All About Pocket Knives

I see several people making knives here and wonder what their favorite test for edge holding ability is. I've heard of cutting cardboard boxes and hemp rope,,, any details to help an old man figure out the secret? The best edge holding knife I've ever held in my hands is one I made from Stellite but that is not an opinion formed from cutting cardboard or rope. I have been sharpening knives for 55 yrs and with a given stone I can tell how much steel is removed by sharpening. I would like to have a more scientific test. I have also had some of my blades tested by commercial testers (Rockwell) using Diamond points which with a given pressure make a measurable dent in the metal. One I made out of D2 tested 62 on the C scale which is pretty hard but that is what I wanted just to see what Rockwell "C" amounted to. It is a very good blade but I still think the Stellite one is the best at edge holding, incidently it was miserable at the Rockwell tester since it is composed of sintered metal.Thx for any ideas
mike penn