Ok, I wasn't gonna toss in my two cents, but after reading nine pages, I felt compelled.
First, I found your test entertaining. Meaningful in real-life situations? I guess that depends on what real-life is to the user. I am going to be very objective here, and I will point out my observations as a knifemaker. I was not surprised at the general toughness of the knife. Mick and crew pride themselves on making a tough knife. The fact that it broke demonstrates two things. One, there is no "perfect" knife steel. What is fantastic for some uses is not as good for others. Two, you can break anything if you try hard enough. The knife appeared to perform as the maker intended. The knife did not cut cardboard that well. Is that surprising? A blade with that grind is not designed to filet fish or do intricate wood carving. If one is looking for a knife to filet fish, buy a filet knife. If one chooses to carve wood, buy a knife designed for that task. The Strider performed quite well in my opinion. S30V may not be as impact resistant as some other carbon steels, but it does have other attributes that the carbon steels may not (some level of corrosion resistance for starters, it also holds an edge better than most other stainless steels). This knife appears to be designed primarily as a combat type knife. In that area, I feel the knife would work exactly as intended. They are very sharp from the factory, so they will absolutely cut. Is it a razor blade? Ever see a 1/4" thick razor blade? This knife can stand lots of punishment and still be effective as a cutting tool. It's not a prybar, and it's not a razor blade. It is a compromise. Remember that. To the detractors, the knife did hold up very well. Yes, it broke, but that is a function of the type of steel, and the ammount of abuse doled out. No, it did not cut cardboard like a Opinel, but would you want to sujbect an Opinel to any of these tests? To the Strider afficianidos, yes, the knife broke. There is no denying that. No it does not make it a bad knife. Don't blindly accuse the tester of intentionally breaking the knife off camera. I suspect that the break was legitimate, and not surprising given the circumstances.
All in all I was very impressed overall with the performance of both the Strider BT, as well as Crucible's vaunted S30V (which to date I have not used on any of the knives I have made, but that may change). Is this the toughest knife in the world for every possible situation? No. Is there such a knife? No again. Is S30V the best knife steel in the world? Who's to say. Is there such a steel? I haven't found it yet. Does it work well for the intended purpose? It would appear so. The knife performed as advertised, and I am quite sure that the Strider guys would honor the warranty. If the knife in question does not fit the bill as far as your usage requirements are concerned, buy something else. If it does fit the bill, buy one. Simple as that. If I were in a combat zone, and could afford a BT, it would be on my VERY short list of potential cutting tools. If I was looking for something to open my mail or cut tomatos............that's a whole different ballgame.
E
