Since everyone's telling tails, I will too.
The three rods of mine that were manufacture's defects were Batson 9wts. Like I said, they all broke on the first day of use.
I build one, broke it, got a replacement. Build that one, broke it. Got a third one...... and so on.
All blanks from the same batch apparently.
It was kinda frustrating as you might imagine. Rather than build the same rod a forth time, I put together a Frankenstein rod of green and black sections.
Now I rarely fish this rod as all I can think about is that it's about to break on the next cast.
With an unknown brand homerolled 8wt, I continued the casting motion after the fly was already stuck in a bush. And with an cheap Eagleclaw IM6 I tried to pull a tree branch down by holding the rod backwards and using the reel to snag the branch. That one was really stupid.
I didn't do it my self, but back in the early/mid '60s my father shut the station wagon tailgate window on three cane rods at once. Two were cheap Japanese rods, but my grandfather's was a South Bend.
I've snapped the tip of a Conolon fiberglass rod while refinishing it...
And I have a Wright&McGill glass rod that broke long enough ago that don't remember how I broke it
Three time I've broken the ring off the tiptop of rods with out damaging the blank..
Once while salmon fishing in Nova Scotia I snapped the tip of a Lamiglass rod off in the spokes of my mountain bike after riding in to a remote pool.
And the winner :wavetowel ..
Around 30 years ago I fell out of bed and busted my Berkley Para/Metric .
I don't remember why the rod was next to the bed, but I do remember why I fell out.... And that story is not for a family website