My basic test criteria at the moment. I have never done this before.When I made my requirements clear, I was describing a set of
vague criteria for a tough knife that would stand up to the day to day
rigors of camp use. Allow me to explain what a typical camp day is for me.
But first, I have no intention of testing any knife to destruction. Yes
others do this and often break knives. That was never, ever, my intent,
period. My typical camp needs are as follows.
1. Cut firewood, this includes slicing branches and heavy chopping of said
branches. The actual very heavy work is done by a med sized axe.
2. Use the knife to 'feather' the wood so that it will light more easily.
3. Use the knife to make kindling, by shaving it. This means it must still
be usable at this point
4. Use the knife to do a little digging, to make the placement of pegs
easier.
5. Use the knife`s back to hammer in pegs.
6. Use the knife to cut, prepare and dress food.
7. Use the knife to cut various things at the camp site, such as rope,
string and other soft materials.
8. In extreme cases use the knife to open a bottle or can. I would add
however that this is an emergency feature, and I would NEVER EVER do it
myself. I am always well equipped. It is nice to know that the knife could
take it however.
9. The ability to perform in the wet, cold, heat and snow, typically found
in beautiful North Wales.
10. A sheath that will not let the knife fall out when hiking, or damage the
knife edge. It must also be comfortable to wear and not to heavy.
11. The knife must have a lanyard hole for safety and feature a handle that
will not get damaged easily or cause blisters or irritation when used.
12. The knife must be easy to control with one hand and be balanced slightly
tip heavy.
13. Very good rust resistance would be a highly desirable feature, but is
the one thing that could be sacrificed to get all of the above.
14. The ability to resharpen in the field with a small DMT stone or similar.
15. An edge profile that allows simple re working.
16. A material that will not chip out even when used to dig or prod in stony
ground (and I mean gently!)
17. A knife that will take moderate prying, in other words a thick strong
profile.
These are my basic requirements. I think a Benchmade Nimravious plain in M2
or a Bob Dozier Pro Camp Guide, would do all of the above. I am however not
convinced by Talonite, from what some have said. I am quite willing however
to give it a go with my specs for a knife.
Yes I will defiantly test in in a realistic situation, no I will not test it
to destruction by putting it in a vice and bending it or cutting cans in
half. I have no interest in seeing if a knife can do the things of a
different tool unless I am asking it to perform moderately stressful tasks.
A knife is a knife after all. I greatly resent the suggestion that I was in
some way puffing and blowing without substance. I made the challenge as a
light hearted comment not thinking a response would be forthcoming. I made
light and apologize if you thought I was being offensive or confrontational,
that was never my intent.
I greatly appreciate your extreme generosity in offering to loan my one of
your personal knives. That shows integrity and uncommon decency. However as
I stated I am not a tool abuser and would not even contemplate putting
someone else`s knives through a typical camp day in my end of the Earth. As
I stated I have plenty of showy blades made from very expensive tool steels
that would do the job, probably, yet over tempering and brittleness holds me
back.
I will test it in a situation that no lab test or destruction
test can match. I will try it on a few days camping and compare it to my D2
tool steel Ka Bar, which is a seven inch knife, and for a benchmark, will
use my Ontario Marine knife in 1095 steel. Both are larger knives so I
expect them to outperform my own knife in some areas, yet be beaten in
others. After all I find them a little to large as a med sized camp knife. I
will post the results to the group in exacting detail and will be happy to
answer ANY questions about its performance. As you have paid for the knife
it is of course yours. I will return it as requested. I am not a thief. I
give you permission to quote me and use any of my comments as an advert or
whatever. I am independent of you or any company involved in knives etc and
would like my impartiality as a tester recognized by all.
To recap I will test this knife as a knife, I will test it in the real world
in ways I would put any of my own knives through. I will respect this knife
and have no problem seeing it tested by others even if they severely damage
or break it. In short while I would not put it in a vice and break it, if
others deem to do so, so be it. I hope they won`t and instead test it like
I have in a practical and fair way.
W.A.
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