Links: YouTube Knife Reviewers

It's easier than ever to be an informed consumer thanks to the Web, but you do have to do your research. Before I purchased my first serious knife, for example, the only experience I had with blades was cheapo Swiss Army knife ripoffs and discount kitchen cutlery. The multitude of knife shapes, materials, and mechanisms were pretty bewildering to a beginner like me. Luckily, almost every knife you can think of has two or three detailed reviews on YouTube. With these, it was easy to get up to speed.

These videos are especially important if you don't have a decent knife store around that'll let you try knives in person (knife stores are getting harder to find, unfortunately). Here are some of the best collections of knife review videos:

Cutlerylover - Proof positive that the best reviewers don't need flashy special effects, Cutlerlover is a mild-mannered postal worker by day and a knife-reviewing, balisong-flipping machine in his spare time. His reviews span the gamut - from the tiny $5 Spyderco Bug all the way up to expensive folders like the Sebenza.

Bob at KnivesTown - You might look askance at reviews coming from a place that sells knives, but the line of KnivesTown reviews by Bob is a solid look at a number of interesting designs. Bob's taste runs toward the tactical (lots of Emerson stuff, as well as oddballs like the behemoth-size Cold Steel Rajah series), but there's zero attitude or bragadoccio in the videos, so I'll give him the benefit of the doubt.

Nutnfancy - I've already featured Nutnfancy's near-endless series of review videos, but it's safe to say this guy does the longest, most free-form reviews out of anyone on the Web. That can be a good thing or a bad thing (not too many people have the time to watch a thirty minute knife review), but, given that you can watch them for free, it does represent a lot of honest effort.