Thought I would share this site http:\\www.knifetests.com if you want to see how knives hold up to stuff I would never use a knife for, but good to know.
I would be curious to see how Valkmans knives would do on that test. I know I have used the one I have for tasks comperable to most of the stuf in the test untill it gets into the cinder blocks and such and not hurt it any. Truth is I would woner with some of the tests he spells out if the knife or the vice would fail first against the 15 lbs sledge. They dont get mine to try on though. lol
I bought my RTAK II based on some online reads and their test of it. More abuse than I would be liable to give it in a lifetime...!!
Not sure what he's proving besides the fact that "better" knives are made of softer steel ? I'll bet the "worse" knives hold an edge better... go figure.
Uh, I won't be testing my knives his way...... I mean dont get me wrong, I love destruction as much as anyone else, as long as I dont have to pay for it! (destructive testing looks fun!)
I agree 110%. The nature of a shit blade that sharpens like crap and won't hold an edge is that it will bend instead of breaking when treated incorrectly. That doesn't mean that it's better. It just means it's softer steel. A better link for knife tests that more accurately covers what the knife was intended for is Cliff Stamp. The link to the knife portion of his web page doesn't seem to be working. Maybe it will come back up. http://www.physics.mun.ca/~sstamp/
I have had some very "good" and expensive knives break. If I am limited to the tools in my BOB I want a knife that can handle whatever I throw at it, maybe for chopping into the trunk of a car, I don't know. I can use my Benchmade Emerson CQC7 or Spyderco Wayne Goddard 1st Edition for smaller jobs. Here's what I gleaned from knifetests. knives made of steel with more than .8% carbon are more brittle, the highest rated knife on this site has less than .55% Higher carbon blades need to have the hardness drawn down to make them tough but they lose edge holding ability in the process. I am reading this now to get a better understanding, IF I can. The author is a knife NERD! has a PHD in Metallurgy. http://www.feine-klingen.de/PDFs/verhoeven.pdf LOL I just checked his credentials I think I'm in over my head. http://www.mse.iastate.edu/who-we-are/people/emeritus-professors/john-verhoeven.html
haha i managed a $15 gerber fixed blade knife from a gun show. it seems like it will stand up and slices fingers very quickly
The guy from knifetests takes a LOT of crap from some major knife sites, but I have always appreciated his site. I am glad someone has taken top knives to the destruction point. While the site is not the end-all-be-all for knives, I don't think he ever claimed that! Bussekin knives (which have faired well in his tests) DO sharpen up well and are great TEOFWAWKI (and daily use) knives. knifetest.com is another good resource. My 2 cents.