With all the various materials, shapes, point designs...the variables are too many to test on a bench, IMHO.

With all the various applications they are put to, with different baits, attached to different lures, fished on different types of lines, and different pound tests of lines, the variables in the field are too many to test...

I'd say the best way to test the various octopus style hooks would be to get a few different types, sizes, colors, and materials, and go out and use 'em enough to come up with some useful numbers...

It really depends on when/where/how you fish as to what hook is the best, not on the intrinsic elements of the different hooks...I think.

Some are clearly junky in that the quality control is poor...sizing is variable, some are sharp, some are dull, some have good eyes, others are crappy...other types come out of the box almost all identical, which honestly is where I'd assign "good" or "bad"...at least I know what I'm going to get when I pull them out of the bag...it's up to me to know which ones to buy for what fishery and what application I'll be using them in.

Is a light hook that bends easily a problem? Well, I guess that depends...what are you using it for? Is a hook that will not bend no matter what you do to it the best? Maybe...depends what you are using it for...

A light wire bendy hook on 15 pound test line is going to be trouble for you...a heavy guage stiff hook on six pound test is also going to be trouble for you, as it'll sink your bait into the rocks as fast as putting on too much lead will.

I think your line tests were useful...especially the information about how strong a line will be in the future after it has been stressed...that kind of information is good to apply to almost all types of fishing situations.

I think it will be harder to find useful information in a hook test, beyond checking the quality control to see how consistent the hooks are over a bag of 100, and then describing the qualities, rather than rating them.

Fish on...

Todd