Knife Critic Panel

J

JAMerolle

Joined
Jan 14, 2012
Messages
233
Knife Critic Panel




I though it would be a good idea for knife forums to develop a panel of expert knife makers and Metallurgist that can serve as critics and give scale rating on knives that are submitted for ratings. Perhaps standardized test and screening could be applied in the following areas.


Fit and Finish
Toughness
Edge Retention
Feel and application
Price practicality
Weight and Balance
Task objectivity
Grain structure
Dexterity
Chip resistance




A Consumer Report if you will. Knives could go through the screening for a fee payed for by the consumer. Yourtube has many reviews but none from experts , no objectivity, nothing standardized and bias in most cases.




Any thoughts are welcome.
 
It is a nice concept. It will be tough finding experts that do not have any conflicts of interest, since many of them are affiliated with brands or manufacturers.
 
We have many in house experts in the knife maker forum , the problem would be getting the blade to filter through each member of the committee and for the blade not to be destroyed before it gets to the last person. Also knife makers that want their own knife evaluated would need to make two , one for screening and one to be sold. Another problem is customs knives are all a little different so the knife rated will not be the same knife being sold.
 
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Jamerolle: You should come up with a standard review format and rating system, and recruit the experts.
 
I am not qualified to determine experts however the moderators are better suited , I can contribute to the standard review ,my background is standardized testing and measures.
 
This is a really great idea, and could work. Agree, will have to work out a standard review format, the process for getting the knives to the experts, and have a way for experts to opt in. Would be interested to gauge interest.
 
Nice thought, but

1) This is Blade Forums;
2) Who is going to choose the tests, and orgize, standardize, and regulate them? The mod staff?
3) You have chosen things that there in is quantitative tests for, like "feel", " task objectivity"(huh?), and " dexterity"(huh? again).

Nice idea, but entirely impractical if not impossible.
 
How much more will a knife be worth or not after the quality control check. I know I would rather have a knife value stamped by professionals other then my face validity opinion. It also sets a standard for knife makers to aspire to.
 
marcinek said:
Nice thought, but

1) This is Blade Forums;
2) Who is going to choose the tests, and orgize, standardize, and regulate them? The mod staff?
3) You have chosen things that there in is quantitative tests for, like "feel", " task objectivity"(huh?), and " dexterity"(huh? again).

Nice idea, but entirely impractical if not impossible.
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I agree difficult. The testings and category of test need to be constructed by a team of professionals not me. I just gave an example.

I guess at this point I would do the leg work if some credible knife makers , moderators and steel experts voiced an interest in the project.
 
Not really. All you would have is the "seal of approval" of a small group of "knife professionals" chosen by Scagel knows who based on criteria created by Scagel knows who.

And that groups decision s would be ignored if not flat out rejected by everyone not one of the "cool kids" who hand out judgment on everyone else's creativity.

In my opinion.
 
JAMerolle said:
I agree difficult. The testings and category of test need to be constructed by a team of professionals not me. I just gave an example.

I guess at this point I would do the leg work if some credible knife makers , moderators and steel experts voiced an interest in the project.
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So you with your two and a half years here and 216 posts are gonna set this up? I'm sure you are a good guy and an expert in your field, but I don't trust you to do it. Don't take that personally. I can't imagine who I would trust to be the one who sets something up that judges the quality of other people's work.
 
Another huge problem is that most of the custom knife makers know each other. This is a pretty close knit community. Do you really think they would publicly trash a friends design? Also most of the knowledgeable collectors consider these guys friends as well.
Nice idea, but no way to truly implement it. Besides, I think the forums and YouTubers do a great job of reviewing as it is.
 
marcinek said:
So you with your two and a half years here and 216 posts are gonna set this up? I'm sure you are a good guy and an expert in your field, but I don't trust you to do it. Don't take that personally. I can't imagine who I would trust to be the one who sets something up that judges the quality of other people's work.
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Laffer. Qualified, but I doubt he would.
 
marcinek said:
Not really. All you would have is the "seal of approval" of a small group of "knife professionals" chosen by Scagel knows who based on criteria created by Scagel knows who.

And that groups decision s would be ignored if not flat out rejected by everyone not one of the "cool kids" who hand out judgment on everyone else's creativity.

In my opinion.
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Not talking about "cool kids" I am talking about an overwhelming consensus of chooses professionals for the job. A panel chosen by a committee of professionals.

It can be done because it's been done before. Consumer reports does this type of work, there only problem is the technology moves faster then the reviews thus making the review obsolete.
 
JAMerolle said:
Not talking about "cool kids" I am talking about an overwhelming consensus of chooses professionals for the job. A panel chosen by a committee of professionals.

It can be done because it's done before. Consumer reports does this type of work, there only problem is the technology moves faster then the reviews thus making the review obsolete.
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Best of luck to you. :thumbup:
 
I think the problem is getting knife makers to sit in a judgement seat and stamping a poor rating on a friends work. However, most knife makers want constructive feedback after they post a knife for sale. It might be better suited for factory run knives.
 
I am my own expert.

No one knows better than I if a particular knife will suit my needs, or what I like in a knife. No one else can tell me how a knife will feel in my hand throughout a day of use. If I am interested in a particular knife, I buy it. Then I use it for it's intended purpose. And if it doesn't serve me well, then I have the option to sell it (or give it away). But if I let some "experts" opinion influence my knife buying decisions, I might miss out on a knife that would have served me perfectly. I prefer to test knives myself and base my opinions on personal experience.

It's a simple, non-scientific process, but it's worked well for me for several decades.
 
killgar said:
I am my own expert.

No one knows better than I if a particular knife will suit my needs, or what I like in a knife. No one else can tell me how a knife will feel in my hand throughout a day of use. If I am interested in a particular knife, I buy it. Then I use it for it's intended purpose. And if it doesn't serve me well, then I have the option to sell it (or give it away). But if I let some "experts" opinion influence my knife buying decisions, I might miss out on a knife that would have served me perfectly. I prefer to test knives myself and base my opinions on personal experience.

It's a simple, non-scientific process, but it's worked well for me for several decades.
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This.
 
JAMerolle said:
A Consumer Report if you will. Knives could go through the screening for a fee payed for by the consumer. Yourtube has many reviews but none from experts , no objectivity, nothing standardized and bias in most cases.

Any thoughts are welcome.
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So, we would have to pay for an expert to tell us how good or bad our knives are?

It is an interesting idea. However, isn't that essentially what BladeForums is already about? Makers, manufacturers, collectors and users (consumers) all in one place talking about all aspects of knives. Look around through the various forums and you can get a review or recommendation on just about any knife. If it you can't find anything, make a new thread.
 
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