Originally Posted By: BobS
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.