I Bought The Cheapest Bowie Knife: Is It Worth It?

🚀 Get all the tools and materials I use through my free PDF. I call it the Mastersmiths Toolkit 👉 www.learnknifemaking.com/mast...
In this video, I bought the cheapest Bowie knife off Amazon for only $13.99, and I'm testing whether it's worth it. I'll be evaluating three aspects: build construction 🔨, sharpness 🔪, and its ability to survive various tests 🧪. Initially, I check the knife's sharpness, noting that it's not extremely sharp right out of the box. I also discovered that the guard is loose. I attempted to sharpen it with a $1,300 sharpener and achieved some improvement.
I proceed to test its cutting abilities on paper 📜 and then move on to more challenging tasks like cutting a tomato 🍅 and opening a soda 🥤. Next, I try chopping a 2x4 🪚 to see if the edge holds up, and it doesn't hold sharpness very well.
Afterward, the knife goes through a dishwasher cycle 🍽️ to test its durability, successfully surviving. Lastly, I do a brutal test where I try to bend the blade, and the tang breaks off, revealing that it's quite tough but doesn't hold an edge effectively.
I also dismantled the knife to examine the handle's construction, showing that it's quite resilient. Despite some drawbacks, I find the knife to be worth its $14 price tag, especially when I was a kid, this knife would be very fun for me! 🌟🔪
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#KyleRoyer #Knifemaker #Bladesmith

[@KyleRoyerKnives]

🚀 Get all the tools and materials I use through my free PDF. I call it the Mastersmiths Toolkit 👉 www.learnknifemaking.com/mastersmiths_toolkit_free_pdf

[@RagingShrimp67]

Would be nice if you can do a HRC test, possibly send a piece to be analyzed to see what alloy it is, and even try to see if you can improve the heat treat, and making it better value.

[@arsknivesofficial]

Waw❤❤❤❤

[@Rascal77s]

Man im glad it didn't fall on your dad's head after hitting the light 😬 maybe follow shooting range saftey rules when bend testing?

[@LuisWoods]

Yea you should really do that

[@fieryiceforge]

Keep Mr. Jeff safe 😂

[@TrojanManSCP]

Love the edits. Howie scream is lolz. I remember buying a flea market knife as a kid. Piece of junk, sure, but everybody should have that experience once. haha

[@h8uall66]

I love how genuine Kyle is in all his videos. This is just a simple knife test but his authentic enthusiasm and excitement over the whole process just takes the whole thing to another level. What a great channel.

[@Curtislow2]

I like this new Series TOO!

[@ughmas]

Great video these cheap knife tests are always fun. Small editing mistake possibly though after the 2x4 chop, the paper cut test is cut off and we don’t get to see it :(

[@someoneelse1385]

I'd love to see the same series with you trying to make the same knife better. Better heat treat, Geometry, and Handle Design.

[@mikeboone4425]

Refreshing and new your approach to low end knives at 81 now that is all I've ever known and to date none have failed under norml knife use handles fit is some times a problem it's always been fixable there biggest failing are the sheaths . I thank you for your honesty. happy Trails

[@MattDMo]

One item you didn't mention - was it a true through tang? It didn't look like the cast pommel actually attached to anything...

[@paullambert4445]

I would have loved to have that knife also as a kid, but all I was allowed to have was a Cub Scout knife. When I was 18 I bought my first real knife with my own money. It was a Buck 110. That was the beginning of my disease. I still have it today. Fun video. 🔪🎸

[@jeffystevens]

What kind of commie ass troop were you in? In mine we all had bowie knives by the time we were Webelos

[@ZeFroz3n0ne907]

So good! Loved it!

[@billwoehl3051]

Seriously? Not bad for the price. I don't expect stainless to get hard enough for retaining an edge, but, I'm a rookie and know very little about stainless, maybe it can.

[@user-pf1wx3fr1l]

Не видел такой же тест вашего Боуи за 18000$

[@Narrow_Gate_Forge]

Thank you for such quality content. Long time follower. You contributed heavily in my decision to start making knives a year and a half ago.

[@moody5271]

New best series alert 😂😂😂❤

[@billquillin1952]

Is it possible to re-heat treat a stainless blade to improve performance?

[@fbtmm300]

I was thinking the same.. maybe he can forge from scratch and make a high-quality knife out of the steel.

[@MrFancyFingers]

Great video! I would have loved that knife as a kid, too. I had my grandfather’s old army knife that I salvaged from his shed. Moldy leather handle and rusty pock marked blade, but I loved it. I guess I was easy to please back then.

[@ZeFroz3n0ne907]

Poor dad & light! 😆Lol! Glad he's ok!

[@bonitabromeliads]

I wish I could have as much fun doing anything as this guy is having cutting soda bottles.

[@alexvanansem7806]

I ame stil waiting on that lapis lazuli handel vid

[@mweskamppp]

worth the money. Good for learning sharpening, too.

[@garyaroth]

He is very creative, I like his style

[@jeanmartox3570]

Hello to France Kyle!!! Dans les années 80 nous avions des couteaux offerts par nos parents qui vennaient d'Espagne en acier 420 et on étés heureux, nous vivions à la campagne avec des bois de chénes autours, c'était la belle époque d'insoussiense!! Un grand merci Kyle, Dieu vous a en sa Sainteté, c'est certain!

[@ZeFroz3n0ne907]

Kyle, about a year ago I got a Schrade Bowie/machete, long as my forearm that came with a hatchet for Christmas. That thing is an animal. You should make one!! That would be amazing! I was out messing around with it cutting down some 7 ft tall razor grass (From Alaska, our grass gets insanely tall!) didn't see this willow bush behind one clump of grass and it went thru the grass and cut the willow bushes main stem completely in half, guess I got it sharp. Haha.

[@Tys_Place]

I would like to see next time you take one like this and make a cheap one into something spectacular

[@ialrakis5173]

probably found these videos a bit too late. not sure why but I do love knives. bought a hunting knife on amazon some years ago because it might come in handy some day.. was pleasantly surprised by the quality and sharpness but it was at least a 100€ if i remember correctly. unrelated but the more sensible thing I did was buy an 'emergency' knife from an approved supplier here in Belgium. have it in my car. it's a window breaker, seatbelt cutter and classic knife

[@user-ol4nd4fl1b]

aim for Moraknives

[@Thatsthesecret]

Please do more videos like this with pocket knives.. 🙏👍✌️

[@outbackladas]

Looked like a bit of fun 😂.

[@sarchlalaith8836]

Great knife for 14 bucks. Every day user, hold an edge well enough, can't shave with it but you can baton and stuff like that

[@pepepepito623]

Next video:"...same tests,one of my knives..."

[@KyleRoyerKnives]

for real, we want to get into really a good test and do $10,000 knvies one of these days. But first we need to figure out a good way to test a knife.

[@paulina76161]

A message to my friend. Thank you brother

[@bas17h4]

Now do the same exact test with one of your knives

[@goat9199]

I like the JoergSprave energy of this video.

[@danieltporter959]

I love too see You do the same thing to the Carbon Steel version the Black Tech Bowie. 3cr is tough but edge holding not so much...

[@kkuhn]

Do this with one of your knives, honestly I think the most exotic materials you use will be much worse. Especially in the dishwasher test and pattern welding would be brittle

[@logukkkjohnston8979]

Please make another sword 😭😭 your the only guy who makes luxury blades on here it’s beautiful

[@vukans595]

Cool video, it would be interesting to see one of your knives tested the same!

[@swkosmo6124]

when u will make hard test your knives? is it so good your knives for multi thousand?

[@MattGeo4754]

Would it be possible to come learn bladesmithing with you?

[@KyleRoyerKnives]

the best way to learn from me is through my online courses. www.learnknifemaking.com/

[@MattGeo4754]

@@KyleRoyerKnives I'll look into it!

[@bigjohn3435]

would be cool of you could harden it to where it would hold an edge. seems like that's the only thing it's missing to make it decent.

[@Tom_Emody]

Sharpening blades is half the fun of knives. So it doesn’t bother me if I need to sharpen more often.

[@deathofkindness]

Tang design and thickness would be an awesome video imho

[@A_Tempest]

For comparison to make a knife of similar complexity, how much would that cost from you or your dad?

[@mjkhan9664]

Would you ever recreate this exact blade yourself maybe using that handle pattern?

[@ShadowByNine]

But does it Keeeeeelll?

[@bwell6863]

That's a 100.00 knike, after all the food you cut up!😅

[@breakawaybooks4752]

Pommel looked to be zinc coated?

[@jimcorbett3764]

Man, you went to town on that watermelon! Nice demonstration, but after watching so many of your videos, I guess I just expect all knives to be better.

[@fieryiceforge]

😂😂😂 good thing that $1300 sharpener can make a $13 sharp for a while lol

[@hansjmo]

Im glad you didn't kill your dad, next time considering what happens when it breaks Kyle 😢

[@eddymercan7487]

Not gonna lie for 13-14 dollars you do seem to get more than your money's worth. Somewhat shoddy sharpness and construction is compensated by the toughness of the material, took an absurd amount of bending to shatter it

[@jml3327]

Now put your knives to the same test. I want to see you hit your stone handles with a 2lb hammer.😂. JK. LOVE YOUR WORK!!!

[@markbarron4294]

I’d rethink that bending …. It’s definitely NOT Worth it

[@chikitabowow]

Huh, honestly for just 13$ that's actually not too bad. Like it's not a *_good_* knife, but you know what i mean

[@user-ol4nd4fl1b]

show the tang!

[@Ajaxykins]

Any bowie under $100 not made by cold steel is gonna hold up just as poorly as this one. The market's got a MASSIVE gap between crap and quality Edit: I also suppose that Cold Steel's OEM, windlass, does also make a decent bowie under $100 but that thing's basically a sword and not really something to take out backpacking lol

[@reynaldorosas4187]

You need to etch your maker marks on it, resharpen and sell online... LOL ... Big profit of a 😂😂😂

[@xmchudson]

Bending those knives makes me NERVOUS!!!! Maybe put up some plexiglass or something....

[@snake2261]

This video gets a thumbs down because I hate watermelon. Just Kidding, awesome video folks, as always.

[@rollietenchavez3869]

can you do that wih ru knfie? live?

[@originalnative5745]

Do KABAR

[@alb9925]

👍👍👍

[@michaelhussong9829]

First 🤘

[@KyleRoyerKnives]

[@usmanshah146]

Buy from Pakistan

[@ClenioBuilder]

🤜🤛

[@romanvai9063]

Do same with your knife