is baton testing relevant?

[Uncle Buck]

In almost every fixed blade knife review they use a "Baton", a small log to hammer the knife through another small log to make kindling for the fire. I have camped hunted and fished for almost my whole life and have never used a knife like that. I can collect an armload of dead sticks that size in a few minutes just about anywhere. Am I missing something or is this really not a fair way to evaluate a knife? I would like to here from some knife makers on this

[Sam McMichael]

I think it is very relevant for the simple reason   that so many (especially more inexperienced outdoorsman) have seen it on TV and now do it. Like you, I think it is a bad practice, but any knife maker probably needs to expect his knives to be handled in this manner. This should not need to be a fair way to evaluate a knife, but I believe it is to be expected.

[Doug_K]

More relevant than pounding the tip into a tree and using the knife as a step IMHO.

Personally, if you need dry kindling in a wet environment and you don't have an axe, I see nothing wrong with using a knife to split some wood, but design plays into it. I'm not going to use a folder or a 3/32 thick 5" fixed blade to pound through a 4"log.

[jsweka]

Batoning doesn't test squat on a knife.  You can baton wood with a butter knife.

-Just my opinion.

[Doug_K]

Butter knives generally aren't hardened steel where fractures, questionable heat treat and/or material can create failures on repeated impact.  

Frankly, when I buy a knife I'm not concerned that it's been tested on every situation under the sun. Test the hardness, the rest is all geometry and faith that the maker knows what he's doing.

[degabe]

My two older grandsons can tell you it's a good way to ruin a good knife. One Ontario and one cold steel.