Can someone help me figure out if these are scratches or the beginnings of a crack? I have not cut anything but paper with it, details inside

Hashishiin

Hashishiin

Joined
Dec 29, 2021
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https://imgur.com/a/tB51KF3
https://imgur.com/a/3ib9HHD

This is on a new out of the box, fresh, K390 Police. I haven't cut anything but paper with it yet, just carried. Here is why I think it could be a scratch, those lines you see? They line DIRECTLY up with the other vertical grind lines. If you look at the blade from a certain angle, these (hopefully) scratches, just disappear, you can't see them, they blend in with the other lines. Also, at one point, I was standing and moving with my torso right and left, how you do when you're looking for something, the knife being in pocket or in hand, and I remember brushing up against my leather jacket's zipper, so maybe the metal on the zipper just caught one of the grind lines? I don't know, I haven't had this happen with no discernable reason.

I don't know how it could be a crack unless this slipped through QC. I have put no pressure on the blade in any way, wiggled it gently to look for bladeplay, all was perfect. The knife IS perfect as it is. It's just I'm not learned enough to tell the difference between cracks and scratches. I don't care about a little scratch, but if that's a crack, that could be in a bad place. This knife is going to serve as both my general pocketknife and my emergency use pocketknife (it displaced my Matriarch 2 for the first time in months) and if I'm carrying it to rely on it like that, I can't have most of the blade crack off. I really hope it's a scratch.

Any insight?
 
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Its a scratch, actually a couple of deeper grind lines where a loose piece of aggregate from the grinding medium scored the blade. why are you looking so closely at the blade? The first time someone cuts something with even the slightest bit of dirt or abrasive (cardboard) it will make real scratches that run across the grind lines. My K2 with a CPM 10V blade at Rc65+ has all sorts from use.
 
Rapt_up said:
Its a scratch, actually a couple of deeper grind lines where a loose piece of aggregate from the grinding medium scored the blade. why are you looking so closely at the blade? The first time someone cuts something with even the slightest bit of dirt or abrasive (cardboard) it will make real scratches that run across the grind lines. My K2 with a CPM 10V blade at Rc65+ has all sorts from use.
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I don't know, it just jumped out at me. I don't know why, my stuff tends to just patina, no scratches on 10V PM2, K390 Dragonfly, etc, it just hasn't happened. But, like I said, I don't give a hoot as long as they're just aesthetic scratches. It's K390, I want this blade to show it's use! 😁

I just wanted to make positive my new knife was not cracking. All good with the scratches!
 
Thank you guys. I just wanted to be sure. Chronic overthinker.

Now, to go and use my knife without fear.
 
yablanowitz said:
If your metal zipper scratched that blade, something is seriously wrong. As in "my Velveeta scratched the glass tabletop" wrong.

They're just grind lines. Use that sucker.
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I was just trying to think of what I could have done to cause that, searching my mind, you know? I don't know enough, man, to say "Oh, nah, it was just the grinding medium that scored the blade!" as the first poster did.

Try to remember back to first starting out with knives, not knowing a lot, and knowing cracks happen on a knife that you might call on to save your life. I wasn't too worried about it, that's why I came here to ask people who know better rather than wait and be wrong or send it back for no reason.

That's exactly what I intend to do, good buddy. 😁 I'm gonna use the @#%$ out of this.
 
Billy The Hungry said:
I've had Spyderco's show up with scratched scales and goobered torx heads. I'd say it's a scratch.
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Ayup, confident at this point. First scratch I have, and only one goofed torx (Cruwear PM2, my favorite, too!). I'm all good. I love K390 showing its love.

EDCing this Police every day since I got it.
 
I have seen some ZT knives with one or two deeper grinding lines like that. Never thought of the exact cause. But the explanation of a poster above seems to make sense.
 
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