And how would you go about doing that homework? By reading the internet and taking the word of people on forums you don't know? And who or what has informed their opinions?
Buying a rockwell tester? Asking for a certificate of proof and authenticity from the vendor?
Are you going to send each of the knives you purchase out for independent analysis? What about verifying the calibration of the tester's rig? Who's testing the testers?
And on and on. At some point it will ultimately come down to faith. And in some cases, I wouldn't buy a knife from certain individuals or companies regardless of whether their current offerings were spot on with the specs.
If the knife performs as expected, and as others of its type (steel, profile, edge thickness etc) have in the past, that's about as good as it's going to get.
So, good luck with the homework. Unfortunately, my dog ate mine and now I'm just trying to find my way in the dark.