New Steel Testing Method! My wife and the cupboard.

[JSumm]

I keep a knife in the cupboard in our Kitchen. The knife's purpose is too open, separate, or dismantle anything that comes through the kitchen that needs it. It also operates as a general purpose tool. My wife is the main user. Months ago, I let her try out different models to see which one she preferred to operate. Her favorite at the time was my Polestar. She liked how easy it was to operate the liner lock. She does not like to keep a knife in her pocket, but prefers to keep it in the cupboard.

Today, I witnessed her struggling to open a box and sawing at the tape. I knew the knife needed a touch-up to the edge. Man was the edge used. Many chips and dings. This seems to happen to any knife I put in the cupboard. Not exactly sure what happens to these knives, but they always turn out like this. I thought I put my edges through it, but I never see edges this bad.

So I figured I would trade out different steels and see how they hold up. All the crazy YouTube stress tests and knife flicking do not compare to the horrors a knife sees in the Kitchen. The Polestar in BD1N did not fair well. Chips and dings and completely dull. All the knives I place in the cupboard have been sharpened and are not sporting a factory edge. This will be a very scientific study with lots of data and charts that I will copy from Google.

First sacrifice: Polestar BD1N

Apologize for the poor pictures. I will work on that.






Next sacrifice: Endela K390
I expect big things from this one. This is the exact knife that brought me to the forum. I will update in a month or so attention span willing. Godspeed K390.

[Ramonade]

Excellent idea Jeff ! I love this test, you just need to own a cupboard, and a wife, and the deed is done

[Manixguy@1994]

Great idea Jeff ! I like how the CNC put knives through the paces ! I just resharpen a FB for the CEO that was dull as a butter knife . I blame myself not paying attention to the knife drawer . Dan

[Scandi Grind]

Oh, I like this test. I am always wondering what characteristics a knife has to have in order to survive the use of non-knife enthusiasts who still need to cut things.

[RustyIron]

Good on ya, buddy. An honorable man does not make his wife use substandard knives.

Your test makes tons of sense. I always thought the rope-cutting test was silly. Most of us aren't pirates, and rarely find ourselves cutting rigging while sailing through a squall. But many of us have wives and kitchens. Some might even have husbands and kitchens... and that's ok. Anyway, your test is more relevant, and you don't have to spend an afternoon sitting in the yard wasting your rope and making a mess.

[Bill1170]

Serrated blades remain functional longer under abusive conditions.

[JSumm]

Serrated edge test will come with time. Test like this take days and weeks of analysis and data entry. We need to really see what K390 PE can withstand. I figure there is a lot of analysis ahead of me this month.

[Catchadroppimgknife]

Excellent real world testing and a non knife person is almost a double blind (non biased/ non influenced by the type of steel)

Finally a test beyond cardboard! I’m just perplexed on how many people are paid to cut it down as a job in 2023!

Look forward to more results/data


.

[SaltyCaribbeanDfly]

Awesome test Jeff, the Endela k390 is definitely gonna fair better…maybe try the rock jumper next

[JSumm]

Yeah, I will try and update in a month or so to see how it is going. We are in this for the long haul.

[bdblue]

I am always wondering what characteristics a knife has to have in order to survive the use of non-knife enthusiasts who still need to cut things.

I think a low Rc is the key, low enough that the blade will bend and not chip under almost any circumstances. My wife has a wide range of low end knives in our kitchen and they have been through it. I have tried and cannot sharpen them, maybe they dull themselves in between strokes of the stone, but they are still in one piece. I don't dare put a good sharp knife in the kitchen, I think that would be bad for her hands and fingers.

[Bolster]

For all the folks who have been marching around this forum with protest signs reading: "DOWN WITH CATRA; DOWN WITH CHARPY; DOWN WITH ROPES; WE DEMAND REAL-WORLD TESTING NOW!" ...well, here it is, folks! Served up to you by the notorious Mrs. JSumm herself.

Not saying Mrs. J would do this, but...some time ago, one of my contractor's girlfriends came by the worksite and kindly offered to make us all lunch. She borrowed my Spyderco (which I had kept sharp for weeks) to cut up some carrots...on the ceramic kitchen tiles...and dulled it to the bluntness of a hammer handle in about a minute. Now that's real world, and I pray Providence will keep me far from it as long as possible.

Mr. J: You are obviously going to need sophisticated analysis for the reams of data your laboratory will produce. When you have it in hand, may I volunteer....Mrs. B, who can analyze that for you. Having dulled all the knives in her kitchen long ago (she likes to leave them soaking in water, wooden handles and all, I don't know why), she is looking for a new project to take on.

[apollo]

Excellent idea Jeff ! I love this test, you just need to own a cupboard, and a wife, and the deed is done

Buddy start with a cupboard! Because you can not own a wife… a wife owns you…

[Fharing45]

My wife has destroyed lots of cupboard knifes. The last 3 years she has used the spydie chef. It even does the dishwasher. I credit its long life to the lcn200 and to the belly. Lcn is easy to keep sharp and the belly lets her rock the edge against dinner plates as opposed to the edge slamming the china. One day i will get her to use a cutting board.

[standy99]

Not a better test than to give a knife to a non knife person.

Sharpen a knife everytime that was new many years ago, for a fella at work. The condition this guy gives it to me everytime it needs a sharpening.

(Good kid but he is “passed the teaching to sharpen threshold” as he has the attention span of a goldfish. So it’s easier to just sharpen it for him each time and take the coffee I get )

[Bill1170]

I’m fortunate. My wife uses a cutting board. She finds ways to hurt our knives, but not grossly. She hasn’t busted a tip in years. I warn her every time I sharpen our kitchen knives.

[JSumm]

That was the one rule that I requested be implemented in the testing. No prying. My heart couldn't take it. Now saying that, I did just break the teeny tiny very utmost tip off my Para 3 trying to get furniture staples out. It was squished into the wood and nothing I had was as pointy.

[Kevinim82]

That was the one rule that I requested be implemented in the testing. No prying. My heart couldn't take it. Now saying that, I did just break the teeny tiny very utmost tip off my Para 3 trying to get furniture staples out. It was squished into the wood and nothing I had was as pointy.

To the MNOSD this could amount to treason! But your radical ways come with radical ideas. Keep skating that thin line! Wonderful post, excellent test concepts going here. Hurumph to you good sir!

[barnaclesonaboat]

Echoing all the enthusiasm for some proper real world testing, here! This is an excellent idea, and makes you a sort of an interdisciplinary investigator: knife steel engineering, biology, psychology... I will be super interested to see how the K390 holds up in this second test. *riveted*

[JSumm]

My wife is out of town for 3 days. I'm alone with the kids so I will have plenty of time to dive in to the data while the kids do whatever they do.

I took a few hours this evening while the kids. I took some time tonight to look at the edge. It has only been a few days. But we are already seeing some real action. There is some kind of substance on the blade. I've taken samples and sent it in to the lab. Results pending.

The edge already has some micro chipping going on. I swear I renovated my kitchen with this exact knife. Used it to deburr some copper pipes and a lot of scraping and I don't recall any chipping. Anyways, here are some quick shots I took while the kids were.





The last picture if you zoom in, you can see some of the chipping going on. It has been 2-1/2 flipping days. Does a construction crew stop by my house daily to pick up tools and kindly return them before I arrive home?

I'll get some close up photo lessons while my wife is away this week and my kids are busy with things. I need to improve that.

This sacrifice is the Endela. Will let this one go a month or so before we change it out. If it survives a month.