Out of interest Dennis, would it be possible for me to have a play with your frame? I've not managed to break the ends off any blades with mine, which *should* be the same - but who knows? They're definitely a lot slower in changing blades than a traditional frame is; my older 3" frame is a Vallorbe one with a similar setup for clamping the blades which I used in preference when facing a lot of blade swaps.