Out of all the various characteristics required of a knife, there are two particularly important ones: corrosion resistance and cutting performance. This is why we have developed and acquired test benches to measure these two characteristics.

1- Corrosion resistance

In order to test the corrosion resistance of its products, Sabatier DIAMANT has developed a corrosion test bench that complies with ISO 8442-1 and ISO 8442-2 standards dated March 1998 (Materials and articles in contact wit foodstuffs – Cutlery and table holloware). The test specified by the standard consists of alternately immersing and removing the items from a salt water bath, with two grams of salt per litre and the water temperature at 60°C.

2- Cutting performance

How well a knife cuts is a difficult thing to measure. Professional users of knives instinctively developed rudimentary techniques to test the cutting performance of their tools. However these tests do not provide a reliable method of measuring cutting performance from either the quantity or the durability points of view.

Cutlery professionals therefore worked to develop a method of inspection that would allow the cutting performance to be classified and quantified, independently of the conditions of use and materials cut. They defined a test procedure and the corresponding standard. This standard is ISO 8442-5 (Materials and articles in contact with foodstuffs – Cutlery and table holloware - Part 5: Specification for sharpness and edge retention test).

The test was developed to test knives, in other words, more or less straight products. Strips of special abrasive paper are placed one on top of the other to build up a given height of paper. They are laid to rest on the blade to be tested. This blade is then given a to and fro movement along a straight line, the result of which is to cut a given height of paper with each stroke. A computer records the height cut with each to and fro cycle.

The curve recorded allows two parameters to be calculated: the "Initial Cutting Performance" (or ICP) and the total cutting capacity for a given number of cycles: the "Total Card Cut" (or TCC). The ICP is the sum of the first three values. It measures the fact that the blade cuts "well". The TCC is the sum of the sixty values recorded. This measures the fact that the blade cuts "for a long time".

The standard defines a minimum level for these criteria, with the latter varying according to whether the blade is serrated or not.

However, this test can only be used for blades that have a sharpened length that is relatively straight. So it cannot be used to test curved blades with a radius that is too short.