Buck Nighthawk Destruction Test Video Completed

N

noss4

Joined
Jul 7, 2006
Messages
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I had a request for the Buck Nighthawk. Since I already had one. I Tested it.


Videos are posted at www.knifetests.com


Cutting: The Nighthawk has a thick edge so it didn't make very thin
slices from the orange. It was able to peel the apple easily.
It was able to cut the webbing but took effort to get started.

Batoning: The blade length makes it difficult to split a 4x4.
Damage occurred to the handle during this.


Chopping: It took a lot of time and effort to chop with the nighthawk.


Concrete: The blade only dented never chipping or breaking.


Concrete: The tip was hammered into concrete splitting the
brick many times. No damage to the tip occurred.
The handle was damaged during this breaking free
the top molded strip.


Hammering: Using the 3 lb steel mallet the blade had no problem with this.
it took a serious beating.


Flex Test: The tip broke at 15 degrees. The knife was placed back
in the vice and the next section broke at about 20 degrees.


Metal to metal: I hammered the knife cutting through some electrical conduit
no damage occurred to the blade.
I then tried to split some very heavy structural steel tubing
The blade cut into the tubing about 5/16" of and inch before
the blade broke. I found this very impressive.


Handle: Is very ergonomic and comfortable . I think it has
to many parts molded together and broke apart at
the seams but it was still usable.



Overall: The Buck Nighthawk took a beating. The blade
is very rigged so breaking easily on the flex test didn't
surprise me.
Chopping is defiantly not it's strong point.
I paid 35 bucks for the Nighthawk. It is worth
more then this in my opinion.



Videos are in 5 parts posted at www.knifetests.com

Enjoy the videos. They were made for you.:thumbup:
 
Noss4,

Thanks for the great review. Keep them coming! I wonder if you could add a corrosion resistance test, i.e. soaking the blade pieces in lemon juice overnight and posting some pictures in the Photographs section.

vvk
 
your welcome. I have been working on a corrosion test. I have a few pieces from the blades soaking in a corrosive substance of bleach and vinegar.
It attacks carbon steels quickly. I don't now if this is the best method
but it is quick.
 
Regular salt water is a pretty aggressive medium for a knife blade.
Try a 3-5% solution. To one gallon of water, add about 1/4 lb table salt.
 
knarfeng: I'll try that as well. I'm experimenting so I'll try different methods
I want to do it quick and dramatic. Any suggestions will be appreciated.

Thanks
 
I had several that I bought as presents for 25 bucks new. They aresolid knives and the 420HC might just be the best hard use stainless since it is more ductile than the higher carbon stainless steels.
 
I think that it is pretty funny that some of the higher dollar knives don't do much better. Thanks for the tests.
 
Cobalt said:
I had several that I bought as presents for 25 bucks new. They aresolid knives and the 420HC might just be the best hard use stainless since it is more ductile than the higher carbon stainless steels.
Click to expand...

really? i thought 420hc was known for its lack thereof. i never use my 119 but after i saw enough broken i started lookin at it like it was made of glass. on the other hand my 889's receives hard use remarkably well. i got it in a trade and the previous owner had pryed, chopped, and batoned it and it still looked new when i got it which made me comfortable using it hard as well. also the volume of 119's out there is probably so great you're likely to see more broken for that reason alone so i could have been wrong about that knife all along.

i'd like to see how the SOG tech bowie compares in aus8. seems similar enough otherwise.

thanks noss4.

edit: after watchin all that, i was definitely wrong.
 
That was entertaining as hell. Educational, too. How many things can you say that about?

Thanks for taking the time to do the knife tests for us. Keep 'em coming!

Any chance you can test some folders? I wonder if Cold Steel knives will perform as advertised in the L. C. Thompson DVDs.
 
Thanks noss4.

An another Buck I would like to be tested is a Buck/Strider ML fixed 890SPX, again in 420HC, heat treated by P. Bos. I like Strider's design very much, and I prefer 420HC for this knife over S30V or any other high end steel because of toughness. In small knives and/or folders I prefer BG-42, S30V, ZDP-189, ...

Franco
 
Good tests as always noss4, I finally caught up on the warthog and the nighthawk, what a cool "cheap" knife. I really like the variety at the end, chopping conduit and thick piping.
 
Bruise Lee: I plan on testing some folders as well. Also I'm going to test the new
Cold Steel GI Tanto.


Franco G: I defiantly want to test the Buck/Strider ML


psinide: The Nighthawk impressed me on the conduit and the heavy tubing.
It broke on the heavy tubing but it took some very heavy hits and
was able to cut about 5/16" into the tubing.:thumbup:
A great knife and a great value.:thumbup:
 
Thanks bro'
My suspicions were confirmed...the Nighthawk is one bada$$ knife. Especially for the price. I haven't had mine long, but I have put it through hell, and it has held up really well. I'm an arson investigator, and I have cut almost everything there is to cut with this knife...or at least that's what I thought before I watched this video. I have never cut metal tubing or conduit before! Then, when I am done with it at work, I bring it home to my 2 acres and cut tree limbs with it. Hey, if I break it, I'll go to WalMart and buy another...or 2 at this price!:thumbup:
 
Personally, I don't need this knife because for my uses it lacks the versatility I require, given its edge geometry.

However, when they first came out, I got one, and after finding it was not very good at finer slicing and such, I decided to try and destroy it.

I threw it repeatedly at a barn wall, I stabbed it into a stump and tried to break off the tip, I clamped it in a vice and hit it with a sledge hammer and dropped it off a cliff on to rocks. I couldn't hurt it.

I think as a stabber, for combat etc., it would be impossible to better. The handle is the most comfortable of any knife I ever held, and that's lots of blades. I think the architecture of this knife as far as penetration is concerned is the ne plus ultra. I don't know if they've changed the steel from the early ones, but the one I had was truly amazing.
 
This is fantastic. I have a Nighthawk and love it, but I never want to pry anything with it because I was afraid the handle wouldn't be able to handle extreme torque. It's wonderful to see just how rough you can be with it before you have to worry about any kind of catastrophic failure.

Really great stuff, guys.
 
Chiggie: I am very impressed with the Nighthawks durability. A great tactical knife for the money.
 
Photos of the Buck nighthawk tang. The tang broke during the destruction test. This was discovered after the handle was removed.





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I wonder if Buck had made this blade out of 5/16th stock how it would have held up...
 
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