Magazine reviews

Keith Montgomery

Keith Montgomery

Joined
May 9, 2000
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Rather than continue to take the thread on Tactical Knife magazines poor handling of subscriptions more off topic, I decided to start another thread on knife magazine reviews.

As far as I am concerned, for the most part the content of knife reviews is controlled by the advertising dollars that are received by the magazines. That is why you are unlikely to see reviews of products from companies that do not advertise in the magazine and why you will never see bad reviews of the knives being tested.

This is not always the case. I have read very objective reviews in Knnife World and Knifeforums the Magazine. I do believe however that the more a magazine depends on advertising revenue to generate its profit the more unlikely it is that you are going to get objective reviews. For this reason I never purchase knife mags for their reviews. I get them for the other articles on makers, manufacturers, history and so on. I also get them for the pictures and the ads.

So what say the rest of you? What are your opinions about the quality of reviews in the knife mags?
 
It goes deeper than that. There are even knuts here that go ballistic at the mere mention of a flaw in there favorite brand. Hey, I loved my 1989 Mustang, but the thing had atrocious front brakes. I love my Striders, but they do not have the fit and finish of my Microtechs. (And my Microtechs don't have the fit and finish of my Woodards.)

For some reason we have become a nation of people who hit the flash point over even a touch of criticism, even by a friend and even to provide an HONEST appraisal.

I have to admire Mick Strider. He once made the comment that if one of his knives ever broke, he wanted it sent back so he could study it and make improvements. I find that very rare now.

As to magazines, read between the lines. In gun magazines, they will report a problem, then follow up with the verbiage that, "it is not representative of this company's fine quality control." You read that, the product is a dog.
 
To be honest Keith, they have all started to sound the same. they seem to be cookie cutter reviews, and I cannot trust them enough to order a knife unseen. That has not always been the case, but seems that way these days. I think the knives should be compared with other knives in their respective class, if possible, just like vehicle reviews, rifle reviews, etc. 9 times out of 10, there is an accepted standard in a category, or a number of knives that would be considered "competitors" I realize this means more work for the reviewers, but that is the job they have chosen to undertake. It may end up being less fun, but the fun should be had by the consumer purchasing the knife. I would like to see at least a few standard tests of a reviewed blade, compared to the results of those similar knives in those same tests. I realize there are many subjectives involved such as ergonomics, asthetics, etc, but even unquantifiable qualities such as fit and finish could be rated compared to what is currently acceptable, in the reviewers opinion.
Another option would be to have a group of reviewers take turns using each knife. Take a look at Backpacker magazine reviews. Usually five to seven people of varying backgrounds with different needs head out on a short trip, and take turns with each item. They compile the results and use those results to rate the products. Shoot, they even have contests for readers to take a shot at reviewing products.
I do like to see the nice reviews by a guy who takes a knife out in the field for a workout, but not for every review. Too subjective, even though the stories are usually great.

I dunno, maybe my expectations are too high. I just want to get a concise review of what I buy, before I buy.
Maybe if Steven Dyck and Cliff Stamp morphed into one person...

But, that said, I will still continue to buy the mags, because any writings about knives is better than none. Besides, I really like Mr. Dyck's views on wilderness blades, et. al.
 
Reviews nowadays do seem to be cookie cutter. You can pick a knife magazine at random and find the same articles, only the name of the knife has been changed. It's been that way with gun magazines for years too. If I buy a knife magazine it's to look at the pictures or to read an interview with a maker I like. I just don't trust any product reviews from a magazine that's 95% ads.
 
I actually really like getting my copy of blade. There are some great show reports, articles by and about makers, how to articles and great stories about the history of knives. As I mentioned in my first post, I also love the pictures and even the ads. It is the reviews that tend to be of absolutely no use to me.

I realize that at times there will be reviews that when you read between the lines you will get a very good idea of what the reviewer actually thinks of the knife. You shouldn't however have to read between the lines.

Just to play devils advocate here I am going to present a point that I think may cause magazine editors to shudder at the prospect of publishing a poor review of a knife. Big problems can arise when a reviewer does an honest evaluation of a knife. If that knife is by a well respected maker or company, their fans wil be very quick to jump on the reviewer and the magazine for allowing such a review to be published. I saw this happen to a writer for Knife World. He tested a buch of custom camp knives and found most of them lacking. This created such an uproar that the writer of this article may well be blacklisted amongst American knife magazine from this point forward. Knife World also took a big hit.
 
Thanks for that link Chuck. I have added your site to my favorites. Being a Canadian that would just as soon not break our stupin knife laws, that is about the closest I am going to get to the balisongs that I love. Is there a place on the site to see more of that absolutely stunning damascus kris bali that is at the top of the home page?

Sorry about hijacking my own thread. Please continue.
 
Unfortunately it's the same for gun and motorcycle magazines.......they never say anything bad. I will say Gun Tests magazine is the only honest one as it has no advertising. It actually had a picture of them holding a gun over a trash can to emphasize what they thought of it.

mike
 
As far as homogenized reviews are concerned, that goes with the territory of any product that is centuries old, except with new materials and manufacturing methods. How many times can you take a "been there and done that" product, write a review and make it seem fresh to the reader. It's tough to do. I remember working in a department store for a few years. Each year, Christmas came around and you had to make things look Christmas, but be different than the last year. It became tough to do.

Just the same, I still wind up wanting to get every damn knife I read a glowing review about.
 
One time, Steve Dick responded to a question regarding knife reviews and why no bad ones. He said essentially that if a knife blows, it doesn't get into the magazines. That's why the ones that do have some positive things to be said about them.

I do find a slight on products here and there, but it's usually very minor, or something the particular reviewer is not partial to.
 
Sponsors (advertising) bring in more money than us newsstand pepole.

Some people will see a knife that interests them in the magazines then request a review on the knife review thread here on BFC. Knife reviews is the only place I have seen with some balanced reviews of the market.

Hope this helps,

Doug
 
Great post, Keith. This should be an awesome thread.

I’ve gotten to the point where I expect nothing helpful from knife reviews, other than accurate descriptions. I don’t actually blame the reviewers or the magazines, but the nature of the beast. It’s just too hard to accurately describe a knife’s qualities. I wrote for what is probably the most unbiased magazine for a time, Knifeforums – The Magazine. I gave up submitting reviews because I could not describe a knife in a meaningful way for the readers. I definitely could not come up with universal conclusions, such as whether a particular knife was a good value or not.

The problem for me is defining what is a good value or not. And obviously, others have this same problem. I’ve bought knives that many people recommended, only to be very underwhelmed with the product. Some people like cutting efficiency. Some people like durability. Some people need certain ergonomics. Some people hate knives that are too light in weight. Other people despise knives with too much weight forward of the handle. There just isn’t any way to describe a knife’s properties and abilities in terms that relate to all audiences, or even most audiences.

Another huge problem is time. To tell you the truth, I need a VERY LARGE amount of time to understand a certain model’s full potential and liabilities. I’d say that, for me, a year is a minimum, and that’s with a lot of carry time and use. It would take an army of knowledgeable reviewers to populate a magazine at my rate of reviewing, and all of the reviews would be of “old models” by today’s standards. People don’t want to read about last year’s models. Spending a month with a knife tells me very little about it.

So….. now I post reviews from time to time here on BladeForums. I only bother to write reviews of knives that I’ve tested extensively, and only if I’m absolutely confident of my findings.

As for the mainstream magazines, the reviews are a joke in my opinion. Some very bad knives have been given glowing reviews, which I assume are at the command of the advertisers and management. Some reviewers may be heavily influenced by the fact that the manufacturer feeds them a steady diet of free knives to play with. No knife knut wants the well to run dry. Other reviews are just filled with bad advice. I remember reading a review months back, where the reviewer recommended sharpening his convex grind with a SharpMaker. It was ludicrous advice, and given by a very popular reviewer.

Then with Knifeforums – The Magazine, I finally read too many reviews that I flat out disagreed with. It seemed like some knife reviewers were just plain completely unqualified to write a knife review. A knife was praised when I knew that it didn’t stand up to competition. It was as though a reviewer reviewed a knife, without actually owning any other knives in its class. It was just his favorite knife because it was his only one, or he was trying to justify spending so much on it. That’s the quality you get when you merely accept free reviews from largely anonymous sources.

I still read the magazines for the pictures and specs. I know what qualities mean most to me in a knife. If a knife has this feature or that material or some particular grind, I decide that the knife is worthy of further research. Ultimately, I find a 15 post BladeForums thread to be the most helpful tool in deciding a knife purchase.
 
Well, maybe the best way to do a review of the knives we want to see is to come up with something ourselves. Don't ask me how we do that, it's just an idea!!

Like I said before, my favorite reviews are the type Backpacker Magazine does where a bunch of people take a pile of packs, boots, sleeping bags, or tents to be reviewed, and each person uses them all, and that way there is a variety of opinion to work with. I have bought many products based on these reviews, and have yet to disappointed as a result of the reviewers.
 
First I'll also say I feel knife magazines are a waste of time in turns of knife reviews.

I have also heard that "if knives aren't any good they don't make it in", I don't agree with that statement as I ve seen knives that where poor still represented as good. Further, most reviews in the magazines I've seen where the inexpensive $20 knives. Also new knives come out so fast, one review a month is not sufficient, you need maybe 10 reviews a month.

What to do? Well I think inadvertantly we have taken a step by doing passarounds. There's no incentive for people to talk up a knife. And we have had a good share of bad to mediocre knife opinions, so people aren't afraid to be negative.

Plus you get several points of view that migh match what you do or expect with your knife.

IMNSHO, there's no way to "fix" the magazine review system. To slow, to prone to misleading reviews, to few opinions to give you data points.

I have encouraged some other manufacturers besides Spyderco to participate in passarounds. SO far some dealer and private parties have picked it up as well.

So if you meaningful reviews, I suggest going over to the passaround forum, signing up for a reveiew, or calling the maker and asking them to provide a passaround sample.
 
I agree with you gentleman that the reviews tend to be cookie-cutter. Sometimes with the reviews it is not what is being said but what is left out that is the most important part. In addition reading the article closely. Recently I read a article evaluating a knife and the reviewer said that it made 20 cuts on 1" rope before it needed to be touched up. It took a new edge right away and was ready to continue. To the novice or uninformed that might sound great. But to a experience knifer we would say what piece of **** butter knife was being tested. I know that sometimes I will scan a article quickly and not "read" every word. If you didn't see 20 or in scanning you saw 20 but thought 200 the knife may sound great.
Other articles may leave out edge holding capaiblities, handleing, user comfort. These are red flags.

As with anything it is always "caveat emptor".

Most of the mags I don't buy JUST for the articles but for "the pictures":D
 
I think it's funny when they do self defense knife tests where they poke at trees and phone books. What's the point of that? Any knife and I mean any knife, hell, even a pen can be stabbed into a tree or jammed into a phone book. What a useless waste of space in a magazine to have an article all about "This is me stabbing a tree", and "The handle didn't slip because I was holding on tight". That's top notch journalism! I mean they'll write an article on a machete and say things like "It chopped well." No crap, it's a machete! If anything the articles are good for a laugh.

My favorite review was from "American Survival Guide". The author took an $800.00 custom made bowie, a Fitch or a Fisk, and he chopped down several trees with it and constructed a shelter in his backyard. He also chopped a pile of firewood. I mean he beat this thing like I've never seen in a magazine article. That's a real test. The author didn't care who made the knife or how much it cost. I think that's what we need to see more of in magazines.

It's rare in the magazines to see expensive knives tested like that. For the most part they seem to be TOPS, Ka Bars or Camillus knives.
 
I had a conversation once with someone who I feel is one of the better knife writers/reviewers. We were talking about a knife that got a favorable review in a magazine he writes for, that I knew was a POS, and that I was sure he thought was a POS also. He told me, "the editor sent the knife to me, but I found problems with the knife, so then the editor sent it to <other well known reviewer>, who also found problems, then finally editor sent it to <extremely well-known and highly praised reviewer> who wrote a positive review."

I'm sure that doesn't surprise anyone. Well, maybe it does -- the fact is, there are knowledgeable reviewers out there, who have at least the knowledge to figure out if a knife has problems, and the integrity to refuse to write a glowing review about it. It also shouldn't be a surprise that there are plenty of reviewers who lack knowledge, or integrity, or both, and that the editors will keep trying until they get a good review.

Joe
 
I always take their reviews with a grain of salt. They may not be totally objective in reporting. If a knife from one of their bigger advertising clients isn't up to snuff, more than likly they will notify them and ask for another sample to see if all of that model have that problem or just an abberation. Giving a bad review to a knife can affect the manufacturers choice of where to put its ad budget.If mag A gives it a glowing review and mag B says it blows chunks well which mag would you send your ad budget to. There is no guaranteed way to know how it will perform for you unless it is in your hands,doing what you expect it to do. Yes it will give you an idea but nothing beats hands on time. :rolleyes: :rolleyes: :rolleyes:
 
Originally posted by Keith Montgomery
Rather than continue to take the thread on Tactical Knife magazines poor handling of subscriptions more off topic, I decided to start another thread on knife magazine reviews.

As far as I am concerned, for the most part the content of knife reviews is controlled by the advertising dollars that are received by the magazines. That is why you are unlikely to see reviews of products from companies that do not advertise in the magazine and why you will never see bad reviews of the knives being tested.

This is not always the case. I have read very objective reviews in Knnife World and Knifeforums the Magazine. I do believe however that the more a magazine depends on advertising revenue to generate its profit the more unlikely it is that you are going to get objective reviews. For this reason I never purchase knife mags for their reviews. I get them for the other articles on makers, manufacturers, history and so on. I also get them for the pictures and the ads.

So what say the rest of you? What are your opinions about the quality of reviews in the knife mags?
Click to expand...


Plain and simple, If the reviews in knife mags could be trusted, Places like this, (Bladeforums, Knifeforums, CKDforums) wouldn't exist.

The fact that you see a review singing the praises of a knife with a 420 stainless blade says it all. I'm sure it has nothing to do with Ken Onion's name being on it.(Wink Wink, Nudge Nudge)

Drew
 
I really like online and magazine reviews of cars.
I also really like certain reviewers work more than others.
I don't always agree with reviewers, but I almost always LEARN something.

That is why I subscribe to and or buy everything I can relating to knives, firearms, and related topics.
Besides, Its a lot easier to take American Handgunner in the bathroom than even my laptop with radio modem.

I also suggest that if someone finds fault with a reviewer to post examples or send letters to a magazines management. All knife reviews aren't created equal. Many reviewers are held to high standards, but just like the quality of posts on this forum, different writers have different needs, perspective and knowledge on the subject matter.

As far as objective reviewing, even Gun-Tests a no-ads gun magazine rarely lives up to my expectations when it reviews something I know a lot about (pistols and revolvers), the fact that its reviews are "objective" are of little help when they do not rise to my level of knowledge.
 
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