Your recent opinion on Nick Shabazz ?

Dfunk1210 said:
Actually thats not what I’m not saying at all. There are knives thick behind the edge that I do in fact like. But i never said I prefer thick behind the edge. But I do prefer thick stock and precision slicing is not an everyday need for me. I just think it all goes hand in hand. Production companies are not gonna look at the conversation and say, “how am I going to make a thick stock knife with a proper grind?” They are going to make a thinner stock knife that can slice better. The ZT 470 is proof of this.
Click to expand...

None of what you said indicates why he shouldn't call out a knife for being chubby behind the edge during a review. Because, all other things being equal, the vast majority of the knife enthusiasts will pick the knife that's ground thinner at the edge, Shabazz included, because it's better for almost every circumstance. Unless you're doing things that seriously damage your blade's edge, thinner edges will always benefit the user in terms of performance and ease of sharpening. There's way too many reviewers here that don't mention that, and it does a disservice to the majority of us watching their content.

Some companies absolutely do make thick knives with proper edge grinds. Ever had a Microtech, or a Manly knife? They're generally well under .020" at the edge. Plenty of other good mid-techs and high end makers that make edge thickness a priority.
 
Regarding discussion of edge thickness in reviews:

Given the goal of providing the viewer with information that may help them determine good/bad choices for them, it makes sense to talk about thickness behind the edge.

Where I think we have an opportunity is in getting away from “has X dimension, so it’s bad”, which is a matter of opinion, and moving toward “has X dimension, so it is well suited to ____”, which may be statements of fact, or simply reporting the dimension and letting the viewer do with it what they will.
 
I like his videos - don't always agree with all his points (I have big sausage fingers ;)), but i always enjoy them. And I appreciate his tear-down videos - I would of lost the stop pin in my BM Proper if he hadn't pointed it out!
 
RBid said:
Regarding discussion of edge thickness in reviews:

Given the goal of providing the viewer with information that may help them determine good/bad choices for them, it makes sense to talk about thickness behind the edge.

Where I think we have an opportunity is in getting away from “has X dimension, so it’s bad”, which is a matter of opinion, and moving toward “has X dimension, so it is well suited to ____”, which may be statements of fact, or simply reporting the dimension and letting the viewer do with it what they will.
Click to expand...
I'm all on board with reporting edge dimensions. That hardly ever seems to be given by manufacturers. But if they won't do that, then I'd at least like them to say "it's too thick, compared to [insert knife here]", even if that's just a relative statement.
 
marrenmiller said:
I'm all on board with reporting edge dimensions. That hardly ever seems to be given by manufacturers.
Click to expand...

The problem is measuring it. If you treat it as "thickness at the end of the V-bevel", then it'll vary depending on sharpening angle. And what do you do with Scandis? People often discuss "reporting these numbers", but it's non-trivial to even find a way to do so.
 
Really if you can't survive in the wilderness with a SAK then you are not going to be able to survive with a big "murdery" lol combat/bushcraft knife.
I think the reviews with giant knives where they batton wood are pretty pointless and moot. They all chop wood and start fires with ferro rods.

I'm way more interested in finer knives and thier differences. Something that Nick does an amazing job pointing out. Many of his vids he's pointed out little things I would have never ever thought about. And I feel like its improved my education and understanding of knives.
 
cbrstar said:
Really if you can't survive in the wilderness with a SAK then you are not going to be able to survive with a big "murdery" lol combat/bushcraft knife.
I think the reviews with giant knives where they batton wood are pretty pointless and moot. They all chop wood and start fires with ferro rods.

I'm way more interested in finer knives and thier differences. Something that Nick does an amazing job pointing out. Many of his vids he's pointed out little things I would have never ever thought about. And I feel like its improved my education and understanding of knives.
Click to expand...

I’m inclined to agree with that analysis in bold. One function those baton and ferro rod videos perform is to reassure many of their subscribers that the big-ass knife they bought could totally save their bacon, in their fantasy survival scenario. ;)
 
NickShabazz said:
The problem is measuring it. If you treat it as "thickness at the end of the V-bevel", then it'll vary depending on sharpening angle. And what do you do with Scandis? People often discuss "reporting these numbers", but it's non-trivial to even find a way to do so.
Click to expand...
Nobody said it was perfect. Any method, if consistently applied, is better than none at all, which is what most people do right now. If you want, you could opt to report that thickness and the edge angle, which you can easily estimate in a couple seconds using an inclusive angle tool like Pete does, and that gives you all the geometric info you need. A simple script could take that info and rank measurements for different knives any way you wanted to.

Even without reporting the edge angle, you can assume for most companies aside from Spyderco that they're targeting around 20-ish dps. For the kind of differences I'm interested in, like "this knife is .035" behind the edge, holy crap that's thick", it won't really matter that much because that's too thick regardless of what angle is on it, unless it was ground to like 5 dps or something ridiculous. For all reasonably possible edge angles from most good companies, edge thickness is relatively comparable without knowing the angle.

I think people know that you can't report scandi grinds that way. Then again, they're so rare on folders that hardly anybody will care if you forgo it.
 
Last edited:
He’s honest and seems to genuinely care about the industry and his audience. He also doesn’t take himself too seriously, which is all to rare in this day and age. While I may not agree with him 100% of the time, I always enjoy his take and can respect his opinion. I think a lot of the haters are just miserable people who should watch something else or make their own videos if they think they’d do a better job. His videos helped me built a maintenance kit and find many knives I now love. Any time I’ve interacted with him, he’s been a gem. I think he has a net positive impact on the community.
 
Last edited:
MittenStateMashers said:
NickShabazz NickShabazz how does it feel to have 10 pages of B.F. celebrity going on? .
Click to expand...

Just as flattering, humbling, and honestly, surreal, as the popularity I seem to have on YouTube. It’s great to get the feedback where people aren’t feeling the love, but mostly it’s heartwarming. You all are awesome, and I truly do appreciate all the kind words.
 
NickShabazz said:
Don't worry, it's OK. You are much more manly than I am. I've made my peace.
Click to expand...

Well, my hands are indeed of a more manly size than yours, but lack manly callouses (they tended to get too thick and rip off my not-quite-manly-enough skin which likes to tear), so I simply wear gloves. :)

These days, I too work in an environment where knives are frowned upon...in fact, a 2 inch blade would be some sort of horrid work infraction at the awful place I work right now. That's why God invented zippered pouches that hide things in pockets though. :D (and to think that I used to make fun of those stupid "pocket organizers" in years gone by...)

In days gone by, my knife was a valuable tool at work...but now, I am forbidden to have even a sheet of paper in the office, as it could be used to write down and steal secrets that no one I know of--including myself--give even the slightest crap about. There are no boxes to open, tape to cut, or even a staple to pry from a stack of paper (paper being forbidden and all).

But I still carry knives that your detractors would consider "manly" on most days, not because of any great need, but because I want to, and it makes the soul-crushing drudgery of a job that combines the worst aspects of office work with the lowest wage the law allows to be paid sort of, almost, kind of bearable. ;)

One of the girls there has plastic cats on her desk to stare at and try to keep sane...I have my "manly" knives in my pockets to serve the same function. Whoo!!!
 
He is a youtuber, as such if you like what he does “like and subscribe” otherwise look for another channel.
IMHO there is no big deal in it.

For what I am concerned I like his videos and his take on some knives.
As any human beeing he has his personal biases just as any of us.

I have not exactly the same interests in knives so I will have some different opinions on some of the knives he reviews but otherwise I appreciate what he does as a knife enthusiast that mainly want a knife to cut things an not to stab other people :)
 
Last edited:
It seems like him and Anthony get a little steel confused on geargeeks. Like maybe a little more research would help. Other then that they talk about knives like most people who do who have tons and dont really need that many.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top