After reading a few reviews and being asked for my imput, I decided to post a How-To. Please don't interpret this as me being a jerk, or a know-it-all who writes perfectly-written knife reviews. I'm neither. Many people here write better reviews than mine with far-better photos. In fact, I stopped using my own photos and copied the images from websites because mine were so darned blurry.
Here is the criteria that I use when making a review. It's just my format; do what you want with it.
Price: yeah, people want to know what you paid for the knife. Manufacturer's prices are really high, and even a lot of websites have higher prices than my local knife shop. My local shop is cheaper than many knife sites, so I'll mention what I paid.
Country of Origin: Likewise, there are some people who won't buy a product that wasn't made in a specific country. This is an important decision for them, and having the information available helps. China, USA, Japan, Taiwan, Pakistan, Canada, etc. is all you need to say.
Handle Material and Size: What's the handle made of? Micarta, Kraton, FRN, etc. What color is it? How long, wide, and thick is it? Does it have a lanyard hole? A guard? Is it comfortable in your hand? Does it have a hollowed-out handle for a survival kit, or a bone-crusher pommel? Finger grooves? Is it a full tang knife? If it's a folder, can it be taken apart? Does it have liners? What's the locking mechanism, and how's the quality?
Blade Details: How long and how thick is the blade? What kind of steel is it made of, and how hard is it (Rockwell scale)? How is it ground? How sharp was it when you bought it? Are there serrations, jimping, or a swedge? How does the tip end (tanto, clip point, drop point, etc.)? Does the edge go into the handle, or is there a tang exposed? How well does it cut the materials that it's intended for? Does it use thumb studs, a hole, a disc, a nail nick (how does it open if it's a folder)?
Carry Options: If it's a folder, does it come with a pocket clip or a sheath? What's it made of, and how is the quality? If it's a fixed blade, what's the sheath made out of? How does it hold the knife in? Does it snap or fold closed? Will it retain the knife if it's upside down? how large are the belt loops? How is the overall contruction? Any cool gizmos come with it, like 550 cord, a neck chain, a fob, or a Tek Lok?
Don't trust the specifications listed by manufacturers either. Weight, length of the blade, etc. should be consistant, but sometimes they're off by a bit. Knives listed with a 1-7/8" blade might actually be 2" or 1-3/4". That 3.7 ounce knife might really be 4 ounces. Find out for yourself.
All of this might seem like a lot, but it's stuff that most people here will want to know before they put money down on a knife. Pictures are great, but specifications and user experience trumps it (at least in my book). How does the knife perform for its intended task, and how easy was it to use? It might be a great knife, but if it's uncomfortable, I'm not going to use it.
Again, I'm not the expert on knives or knife reviews. I let people know what I thought of the knife and any issues I have with it. I tell you how it worked for me. Sometimes I'll even compare it against another similar knife. Maybe this was helpful to you; maybe not. But until we have a standard review format (which I hope doesn't happen) I can only offer the way I do it. Your way may be different, and that's cool. Now let's go cut something!
Here is the criteria that I use when making a review. It's just my format; do what you want with it.
Price: yeah, people want to know what you paid for the knife. Manufacturer's prices are really high, and even a lot of websites have higher prices than my local knife shop. My local shop is cheaper than many knife sites, so I'll mention what I paid.
Country of Origin: Likewise, there are some people who won't buy a product that wasn't made in a specific country. This is an important decision for them, and having the information available helps. China, USA, Japan, Taiwan, Pakistan, Canada, etc. is all you need to say.
Handle Material and Size: What's the handle made of? Micarta, Kraton, FRN, etc. What color is it? How long, wide, and thick is it? Does it have a lanyard hole? A guard? Is it comfortable in your hand? Does it have a hollowed-out handle for a survival kit, or a bone-crusher pommel? Finger grooves? Is it a full tang knife? If it's a folder, can it be taken apart? Does it have liners? What's the locking mechanism, and how's the quality?
Blade Details: How long and how thick is the blade? What kind of steel is it made of, and how hard is it (Rockwell scale)? How is it ground? How sharp was it when you bought it? Are there serrations, jimping, or a swedge? How does the tip end (tanto, clip point, drop point, etc.)? Does the edge go into the handle, or is there a tang exposed? How well does it cut the materials that it's intended for? Does it use thumb studs, a hole, a disc, a nail nick (how does it open if it's a folder)?
Carry Options: If it's a folder, does it come with a pocket clip or a sheath? What's it made of, and how is the quality? If it's a fixed blade, what's the sheath made out of? How does it hold the knife in? Does it snap or fold closed? Will it retain the knife if it's upside down? how large are the belt loops? How is the overall contruction? Any cool gizmos come with it, like 550 cord, a neck chain, a fob, or a Tek Lok?
Don't trust the specifications listed by manufacturers either. Weight, length of the blade, etc. should be consistant, but sometimes they're off by a bit. Knives listed with a 1-7/8" blade might actually be 2" or 1-3/4". That 3.7 ounce knife might really be 4 ounces. Find out for yourself.
All of this might seem like a lot, but it's stuff that most people here will want to know before they put money down on a knife. Pictures are great, but specifications and user experience trumps it (at least in my book). How does the knife perform for its intended task, and how easy was it to use? It might be a great knife, but if it's uncomfortable, I'm not going to use it.
Again, I'm not the expert on knives or knife reviews. I let people know what I thought of the knife and any issues I have with it. I tell you how it worked for me. Sometimes I'll even compare it against another similar knife. Maybe this was helpful to you; maybe not. But until we have a standard review format (which I hope doesn't happen) I can only offer the way I do it. Your way may be different, and that's cool. Now let's go cut something!
