There could be many reasons for this. Some questions need to be asked:
• First, who made the knife and of what steel?
• Is the edge very thin (<15 degrees)?
• Did the edge roll or chip? (By bent I assume you mean rolled?)
I’ve rolled the edge of my DMDC by lightly cutting meat on a glass plate. This is a stupid thing to do and I should know better, but if the edge is thinned out this will happen easier than you think. Although creating fuzz sticks should not be a problem for most knives. Without being there and knowing exactly how thin the edge on the Muk is, it’s difficult to guess what went wrong.
As for “fragile”… This can cause some confusion. If the edge of a knife rolls easily, this normally means the steel is softer (less brittle) which in fact means it’s tougher (can take more lateral force). If the edge is very hard and chips then it means the steel is probably stronger (note the difference between strength and toughness) and will be more brittle. The 1st example will make a better prying tool and the 2nd example will make a better cutting tool. The trick (and the holy grail of knife making) is to find the best of both. As far as I have been able to determine, INFI has a very good balance of strength and toughness. SR77 is perhaps as tough as INFI, but will not hold an edge nearly as long and A2 will hold an edge longer than SR77, but is probably not as tough. Again, there are many variables out there.
I have a BRKT Canadian Camp (A2) that has a full convex grind (no secondary bevel). As with most convex ground blades these knives are ground by hand and therefore vary somewhat in blade geometry. I found the edge on my specific knife was just ground a little too thin and would roll easier than I wanted, so I re-profiled the edge slightly and now it’s fine. My ASH-1 and DMDC on the other hand had way too thick and obtuse edges for my taste and I thinned and convexed them to suit me. If the Nessie is too thin, just work on the edge a bit.
Well put.