Have any of you gent's ever observed,first hand, any Model 18 failures?

It also appears that there are more instinces with stainless failures than carbon steel, is this a correct assumption?

It seems with the stainless they can have an issue that can cause this type of failure. It should be understood that this is a rare issue and that 440B is no weaker than 01 and in my experience 440B is extremely strong, never rusts and holds a wicked edge and is easy to sharpen.

I have used both 01 and 440B and I prefer 440B.

My first Randall was a #14 in 440B. With that being said, I much prefer O1.

True, you don't here about a Randall breaking that often and everytime I have read about it, Randall Knives has fixed the issue.