Just no at testing knives like this.

I think Joe X videos serve a purpose. In regular use, none of what he does is relevant.

However, we, as a knife community are rarely titillated by regular use. We tend to be obsessed with extremes: extreme edge retention, extreme lock strength, extreme toughness, extreme tolerances, etc. It's not practical, but it is fun, interesting, and it sells knives. Look at how many "survival" knife threads there are here, and how many posts they receive. Joe X is a natural extension of this mentality. Instead of asking "how much abuse can this knife withstand?", he asks "what does it take to break this knife?" Even though his gauntlet of tests is beyond how I would use a knife, I am still curious about how my favorite knife fares.

I am a fan of Cold Steel's Peace Maker series, and Joe finally tested one. The tip suffered a tiny break when stabbing into glass (not a concern of mine). The molded on Kraton handle started to slide off the tang (that is a concern). The knife broke at the 90 degree angle where the blade transitions into the tang (expected due to stress risers). Based on this, I put a loop of paracord through the lanyard hole, so real-world problem solved.

One thing l like about Joe is, if a knife fails prematurely, he will usually retest it to make sure it wasn't a fluke. If a knife I relied on for the outdoors failed in an unexpected and premature fashion, it would give me pause to reconsider my choice.
 
I don't hate the guy, but I certainly wouldn't base my purchases on what knives fail on him. He purposely tries to break them by stabbing them through sheet steel, then hits them on a brick/steel pole, then hammers them into a stump and tries to bend/break them in half. If that doesn't work, he takes them into a spider hole and shoots them. I don't really find it entertaining nor do I find it empirical, of course. What I am looking for is surprises.

I was really shocked to see how well the thin tipped AUS8 Marauder handled being stabbed into a car steel. It wasn't scientific and didn't prove that the knife was indestructible as he managed to (shocker) snap the thin tip not long after. However, for a light and nimble fighter, I liked the face that it seems like the knife won't fail if used to pierce.

I am way more critical of the "testers" out there who try to wring out some sort of useable data from their findings.
 
He isn't a factor in what I purchase, I just take him as entertainment, and a small data point. I do appreciate that he does test some of the cheaper odd stuff though, your off brand Amazon knives, movie replicas, etc.....
 
More knife snuff porn vandalism than proof testing . :mad::thumbsdown:

WTF exactly does shooting a knife handle with your Glock prove ? 💩
 
John_B said:
He hides his face. That tells me everything I need to know about him.
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In his recent video explaining him taking a break due to his work, and his channel blowing up fast.
He talks about a previous channel like this, that was found and forced to be terminated by a previous employer, thus the measures taken now and the name JOE X
Things are for a reason. The man just likes stabbing cars.

A.L. said:
I can see why his fanboys can find this infectious. Like said before - these tests don't prove anything in the field of how useful the knife will actually be but it can be rather interesting to see how tough some of the affordable knives can be in comparison to some higher end princess knives.
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Exactly, do I really need another nerd telling me about BTE thickness and how thin you can make a blade at 11 DPS or whatever? Not that it isn't needed and maybe more relevant to most actual tasks, but there's PLENTY of that.
You do not know what forces could be exerted over a knife over time in an extended situation. What if it falls down a ravine with rocks? Could pound many rocks at increasing speeds. Just a random example. There is something to be learned from what he does. I love his testing. The shooting at the end I feel is just for fun, for final destruction. I don't base my whole opinion over "Eh, it only stabbed the car 20 times and the rock 34 times", but....

Unrelated, the AUS8 APO-something Survival Lilly knife did AMAZING. Only knife, with the 4 Max, to pass everything and beyond, I think..
 
"previous channel like this, that was found and forced to be terminated by a previous employer" Yeah? Don't buy it.
 
That doesn't qualify as "testing" in my book.

But I'm sure it makes for productive clickbait from the gullible.
 
Also, fully see the hilarity in "The BK9, just exploded like f-ck, I mean..." and cuts to video of him prying with all his strength, "Huh...HUH! *BOOM*.... Aw, f-ck..." 😂
There are some funny lines, and it is of course a bit silly.

John_B said:
"previous channel like this, that was found and forced to be terminated by a previous employer" Yeah? Don't buy it.
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Eh, I do. He expresses great love for the channel, shows respect to those who think his tests are dumb and says "This is just what I like to do". He is not getting rich doing this. Many people have donated knives.

Why, what sinister purpose do you figure? I'm telling you, why should he be ashamed to break knives otherwise? His fans love it.... he has said the mask is a pain, and, I just don't know. Free knives to test, plus his own money into knives, actual relationships with makers, he does not seem ashamed of his hobby.
 
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I can't watch a knife review where a dude wears gloves. Test the knife, handle and all, please.
 
Hashishiin said:
Also, fully see the hilarity in "The BK9, just exploded like f-ck, I mean..." and cuts to video of him prying with all his strength, "Huh...HUH! *BOOM*.... Aw, f-ck..." 😂
There are some funny lines, and it is of course a bit silly.


Eh, I do. He expresses great love for the channel, shows respect to those who think his tests are dumb and says "This is just what I like to do". He is not getting rich doing this. Many people have donated knives.

Why, what sinister purpose do you figure? I'm telling you, why should he be ashamed to break knives otherwise? His fans love it.... he has said the mask is a pain, and, I just don't know. Free knives to test, plus his own money into knives, actual relationships with makers, he does not seem ashamed of his hobby.
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Uh-huh. Something is wrong, can't put my finger on why the mask story doesn't add up to me. I'll just let it go and say "you're right".
 
Slice O Life said:
You know I've talked to Joe briefly and he says these are not for testing purposes, but basically just destruction art. It's just for fun and the fun of watching, or the cringe of watching.
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The other thing, it is entertaining. As I stated, I do not go "Gonna buy a new fixed blade or CS folder, gotta watch the Joe X vid!", but, when not watching for the test of torture on a CS knife, I watch and just crack up laughing, seeing this guy just look at a car he's on top of, mentally preparing the next angle to start methodically stabbing. I always hope some scrapper or some kids will walk by and run.

You ever seen that show, Man vs. Car, the newest hit show where they pit a man against a car? Joe X could win it.
Put a 4-Max in his hand for those downward fists, would go right tru' da engine blahck.
 
If knives were advertised as tools to split rocks and tree trunks with his tests would be valid....but they are not, the tests are pointless.
 
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killgar said:
I used to be very critical of that guy (Joe X). But not so much now.

The folding stiletto has always been my favorite knife. But they were never very robust. Until Lynn Thompson started producing the Ti-Lite series. Cold Steel released a video showing how strong, and how much abuse a Ti-Lite 6 can take before failure, and I was impressed by it, but they were promoting their own product.

Then I watched a video of Joe X beating the hell out of a Ti-Lite 6. Joe X intentionally tries to destroy knives, and he's no fanboy of Cold Steel, so I know he's not holding back or trying to hide any failures. Seeing how much abuse he could inflict on the Ti-Lite 6 before failure left me REALLY impressed with how strong the Ti-Lite 6 is.

The Ti-Lite 6 is my all-time favorite knife, and after several decades with folding stilettos of questionable strength and construction, I really like knowing that the Ti-Lite 6 is a VERY strong knife. And I consider the Joe X video to be the best evidence of that.

There is nothing scientific or clinical about what Joe X does. And I still have issues with how he evaluates knives. I'm not a fan, but I'm no longer the harsh critic I once was. And when I want to demonstrate to people just how strong the Ti-Lite 6 is, I don't direct them to the Cold Steel video, I direct them to the Joe X video.

Even knuckleheads who intentionally destroy knives can have value in the knife world.
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In this same vein, I randomly found his video where he tried to destroy a Victorinox Hunter Pro (which I have a couple of) and he absolutely abused the hell out of it....but wasn't able to break it.

The worst he was able to do was bend the tip. Only video of his I've ever watched through to the end.
 
Hashishiin said:
The other thing, it is entertaining. As I stated, I do not go "Gonna buy a new fixed blade or CS folder, gotta watch the Joe X vid!", but, when not watching for the test of torture on a CS knife, I watch and just crack up laughing, seeing this guy just look at a car he's on top of, mentally preparing the next angle to start methodically stabbing. I always hope some scrapper or some kids will walk by and run.

You ever seen that show, Man vs. Car, the newest hit show where they pit a man against a car? Joe X could win it.
Put a 4-Max in his hand for those downward fists, would go right tru' da engine blahck.
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Man VS Car is a great show, you never know who is gonna win. 🤣
 
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