first of all it has to feel right, if a knife doesn't feel like a big solid peice of steel, i won't use it for any hard work. Chopping thats is, i don't really abuse mine equipment. I had knife's which proberbly would easily shop branches and stuff, but didn't feel solid enough, so i never use them. Mine "paranoia" of breaking mine knife's insures me that i got very thick, solid knife's which will definatly not break wenn i use it. The thinner steels just get the easy jobs, like mine attemps to carve spoons, which somehow always ends up more like a toothpick...

as for folders, i don't own much. Just a opinel and a Swith and wesson. But i can tell you that if i needed to test a folding knife's i would simpely bring in to mine work and use it. It will see a LOT cardbox boxes and some of them has some nice ceramic, steel or other hard things in it, which i "cut" very frequently. Mine knife blade ( smith and wesson cuttin' horse )needs to be sharpend after every 1 or 2 user days. I have also lost mine thumbstuds ( now a small bolt and 3 tiny nuts and tape ), the bolts are all damaged from the countless take-a-part actions, massive amount of scratches. SO i guess that would be one heck of a test. And ofcorse it's always funny to to see mine people trying to close the knife after they borowed it... I have shown them how to unlock it, but somehow they just forget and try all kinds of way to close it. ehh... pressing the logo won't help !