Towards 0.1 Micron Archive - Observer Bias - we don't need no observer bias!

Diamond Dissecting Scalpel. (2 replies)

Old Spice — Tue, 13 Nov 2018 16:10:10 +0000

Who is interested in giving one of these a try?

[www.emsdiasum.com]

Some examples of their use.

[www.youtube.com]

[www.youtube.com]

Youtube tester observation: "Toothier smoother" cycle (3 replies)

Gaston444 — Tue, 28 Mar 2017 01:35:25 +0000

I came across this video, the relevant portion being at 3.25.

[youtu.be]

He describes the edge as "getting toothier then smoother" in a repeat cycle... I could be wrong, but this sounds to me like a micro-folding of the edge breaking off repeatedly and folding again each time (perhaps in segments, other segments folding at different stages)... I do not do these types of rope tests, so I was curious if there is another explanation for this cycle... Any edge micro-folding to me does not sound good...

Gaston

Vanguard 'Streamlined Slicer' (10 replies)

oldsailorsknives — Mon, 17 Oct 2016 14:37:33 +0000

I have used this knife for 10 days. It works very well as a paring/utility knife. Exceptional 'out of the box' sharpness, push cuts newsprint and shaves without pulling.

Streamlined Slicer Pass Around (2 replies)

VanguardForge — Sun, 18 Sep 2016 02:57:48 +0000

I'll be shipping this out to Scott (Oldsailorknives) in a couple of days. It's 8" OAL, with a 4" blade. 0.25" handle scales with heavy chamfering and rounded corners. It comes with a Tek Lok compatible Kydex sheath.

What I'm looking for:

I've gotten some flak from potential customers for "overgrinding" my knives. Some of this commentary was directed at builds that I felt were underground. I've intentionally pushed the limits of what I feel comfortable doing on this build to see whether my theory on knife grinds is accurate.
I consider this one of my best knife designs. It incorporates a lot of my ergonomic thinking, as well as blade usage (Japanese tanto). Any feedback on carryability, comfort during cutting, potential hotspots, blade shape, tip durability, etc. would be very useful.
I've started sharpening a new way. I'm not going to say what it is until I get some feedback on initial edge durability/sharpness, because I don't want to influence feedback by accident. Basically, any edge feedback you have would be great to hear.
Besides general usability thoughts, I'd love to hear what people think of the knife aesthetically. This includes the lines of the knife as well as finishing details. Please keep in mind that some minor details (artifacts in the logo etching, handle discoloration, minor screw up on the spine rounding, and some tiny lines on the tang) wouldn't be on a final product. I'm lucky some of those went wrong on this build rather than a customer's.

Front

Edge

Handle

Polished edge holding vs diamond striations (13 replies)

Gaston444 — Thu, 19 Jan 2017 23:55:07 +0000

I observed recently the following which I thought might be of interest:

Having a knife known to have very good edge holding with a coarse striated edge (coarse Dia-Sharp grit finish), this was subsequently polished to a high degree by a professional, and I then used this highly polished edge for light brush clearing work. Basically maybe ten 1/4" diameter cedar twigs.

Testing on phonebook paper afterwards I was astonished to see the edge could no longer cut phonebook paper at all, when it did so silently before...

I then mildly touched up this intact-looking, but inefficient, edge with an extra-fine Dia-Sharp hone, thinking this knife was no so great after all...

I quickly restored the edge to phonebook paper slicing level, in fact identical to before, in a few passes, but with a hair-thin line of extra-fine diamond striations into the very fine, near mirror satin polish that remained intact from RazorEdgeKnives.

I then, again assuming this knife was not so great, chopped through two branches of dried-out Maple about 3" in diameter: Fairly stout work for a V-edge with a 0.020" base and about 12 degrees per side.

After this I tested the edge again, and to my surprise the paper slicing was seemingly unaffected, a complete contrast to what a lesser amount of 1/4" sized twigs had done to the high polish edge...

Are highly polished edges inherently poorer than slightly striated edges in edge-holding while chopping? The knife was a 9" Lile Sly II, in either in D-2 or 440C.

Gaston

A Few New Builds (9 replies)

VanguardForge — Fri, 12 Aug 2016 20:01:04 +0000

I've been chipping away at a few builds recently. Here are the results. They're all AEB-L @ 60HRC by Peters HT. All have been flat ground to about 0.012", and have rounded spines and features. The Streamlined Slicer is still available.

Arbitrator, natural canvas Micarta with black G10 liners and carbon fiber pins

Streamlined Slicer, brass menukis and epoxied paracord wrap

Schooner, blue anodized titanium menukis with paracord wrap

Vanguard Forge Petty Pass Around (52 replies)

VanguardForge — Thu, 27 Oct 2016 20:21:08 +0000

Hey guys, this is the Petty. It has a couple of small issues that make it unsellable, but don't detract from usability. It'd be a shame for it to go to waste, so I'd like to hear your feedback on how it works.

Small Fixed Blade from KWB (33 replies)

jasonstone20 — Sun, 09 Oct 2016 16:55:44 +0000

Kyle was gracious enough (or ingenious, because I am going to buy the knife! ;) ) to send me a knife he made to evaluate.

[www.instagram.com]

It didn't come with the paracord set up, I added that to use as a neck or pocket sheath knife.

The steel, Kyle tells me, is AEB-L at 63-64 RC, which other than Scotts paring/deba knife, is the hardest steel in a knife I have ever used. It came with a very sharp 1200# diamond finish, and would easily push cut phonebook/newsprint paper cross grain. It has an interesting hollow grind, kind or a reverse Modified Michael Price grind. From the sharpened sharpening choil, it slightly thickens, thins at the middle, and the slightly thickens again at the tip. One of the tests I do is what I call the 'Mora push cut bite test' to see how well the blade cuts wood for say whittling or feathersticking. Kyle's knife easily matched the Mora, which was unexpected, and made me very excited about the possibility of the performance of this knife.

More coming soon!

fake order pass around. (16 replies)

KWB — Tue, 26 Apr 2016 14:08:04 +0000

I believe it was old spice who suggested having someone make a fake order produce the knife as close to the specs they wanted I didnt really see the full potential of this until I thought about a pass around combined with this.

Knives arent really my main source of income so I can go out for something like this. I figured we could go one or two routes a pile on ideas and make them into one knife purpose built ex- hunting knife- everyone has there input and a when general consensus is made I make the knife as close to spec as I can. Or which I think is cooler someone specs a knife I build the knife and they explain why the wanted certain things and not others all the while each person can view the knife and get a sense of the purpose vehind the knife. Although this could get sideways if I think the suggestion is ill advised or just irrevalant of knife spec vs scope of use. I dont forsee this as a big issue as most if not all are sensible here.

I know Kyley and Cliff have said many times about trying to give people what they want vs what they need etc etc but this isnt that. More me honing my skills and expanding my small view of what my use for knives are, also I just enjoy hearing feedback and perspective on use. It may sound odd but it feels good to hear someone say this is really nice or I dont like this because ego stroking aside its nice to hear good job every now and then when you take pride in what you do.....there was a small amount of emtional sentiment. meh, everyone has a weak moment every now and again.

If you ever wondered what a knife you envisioned might look like or perform like now is the time to speak up. While I do have a small portion of my funds disposable I am not rich so please keep that in mind.

Serrations PASS AROUND. (no replies)

KWB — Sat, 28 Nov 2015 08:45:39 +0000

I have three more finit blades to finish up then aeb-l batch will be going out to PHT. In this batch are various serrations design I made for testing, if you have interest post below. For now this is just a list essentially of who wants to test them. I think there will be 6 or 7 blades.

EN 45 spring steel TEST blades (50 replies)

Philip — Thu, 24 Mar 2016 14:56:51 +0000

Here is the first 4/6 blades I have made for testing. I would've liked to complete all 6 and then chop but I just couldn't resist :)

I can not say that I am very happy with the results as the steel did not perform that great as I would've hoped for it to. Perhaps all it need is some twigging in the HT? Each blade chopped 1 plank of pine stripped of a pallet. 2000 mm X 12 mm X 120 mm. The planks did bare a lot of dried resin. Not sure if it is natural or an artificial treatment to prevent rotting and bug infestation. I chopped it as much and many as I could to get the most out of each plank. After the plank was done, I gave the blade 1 final wack into a knot from a very dry and old pine slat. That is where the biggest damage came on all blades. All of the edges rolled and ripple on chopping the planks. My technique and force didn't change much throughout all of the chopping. Here is the composition of the steel: I would like to try EN 42 as it has about .10% more carbon.

.EN45 is a silicon mangenese spring steel supplied in the as rolled contition. This steel is suitable for oil hardening and tempering.

Chemical data:

C. 0.55%

Si. 1.75%

Mn. 0.75%

S. 0.05%

P. 0.05%

Some site claim that the carbon varies between .55% and .60%

All blades are 400mm in OAL, 47 mm wide and 6 mm thick. Full height flat grind, 0.35 mm edge thickness prior to sharnening 15dps edge using a JET wetstone sharpener.

HT: Soaked at 700C, RU to 930C and soaked 10minutes. Quenced in warm oil. Tempered for 1 hour at 250C.
Blade was fully ground after HT but kept very cooled during.

Lots of ripples in edge. Primary bevel bent/ rippled(?) on the final wack.

HT: Soaked at 700C for 5min. RU to 930C and soaked 15min. Quenched 75% of blade from edge up in warm oil. Repeated this 3 time expect for the 700C pre-soak. Tempered at 200C for 1 hour X 2. Fully ground blade afterward HT but kept cooled.

Edge rippled and rolled less then blade 1 but still suffered. Primary bevel bent/rippled less the no1.

HT: 2 X normalising cycle at 970C (held for 10min). Pre-soak at 700C. RU to 915C and soak for 7min. Quench 75% of blade form edge up. Repeated this 3 times excluding the pre-soaks at 700C. Tempered for 3 X 1 hour at 200C.

Edge damage was the least on this blade but it is still damaged. Pimary bevel bent/rippled damage was about 3mm far behind the edge shoulders.

HT: 2 X normalising cycle at 970C (held for 10min). Skipped the 700C pre-soak. Soaked at 900C for 10min and quenched in warm oil. 75% from edge up. Repeated 3 times. Tempered 3 X 1 hour at 200C. Pre-ground 40% of blade and the rest after HT. Edge thickness during HT was about 2mm.

Thought I was having a champion (well at least out of the 4 blades). Edge rippled and rolled. Gave it 2 final wacks because the damage on first was by far the least (regarding primary damage, it is still present). Second wack tore a massive piece out of the blade.

TEST BLADE 5&6 has been HT but still need to grind.

HT on 5: 2 X normaling at 970C. 7min soak at 880C. Edge quenched in warm oil. Repeated this 3 times. Tempered 3 X 1hour at 180C.

HT on 6: 2 X normalising at 970C. 15min soak at 880C, quench. 10min soak at 880C, quench. 5min soak at 880C quench. Temper 2 x 1 hour at 180C.

Both of these were tempered together and reliased the oven was on 220C. So I resoaked both at 880C. 5 was held for 15min and quenched. 6 was held at 7min and quench. Tempered now at 180C for 2 X 2Hours at 180C.

I am not sure if these blades are going to perform any better or worse then the first 4 but I am committed to complete the test.

JET Wetstone sharpener (3 replies)

Philip — Mon, 09 Nov 2015 03:38:18 +0000

What do you guys think of this setup ?

I got 1 a few years ago cos it made perfectly sense to me at the time. It allows you to put perfect edge angles on the blade with the use of a jig and the blade is sharp after good stropping to remove the burr. The setup comes with a stone dresser that'll roughen up your stone wheel to 220 and on the other side of dresser, it'll smooth the wheel to 1000. This is according to JET. What's also great is the wheel runs through a water reservoir and thus keeping the blade cool. I must say that it is a bit of a mission if you tend to sharpen a knife every now and then but if you have multiple to do at a time then it ok. But now I'm starting to wonder, since it is a wheel and you sharpen the blade at a 90 degrees to the wheel, this creates a very tiny hollow edge. Would this actually make the edge less durable and result to micro chipping/rolling or just simple failure of edge retention?

I hope I'm asking the question in the right tread.

Kyle Bettleton custom serrations (48 replies)

CliffStamp — Sat, 29 Oct 2016 04:32:55 +0000

The knives :

The customs are from Kyle Bettleton, he is just playing with some patterns :

These serrated patterns are all similar, 0.005-0.010" at the tops back to 0.020" in the middle of the rear scallop.

vs

The first check was push cutting on a soft media, one of the worse case applications for serrations and obviously the Catcherman was not designed to do this well.

The reference blade :

This is very close to ideal for a paring knife :

-0.005"/15 dps edge bevel
-full flat grind on very thin steel, 0.045"

It is possible to have higher performance, the Herder for example (zero grind with a micro-bevel), but the performance is very high with an IVO. There is just the slightest amount of force in the peeling.

-150 to 250 g

The Catchermen was awkward peeling, the force was high due to the serration pattern, pushing that through the potato was very inefficient, though it did leave a cool pattern if you wanted to make ruffle chips. The force to make a thin peel :

-800 to 900 g

Kyle has not named these so I am going to, I call this one the Shark. Awkward as well peeling, not as much as the Catcherman, but not much better :

-700 to 900 g

if you are wondering why the ranges seem high, a gram is a tiny amount of force and the angle/speed of the cut and the movement of the potato causes it to jump around. I did five cuts with all of them and then just bounded the entire groups and rounded out.

The rabbit.

Big step up, the large flat regions peel well so you end up with small resistance from the scallops. The increase in performance is a large jump, no need to measure it to see it. After I did all the measurements I had two friends independently rank the blades by difficulty/feel, they both made the same rank almost immediately.

-400 to 600 g

The Hyena.

The serrations are asymmetic, sloped back (like the Veff), this makes a difference and the peeling is smoother. It isn't the same as the IVO but the difference is only slight as in I would notice the difference but not complain about it, or go look for the IVO to peel. The others it would be a forced choice to use them :

-300 to 400 g

I then made a bunch of full slices, almost the exact same ranking which would be expected given that they are both push cuts :

-Ivo : 250 - 350 g
-Catcherman : 1600-1800 g
-Shark : 1400-1500
-Rabbit : 800 - 1000
-Hyena : 600 - 800

The Ivo is ahead a bit more here because the customs all have much thicker stock (0.135") and you have to push this through the potato. You don't cut this deep when you are peeling hence the ranks are the same, but they are more spread out on the deeper cutting.

The conclusions here are not that dramatic but they do show that lumping all serrations together isn't at all sensible as they behave very differently so saying "serrations are/do X" is a problematic claim in general.

In this case what worked well was :

-large flat regions to allow push cuts
-sloped back serrations which make it act like a skew chisel

as well, having the serrations on :

-high flat ground blades
-very thin bevels at moderate angles (the customs were all 15-20 dps)

made them cut well in general.

This is of course just one check of many, so it isn't sensible to just pick the knife that worked best here and say it is the best pattern. However it is weak evidence of what style of serration could work well for push cuts. I want to run a similar check on carving woods and then try some slicing and some combination cuts (plastic is decent for that) and then look at issues of durability and ease of maintenance.

As an aside, I really would like to see a commentary video from Spyderco as after this was over I realized that it would have been more sensible to include the serrated Spyderco kitchen knives I have (derp) which are both on loan. I will do some work with them as well shortly and add it to the writeup as I compile it.

Ref :

- [www.spyderco.com]

Spyderco Lil' Matriarch (26 replies)

Ryan Nafe — Wed, 16 Aug 2017 19:04:01 +0000

I've had this knife for a while and would like some other perspectives on it's utility. I find it much more versatile than the blade shape may indicate, but this is the first and only hawkbill type knife I've used, so I'm curious to see what the rest of you think. If anyone is interested, let me know.

Spyderco Street Beat (111 replies)

Bugout Bill — Mon, 01 Feb 2016 04:05:39 +0000

The recurve has been largely removed and the sheath is a little loose.

Anyone want to play with it for while?

Butchering a pig soon... anyone need knife eval'd? (11 replies)

razoredgeknives — Tue, 31 Mar 2015 17:56:27 +0000

Going to be killing porky soon =) not sure if I will be skinning or scraping yet... doing another one this weekend (scraping) so I will decide after I see how that goes. A larger butcher type knife would be preferable, but I can use whatever you wanna send. Just let me know.

asking for an eval of a small cleaver and a paring knife (25 replies)

oldsailorsknives — Thu, 30 Jul 2015 01:14:18 +0000

hi,
is anyone interested in evaluating a cleaver and a paring knife. the cleaver has a 5"x2 1/2 blade(fits in small USPS prioity box), the paring knife will have a 3 1/2" blade. will try to pictures up tonite. will be ready to send to first victim, i mean evaluator monday. the are knives i have made.
Scott

KWB Blades pass around (67 replies)

KWB — Wed, 10 Aug 2016 01:06:58 +0000

I have got a couple knives that I would like to do a pass around on and get others perspective on design,performance, execution, fit and finish etc. I currently have cts-xhp knives done in various edc type designs. Is anyone interested?

Carter Cutlery (10 replies)

CliffStamp — Wed, 17 Dec 2014 00:52:08 +0000

Background Details : [oldforum.beyondt01micron.com]

Website : [www.cartercutlery.com]

Wicked Edge (53 replies)

CliffStamp — Wed, 11 Feb 2015 18:44:32 +0000

As a gesture of support more than anything else :

[www.youtube.com]

I am considering the WE Field and Sport :

-[www.wickededgeusa.com]

I may get various options as well depending on what is applicable.

I would be interested in :

-people who struggle with sharpening
-people who are decent with freehand
-people who want just an utility edge
-people who like to spend hours to perfect an edge

If there is any interest I will pick this up, have a look through the options to see if anything it interesting as well. If anyone suggests the strop kit then you get a free pass to the Bark River Grind-In with a "Hello, my name is Cliff Stamp!" name tag.

WE forum cross-post : [www.wickededgeusa.com]

Sharpmaker : CBN rods : 400 grit/mesh (121 replies)

CliffStamp — Wed, 27 Jul 2016 05:23:29 +0000

These are prototype, lots of interesting questions to answer :

-how fast do they cut
-can they be used to alter an angle in a sensible amount of time
-do they load, how to clean
-how sharp are the edges
-burr formation issues

and the list goes on.

Spyderco thread : [www.spyderco.com]

Hunterseeker Armory : CrOX Stropping Suspension (62 replies)

CliffStamp — Fri, 04 Dec 2015 15:23:21 +0000

Ref page : [sites.google.com]

This passaround is a little different than other passarounds in that it isn't most likely going to be a passaround as such. I have a number of the bottles and you just get one and you keep it.

If there is a huge request this may be modified, and if you really like the product and find it part of your regular routine then I would suggest to actually buy it and pass along the bottle.

[www.youtube.com]

As always, the passarounds are independent evaluations, the goal isn't to do what I would do, that would be largely redundant (aside from keeping me honest/unbiased), however as some interesting questions for consideration in use :

On this particular product :

-how does it compare to other compounds as the market is littered with Chromium Oxide compounds
-does a suspension provide different value/functionality vs a block or loose powder
-are there some surfaces which are better/worse than others
-is is better suited to soft vs hard vs textured supports
-is this an effective (or even sensible) stone load
-if you make a complaint will spike pull a richmond

As general stropping questions :

-what happens if you use this on an already sharp/burr free coarse edge (sharpness, edge retention, durability)
-issues with over stropping/rounding
-if you stropped every day what happens (edge retention, durability) with various knives
-how does it work vs a smooth steel

As just one example (not limited to this suspension) these kinds of abrasives do allow for the ultimate in portability. Take a piece of newsprint (japanese if possible) and spray it with the suspension, once dry fold it and put it in your wallet.

ckc tapered utility-mule : discussion/results (10 replies)

CliffStamp — Fri, 21 Feb 2014 22:05:07 +0000

Full stock / heavy utility : [oldforum.beyondt01micron.com]

This one has a full distal taper and full tang taper :

+

+

This is :

-200 grams
-0.235" stock

vs :

-130 grams
-0.11" stock

The edge :

-light, coarse micro-bevel
-not over buffed
-shaves, scratchy
-side bias
-push cuts newsprint on a 45, 1/2" PoH

-Espirit = 180 (10)
-Bergia = 0.20 (5)

Very high slicing aggression, push cutting sharpness moderate - again, expected from a medium-coarse finish.

3/8" hemp :

-31 (2) lbs on a push
-21 (2) lbs on a slice

This was interesting as the heavy utility was :

-23 (1) lbs on a push
-12 (1) lbs on a 2" draw

However this one has a slightly heavier edge :

-0.008"/16-17 dps

But hemp is also extremely inconsistent, even though I cut on three different rolls, make two cuts and average them all, still you can get large deviations. I think this is just showing more the hemp differences from the six cuts on the HU vs the six cuts on the LU.

On wood :

-141 (5) cuts on 1" dowel

vs :

- 90 (5)

for the heavier model. This is again showing how critical edge thickness/angle is on shallow cutting.

A standard Mora is 75 (5), edge angle is *critical* on shallow wood cutting.

As an aside, this is why people on YT often get confused about grind geometry as they take a comment from Kyley on the important of thin grinding and then they put a 20 dps bevel on two knives, and they don't see any difference in shallow cutting and a Sebenza cuts just as well as one of Kyley's knives.

However on softer wood the very thin primary grind shows its ability and it just floats through some 3/4" pine.

In general the lighter weight makes it much easier to handle in this work, and it was easily sharp enough to cut these materials without concern. However on a positive note I found that 18 guage (1 mm) speaker wire is interesting to cut. This has a :

-1 mm core of copper
-hard plastic inner shell
-metal wrap
-insulated outer shell

Attempts to cut this were problematic as the edge would get in the middle of the wire and deform :

These are 50X magnification shots.

I am going to start cutting this as normal to see what can push cut it and what doesn't and if it dents/chips.

As an aside if you are cutting it for practical reasons, don't push cut it. Put the knife on it, put in on a hard surface and just hit the knife to drive it through quickly/evenly.

500 slices into pine, very high roughing ability, a couple of issues with over hand grips due to a few contact points.

None of the work made a significant impact on sharpness (aside from the 18 awg speaker cable) and it still easily sliced through newsprint.

In general this was an interesting comparison as it shows clearly the critical influence of sharpness, edge angle and thickness to shallow cutting and even a dramatic difference in stock thickness can be over shadowed.

I zero ground it and this was interesting as well :

-2000 passes, 700X Bester
-850 passes, 240X Sigma

This was a much lower ratio than previous grinds, but I think this is not a close actual grinding ratio but because one side was slightly thinner than the other side. It ground very well on the stones, minimal wasted abrasive, this is a nice steel to grind.

cKc - heavy utility mule : results/discussion (45 replies)

CliffStamp — Wed, 08 Jan 2014 01:49:58 +0000

Info + SignUp : [oldforum.beyondt01micron.com]

A few specifications :

-200 grams
-0.235" stock

-edge bevel is < 0.008" thick
-primary grind is convex, at 0.060" it is 11 dps
-secondary edge bevel is ~15 dps

The initial edge sharpness is a bit inconsistent. It is well formed :

but appears used. To be clear this is a test/mule so take that into consideration as the blade itself is also fairly scratched up.

In the sharpest sections :

-push cuts newsprint at 1/8" from the point of hold
-shaves, but has a side bias

This would impress most people, but not the sharpening geeks.

-Espirit thead - 240 (10) grams
-Bergia thread - 0.35 (5) cm

This shows a high degree of slicing aggression (above normal) but only moderate push cutting, again though this appears used and I doubt Kyley made a serious effort to sharpen it.

3/8" hemp :

-23 (1) lbs on a push
-12 (1) lbs on a 2" draw

These kinds of numbers you need to actually just do to see what they mean, given the only moderate sharpness it shows the degree to which even a very thick blade can cut a lot of materials well if it is ground very thin at the edge. The next time you read someone doing 3/8" hemp on a scale, see how often they start with < 12 lbs on the first cut, and again this is a used edge.

-easily made very thin slices off of narrow foam
-cut the thick foam but the thick blade was causing some splitting/spalling of the foam
-easily cuts through ropes
-slices up plastics
-cuts through pop cans

Hardwood dowel : 90 (5) slices to make a cut, matching the performance of a standard Mora, out performs it on softer wood due to the primary grind which again shows what a primary grind can do even on thicker stock.

-500 slices on pine

None of the above had any significant effect on the edge, not one glint of light. It easily sliced newsprint still, but would not push cut, that was the only effect.

In short :

-it appears to have no serious flaws in the steel
-is a solid user design, reminds me a lot of Boye (thick spine/thin edge)

To be clear the work in the above is not that demanding, any knife should be able to cut up a small amount of wood, plastics, pop cans and such and not implode.

On an amusing note, this is really handle heavy and as soon as I picked it up I wanted to do a pommel strike, I guess I have a bit of operator in me.

cKc - utility blade (183 replies)

CliffStamp — Sat, 27 Aug 2016 00:57:47 +0000

Compared to a Victorious :

A few specifications :

-200 grams
-0.235" stock

-edge bevel is < 0.008" thick
-primary grind is convex, at 0.060" it is 11 dps
-secondary edge bevel is ~15 dps

You need your big boy pants on for this one as you don't get to know the steel or how it is hardened until the passaround is over.

--

Summary to date : [cliffstamp.beyondt01micron.com] .

Evaluation Group (28 replies)

CliffStamp — Sun, 07 Sep 2014 16:26:41 +0000

A few years back I started an evaluation group, I lost track of it when I went to India for a few years. The back idea of it is that I never wanted my reviews to be dominated by my work / findings because no matter how unbiased I was the results are still skewed by my preferences / style of use. As just one example, for chopping knives I prefer a heavier blade which I can swing slower with more power, but if you watch gav's video's you can see that his style is much more suited to a faster blade. Thus the two of us would likely have some differences of opinion, this isn't a matter of right/wrong we are simply looking for different things.

The goal then is to have a group of people who are interested in giving feedback. There are no rules on what kind of feedback, what you can do, what you can't do, or how you do it or report it. The results can be numerical, can be pictures, can be video or can be a simple qualitative assessment, whatever you find fun or enjoyable. There are only two real rules :

-you have to be honest

-you have to be willing to pay the shipping to the next guy

That is it. It would be nice if you can sharpen it but it isn't mandatory, but at least make an attempt (hell, this is your time to experiment so give it a shot). There is no limit to how long you can keep it for an evaluation as long as you are reasonable as everyone else would want a turn as well. Just keep in mind and if you are going to be busy then let me know so when I am sorting out the list I keep in mind so you don't get a knife sent to you but you won't be able to use it for weeks.

Again this isn't a job, it isn't a commitment. You can sign up to be on the evaluation group and then when knife comes up you can say you don't want to evaluate that knife because you are not interested in that particular knife, or maybe you really like that knif and you are taking a job fishing for a few months and want to do an extended evaluation - that would be perfect. Again, the goal is to provide useful information, but it isn't a job, you are doing it because you enjoy using knives and this gives you a way to see some knives just for the cost of shipping.

It also gives you the change to do some things that you may not wish to do with your own knives. Maybe you are curious as to what would happen if you took one of the nice VG-10 damascus kitchen knives and then cycled it through a dishwasher, or took a very fine edged kitchen knife and cut up some lobster, how much damage would the edge take? How much wear would an S30V knife take if you used it to cut up shingles for a day, etc. . Again keep in mind other people wish to use the knife as well - but relax, if something happens I won't put out a hit on you.

If this sounds interesting just send me a PM and I'll add you to the group and once knives come up I will send out a group email. I will also have some very loose things I would like to see looked at, but again, this isn't a job, if the things I mention look interesting then have at them, if you are curious about something else, look at that instead.