knife destruction tests

Superdave1 said:
When do you stop packing?
Should I tow a spare car just in case my car breaks down?

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A hatchet and a small survival or tool kit doesn't take up much room. If you could take a suitable fixed blade ( in your car, in a backpack, or attached to a bike rack or basket ) you could easily take this or at the very least an edc multitool and the hatchet. I would make it a point to insure that these things would come with me whenever I'm in risk of getting into a survival situation.
 
Hickory n steel said:
A hatchet and a small survival or tool kit doesn't take up much room. If you could take a suitable fixed blade ( in your car, in a backpack, or attached to a bike rack or basket ) you could easily take this or at the very least an edc multitool and the hatchet. I would make it a point to insure that these things would come with me whenever I'm in risk of getting into a survival situation.
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A hatchet takes more room than a fixed blade and carry options aren't as good, so the multitool can still go with the blade.
 
Cobalt said:
A hatchet takes more room than a fixed blade and carry options aren't as good, so the multitool can still go with the blade.
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But the addition of the hatchet along with the fixed blade is well worth it to make sure you have the right tool for the job.
BTW my Vaughan sub zero hatchet ( a vary capable little hatchet ) doesn't take up much room at all and with it I wouldn't need to carry a big heavy knife.
 
rustyrazor said:
the biggest problem I find with destructive testing is that it's mostly not relative or repeatable... if each knife isn't tested in a "scientific" way, then the results are almost useless when compared to one another. I love watching these videos as well, but mostly for pure entertainment as they don't tell an amazing amount about the knife itself or how it will work, just that it will take some random number of beats with a hammer with a random swing by a random angle. well great, now how does it work as a knife? Every decent knife will hold up to ANY amount of sensible use, and will fail eventually, but if it doesn't work as intended then who cares if it can cut an ammo can in half by batonning?
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It does not have to be repeatable exactly. Any testing is a data point for the steel being used and the more data points the more you know about knives. Charpy is a data point as well. Every knife will cut. I can buy a cheap ass $30 chinese fixed blade put a great edge on it and it will work as good as your knife you made. So you are saying basically that we should just buy whatever knife we like the looks of, because I can put an edge on any knife and make it slice like a razor. And since cutting is all that is important, no need to go out and buy anything expensive. Certainly not any custom knives right? Well maybe custom art knives, with fancy looks. :D


timberweasel said:
We're talking knives, not automobiles. You can draw parallels ad absurdum if you want, though.

More on point: if I just want a decent fillet knife and allow myself to be talked into buying a cheese knife or garden trowel instead, then I am an idiot.
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You comparison makes no sense. Worse than mine. Mine actually applies.

If you want a filet knife, you want one that is well constructed right? How do you know that it is? WTF does a cheese knife or garden trowel have to do with anything.

Even filet knives can fail:
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At the end of all this, I suggest that those that do not agree with destructive testing buy knives that have not had it as I would not want you to be a hypocrite. So stay away from Carothers, Gossman, Busse, ESEE, etc. There is plenty of good looking art knives out there for you. :D
 
Hickory n steel said:
But the addition of the hatchet along with the fixed blade is well worth it to make sure you have the right tool for the job.
BTW my Vaughan sub zero hatchet ( a vary capable little hatchet ) doesn't take up much room at all and with it I wouldn't need to carry a big heavy knife.
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I agree. I have a GB wildlife hatchet that goes in my truck. Chances are that If I go out, I will only take one, either a hatchet or a large blade but not both. I have a cable/wire saw in my pack as a backup. I have never needed it as a saw but it's there. But I always have my leatherman wave with me and my spy delica.
 
Hickory n steel said:
But how in any of these situations could you end up with a fixed blade on you ?
In any situation where you could possibly end up having a fixed blade knife on you, you will have been a situation where you had the ability to personally pack what is with you.
You can't have a fixed blade on a cruise ship or airplane, so that only leaves outdoors activities such as hunting or hiking and your car where you should keep gear.

Anyways I will just never get the whole destruction test thing as all I do with my knives is cut stuff.
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How about if you were on a day hike just lets say you and your dog and you were attacked and injured by an animal. Let's say this happened the end of your hike and we will assume your gonna be pretty far out. Your leg might be injured or even worse so you'd have to slowly work your way back or wait for help.. sounds plausible enough to me
 
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A lot of folks can't stand seeing the brand they worship fail a test when a rival proves superior. Only way to justify it is to deny the importance of the test. I own all kinds and know their limitations.
 
Ya I watched them and a lot of people were real mad ab out the way the bark River and Chris reeve knives performed. I think the Chris reeve was a bit thin but still did badly and the bark River might have been a lemon..
 
Cobalt said:
(...) You comparison makes no sense. Worse than mine. Mine actually applies.

If you want a filet knife, you want one that is well constructed right? How do you know that it is? WTF does a cheese knife or garden trowel have to do with anything.
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You are missing the point.

In the design phase, I suspect most makers/manufacturers test their knives in some fashion. It is not always necessary to test to the point of failure (as Scott has said) in order to build a tough knife that meets or exceeds expectations. Differential testing for different designs and different materials is a matter of course.

Destruction tests all end in one result: a broken knife.

That's as simple as I can make my argument, Cobalt, so if you're still struggling, you're on your own. Or you can just disagree. Good luck.

-Brett
 
timberweasel said:
You are missing the point.

In the design phase, I suspect most makers/manufacturers test their knives in some fashion. It is not always necessary to test to the point of failure (as Scott has said) in order to build a tough knife that meets or exceeds expectations. Differential testing for different designs and different materials is a matter of course.

Destruction tests all end in one result: a broken knife.

That's as simple as I can make my argument, Cobalt, so if you're still struggling, you're on your own. Or you can just disagree. Good luck.

-Brett
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I understand what you are saying a bit better. Yes, I see where you are coming from. And I agree that just snapping a blade in two says nothing. However, doing abusive work that will eventually cause something to fail gives good information if the item does not immediately fail. I have done this many times. There are knives I own that I know exactly how far they can be taken based on many examples I have taken to the limit. That was my point.
 
Cobalt said:
There are knives I own that I know exactly how far they can be taken based on many examples I have taken to the limit. That was my point.
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[video=youtube;rOYuTOZ6Q0o]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rOYuTOZ6Q0o[/video]
 
I did a destruction test of a Nathan Carothers Field knife. It is one thing to blindly follow hype or to blindly disregard it. It is completely another thing though to see things done to a knife in order to break it that no sane human being should ever have to do to a knife. And having done what I did to that Carothers Field Knife, I have a very good approximation of what it can withstand and with that, the confidence to say that if there is a knife out there that I would trust my life to, it IS THAT KNIFE. That is not to say that others may not be as capable or more capable in the face of extreme destructive forces, but without destruction tests, I think you are fooling yourself if you think you are fully confident in an untested knife's capabilities. And if you think you're going to be upset when your favorite knife quickly fails in a destruction test, then you should stop and consider how you're going to feel when it fails under extreme, unimagined, beyond your wildest dreams circumstances. Hopefully that will never happen to any of us, but I would certainly rather have it and not need it than need it and not have it.
 
noob93 said:
How about if you were on a day hike just lets say you and your dog and you were attacked and injured by an animal. Let's say this happened the end of your hike and we will assume your gonna be pretty far out. Your leg might be injured or even worse so you'd have to slowly work your way back or wait for help.. sounds plausible enough to me
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And what does this situation have to do with improperly using a knife ?
I would still have my edc on me ( leatherman fuse and vic recruit ) plus a 9" belt knife and my Vaughan sub zero hatchet which BTW also goes in my tackle box when I'm out fishing.

Some people may be dumb enough to let themselves end up in a survival situation with the wrong tools for the job, but I am not one of these people and will just never understand the need to see what a knife can take as for me it will never never need to take it.
 
I feel like the purpose of these is for showing off the abilities of the steel and the heat treat and edge geometry. I enjoy them i feel like it wasnt long ago that batoning was considered destructive testing. Now its common practice man im getting old:-) one of my favorite ones wasnt on you tube but on the forums here where cypress took an eastwing and drove his tglb into the blacktop tipfirst with no damage. That kinda speaks to the tip strength of a tglb to me and the power of infi. Would i ever do it? No but it is impressive to know it can handle more than what im throwing at it gives me an idea of just how hard one can be used.
 
on_the_edge said:
I did a destruction test of a Nathan Carothers Field knife. It is one thing to blindly follow hype or to blindly disregard it. It is completely another thing though to see things done to a knife in order to break it that no sane human being should ever have to do to a knife. And having done what I did to that Carothers Field Knife, I have a very good approximation of what it can withstand and with that, the confidence to say that if there is a knife out there that I would trust my life to, it IS THAT KNIFE. That is not to say that others may not be as capable or more capable in the face of extreme destructive forces, but without destruction tests, I think you are fooling yourself if you think you are fully confident in an untested knife's capabilities. And if you think you're going to be upset when your favorite knife quickly fails in a destruction test, then you should stop and consider how you're going to feel when it fails under extreme, unimagined, beyond your wildest dreams circumstances. Hopefully that will never happen to any of us, but I would certainly rather have it and not need it than need it and not have it.
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How dare you destroy a knife....oh wait, Nathan the knife maker asked you to. Why? because he wants to make sure that his product is tested to it's limits.
 
Sorta like a destruction derby, always fun to watch.
[video=youtube;HDlNinSJB2k]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HDlNinSJB2k[/video]
 
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