Drag Knifes

[Richard Gonzalez]

Donek has a YouTube video that shows how he cuts vinyl with it...IDonek site. I believe there are links to his videos, too.

By the way, it’s a very nice lady named Jennifer who designed the knife and runs Donek, even though a male (I believe her husband) narrates the videos.

[Bill George]

By the way, it’s a very nice lady named Jennifer who designed the knife and runs Donek.

Well the one I purchased off an eBay seller as new came yesterday…. and the bearings feel like they are dry or have no lube when turned??? The seller will take back in spite of a no RETURNs posted in the ad. So I am thinking he knew the condition when he sold. ?? I contacted Donek via email but no response yet.

[Jim Becker]

Should...and needs...to operate very smoothly, Bill. Send it back if it's not right and the seller will take it back.

[Bill George]

Should...and needs...to operate very smoothly, Bill. Send it back if it's not right and the seller will take it back.

The Seller in spite of his NO RETURNs (will) took it back after I filed a claim with eBay. No questions asked…. I suspect he knew it was bad when he listed. The owner of Donek said she would fix it for free if I sent it back. She also said the 1/2 inch shank ones had a lot of issues with the bearings. But standing behind your product is what counts.

[Tony Leonard]

Uh oh. I hope mine doesn't have that issue! So far, so good.

Sorry you had a bad experience. I bought mine from Donek (well, Santa did) and I haven't had any issues with it. Actually, quite impressed with it. I used my other drag knife today. I'm experimenting with using Oracal 631 as a template for painting. It worked quite well. The Donek just didn't work as well with the fine detail I was looking for out of the various vinyl products I use.

One tip is to pay attention to the start points and the direction of cut. You want the drag knife to be pointing the correct direction when it starts. I use Vcarve and it allows you to manipulate the start points. For a detailed design, it can take a while, but it does make a difference. Especially when cutting small stuff. Also, I learned that cutting very slowly helps. Cut quality can be improved by messing around with the offset and the swivel height. You probably already knew all that since you are not a drag knife virgin, but just in case...

Tis the season....the Donek is great for making custom boxes! You can even make slight cuts for bending lines. I made a small vac table to hold things too. That works good sometimes. I've cut cork, felt, veneer, etc. Great for making templates for furniture too.