Help me understand...

hoopster said:
Noss doesn't have ladies eating watermelon and swinging steel. That said, I don't have a problem with him either. It's interesting, it's fun, it's knives. I take it for what it is. Better than watching a knitting tutorial.
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There's knitting tutorials?
 
100eyes said:
I think knife destruction tests overall are critical and I actually think there should be an industry standard destruction test performed on all knives. Arguing that they're pointless because you will never use your knife like that is complete nonsense.
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Yep, plus 1 on an industry standard.


100eyes said:
Almost every consumer product under the sun from every brand is typically subjected to stress/durability/safety tests. I always found it interesting that a good portion of the knife community deems these types of testing unnecessary.
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Because then there'd be tangible ratings beyond what feels good, that may be pointed out as making one knife "better" than another.
 
Noss4's testing might not be as accurate as a fully scientific testing lab, but if you factor that into the equation he provides valuable data points. Just ignore his rating, watch the test, and draw your own conclusion.

For some of us the ultimate knife is something that can go through cinder block while still sharp enough to cut paper, while for others it's the one that can whittle hair, neither capabilities are practical for most people. As long as you know what you're looking for in a knife, you know which one serves you best.
 
imho, the only ultimate knife fitness approval which meets complete consumer approval and trust is when a product's printed label boldly states, "officially tested by US Navy SEALs"; never mind if the product isn't even listed in the inventory.
 
yea but i think even if his tests where complete bull and he lied about results(i dont think they are or he does i think the tests are fine.. even if they are not proper they are good entertainment) we have to be smart and choose what we need a knife for... i have never purchased a knife because i thought it can chunk thru a concrete block. how are we not smart enough to choose our own products for what we need them for... as of gross abuse of cutlery? if i pay for a knife or receive it as a gift... it is my knife... if i want to smash it with a hammer or even shoot it.. thats my choice and right.. it is mine. if i am not smart enough to relize that Wow i shatterd the blade because of foolishness and improper use of a cutting tool... well then i dont think im smart enough to safely handle a knife

everyone has their own opinions ya know i wouldnt use his videos as a reason to buy a knife but i think they are cool and i think as free citizens we can do and make whatever tests and videos we want... and shouldnt be looked down upon.
 
Karda said:
But, it does affect us as a knife community. It also affects the manufacturers and their businesses. The so called "Tests" create unreasonable expectations of knife usage and promote gross abuse of cutlery. They create more confusion than they solve by the fact that they lack proper controls and are inconsistant,which causes bias, add to that any bias by the tester (which his rating system clearly shows) and you are left with nothing more than stunts as a vehicle to gain notoriety on the backs of the community and manufacturers in general. I wouldnt have problem one with the "Tests" if they were not being held up to be something they clearly are not and had value to them more than just being the opinion of someone who enjoys breaking things.
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forgot that lol
 
mrdavidross321 said:
yea but i think even if his tests where complete bull and he lied about results(i dont think they are or he does i think the tests are fine.. even if they are not proper they are good entertainment) we have to be smart and choose what we need a knife for... i have never purchased a knife because i thought it can chunk thru a concrete block. how are we not smart enough to choose our own products for what we need them for... as of gross abuse of cutlery? if i pay for a knife or receive it as a gift... it is my knife... if i want to smash it with a hammer or even shoot it.. thats my choice and right.. it is mine. if i am not smart enough to relize that Wow i shatterd the blade because of foolishness and improper use of a cutting tool... well then i dont think im smart enough to safely handle a knife

everyone has their own opinions ya know i wouldnt use his videos as a reason to buy a knife but i think they are cool and i think as free citizens we can do and make whatever tests and videos we want... and shouldnt be looked down upon.
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At least you understand that the "Tests" are entertainment and nothing more.
Many people, though, view these "Stunts" and a valid way to test your knives and believe the ratings. True, it is your knife to do as you wish, but don't expect anyone to respect you for treating your knives in such a manner. Don't expect anyone to look up to you for what you're doing. Don't expect that your breaking knives has anything to do with real testing or proper rating.
 
A car is something that most people must use and rely on in everyday life and knowing how they hold up in a crash is important to one's safety. They aren't tested by jumping them over a 100 foot double or table top which is abuse and not what the vehicle was designed to do.

If a knife is tested by cutting with it then that is a relevant test. Testing it by smashing a knife into a bolt with a hammer is gross abuse and not what a knife is meant for. An industry knife destruction test makes as much since as a car jumping test. And if knives should have this done then should all consumer products have a destruction test? Should play stations be used to drive a nail into a board until they break? And when it breaks what does it prove other than that a hammer should have been used. Just like a bolt cutter should have been used to cut the bolt in half.

The right tool for the job. Just my opinion.
 
People seem to forget Frank J. Richtig and Buck pounded their knives through bolts and steel stock.

I guess only makers are allowed to do such activities without being considered "stunts".
 
orthogonal1 said:
People seem to forget Frank J. Richtig and Buck pounded their knives through bolts and steel stock.

I guess only makers are allowed to do such activities without being considered "stunts".
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Actually, Buck and Mr. Richtig both acknowledged that what they were doing were stunts and that the end user should not use his knives in that manner. IIRC, neither would warrant knives used in such a manner. The knifetests purport themselves to be much more than they actually are and much more than the opinion of a single tester using substandard testing procedures.
 
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besides, rumour has it that the bolts used by buck during these demonstrations weren't the regular "hardened" variety... but still, a pretty impressive feat though!
 
Karda said:
Actually, Buck and Mr. Richtig both acknowledged that what they were doing were stunts and that the end user should not use his knives in that manner. IIRC, neither would warrant knives used in such a manner. The knifetests purport themselves to be much more than they actually are and much more than the opinion of a single tester using substandard testing procedures.
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Where is that stated? I don't recall ever seeing that stated by these people.

But that is immaterial anyway. Did or did these people not pound their knives through metal objects to show some superiority? Yes, they did.

Mighty big of you to assume no one else agrees with the outcomes of NOSS4. Of course that is your unscientific opinion, the opinion of a single person, without detailed and repeatable statistical analysis .

Just out of curiousity, where are your standardized scientific tests?

No where? Right.

Simply prove the results of NOSS4 incorrect. No biggy.
 
elkins45 said:
Why is it that Noss4 is a buffoonish knife abusing hillbilly but these guys are legends of the industry? Watch the whole video and tell me why it is different than what Noss gets so much abuse for.
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Because people on knife forums take knives way to seriously and are all too willing to get their panties in a bunch over most anything.

The fact that this subject is a dead horse serves as incontrovertible proof of my statement.
 
orthogonal1 said:
Where is that stated? I don't recall ever seeing that stated by these people.

But that is immaterial anyway. Did or did these people not pound their knives through metal objects to show some superiority? Yes, they did.

Mighty big of you to assume no one else agrees with the outcomes of NOSS4. Of course that is your unscientific opinion, the opinion of a single person, without detailed and repeatable statistical analysis .

Just out of curiousity, where are your standardized scientific tests?

No where? Right.

Simply prove the results of NOSS4 incorrect. No biggy.
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Read the warrantys/guarantees given by them, its as easy as that:

Click on pic to enlarge.
http://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl...?q=frank+j+richtig&um=1&hl=en&sa=N&tbs=isch:1

I cant find the old buck warranty, but i remembered seeing it, and apparently someone else has too.
http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showpost.php?p=8364658&postcount=40

As for the rest of your rant.....it is typical of knifetest supporters with nothing real to contribute.
 
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Popular culture (Rambo, The Hunted) has made the masses believe that every knife should be able to have the seven shades of crap beaten out of it, then still be good to shave. now, this creates a market for these specific types of knives. Swamp Rat is just a (good) company responding to supply and demand, and demonstrating that they've got the goods you (yes! YOU!) want. From a business view, it's better they do it, rather than be shown up by some amateur in a hockey mask. It's textbook.

Would you get a Bugatti if you wanted to go off-roading, or would you buy a 4X4? Same overall product, but built for different applications due to different demands.

Those who take knives seriously know that knives are, or should be purpose built. Would you really need to see a buck 110 chew through a cinder block to know it was a quality blade? Hopefully not. Noss's tests are a stupid kind of fun to watch, but not much more.
 
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From a Scientific/stats point of view, his "tests" are quite meaningless, there's no scientific repeatable methodology, the viewer can't tell the force being applied with the mallet nor the angle the knife is being struck, whether its going through knots in the wood, the hardness of the metal the tip is going through, whether the particular knife he is using has a poor heat treat or is in the 95th percentile of heat treats by that particular maker, or whether theres a bubble in the steel. Without out proper, repeatable methodology and a sample size large enough to have significance these aren't "tests" but rather entertainment to some, pointless destruction to others. I've watched almost all his videos, I find them entertaining, but nothing else. Yes, it can be compared IMO to a crash test of a car, but are you going to drive a car that has a test sample size of one? The only car we tested, the driver survived one head on collision, the car's safe, put it out on the market. Another example, you meet one oregonian who's a total ass, would you then assume everybody from oregon is a total ass, and that because the one californian you met was awesome, all californians are awesome? Large sample size= more reliable information.
 
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