Just one more thing. The "abuse" on knifetests.com may seem madness to everyone who likes beautiful knives. Who would want to smash concrete tiles with an expensive Ontario, Coldsteel, Strider... But look at it this way: why do they smash new, perfectely good cars? Of course to discover their weak points. To see if the driver would survive! I for sure always try to drive careful and maintain and lubricate what need to be maintained and lubricated. But what car would you feel safest to drive? That's the car that passed the tests.

I don't completely dispute his methods. I just wish they were a bit more scientific so one test could be compared to the next...he's getting better in that he's at least standardised his methods (sorta).

One of the first articles about the LMFII (I use this as an example because it's the only knife I own which he's destroyed testing) was written by a US military sniper who used his to drill a hole in cinder block wall so he could return fire without exposing himself. Reading about this sort of real world use eventually led me to that site.

On a sort of related note I just picked up the most recent copy of Field & Stream because they had a winter survival article in it and in the back they tested some knives. Some of the tests were along the lines of knifetest.com. The LMFII was the only knife to fully survive being pounded into a stump like a nail with a sledge hammer.

Thanks

S30V is designed for knives. Not short swords. As a practical matter I would expect the handle and lock on a RSK Mk1 to fail before the blade does. Not that I have had a Benchmade fail on me yet.

http://www.cutleryscience.com/reviews/blade_materials.html

It's interesting to read about the S30V. Lots of problems with heat treatment, lots of mixed feelings on how effective it is and I especially like the comment about the green beret having edge retention comparable to a Buck 119...a knife I bought at Walmart last year for under $20. It seems that there are many reports of 'gross fractures'...that's what I'd call what happened in the video regardless of the 3 lb. hammer.

I see no point to the www.knifetest.com testing to chop through a cinder block or to chop through 2-inches of 1/8 or ¼ inch thick steel. Just to see a knife fail.

It has nothing to do with the reality of what a person will ever do with a knife. If you want to chop cinder blocks, get a hammer & chisel. If you want to cut ¼ inch steel, get a hacksaw.

There are situations where a knife must be abused. One that comes to mind is pounding it in into a wall to use it as a step. Which, there are documented cases of people in the armed forces doing just that. Therefore, testing a knife to it's breaking point does help people, that may find themselves in those situations, pick the best blade they can.

Sure, 99.99% of people may not need the ability to break concrete with their knife. But, it's that .01% that when they need to hammer into concrete, chances are they REALLY need to hammer into concrete.

Now, on one hand I'm not a big fan of their methods. It's somewhat haphazard and could be a lot more scientific. But, on the other hand I do agree that the only way to see what a tool can do is to use it and test it. It's just like subjecting a car to a crash test, but for knives. You want to know how much of a chance it might have in the worst of situations.

Actually Mors Kochanski does employ his own strength test not dissimilar to using one as a wall step. Mors drives a knife into a tree and stands on it. Mors uses Moras.

Gives me an interesting idea. You know how every Schatt and Morgan knife is "File and wire tested", Frosts of Sweden should say their blades are "Mors Kochanski tested". Instead of the measure of cut wire thickness printed on the blade, Mors Kochanski's weight is laser etched on every Mora.

http://outdoors-magazine.com/spip.php?article341

It's about a Mors 'inspired' knife made in Montana (nice knife actually) but quotes the section of Mors' book on knife selection.



Now that I read this (I lost my copy of Northern Bushcraft ages ago) I'm tempted to try it with some of my questionable knives just to see.

The book also mentions a full tang with a pommel which is strong enough to allow the knife to be driven into wood tip first.