Maker challenge?

OzarkMatt said:
I like the idea of the contest having a bit of focus on cutting efficiency. The only problem I see is that this could become a cutting competition where those who are setup to use supersteels, etc. have an advantage over the guy with 1095 and a forge. Finding a balance in the tests will be tricky.

We will have to wait until we get some testers to finalize this but I would like to see cleaning game, cutting rope and cloth, things like that in the tests.

Just my .02
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Im one of those guys with the 1095 and the forge,So is Chris & Matt Tackett
 
I think the cutting tests should have variety. To me, a knife shoupd be able to handle rope, flesh, wood, etc but wont excel at all of them. If your going to test edge retention you wouod almost have to test ease of sharpening as well??? Thats whats cool about these challenges, you make a knife for a specific set of tasks.
 
Clearly, there are plenty of makers willing to accept the challenge of providing a moderately-sized knife that cuts and slices really well. That's a good thing.

We need testers. Step up, guys and gals. You're swamped with makers who can't wait to put their work up for review at their own expense. We need your input and support, or this challenge just won't happen.

OzarkMatt said:
The only problem I see is that this could become a cutting competition where those who are setup to use supersteels, etc. have an advantage over the guy with 1095 and a forge.
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Of course it's a cutting competition, performance is the whole point for Pete's sake. Geometry is the baseline. If my knife won't cut worth a hoot, it should be mocked without mercy.

The blade I'm preparing for this is O1 at 58-59Rc. I'll be happy to grind the same pattern in CPM-3V or Elmax at 62Rc if anyone's interested.

I happen to think that ease of honing should be a factor... and that's clearly biased in favor of simple steels like 1095, 1084 and O1. Edge-retention should be a factor as well, in which case more highly-alloyed blades will gain some points.

Should "super-steels" be disqualified? Should only "plain" carbon steel be allowed? Backyard BBQ or industrial top-shelf HT? I'll leave those decisions to others, because I'm in this thing either way.
 
I dont like to exclude, I think all stels should be welcome! Lets find some testers!
 
james terrio said:
Should "super-steels" be disqualified? Should only "plain" carbon steel be allowed? Backyard BBQ or industrial top-shelf HT? I'll leave those decisions to others, because I'm in this thing either way.
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Not at all what I meant, I agree with your post completely. When I said that I had bladesports and competition cutters in mind. I tend to overthink things like this, my apologies for talking to much :foot: :o

I'll be using 1095 myself fwiw.
 
I remember in the Camp Knife Challenge tested by Brian Andrews he did comparison testing by measuring the edge thickness of each blade and cutting string on a scale to judge cutting efficiency. Cutting on a scale is also the same process Ankerson uses to test the knives for his review thread. I thought this would be a good test because it could possibly eliminate the some of the "feel" for cutting and give an actual value to it.

I am actually one of the guys that is planning a Super Steel for the challenge. I just have not decided on M390 or M4 or 3V. I would be happy to make an identical knife from O1 for comparison purposes though.

The "knife crowd" in my area is pretty slim but I will ask around for a few people willing to test knives. I also know a couple Knifmakers Guild members and could possibly ask them if they would be willing to be testers.
 
If it's not too late, I'd like to throw my hat...ummm...knife...into the ring. This sounds like a lot of fun although I don't know about being able to make a get-together.
 
Oh shizzle, I'm so backed up but I'm in if I can scratch out the time.
When the details are more or less agreed upon, will the first post (or a new sticky) be updated to reflect the parameters for reference?
 
OzarkMatt said:
Not at all what I meant, I agree with your post completely. When I said that I had bladesports and competition cutters in mind.
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Oops, sorry I misunderstood you :o. You're right of course, a Bladesports-type deal would be a completely different animal.

I still find it weird that there seems to be way more people wanting to make knives than there are to test them :confused:
 
james terrio said:
.....seems to be way more people wanting to make knives than there are to test them :confused:
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James - I assure you, while I'm quite eager to build a knife for this, I'm equally eager to be a judge. I just don't think logistics is working in my(or anyone else's) favor with that option. There's no way I'm going to get down to the mid-USA this Spring, and sending several dozen knives my way via USPS is, well........

Love to be a judge, but......
The best I can do is to ship/get my knife to some competent individual that will be attending this sharp-pointy soirée.

-Peter
 
In case anyone hasn't noticed the other thread looking for testers, check this out:

Moosez45 said:
Well......I just got off the phone with Ethan.

April is gonna be a busy month for lots of folks, our initial impression of April the 13th being the weekend, might have been premature....

Fisk is only available on the weekends of March 30th and April 13th, and I would love to have it on either of those weekends, just simply because one can learn a lifetime of knife knowledge, by simply being in Fisk's presence.

Ethan loves the idea of hosting the Custom Knife Makers Test this spring at the Gathering.

If ya'll want, I will get a rating system down, so we can keep this as official as possible. I've followed the custom knife makers test every years since I been reading BFC, and I think I could do a good job keeping it fair, and very precise.

If ya'll want.......

Moose
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Sounds pretty sweet to me. :)
 
To expound on what James posted, we usually have anywhere from 20-30 folks at our Gathering, from all over the US.

They are all knife users, and are members here on BFC for the most part. This Spring, I am hoping we can get Jerry Fisk to attend, as he has in the past.

We have access to plenty of media for testing, including oiled rope, bamboo, hardwood, green wood, and plenty of amateur, pro am, and professional photographers. I'll even get Mistwalker up to photo for us.

Moose
 
Honestly, I dont think we could find a better group than the Becker gathering. If everyone is cool with that lets plan on it. Moose, if you want to head up the testers please do. The makers have decided on a bushcraft/camp knife, 4.5 to 5.5" blade geared more towards slicing than chopping.
 
I think this would be a win win situation for all that are involved. I personally would like to vote for the March 30th weekend.
Have especially wanted to attend a Beckerhead gathering since I joined and this may be the perfect chance.
 
Ok guys, once I hear back from Moose, and hes cool with moderating the testing we can work out testing parameters. Once that is done Ill post a new thread with all the info along with all the makers that will be entered. If he doesnt want to collect all the knives, tackett and I can do it and take them up there. We live less than an hour from Ethans place. James, you are welcome to collect to, we need to get together sometime anyway. Sound cool?
 
KFU said:
James, you are welcome to collect to, we need to get together sometime anyway. Sound cool?
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Sure thing Chris, I am 99% certain I will be there. I'll confirm with my wife tonight, but I think either March 30th or April 13th is fine. Let me know what I can do to help.
 
I been thinking of a list of criteria to judge the knives on, and here is what I got so far.

Each knife will be assigned a number, probably identified with a sticker on the sheath or sleeve, as the case may be. Each user will be provided a "grading slip", basically a printed piece of paper, where they will mark each attribute with a 0-10 scale.

Appearance
-Fit and finish
-Packaging
-Overall Knife "look"

Function
-Steel
-Edge Sharpness
-Edge Retention
-Ease of Sharpening
-Comfort on the hand while in use
-Features
-Ease of use

Ergonomics
-Handle Shape
-Hot Spotting
-Features

Comments from Users

Comments from Fisk

That's what I plan to go with, feel free to chime in with anything I need to add, or take away from the testing.

The dates for the Gathering are finalized, on March 30. You can send the knives to me, or whoever, James, Chris, etc. Please include a note with return address, or what you want to happen to the knife after the testing is completed.

This is gonna rock.

Moose
 
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