knife task comparisson

[RescueRiley]

So I use alot of knives... each week when I go out to play with my skills I grab a different 1 this past month I've used a 12 inch tram..my JK ewok, a becker necker, a buck 110, and a kabar 1211

I usually take one and go to work some skills..obviously some do things better than others for example while cutting notches maybe a tam isn't the best, but it can be made to work without too much difficulty and the same applies for doing a heavy knife chore with a small knife...

so I'm going to do some side by side survival/bushcraft comparisson related testing, and am looking for help in establishing the tasks

this is what I have so far
notching
carving points
shaving (bark/fuzzies etc)
battoning (not sequoias but kindling, or thin shelter supports.
I'm lazy...what else can you guys think of?

 

[storl]

How about cutting? Everyone always forgets cutting.

Show us how it does with apples, tomatoes, meats, cordage, etc.

 

[Rockywolf]

Bigger shelter. Something like a lean-to. I am thinking that's my next project. something ongoing in the woods near my place. Built without an axe.

 

[dogtownhootie]

If you hunt a good test this time of year would be to try it out on some squirrels.Maybe one of them to be skinned out like you were going to tan the hide instead of cutting across the back and pulling the hide off?The cutting up for for cooking would test the edge when the legs and head are removed.The same knife could be used to gather and prepare the firewood.A knife that could do all that would be a good friend to have in the woods.

 

[Mentor]

storl has a point. I think it would be worthwhile to include some onion slicing. Thick blades can have a tough time with onions.

Also, I would be interested in seeing some sheath comparisons. Not testing per se, but some reflections on the relative merits of different sheaths would be a welcome addition to a comparative thread.

All the best,

- Mike

 

[RescueRiley]

good points guys...wel put on the sheaths Mentors... I've had some great knives with bad sheaths.

 

[Rupestris]

Dont forget to test 'em all with a ferro rod. We need to know which one works best at throwing some sparks.

 

[MBTull]

spreading peanut butter

whittling

as a dining utensil (you can see that I enjoy eating)

as a fire iron, moving around burning logs to create an optimal flame

test against a field sharpener - can you easily put an edge back on in the field?

and my personal favorite..... digging an arrow out of a log

 

[kgd]

Carving a big heart shape into a tree and some script in the centre of it: 'RescueRiley + ???' Lets see the calligraphy merits of each blade

 

[MBTull]

Carving a big heart shape into a tree and some script in the centre of it: 'RescueRiley + ???' Lets see the calligraphy merits of each blade

To build on your posts regarding your video efforts, how about carving "Save the Marsupials" or "Koalas R Kool."

 

[11x11x]

I just spend alot of time whittling, and using my knives. I do put them through tests, etc. But thats as the situation dictates. Otherwise, I have a nasty habit of "saving" blades, and stashing them in my gear untested.

Case in point, my neighbor dumped a bunch of scrap wood at the house including many 8-10" cut sections of building lumber. So I used my RC-4 to baton, and spent 4+ hourse splitting kindling for the house fire.

 

[BarberFobic1992]

you could test how each works woth gloves on.

 

[11x11x]

you could test how each works woth gloves on.

Thats always good one.

Its never a bad idea to make a mental check list of how each knife performs in certain tasks, and environments. I was using a slip-joint out in the woods today w/ leather gloves on. And had to remove them to open up the blade. Had I considered that instead of picking the sexy knife, I would used my fixed blade or brought along a one-handed opening knife.

 

[baldtaco-II]

You seem to have a good amount of woodwork covered.

What about general utility:

Make a bunch of cuts in both nylon and natural rope. Have a hack at some hessian sacking or some heavy canvas. Perhaps donate a pair of old boots for a leather cutting test, or pick up a pair for pence in a junk shop. Maybe twist a pair of jeans legs into a thick denim sausage.

Critters:

What about deliberately cutting through hair / fur to exaggerate what happens if you miss. Same with bone. Nothing major, just a few good pulls across a rabbit's leg bone.

Fair weather friend:

Get it wet, get it salty, have a go on some fish or just section a couple of eels. With your hands well chilled give them a squirt of washing up liquid, Vaseline, or KY. Sounds a bit exaggerated but that's exactly what my hands feel like after digging about on the banks of one of the rivers near me. And while I think of that, does sand / silt that you never seem to remove completely from your hands without a specific provision for rummaging in that stuff make it feel uncomfortable. Most interestingly, does it squirm, is it a hazard, do you have to put much more power in to try to stop it rotating.

Final cuts:

Conclude with something useful rather than cutting paper or trying to shave with it. Some good thick belly pork slices will be good for that. The reasons being; you get a feed at the end and those thick pork slices tend to show up a dull knife rather well except for cheats. By cheats I mean something that isn't nicely sharp but just a crude rough sharp. A crude rough sharp V would do well on pork or tomatoes. But by putting this test at the end any that attempted to cheat in such a guise should have been roundly spanked by the preceding tasks, particularly bone stripes.

Recursion:

After the off piste tests how does it do when back on track cutting the things you bought it to cut. That gets us away from focusing on materials and edge holding differences and such and places the examination more on what the design aimed to achieve. Here I'm thinking that a decent Wharncliffe with a nice convex edge may do better at these tasks than some soft 54/56 Scandi sharpened on a brick. But if you bought the Scandi to cape out kangaroos, and that's principally what you use it for, the Wharncliffe might not be such an attractive alternative despite any superiority at other things.