Public CATRA test results.

[nozh2002]

CATRA test machine exist for years and privatly used by at least Buck and Spyderco. I am wondeing why there are no public CATRA testing?

I think that public testing using industrial equipment may resolve a lot of questions about blade or steel performance.

In computer industry nobody afraid of having one or other benchmarks for compilers, processors etc. Why knife industry are not open in the same way? We can fight religious war here about one or other super knife or super steel, while simple run on this machine can give at least clearification for certain parameter - like edge retention.

However we'll have still a lot of chanses to fight religious war in toughnes or overall design area. But edge retention will be out of questions - of course PR person will have to deal with it, as they dealing with it for computer benchmarks, but some reasonable data will be awailable.

Thanks, Vassili.

 

[Cliff Stamp]

Lots of CATRA testing has been made public by both Spyderco and Buck. You can also have CATRA tests done on blades by sending them to CATRA. Spyderco has also offered to run the tests for custom makers. A few years back I asked CATRA and they were even renting the equipment (it isn't cheap). You can of course obtain the same results by hand, it just takes more time, but it is playing with knives, it isn't like its work anyway. The CATRA machine also only measures one aspect of edge retention (slicing aggression in soft and abrasive media) there are several others.

-Cliff

 

[OleyFermo]

Buy an old power hacksaw. Build a fixture that will mount a knife blade instead of a hacksaw blade. Add a counterweight so the force applied to the blade could be finely adjusted. Put media to be cut in place and flip on the switch. Instant CATRA.

Jimmy 'yet another idiotic idea' Fikes

 

[nozh2002]

Lots of CATRA testing has been made public by both Spyderco and Buck...

-Cliff

I did not see any. And I like to see Busse, Swamp Rat, Beker, Bark River, Buck, Ranger, Cold Steel, Fehrman, Spyderco, Benchmade, Kershaw, CRKT etc, etc, etc... runs side by side to see what is "slicing aggression in soft and abrasive media" for all of them.

Are there such comparison table somewhere published?

Thanks, Vassili.

 

[Cliff Stamp]

Glesser provides CATRA results frequently in regards to steels they use, it is in almost every thread which talks about the performance of their steels. Crucible also has it in most of their data sheets for the steels they promote for knives. Buck used it when they introduced their edge 2000, so it was about six years ago. Generally you are not going to find one company like Spyderco publically promoting the results of evaluation of any kind on another companies product that they are in direct competition with for market share. There is nothing stopping you from obtaining the information for yourself, it just takes time.

-Cliff

 

[nozh2002]

I think AKTI perfect camdidate to do this and I think responsible manufacturers can provide knives for this testing and pay for it also.

It may be AKTI certificate for knives and manufacturers should pay for sertification and if several major manufcturers join this effort - Spyderco, Buck, Kershaw, Benchmade then everybody else will just have to do this... In result everybody will benefits especially consumers, except somebody who produce bad knives...

I think there are a lot of people here who may make it happen...

Thanks, Vassili.

 

[Cliff Stamp]

This service already exists through CATRA for anyone who wants to use it and many do, however mandating that it is necessary and the results have to be public isn't likely to happen, though asking for it never hurts, I have been requesting that type of information in general for over ten years with various amounts of success, some makers/manufacturers are open about what their knives can do and others are not, it is generally a performance vs hype thing.

It might be worth mentioning in a letter to magazines which do reviews that knives could be so tested. Lots of makers are very serious about blade performance in a rigerous way, you should check out what Kevin Cashen has set up for his knives. I would be happy if makers/manufacturers would always just be clear what their knives are supposed to actually do and how this is achieved through the design and steel including performance specifics and how they actually evaluated them.

-Cliff