficiently and safely process wood I see no reason to belabour the task by using a knife.
I am not trying to defend Helle knives or be an apologist for them although I admit to being a huge fan of their products, but I do want to take an unbiased view of why and how the knife might have failed and, quite simply, it could very easily have failed due to crappy batoning technique.
I know everyone is going to take the "no, no, no; it can't be that because the NaturalBushcraft folks know their oats" stance but in this instance (as in most breakages) we either have a simple materials failure (which is no reason to write off the model I might add) or we have an introduced failure.
I would recommend that anyone even remotely interested in knives and their use should read that Bark River PDF document - it basically gives clear details on how to break a knife (including some you would assume were tantamount to indestructable - like the Cold Steel Master Hunter and the Bark Rive Rogue) by using sloppy batoning technique which is just one reason why I never baton and why in all my years I have never taught the technique.
Assuming you do read it, go back and look at the YouTube video again. You can also Google for a ton of broken knife pictures in relation to batoning.
Re-examine your conclusions as required.
Hidden tang for me (still)
