- Joined
- Jan 6, 2005
- Messages
- 9,680
I became a maker to have full control over my gear. Backpacks, knives, clothing and various other accoutrements. My personal knives get used hard. Digging, chopping, prying, hammering, battoning.... sometimes even cutting.
Sure, I could bring all the various tools designed for those tasks but I don't want to... I want my knife. I know what constitutes abuse and I really don't care. I have buckets of broken blades... thats how you learn and grow as a tool maker. If you aren't failing, you aren't learning. If you don't know when your knife will fail, you don't know your knife. Mr. Marchland, what about "limit"-testing - pushing each of the various aspects/properties of the knife to its limits as described in my previous post? (e.g. cutting through conventional materials until the knife loses its edge)
For the car example, obviously each car will have the test tailored to its specific uses, but you might push the engine of each car to the limits of performance, maximum speed and rate of acceleration, wheel traction, braking ability, resistance to the elements, etc. The "limit" in such tests includes a certain level of "destruction" though perhaps not catastrophic failure of the entire automobile. Let's not shoot bullets through the ferrari's lack of armor plating since that is not one of its supposed properties, but we might throw rain and hail and rocks at it... *shrug*
Or perhaps we could test the limits of sexiness in the women that we can attract with each carVideo or photographic documentation would be essential for this, of course.
My favorite thing about limit-testing knives is the surprise performance level of products NOT marketed for "hard use", knives devoid of hyperbole, knives like a $10 Mora... of course the skill-level of the user can greatly effect the limits of knife's performance, which is why it is better that the tester be of average skill-level, another control.
I am all about pushing the limits. The problem lies in the definition of those limits. I can't use Moras for my style. They are too weak in the lateral stress dept... I have friends who use the heck out of Moras... I've tried to like them but they just don't cut it (Pun intended). If I were to review one as a bush blade, it would fail. I respect Busse for the abuse their blades can take but they just don't float my boat, either. I needed something between a Mora and a Busse.... lol.... that narrowed it down.
I think we are on the same page. My only issue is when test results get misinterpreted. How many people would miss out on Moras, if they took my opinion as absolute?
Rick
