THE SYRUP-AND-SAND TEST:
The contestants were:
Benchmade 556 (Axis-lock)
Spyderco Rescue (lockback)
CRKT M16-03 (liner-lock)
Timberline Timberlite (Neeley-lock)
Gerber Para-frame (Frame-lock)
Kershaw 2950 (Opinel lock)
After coating them with syrup, I then buried them in sand (the knives were closed).
After digging them out of the sand I removed all the excess sand that I could and tried to deploy the blade.
ALL FAILED.
None would open and lock, but the Benchmade 556 came the closest to actually locking.
I then washed them clean, recoated and re-buried the knives, but this time with them open.
I dug them up and removed the excess and then tried to work them closed.
The CRKT M16-03 and the Timberlite were the only two that would not close.
I then washed them in a bucket of water using only my hands--afterwards they all functioned properly.
THE HIT-AND-RUN(over) TEST:
The contestants:
All of the previous knives used in the syrup-and-sand test and a few extras:
Spyderco SS Endura II
Spyderco micarta Calypso Jr
Benchmade 722
I placed, two at a time, the knives behind the rear tires of my Ford Explorer Sport-Trac (I was on my concrete driveway, the bed was empty, and the knives were closed).
I backed up over the knives so that both the rear and front tires hit them--and then I ran them over again going forward.
So that one rear tire and one front tire hit the knife twice.
I'm happy to say that there was no real damage at all.
The Gerber Para-frame got a little scuffed, as did the CRKT M16-03.
On the Benchmade 556, one thumbstud (the one touching the concrete) was a little "chewed up".
But all knives worked just fine afterwards.
I was impressed.
THE DROP-ZONE:
I knew that this would be the most damaging of all the tests,which was why I did it last.
The contestants:
The same ones as in the hit-and-runover test.
I dropped the knives off the roof of my two-story home and on to the concrete patio.
I did this three times--but I should have stopped at one drop.
I would love to say that all of the knives survived without injury, but that was not the case.
Benchmade 556:
The Axis-lock came through with flying (literally) colors.
After all three drops, the lock works fine.
OTOH, the handles did suffered some damage.
Scuffs all over the edges at the butt and pivot ends.
And a small split occured at the pivot end on one side right above the liner.
The back of the handle is also separating and, with the blade open, light can be seen through the back of the handle.
But the knife is still 100% functional and passed the spine-whack-test.
Gerber Para-frame:
The blade opened upon impact all three times resulting with a small amount of tip blunting.
The lock survived and works great and passed the spine-whack-test.
The frame/handle suffered only small abrasions on the pivot and butt ends.
CRKT M16-03:
Virtually the same results as the Gerber.
It also opened with each impact.
And it also suffered only minor scrapes on the ends, and the lock is also fine.
It also passed the spine-whack-test afterwards.
Spyderco Rescue:
Suffered only minor scrapes also at the butt and pivot ends.
The lock works just fine and passed the spine-whack-test.
The FRN impressed me very much.
The blade actually open on one impact but not on the other two.
Timberline Timberlite:
Suffered only ONE small scuff on the corner at the pivot end.
This was also the lightest-weight knife in the test.
To look at the knife, you would never suspect the abuse it has suffered.
The lock works (as much as any Neeley-lock) and has passed the spine-whack-test.
Spyderco micarta Calypso Jr:
The micarta was scraped and scuffed on the butt and pivot ends to about the same extent as the FRN Rescue.
Unfortunately, the handle separated at the pivot and the small washer or disc around the pivot-pin has come off.
Surprisingly, the lock still works and the knife passed the spine-whack-test.
Kershaw 2950:
This cheap little folder did not survive at all.
The locking collar came off, as did the rubber grips, and a piece of the handle broke off.
I suspect that the broken handle actually might have occured during the hit-and-runover test, but the damage was hidden beneath the rubber grips.
Now the two that surprised me the most:
Benchmade 722:
The knife still functions and the Axis-lock is still rock-solid (and passed the spine-whack test too).
This knife opened on one impact but not the other two.
However,the G-10 scales did'nt fare so well.
On the butt end the one scale has a sizable "chip" right at one of the nuts that hold the scales together.
And at the pivot end, that same scale has developed a split, as if two of the G-10 layers are separating.
Spyderco SS Endura II:
This one suffered the most damage of all the knives.
The butt looks more chewed than a West Point cadet's, and the pivot end looks even worse!
In fact, the pivot end of the scales are bent so far inward that it prevents the blade from being fully opened.
This was also the heaviest of the knives tested.
