Black Scout Product Testing - Black Scout and Razorback Knife K.I.T. Test
If you've been following-you've heard mention of the K.I.T. certification in our past articles. K.I.T. is an acronym for "Knife Independent Testing". Basically we've seen many reviews done on YouTube and various other sources and we feel that in some respect, many are lacking. Lacking in the fact too many variables are in the testing- almost as if no two test are the same. This poses a problem for you all when making a good informed decision as a consumer. Especially when buying a tool that your life may depend on.
This testing is for a Red Knife Certification. Basically a survival field test while trying to eliminate as many variables as we could. That's why we used processed wood and a mallet for example. The Red Knife Certification also included cutting through 1/4" thick galvanized steel cable. This is not common practice with knives and I don't encourage anyone to try this. Its not normal to expect a knife to be able to maintain an edge and cut well after cutting steel. This was included in the test in case you are placed in extreme circumstances where your life may depend on it.
This test was designed without any influence from any knifemakers or manufacturers. We wanted to lay out a field test that was repeatable while reducing the variables.
As I stated above the Red Certification is a Field Survival Test. We also have a Black Knife Certification that is a Combat Field Utility Certification. It has some of the same requirements as the Red Knife Certification with some additional test prerequisites. Those additional portions will involve test that a knife may face in a combat environment. A knife maker must submit 5 knives to become a KIT Certified Knife Producer. At that point the Knife producer will maintain that standing indefinitely.
Hope you guys enjoyed it and look forward to more KIT testing in the future.
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I like the concept of your testing, but a few problems...
ReplyDeleteThe idea behind the processed wood is good, but it's still kiln dried pine. Pretty soft. Not really showing me how well something can baton through the wood. Maybe buy a piece of processed red oak? Doesn't have to be a 2x4, you could even grab a 1x4 or 1x6 or whatever.
The vinyl tiles... that specific one you used for instance is about .25 at Home Depot. It's one of the cheapest ones there. No problem. The problem is that, if you watch the video you'll notice how it actually starts to break instead of cut through in some of the cuts. It's because those tiles REALLY suck. that's why they are so cheap. If you want to do that test (which is quite creative) I'd suggest using a more expensive one and cutting them flat instead of holding them up. They'll be harder to cut through, but the slightly thicker ones don't dry out and crumble as quickly. That particular type of vinyl gets old and brittle. They clearance those things out all the time. I'd just suggest getting a few new ones more than anything. Pull from a new box. You shouldn't have the brittleness issue.