Erica's edc is my least favorite yt channel. Outpost 76 and Cedric & Ada are top for me rn. Erica is always creating some imaginary drama and rage baiting. She was also full of bs with the rec thing when she said that she didn't have family that she could fall back on, while also stating that her family offered her 16 grand or something, and her brother owns the house they grew up in.
I emailed her, added a link to this thread and invited her to join. I said that the group would enjoy her presence. I'm assuming that she received the email? No response.
sal
Hello Sal, I reached out to Erica looks like she never got your e-mail. She can be reached at eslater9@gmail.com
I hope she stops by. She can add another dimension to the conversation.
Same here. She is pretty knowledgeable about knives and steels, and I enjoy watching her videos. Sal should send her a knife - I bought quite a few K390 Spydercos because of her high recommendation for the steel.
Erica's edc is my least favorite yt channel. Outpost 76 and Cedric & Ada are top for me rn. Erica is always creating some imaginary drama and rage baiting. She was also full of bs with the rec thing when she said that she didn't have family that she could fall back on, while also stating that her family offered her 16 grand or something, and her brother owns the house they grew up in.
The best thing is that it is a big world out there, and there is a lot to see. The knife community has so many different corners, and we are blessed to have the freedom to enjoy some over others, or even more than one at the same time.
Case in point: I have an appreciation for people, in general, who have the courage to push the envelope. I am a huge fan of Joe X's tests. I understand that is probably not a popular opinion around here because anytime has has tested Spyderco knives, he pretty much obliterated them. Objectively, it is not surprising to me, because of 2 things about Spyderco: a focus on higher HRC steels, and the Spydie hole, which can be seen in one sense as a large stress riser right where the blade should be the strongest. But it's all about priorities. Spyderco = edge performance and everyday usefulness. Others, like Demo and Cold Steel, prioritize durability while sacrificing cutting performance and edge retention.
He basically tests knives to failure, through unbelievable amounts of abuse. Somewhat ironically, but very respectfully, I think Sal sums up his philosophy the best - 'you have to go past the limit to know where the limit is'...and that is what he does. I think those tests are incredibly valuable, and I also want to echo what I've heard Scab from Choirboyz Outdoors say...'every review has value'.
To that end, I'm an odd one out in the knife community, because my largest gravitations and appreciations are towards both opposing ends of the bell curve. But I also like that, and carry knives that reflect that. I work in the trades, which means I can be brutally hard on gear - so I like having both ultra tough knives I can pry and twist and chop against metal, and also superb examples of cutting art that are used for specialized, high performance cutting tasks.
Erica has specifically gone out of her way to promote the 'steel afi' and 'USA made' sectors of the knife community, I think something that a large majority of posters here can identify with, and something that is in no way a majority of the knife community, either. We share a lot of common ground.
I hope she decides to come on in and join the discussion.
I don't know what the typical response to stress testing is here or anywhere else for that matter, but for me I agree. It is hard to know how tough something is if you don't break it, so if someone is willing to break it for our education, I don't see what would be bad about that. Someone else might say my favorite knife was junk because he was able to break it, and while I may not agree because any tool can be broken if used out of context, what matters in the end is how it works for me. By breaking it though, that person tells me where I can go with the knife before it breaks, which is great for me regardless of whether I form the same opinion about the knife as the person who broke it.
Erica's edc is my least favorite yt channel. Outpost 76 and Cedric & Ada are top for me rn. Erica is always creating some imaginary drama and rage baiting. She was also full of bs with the rec thing when she said that she didn't have family that she could fall back on, while also stating that her family offered her 16 grand or something, and her brother owns the house they grew up in.
Joe x is fun to watch, although I would never do what he does to any of my knives
The best thing is that it is a big world out there, and there is a lot to see. The knife community has so many different corners, and we are blessed to have the freedom to enjoy some over others, or even more than one at the same time.
Case in point: I have an appreciation for people, in general, who have the courage to push the envelope. I am a huge fan of Joe X's tests. I understand that is probably not a popular opinion around here because anytime has has tested Spyderco knives, he pretty much obliterated them. Objectively, it is not surprising to me, because of 2 things about Spyderco: a focus on higher HRC steels, and the Spydie hole, which can be seen in one sense as a large stress riser right where the blade should be the strongest. But it's all about priorities. Spyderco = edge performance and everyday usefulness. Others, like Demo and Cold Steel, prioritize durability while sacrificing cutting performance and edge retention.
He basically tests knives to failure, through unbelievable amounts of abuse. Somewhat ironically, but very respectfully, I think Sal sums up his philosophy the best - 'you have to go past the limit to know where the limit is'...and that is what he does. I think those tests are incredibly valuable, and I also want to echo what I've heard Scab from Choirboyz Outdoors say...'every review has value'.
To that end, I'm an odd one out in the knife community, because my largest gravitations and appreciations are towards both opposing ends of the bell curve. But I also like that, and carry knives that reflect that. I work in the trades, which means I can be brutally hard on gear - so I like having both ultra tough knives I can pry and twist and chop against metal, and also superb examples of cutting art that are used for specialized, high performance cutting tasks.
Erica has specifically gone out of her way to promote the 'steel afi' and 'USA made' sectors of the knife community, I think something that a large majority of posters here can identify with, and something that is in no way a majority of the knife community, either. We share a lot of common ground.
I hope she decides to come on in and join the discussion.
She also just posted her 1/2way update of the 15V Para 3 user:
Really glowing review 2 weeks in. 2 weeks to go, and I'm interested in the continued experience and final conclusion. Such high marks coming from a blade steel nerd is really some something. A fun video.
I like her, I’ve been a subscriber since cedric and ada gear shouted her out (so like 2 or 3 years ish). I’ve seen her tastes grow and change (from the days when magna-cut first arrived on the scene), what I find really cool about her love for steel is that she arrived at her conclusions kind of organically through use and viewer suggestions and long term testing through use, rather than the usual knife and steel AFI way which is to read about something get hyped, then try it. Her and Pete loving the steel is a huge endorsement as I’ve only heard nightmares about it until now.
The nightmare part comes from inadequate sharpening equipment. I had significant difficulty sharpening it and getting a good edge that wasn't micro chipped and it turned out my very worn DMT plates just weren't enough to do it. Got some new plates and after breaking them in with a few other knives I had no problem getting a very high quality edge just using the 600 and 1200 Dia-Sharps.
I can only imagine how much someone would struggle trying to use ceramic or even SiC, if blunted diamonds aren't enough.
I like her, I’ve been a subscriber since cedric and ada gear shouted her out (so like 2 or 3 years ish). I’ve seen her tastes grow and change (from the days when magna-cut first arrived on the scene), what I find really cool about her love for steel is that she arrived at her conclusions kind of organically through use and viewer suggestions and long term testing through use, rather than the usual knife and steel AFI way which is to read about something get hyped, then try it. Her and Pete loving the steel is a huge endorsement as I’ve only heard nightmares about it until now.
The nightmare part comes from inadequate sharpening equipment. I had significant difficulty sharpening it and getting a good edge that wasn't micro chipped and it turned out my very worn DMT plates just weren't enough to do it. Got some new plates and after breaking them in with a few other knives I had no problem getting a very high quality edge just using the 600 and 1200 Dia-Sharps.
I can only imagine how much someone would struggle trying to use ceramic or even SiC, if blunted diamonds aren't enough.
That reminds me that I need to replace a bunch of my abrasives, 15V is giving me trouble.
because anytime has has tested Spyderco knives, he pretty much obliterated them. Objectively, it is not surprising to me, because of 2 things about Spyderco: a focus on higher HRC steels, and the Spydie hole, which can be seen in one sense as a large stress riser right where the blade should be the strongest. But it's all about priorities. Spyderco = edge performance and everyday usefulness. Others, like Demo and Cold Steel, prioritize durability while sacrificing cutting performance and edge retention. 