And, finally, the Piece du Resistance...
The Leg of Lamb Test- I chose the biggest leg of lamb that I could find in order to give me as much target as possible for multiple cuts. This bad boy measured a full 20" in length by 8" wide at its widest by a more or less uniform 4" thick. The femur bone was 1" in diameter at the distal (knee)end, and just over 2" in diameter at the trochanter. I drilled a hole through the distal femur and hung the shank upside down with the wider end hanging down.
First, I threw an exploratory #3 forehand horizontal slash through the bottom end of the shank. The EDS cut through it like it wasn't even there! Examining the cut, I found that the EDS had cleanly cut through the top half of the head of the femur as well as through 5" by 4" of fascia and muscle. Very nice.
Encouraged, I threw a #1 forehand diagonal slash through the widest part of the shank. Plop! The EDS had cut the shank in two- through 6" of fascia and muscle on the way in, then cleanly through 3 1/2" of femur bone, and then out again through another 3" of muscle and fascia. Absolutely outstanding!
I immediately examined the blade under a bright light for damage, and there was nothing. The edge remained absolutely pristine.
Now I was really happy, so I took another good swing, this time coming in with a #4 backhand horizontal slash. Plop! Again the EDS cut the shank cleanly in two, with no fracturing of the femur cortex. It was a thing of beauty.
Next, I threw a fast #2 to #1 to #4 backcut combo into the shank- absolutely devastating cuts. Each made it through 5" or so of flesh and at least an inch or more into the femur bone. The last #4 horizontal backhand backcut actually arced all the way through the leg, completely cutting through the bone, and back out again. Outstanding.
Next, I threw a series of fast clips, snapcuts, witiks, and backcuts at the shank, using only the very tip of the blade to test its strength. Beautiful cuts and no damage to the tip at all.
Finally, I ended with several thrusts into the shank, purposefully hitting the bone as often as possible to further test the tip. Again, there was no damage whatsoever to the tip. And the thrusts that missed the bone cleanly skewered the shank as far up the blade as I cared to go. An excellent performance.
After all of this cutting, the EDS remained razor sharp and completely unscathed, including its framed tang handle, which remained rock solid with no play whatsoever.
Of note, there was significantly less resistance moving through the target with the EDS as compared to other flat ground blades I've tested, most likely due to its slimmer 3/16" stock. There was, however, slightly more resistance through the cut with the EDS than with my benchmark hollow ground bowie.
Maybe a thread merge is in order.