Knife Testing

[spudley112]

Like many people, when I am considering a new knife with which I have little experience, I will sometimes go online and watch videos about the knife to get an idea of it's form and function. I am not a huge fan of "unboxing" videos beyond getting some basic specs on the knife, and I have found a lot of the testing videos a bit formulaic in nature with a lot of tests that have nothing to do with how I might use the blade in real life scenarios.

There have been many times I have been excited to get a knife, only to find that it really isn't all I had hoped for (as I am sure any knife owner has had happen). I have bought knives so thick behind the edge, that even after a hair popping sharpening treatment, it really isn't able to slice like I want. Or knives that are just an absolute pain to get and keep a decent edge....and a host of other disappointments.

So here is my question - What real-world tests actually mean something to you? What do you do with a knife to truly find out of it is of use to you? What sort of "problems" in real use scenarios immediately disqualify a knife from being a part of your EDC or outdoors carry?

For me, a couple of things I look for in a blade:

Whittling - I like a blade that has a profile that allows me to shave paper thin feather sticks, or whittle out tools that I can use in outdoors scenarios (spoons, figure four traps etc). I have found that HRC is not near as important as a good edge profile for this (ie Victorinox steel) but also don't want an edge that easily rolls due to a poor heat treat.

Food prep - Once again, a slicey blade is king for this type of situation. Being able to use my knife in the kitchen goes a long way with me. I like to be able to chop up vegetables without it becoming a hatchet job...no pun intended.

Edge holding - To me, there is so much more to this than just going out and hunting down the knife with the highest HRC number. Although not a premium steel by any means, I find my Becker knives in 1095 steel do a great job holding an edge. I might have to touch up my Vic Huntsman from time to time, but the edge seems to hold for most scenarios quite well. Yes, premium steel is nice to have (I LOVE my Benchmades) but it is not always the only useful blade out there.

Ability to sharpen - I am not just talking about ease or quickness of sharpening, I mean, am I able to get the keen edge I am looking for? I have owned many knives over the years that are made of great steel, but I just never was able to get the type of edge on it that I wanted. I had one knife that I worked on repeatedly, but never could get it to bite the way I wanted. It was sharp,,,there was not doubt about it, but I never felt that the edge had the "personality" that I wanted. It was hard to explain why it felt that way to me, but I eventually gave it to a friend that treasured it.

These are just a few of the things I look for in a blade. I try to do random tests to see if the knife will fit into my collection for the long term based on these attributes. I would be curious to hear what others put a knife through to test it.

[Edi]

I have to like the way it looks. Then, it has to feel good in the hand. In my hand. Everything else comes with time and practice. I don't know anybody who bought an "ugly" knife.

[Aloha]

NO unboxing videos for me.  No videos of just talking about the knife and what the knife possibly can do.  I also cannot sit thru a 20 min video.  Give me about 10 mins or less of use not just talk.  Don't give me hypotheticals.  Dont give me maybe scenarios.  Show me what the knife can do and if possible think outside the box.  Please do something other than hold the dang knife in the video. 

I love to carry a fixed blade.  Admittedly I buy for looks as well as for steels.  I also buy for purpose, so if I can get looks and steel together then  .  When I got the Nimavus it was because it looked cool.  Good luck finding a good video on it.  I know its a tactical knife but lets be super honest, no one is buying it for combat.  Ok, well the vast majority aren't.

I'm not attaching it to my molle vest or stabbing thru military ammo cans or armored enemies.  I am hacking back weeds or brush in my yard.  I am tearing down items to better fit into my recycle can.  I am using it for food prep because its a knife.  I use it for cutting hose to make a repair.  I use it for cutting up t shirts for rags.  Is it the best knife for any of that?  Probably not.  It worked 100% of the time cutting tho.

I may not be using the knife for its supposed intended purpose but again I'm pretty sure most of the sales were not to special ops in combat zones.  Its popular because its fricken cool looking.

https://forum.multitool.org/index.php/topic,51201.msg2013640.html#msg2013640
           

 

[comis]

Good topic.

I think I look for different qualities, if the purpose of the knife is different.

For outdoor knives, I too look for the following abilities:

Wood work: Ability to feather, cut, carve or even light batoning.

Ergo-dynamic: Closely link to above, it's not how it feels in hand but how it feels in 'harder' use.

Geometry, Edge holding and Sharpening:  These few kinda go hand-in-hand for me, I want a good balance especially the edge holding and sharpening.  I go outdoor to enjoy myself and the knives, and it will suck if I have to sharpen it every other minute; however, neither do I want a knife that I couldn't sharpen.

[AimlessWanderer]

Ergonomics: Is it comfortable, or will it be tiring or blister forming? Can I choke up on the blade? Root veg is a good test.

Grip: If I slice heavy card, either tip leading, or tip following, is the knife trying to slide out of my hand? Can I control it, if my hands are wet or greasy (depending on application)? Raw meat or fish processing, assuming the knife is readily cleaable.

Cutting paper tells me it has an edge, but also what kind of edge. Does it start to rip because of the thickness behind the edge? Apples are a good slice test. Also, if sharpening a pencil, does it feel like it's cutting in a significantly different direction to which way I'm pointing it? (like using a chisel upside down).

Knuckle clearance: If I'm cutting on a cutting board, how much blade is in play before my knuckles hit the deck?

How well does it fit the sheath? Ease or drawing? Ease of stowing? Ease of cleaning the sheath? Is the sheath comfortable to wear?

Edge retention is less important to me than ease of sharpening. I don't need to be able to shave a narcaleptic chinchilla without waking it, just get a working edge on it with a simple stone and/or steel. If it needs specific angle guides or diamond pastes, or pointing north under a full moon, forget it.

[Aloha]

"I don't need to be able to shave a narcaleptic chinchilla without waking it"  AW


 

I peed myself a little laughing so hard, not gonna lie.   

[AimlessWanderer]

 

 

[ElevenBlade]

I watch videos that Comis makes. That's about it. 

Honestly, even though I rather enjoy watching videos for no good reason, there are a few instances where videos helped me make decisions.

Scissor based multitools, and scissors on multitools - some mixed reviews got me holding steady with what I currently have.

Saws - reference Comis

Fixed blades - here's where they're most important to me.  And quite honestly, I've never bought one.  The only place I would use one is when camping, and I've been more than equipped for that already.  Having no real experience with a fixed blade, I've tried to get a sense of what would work best for what I would need to do.  At this point it would mainly be fire craft. I'd get a Mora of some type... And even then I don't feel like I'd gain anything in the way of ease or entertainment with a Mora over my usual.

[Edi]

Thought a little more. And: actually no test made by others can make me buying a knife. If i like a particular knife i watch reviews in order to justify buying another one. Convincing myself that i really have to try it. But i have also custom knives and on those nobody could've show me a vid. I liked watching the Paul Kirtley review on the Mora Garberg because i was curious on his thoughts about it. But i don't like the knife, so i won't get one. I also know it's up to me to look at the geometry of the knife and decide if it's good for what i want. Keeping the edge and using the knife is my job. It doesn't matter if somebody else can, if i can't. If the reviewer is handy with the knife, it's a pleasure to watch his skills. The knife per se, is just a piece of metal. The person is therefore, the most important part for me. He has to have a nice presence, his voice matters also, the script and the editing of the video play a big part.
I want to see a nice story and that's about it.
And in order to answer the question... i test the durability. That's the first. I hit (chop) a seasoned piece of oak and check the edge. I baton some wood and check again the edge. If the edge is good then i just see how it performs in the kitchen, or cutting some rope, shaving some wood. Usual stuff. I'm not choping bones, hornes or the like. With some knives i also test how it penetrates stuff, including metal.

[nate j]

Very limited value in vids for me.  Sometimes it helpful to see how a FB fits in a sheath, but that's about it.  If I can find a video or picture of a knife I'm considering next to one I already own, that may help me visualize the size of it a bit better than just reading the specs.  Seeing a knife in the reviewer's hand doesn't really help, since their hands may be bigger or smaller than mine.

I have to have a knife in hand to really evaluate the most important aspects to me, i.e. ergonomics, handling, F&F, W&T.  I wish there were more brick-and-mortar knife stores around with decent selections, but that seems quite rare.