Testing the new Dendritic Militaries

Cliff - Great start. I'll be printing this thread & your list (unless Vince beats me to it) for the in house R&D team as it develops.

Also, we could test the Busse and Moran in the same test...each would excel or do poorly in different areas. We could even make up a visual form (like an ink blot) that would cover the rating in each area. In this manner, immediate understanding of the size or ? would be visually obvious.

Heck, we could make up a program that would, as Griffon stated earlier, test the knife before we build it. Well, maybe that's a little premature?

sal

 
Sal :

Also, we could test the Busse and Moran in the same test...each would excel or do poorly in different areas.
Click to expand...

This is very true and why I like to throw dissimilar knives into tests. However I can't simply do the same work with all of them. For example the weekend to get a feel for the Battle Mistress I chopped through a piece of 1x6, two sections off a 7" spruce log, and about 300 chops into hardwood branches getting a feel for its chopping power, handle ergonomics etc. . Doing that with the Moran would be very, very difficult. Going through the 1x6 would be hard and through the spruce pretty much impossible.

What I try to do is develop a running series of tests. For example when determining chopping power I take a series of wood sizes (from say 1x3 strapping to 2x8 planks) and stop at a certain fatigue level. Or similar when slicing, take a range of grades of rubber tubing and keep moving up to harder to cut sizes until you can no longer get through.

We could even make up a visual form (like an ink blot) that would cover the rating in each area.
Click to expand...

What an excellent idea. I have been using just numbers but as you noted pictures would make a much stronger and easily understood impression.

Since you like the page I'll keep it up and update it as info comes in on this thread. Suggestions on content and style welcomed.

-Cliff


[This message has been edited by Cliff Stamp (edited 09 September 1999).]
 
I see alot of great tests on this post. One more I would add is do them all with a wet and cold hand. As I live up north and winter is comming I do know a cold hand changes things a little. I also think that carry comfert is over looked quite abit, and to me that is almost the most important part of the knife.
As for becomeing a home tester I would be glad to do it. The Military is a bigger knife than I carry so for this one I would not be the best choice. But if you need a tester for a smaller knife I would be happy to help.
 
Cliff - Yes, I believe you are correct about the Busse / Moran comparison. The ink blot would be cool though.

db - another good idea. We could have a vise hold the blade through a scale and see if we can pull the knife out and measure force without "losing" the handle. Freeze for a test, wet for a test, oil?

sal
 
I have had a Boye Prophet Companion in Dendritic Cobalt for a while and it was having its turn in my pocket. Recently I used it to cut a piece of plastic, on a Little Tykes bench seat. It sliced OK, but I was dismayed when I noticed that the tip section had apparently bent.

I qualify the word bent, because it could in part be the grind of the blade, but still it appears that it was soft enough to bend. I cut the other way and that helped straighten the tip some some.

After that I switched to a Chris Reeve Shadow III and my Leatherman Wave saw, assisted by some snips for final shaping. (I do not have a Military and did not pull out my Moran or Native as I felt the tip strength on the Shadow was greater because of the profile. By the way I find the Moran perfect, in the kitchen, for dealing with advocados and mangoes.)

The point of this post is my experience with the material that is going to be tested in the Military model. It appears to bend with moderate pressure. On the plus side it has proven to be corrosion resistant. There is a pit on the blade, but I assume that was from the mold. Having it clipped to my bathing suit pocket on occasion has had no ill effects.
 
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