I can see it going either way.

You ever watch an axe head coming off of the tree when an experienced lumberjack is making chips? Nearly all of them give the handle a twist to help free it up better.

If he similarly twisted it coming up out of a green oak limb, he could have very well caused it to flake off when it's otherwise a flawless knife.

I don't care what your doing, 15 tries with any tool, means you have the wrong tool.
I have a jeep that I can pull stuff with, if I trash the tranny by pulling more weight than it is rated you don't call the jeep defective!!!
As for "this one little limb needed to be taken down" you could do pull-ups on that limb!

I have no idea what this guy did or how he did it..."BUT"...why post it on social media before you get answers from the shop? One "possible" explanation, in my mind's eye, was the "chopping" was successful but the knife "possibly" got stuck, as things do, in the crotch of that limb and the chips "popped-out" when the customer twisted it, back and forth, to get it "un-wedged"!
Either way: Not the tool I would have used but let's see what the final outcome will be.
Best, Capt. Chris
PS: I accused "nothing" and used the words "possible" as well as "possibly" in my post...Just sayin', CCS

Poor knife’s already been put through the mill on Facebook, seems to be the new wave of doing things these days

I am with Chris & Michael on this. It must be the new social media platform that allows such carrying on as was in this post on Facebook.

There was a feller there carrying on with Joe, and calling him out and swearing to beat the band at Joe. It almost comes out in the "scuffle of words" and remarks as "entertainment", like watchin' a Jerry Springer Show.

Then, there's the folks who take the "Lifetime Guarantee" to mean anything goes in taking the knife and beatin' the crap out of it, taking it to the limit of breakage. Folks on the sideline are advising to send it back for a full replacement. Ludicrous.

One feller was even making derogatory remarks about Randall using "cruddy 01 steel". He remarked all the reasons for picking the wrong steel instead of steels with at least five numbers and letters

The owner did contact the Shop (I am continually correcting folks there on Facebook about the "Randall Factory"). He would have been better off to wait for the Shop to make a judgement call before asking the folks in the peanut gallery to pass judgement on "thumbs up or thumbs down".

Do I detect a lacking sense of immaturity or manners on Facebook? In the words of the former Governor of Alaska, "You betcha!"

Yeah, I saw the post on PotatoBook before I saw it here. I declined to participate or even give it a good read.

Sounds like it turned into the dumbfest that one would expect.

Perhaps one of the truest questions/statements I have read in a very long time.

I don't think this or any other forum can hold up the "superior" card when it comes to pissing contests. There have been many here.......

The Facebook group has 40-50 fold the active members as here. You are likely to have more opinions.

While I totally agree that he used the wrong tool for the job, unless he attached a cheater bar on the handle and got some serious leverage... it's just a heat treatment mishap.

Randall has really good customer service, he will un undoubtedly have a new blade soon.

Leatherman--

My thinking, now that more info has come out, is that this particular blade does have a thin grind. Ideal for slicing.

It might be that it was not tempered back to spec, but since it is thin I for one would not expect it to be used as a heavy-duty chopper--and especially with any twisting action. Somebody mentioned choosing the right tool for the job. A saw would have done the limb cutting nicely.

RMK might want it back so they can ask the owner how he used it, and see the damage to evaluate the heat treat.

I think somebody, maybe in passing, told me that RMK can put a heavier bevel on a blade if a user lets them know they want it. Not to encourage a run on the shop, just saying from memory.

You guys have noticed the tendency in modern electronic media to say things that would not be said and to say them in ways they would not be said if the individuals were within fist-throwing range of one another. It can be a lot easier to make enemies in this medium than friends!

Larry