Objective Empirical Knife Testing

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nullack

Joined
Nov 17, 2008
Messages
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Gday everyone :)

First, please let me say I am thankful for the value Ive gotten out of searching this forum :)

Ive made a good living out of testing, and while I have never professionally tested a blade I have attempted to apply the same sorts of approaches to knives....You see Im trying to understand how best to acquire the highest performance bush/camping knife I can possibly attain......My basic premise is that surely knives can be tested to professional standards where scientific conclusions can be drawn about various knife performances for specific tasks.

What I have instead seen is little informed discussion and much fallacious talk that doesnt help advance the pursuit. I dont mean to say that its a waste of time, but rather the signal to noise is dam low.

My motivation is about knowing how I can acquire the best knife I can should my life depend on it. A knife I can rely on for food, for shelter, for defense. Im not interested in personalities or credentials or anything but repeatble and objective test measurement in evaluating candidate knives.

I assumed my search should have been relatively simple given the state of engineering and the modes of communication our modern society has gotten too but its clear to me that my search has been nothing but simple.

I hope Ive been able to share my confusion and for experienced kind folk to help me see the truths of science to this, thanks.
 
What would you have them test? Edge retention has been tested objectively, albeit not in the same manner as you would necessarily put the knife through, nor even the same knife. They've been tested for overall durability, although not at all scientifically. There are countless variables to control in an objective test, none of which would be controlled in an actual survival situation. What's left is personal experience, of which there is ample amounts of, and that is going to be your best source of information. It may not be objective, empirical, or scientific, and it may not be layed out how you would like it to be, but it's as good as it gets, and should be plenty good for you.
 
Blade making and design is more art than science. As such, what one may find to be acceptable performance in a knife, another may consider totally unacceptable.

Empirical data, does not lend itself well to the enormous variability in human ergonomics and abilities, so I think that you will find that any attempt to quantify the characteristics of a knife, will be hopelessly stuck in a quagmire of variables. JMO
 
The best knife for self defense is to carry more than one type of knife, and more than one knife.

Any knife can fail given the right stress / tension. That's why if you life depends on having a good knife available, carry more than one.
 
outdoor_guy08 said:
The best knife for self defense is to carry more than one type of knife, and more than one knife.

Any knife can fail given the right stress / tension. That's why if you life depends on having a good knife available, carry more than one.
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Not sure if this is in the wrong thread, or what's going on here...

...Anyway, the problem with "Objective empirical knife testing" is that there are so many factors at work. Edge angle, grind, heat treatment, blade geometry, etc.

And there is no set list of tasks that all people will perform. Most independent knife testers seem more concerned with how much abuse a knife can take, rather than putting it through a set of identical cutting tests to realistically compare it to other knives of it's same type and blade profile.

Then there are different knives better suited for different tasks, and some knives that simply appeal more to certain users. There's a lot of personal preference involved in just buying the knife to begin with, and a lot of favoritism, so there's no guarantee the individual user would chose the empirically "best" knife for the task anyway, if they find out they hate using it!
 
I'm certainly no expert, but here are my thoughts:

nullack said:
... A knife I can rely on for food, for shelter, for defense.
Click to expand...

nullack said:
... repeatble and objective test measurement in evaluating candidate knives.
Click to expand...

Therein lies the problem. Consider the number of variables that would need to be accounted for, given your stated needs. They are, I dare say, innumerable. This would, in turn, require an equally innumerable amount of tests. Given ONE or TWO requirements, one can test for a "better than the other", but given hundereds (or thousands) of requirements.... :confused:

There are so many different styles, makes, models of knives made from so many different kinds of materials because of these variables. One knife will not EVER be the right knife for every job.

As far as finding the best knife for you, that is another question entirely and is, ultimately subjective.

Good luck in finding what you are looking for. If it is knife related, you are in the right place.
 
Some companies may not be as careful as others when doing the heat treating process. So, the quality may not always be the same even though you are buying the same brand and model.
 
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