The Cliff Stamp Too Few People Know About

H

HUNTER3897

Joined
Dec 1, 1999
Messages
452

If you are interested, go to the thread Cliff posted in the Test/Review Forum on the TOPS Steel Eagle. I posted a reply to Cliff's review and asked him a series of questions about the design of the knife. I told him that I was intrigued by Mike Fuller's blades but would probably opt for the bigger Ron Hood inspired Anaconda. He asked if I would want the Steel Eagle to help make up my mind. I assumed he meant did I want to purchase it. I told him that knife purchases are few and far between for me right now. I was curious to see what a knife that had been through the STAMPINATOR would cost, so I asked him. As my gape mouthed, just fell out of my chair, expression could have attested to, Cliff replied that maybe he wasn't clear enough but he wanted to GIVE me the knife! I still can't believe it. As I and others have stated in the past, he is a CLASS act.
Cliff, you are a big Ang Khola sized asset to the knife community, and I thank you from the bottom of my heart!!

Jim
 
Cliff--was that the knife that survived in three blade fragments or only two? I can't seem to keep up.
smile.gif


All kidding aside, Cliff is an asset I would gladly pay to consult, and I've offered him as much in the past, but he insists on giving away the very best information I've seen anywhere on applied knife performance. He has de-bunked several myths for me that, had I paid to expose for myself, would have cost me hundreds of dollars out of pocket. He has also actually single-handedly pushed the envelope of contemporary blade performance by finding bladesmiths such as Phil Wilson, RJ Martin and Ed Schott, among others, who will help him test the physics of knife steel performance.
I think one thing people don't take into consideration with Cliff is that he has one very focused mission--to discover the very best a knife has to offer. In his quest, he has assembled an array of very high performance blades, against which he is glad to test all challengers fairly. And as his knives will cut better and take more punishment than most of what else is out there, the comparisons with other knife materials can make those challengers look inadequate. It's not that Cliff has any interest in deriding anyone's product--he's completely neutral. He's tested some of my best blades and put them in the shade. I KNOW they are excellent, serviceable blades that I'm happy to use for their intended purpose. But now I also know there's something better available--and I have him to thank for that. If he didn't take knives to their threshhold of failure, we'd never know how good they really are. IMHO.
--Will


[This message has been edited by WILL YORK (edited 03-27-2000).]
 
LOL Will!
I'm lucky enough to get one that survived. I have saved all of the tests that he put it through because my other knife and non-knife friends probably wouldn't believe me. It has survived the worst it will see and that is a testament to it's design. I certainly couldn't think of anything else to put it through, so it will be put out to pasture on a beautiful lake surrounded by endless woods. I will provide it a good home and be sure to feed it lots of saplings and tree bark.
What you said about Cliff I couldn't have said any better. I tried in a private e-mail, but it didn't come out near as eloquent as you put it Will. With all of the pointing of fingers around here lately it is nice to be reminded about why we all come here.
To learn from and talk with people that we all would be proud to call a friend.

Take care, (AND a TOPS Steel Eagle)

Jim
smile.gif
 
I do more reading than posting here. I find it a really interesting place. From the manner in which people make their comments, I suspect I am getting a glimpse of their character and I form mental pictures of the various personalities on these forums. When I see a post by Cliff Stamp, I get this picture of a polite gentleman. His statements are logical and are supported by good application of scientific method. I also see him as personally neutral. His interests are hard facts. Although, I sometimes have trouble equating the "lab" experience with "field" experience, I count on Cliff's integrity as a scientist to present the "facts"...i.e. conclusions supported by data. He is a valuable asset to these forums. The more I read about him, the more obvious it becomes that he is quite a good man, as well.
 
Cliff is a class act all the way. Even when he has had reason to slam some on the forums, he kept himself in control and politeness prevailed. That's why I sometimes come in guns blazing when there is a thread that belittles what Cliff has done for knife testing. The knowledge I have gained from his testing, could not have come from anywere else and the money I saved by not buying certain hyped products is considerable.

I'm glad we think alike when it comes to knives.
 
When I first started getting into khukuris, Cliff offered to send me one of his that had passed testing. It ended up being spoken for by someone else, but the intent was still there! That's a pretty cool thing to do...

------------------
My Knife & Sheath Pages:
http://www.geocities.com/CollegePark/Lab/1298/frames.html
Palmer College of Chiropractic
Sheath Makers Referral Directory
agocs_s@dd.palmer.edu
Madpoet (Mel Sorg, Jr.) Tribute page:
http://www.geocities.com/CollegePark/Lab/1298/madpoet/main.html
 
I think the way Cliff keeps his emotions under control when others insult him says a lot about the strength of the man.I too wish to thank him and the others that do the testing around here and share the truth with others.
m
 
Well since were all kissing Cliffs hiney I guess I'll throw mine in too.Cliff is calm under fire,informative and knowledgeable.I'm glad he's breaking his knives not mine
wink.gif

Keep up the good work Cliff.I have doubted some of your methods before but recently I have begun to understand why you do what you do and I respect it.
troy
 
Just wanted to through in a Thank-You to Cliff as well. His reviews and analysis are much appreciated, as well as him demeanor and professionalism.

 
Cliff does indeed bring a scientific objectivity into this forum. As well as a particularly thick skin; he may well answer a flame with the polite information that his mother was not a canine, and further, his parents had been married when he was born!

By far the most important thing is that Cliff has the ability to perform logical, meaningful experiments on knives, and then explain them so lucidly that even I can understand what he means.

Good job, Cliff, keep up the high standard you have set. Walt
 
Ditto to what the others have said. I just want to throw in my 1/4 of a cent (after taxes) Objective reviews and good guy to boot.
 
One note to what Hunter mentioned, I didn't buy the Steel Eagle, it was given to me for a review by Louis Buccellato, a dealer. I was just passing it along, as a rule I don't keep any of the blades I review.

To add to Will's comments, I have been discussing high performance cutting blades for some time with him. The conversation has not been one sided and I gained as much from it or more as Will did.

By the way Will, I have a short run (1500 cm of cardboard) done with a fine and medium finish on the two Boye hunters, and a long run (4000 cm) with a fine finish as well. I will do the medium tonight. I would have finished it by now except I got distracted this weekend.

As I commented to you in email after the prelim. work, the initial edges were significantly better with the 800 grit rod than with the 2000 grit tape on the Edge Pro. I found this a bit odd as the Edge Pro should be both finer and more consistent?

So basically I went back and resparpened one of the other blades (D2 custom) and finished with the ceramic rod and then took the Deerhunter and finished on the Edge Pro. As expected the the D2 was finer now. So it seems I can consistently get about 120 - 140 g with the ceramic and about 165 on the tape.

I figured then it must be the fact that the ceramic was round and the tape was flat and thus I was getting a greater pressure on the contact point. So I again finish on the edge pro but then just steel slightly. Once again I get about 130 g or so for the initial string cut. I then remember that sometimes after short runs I can see an improvement after steeling that brings the performance back above the initial. This then it what is causing that which I had kept meaning to look into but never got around to.

It then comes to me that I have seen this before. I go back and look at some notes I have online and sure enough JJ of Razor's Edge notes that steeling will enhance edge sharpeness. So I have reinvented the wheel. But it was fun anyway and I now can estimate the performance increase I can get, about 10-20%.

Ben :

I have doubted some of your methods before
Click to expand...

If you don't understand why I am doing something, or you think the results could be misleading in some way or whatever, by all means bring it up. Only an increase in knowledge can result, you can't lose information by discussing it.

Walt :

his parents had been married when he was born
Click to expand...

Actually I was 11 days from turning three.

To copfish and the others, thanks.

-Cliff


[This message has been edited by Cliff Stamp (edited 03-29-2000).]
 
It has been my pleasure to speak to Cliff on the phone and exchange a number of emails with him.

His insight has been invaluable in helping me gain perspective on a couple of issues.

His attitude and scholarship have challenged me to pursue some of my interests that have ebbed.

And his skill at logic has saved my butt in a thread or two.

My only regret is that I live all the way across the country from him.

------------------
Thank you,
Marion David Poff aka Eye, Cd'A ID, USA mdpoff@hotmail.com

Talonite and Cobalt Materials Resource Page

"We will either find a way, or make one." Hannibal, 210 B.C.
 
Originally posted by Cliff Stamp:
To add to Will's comments, I have been discussing high performance cutting blades for some time with him. The conversation has not been one sided and I gained as much from it or more as Will did.
-Cliff
Click to expand...

Excuse me, men--had to re-print this in a form that I could blow up for billboard reproduction purposes. I know just the spot on the interstate.

Actually, that's the first certifiable exaggeration I've been able to document from Cliff's reports.

Cliff--appreciate the update. Restores some of my testimonial confidence in Boye's blades. Please don't read the thread that starts out, "I'm not going to ruin this for you..." on this forum. At least not until you've finished testing the forged Stellite blade from Carson and Schwarzer!

Thank you, OB1
--Will




[This message has been edited by WILL YORK (edited 03-29-2000).]
 
I also need to say thank you to Louis Buccellato. (THEMARTIALWAY) He originally provided the knife to Cliff for his tests. Louis, if I read right, the sheath for this knife took quite a beating in Cliff's cold weather kydex test. I'm not sure if it is functional anymore. (Cliff?) Would I be able to get a replacement sheath through you? I would prefer to purchase it through you since you originally provided the knife.

Jim
 
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