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Opinion on destruction tests?
- Thread starter SBaker34
- Start date
have a link handy?
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- Mar 12, 2012
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I think there's a difference in endurance type testing versus flat out destruction tests. I watched a good one the other day where a guy cuts a bunch of different types of things people would actually use a folding knife to cut: he feathered some wokd, cut some carpet, thin wire, etc. Told me a great deal about the knifes edge holding, etc. Now contrast that with the "I tried to use this liner lock as a chisel while ripping up tile in the bathroom and it broke so it must be a piece of junk" type "tests" and tell me which one is actually educational to a prospective buyer and which is just silliness.
The bloke in the hockey mask did confirm one thing for me: the cs kukri was just about as tough as can be. I bought two of the regular sized ones and one of the magnum ilk. Both required extensive sharpening to tweak the blade. After the attention, not only did they cut well, but I sensed great satisfaction that these so called 'cheap' blades could maintain pace with some of my more costly choppers. To some degree, I have enjoyed watching the torture tests, although they are far from any true scientific protocol.
An interesting side note revolves around Dan Keffeler's brute that was sent in for testing. Following the subsequent workout and bashing session, the protagonist worked up such a sweat that he was forced to swallow another load of Lisinopril, being unable to break the knife.
The SY 1111 is another super tough knife on the market. In general though, I am not going to push my blades to the point of failure. The testing will be left up to others that have excess cash to burn!
An interesting side note revolves around Dan Keffeler's brute that was sent in for testing. Following the subsequent workout and bashing session, the protagonist worked up such a sweat that he was forced to swallow another load of Lisinopril, being unable to break the knife.
The SY 1111 is another super tough knife on the market. In general though, I am not going to push my blades to the point of failure. The testing will be left up to others that have excess cash to burn!
But didn't he test one of those fancy expensive fixed blade "tactical" knives and it snapped in half right away?
stabman
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This. :thumbup:
If one can control the variables to perform the same tests the same way each time on different knives, then we get valuable information.
In addition to making cheap blades look cheap, could it be that destructive testing also makes expensive knives look expensive, i.e. overpriced?
As far as the concern/fear/whatever that the market will shift to "prybars", well, so be it. If the market wants prybars then the wise manufacturer will meet that demand.
As far as the concern/fear/whatever that the market will shift to "prybars", well, so be it. If the market wants prybars then the wise manufacturer will meet that demand.
stabman
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Destruction tests can involve much more testing equipment than sledgehammers...
Hydraulic machines with digital readouts to apply increasing force till locks break...the same could be done to blades with both vertical and horizontal pressure.
If you want "hammering" action, why not a machine that does that? There are such things.
Some fool in a backyard with a mallet and a brick does not seem to constitute science to me, much like how a meth lab in the back 40 does not constitute proper organic chemistry.
Hydraulic machines with digital readouts to apply increasing force till locks break...the same could be done to blades with both vertical and horizontal pressure.
If you want "hammering" action, why not a machine that does that? There are such things.
Some fool in a backyard with a mallet and a brick does not seem to constitute science to me, much like how a meth lab in the back 40 does not constitute proper organic chemistry.
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Which knife are you talking about, I am pretty sure that I have watched the majority of Noss videos and haven't seen a Busse break.
If memory serves it was a Chris Reeve Green Beret.
Destruction tests can involve much more testing equipment than sledgehammers...
Hydraulic machines with digital readouts to apply increasing force till locks break...the same could be done to blades with both vertical and horizontal pressure.
If you want "hammering" action, why not a machine that does that? There are such things.
Some fool in a backyard with a mallet and a brick does not seem to constitute science to me, much like how a meth lab in the back 40 does not constitute proper organic chemistry.
I agree. Numbers over qualifications such as "pretty good" and "not bad".
Btw, when a person does things with a knife without the manufacturer's consent and makes that knife look worse than other knives (justifiably or not), are they immune to litigation?
stabman
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I would think they're probably okay as long as they're just presenting information.
If they were using that data as advertising to sell their own product, I would think that might be touchy.
But I'm just thinking out loud here.
Benchmade has some test videos that were eye-openers for me. For example, they tested the edge on the Volli with a number of cuts, but then put the knife in a hydraulic press tester. It withstood over 1000 inch lbs of torque.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PBF2DqbDTZs
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PBF2DqbDTZs
Funny...I consider "YouTube destruction knife test" fans as "scientific method/logic haters," so I guess we have something in common! :thumbup:
As far as your theory that people find destruction tests ridiculous because their knives were broken in one of those tests, do you have anything to back that one up? Or are you coming to conclusions based on nothing? (Much like the YouTube destruction testers.)
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I enjoy stress tests and destructive testing when done in a scientific matter (as many others have said). I do think they provide valuable information on what certain knife can handle.
-mike
-mike
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- Mar 5, 2009
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This.
Repeatable, measured forces (both lbs/sq in and angle), same test applied to each knife equally, for example if you stick 1" of an 8" knife into a tree and apply 25lbs of force at the handle it is more force than sticking 1" of a 5" knife into a tree and applying 25lbs of force at the handle.
Also, the one I see missed almost always, you need a decent sample size, not just one knife or even 2.
Say knives follow a basic bell curve, so of a batch of 100 knives made, 68 of them are in the middle performance (no air bubbles in the steel, RC is within the target range, blade didn't get overly hot during the sharpening or grinding process, ect)
that still leaves 16% that will be better than the average knife of that model, and 16% that is weaker, doesn't hold an edge as well, got to hot being ground. ect, now how do you know you got one from the 68% if you're only testing one? It could have even been one in the 95 percentile that could cut through and take a beating better than 95% of all other knives of the same model or on the flip side, fail faster than 95% of knives of the same model.
As was mentioned earlier, I do like Benchmades hydraulic press destruction testing because it has most of the above, though I'd much prefer data on a sample size of 10 or so, who knows maybe that 1000lbs model X with stood was on the low end for that model.
Considering all the butthurt expressed on this very forum by fans of knives destroyed by Noss, you could probably do a simple search to find the answer.
Then it's hilarious.