Fallkniven destruction test!!!

[Slack]

noss, you are to be commended for going out of pocket knowing full well you are going to trash the blade you paid for. Perhaps there would be more bang for the buck if you did extensive performance testing first and live with a blade for a while (that bada$$ knife is not much good if you can't get an edge on it) and then putting it through some tests that are repeatable and that can be compared between knives. I have no doubt that the various blademakers on this board can give you plenty of suggestions on how to do just that. It probably won't be as outrageous as chopping a block in half though.

Honestly, I think you scare the living hell out of some makers who have doubts as to whether their knives will live up to their claims/reputation. A while back, there was a maker who had a very expensive blade fail when subjected to extreme testing. To this day, I don't know what the deal was with that, but it certainly creates a shadow.

I have mixed feelings about the testing I have seen you do thus far. I'm not exactly sure what it proves - except that you're crazy as hell. I would love to see someone put together a rigoruous, repeatable, realistic testing format that covers all aspects of knife use, to include testing blades beyond their limits. THAT would be useful and would advance the state of the art. I suspect many makers would find themselves getting back to basics in terms of the steel they choose and the CPM stuff would quickly go by the wayside.
*KEVLAR UNDIES - *ON*"

 

[Kaizen1]

I don't care for the controversy Noss, can you destroy a Spyderco Street Beat next???

 

[alittle_edgy]

Chiming in, I liked the test even though I hated to see the knife destroyed. If it comes down to destroying a knife to get out of an emergency situation, I would like to know what to expect from the knife. Now I know that I can probably get a good 30 years use out of a Fallkniven F1.

 

[benzslrpee]

i lurk here often and rarely post on here but i have to say that this is one of the most pointless tests i've ever seen. i don't understand how this parallel car crash tests. the method of testing here is more akin to driving a stock Camry in an off-roading environment and wondering how long it will last. it really doesn't take a genius to figure out the end result.

i fail to see where the "test" part comes in. you're destroying the knife. there is no test to it at all. a test would connote that there exists a standard in your procedures, data collecting, control group, test medium etc etc etc... but there are none. you're basically killing a knife and waiting for people to write "COOL! i'm glad my Brand X knife can take so much beating! i would definitely trust my life to this knife under emergency scenario A!"

 

[znode]

the method of testing here is more akin to driving a stock Camry in an off-roading environment and wondering how long it will last.

Except the cars tested here are not Camrys. If you've lurked as long as you said you have, you would notice that we make quite a distinction between real cutters and sharpened prybars.

If noss started whacking an Opinel, or a Calypso, or a paring knife with a sledge, I would surely protest along with you the lack of useful insight. But that's not what's tested here; the knives on knifetests are Ka-Bars, RTAKs, Bushmans, and other such hacking/sharpened-prybar blades. Whether or not you personally use them in such tasks is not the issue; many people in fact do, and it cannot be disputed that they must be capable of taking a degree of abuse.

it really doesn't take a genius to figure out the end result.

He tests knives TO destruction, what would ANYONE expect of the end result? The end result never mattered. It's observing what breaks first, what breaks second, what happened to induce the break that is obviously of importance.

i fail to see where the "test" part comes in. you're destroying the knife. there is no test to it at all.

Just as engines/tires/gear assemblies/motherboards/power supply torture tests break the item in question? Just as structural concrete in the field has samples taken out in a batch and crushed until they crack into pieces?

a test would connote that there exists a standard in your procedures, data collecting, control group, test medium etc etc etc...

No such connotations exist. A controlled test would demand that those exist, but only because of the word "controlled". Again, just as exampled above, for testing of many products, a single sample can be selected out of a batch and destroyed, in "simulated use", that is degrees of magnitude beyond what is expected in the real world. Even more examples would include exposing polymer to intense UV to simulate years of sunlight, or using vibration to simulate day-to-day wear, etc.

, test medium

Test medium? Last I recall we don't have any bacterial samples to culture, nor laser beams to refract through elastomers of different densities. Are you just inserting terminology used in science and hoping that it will make your argument sound more scientific?

you're basically killing a knife and waiting for people to write "COOL!

Despite your attempts at invoking emotion to support your argument, a knife is not alive. Especially not production knives , since they are supposed to be duplicates of each other of a consistent quality.

And sadly, you're not the first person to have done so in this thread either. If someone has to resort to emotionally-loaded words to support their argument... when do we hear about the knife serial killer noss4, who subsists on the wholesale slaughter, massacre, and holocaust of knives?


The ultimate bottom line really is: is noss making any unfounded claims? No, his site states, and I quote, "THE FINAL JUDGEMENT IS YOURS", in all caps. In fact, I don't think he makes ANY claims about any particular knife; he merely repeats in text pretty much exactly what is portrayed in the video. It is quite ironic it is the very fact that he shows the entire video proceedings of his test that your criticisms even would exist.

Could we benefit from more consistency in his testing procedures? Sure. Are his tests worthless otherwise? No! Hell, noss's test COULD be of sledging Opinels for all that matters -- but just by showing the full video, you are free to actually watch for yourself and make your own decisions about what you wish to ignore.

 

[HoB]

Well, I will say that when Noss4 started to conduct his tests, I was less than impressed and was put off by the way he came onto the forums, but his tests have greatly improved and he seems to put a lot of thought into them now. They are also more than just destruction tests if you are actually listening to his comments and if you don't just go by the pictures. They are at least durability tests and he evaluates performance (from a subjective point of view but that is ok) as well. I believe his ranking is also not just based on durability either.

In particular, I was impressed by the test of the Spearblade from CS. He is absolutely right that it takes more skill to throw a spear reliably than most of us have. So how many people do you know, who will build a potato cannon to give a reproducable launch platform.

noss4 has definitely gained my respect. There are not enough people, who will listen to suggestions and continuously improve what they are doing.

 

[fishface5]

what Znode and HoB said. Go Noss! :thumbup:

So when will we see the test of the Browning competition cutter?

 

[JGarth]

Noss,
Keep up the fine work. I find them worthwile watching and informative.
They sure beat reading the arguments the spec nuts have on 5160 vs 1095 and so on..
Or the 800+ ludicrous inputs to Cold Steel threads....what a true waste of time those are....

You invested up your own $$$, and time in an attempt to get the rest of us information. What we do or don't do with that info is our business.

Lot of folks here would complain about the sun risin in the morning....just to complain...

Again,
Thank You for your investment, time, and effort...
JGarth

 

[noss4]

Thanks everyone, including the critics.

ignoramus: I don't know what a Spyderco Street beat is. I'll check the net about one and see if it meets the criteria for a test.

fishface5: I plan on ordering it about the 15th.

HoB Your correct my ratings on the site are not solely based on toughness. I base the ratings on other factors as well. I need to clarify this on the site.

JGarth Thanks man, I appreciate it. How is that awesome new Ranger you got holding up. I bet you have been taking down concrete walls with that baby. I'm joking

 

[JGarth]

Noss...
Well, my sons have their Rangers....they will put them to good use...
mine is too nice to get dirty.
I'll have to get a more functional one from Justin...

 

[Irezumi]

Noss..I see on your site you are going to test an FBM...this I am dying to see. If possible would love to see you smash up a Busse AK also (I know they are expensive and no I am not sending you one ). Mine is safe queen to be honest but I would love to see what it's breaking point is (Dave Brown has done a lot of testing but to my knowledge he hasnt destroyed one yet).

 

[pitdog]

Seeing how it chipped has put me off these a little now, sure it was still useable but other knives tested didn't chip as quickly !

 

[noss4]

Irezumi: It's a little beyond my budget at the moment.

pitdog: the VG-10 edge on the A1 is more brittle then say the Buck Nighthawk 420HC. No chipping ever occurred on it. During a test I'm looking for denting not chipping. Chipping leads to catastrophic failure. I was disappointed about the A1's edge and tip chipping more easily compared to some of the other knives but this was my only disappointment with it.

 

[noss4]

fishface5: I have the Browning competition knife in hand. I'm going into the woods to field test it first this week then a chopping shootout then a destruction test.

 

[me2]

No matter how many tests come up, and how hard the person tries to please everyone, destructive tests will always get a frown from some people. Cliff was bashed for not putting his tests on video. Now someone does, and its still not good enough. Some destructive tests are done at makers request, and some attempt to replicate claims made by the maker, and this will get a bad word as well. Its only a matter of time before Noss tests a popular blade that breaks sooner than expected, then the poo will really hit the air circulator. How many knives have you made Noss? How can you test them if you dont know how to make them? For cryin' out loud, my wife cant even give birth without a bunch of people telling her she's doing it wrong.

BTW, if you break the Browning knife pictured above, I'll switch sides and bash you as well. That thing is beautiful..

 

[noss4]

me2: When I opened the box containing the Browning. The first thing I said to myself is "O BOY ! I CAN HEAR IT NOW. THEIR GOING HAMMER ME FOR TESTING THIS ONE" It is a beautiful blade. The fit and finish is fantastic and near flawless. I only paid $117.00 for it. It has a 10" blade and a very nicely
done convex edge and is very sharp out of the box. The handle is nice and big and fills my hand nicely.

I tell you what I'll spray paint the blade black and turn it into one of those ugly
mean hard use work knives

 

[Professor]

I dig what you're doing. Please keep up the good work.

Professor.:thumbup:

 

[tholiver]

I found the testing entertaining and informative! He does more than just destruction tests, there are also cutting/chopping tests as well.
Noss I'd love to see you test the Falkniven Thor and one of the new Blackjack Anacondas.
I know you mostly do bigger knives but it would be interesting to see some smaller bushcraft type knives(Buck 102/Mora 2000/Mora Clipper/Bark River Aurora/Bark River Bravo-1 etc) tested in some way. Theres been some debate on which tang type is better/stronger, full width or stick tang.
Maybe you could come up with some modified/new testing methods for the smaller knives?

 

[tholiver]

Not "silly."

See also: http://www.bladeart.com/artists/peter_atwood/peter_atwood.htm

Cool I like it!
Thats the 2nd keychain prybar i've seen on this forum, the first one was a mod.
Is yours an "off the shelf" model?
Hmmm what make/ model is it and where did you get it?

 

[me2]

Noss, is the edge on the Browning convex, or the entire grind? Dont worry about messing it up, since if it were ever used, it would look like that for long. AG Russells site says 1085 steel. Should work pretty well.