A good utility knife?

[Paul F Franklin]

This is my current user:

Attachment 453037

It has worked well for me so far.

jtk

I have 4 or 5 of these (couple in the shop, couple in garage, out in the barn...) because I find them to work well and hold up. The only trouble I've had with them is after breaking down a bunch of cardboard boxes and getting little pieces of packing tape jammed in next to the blade making it difficult to close until they are removed. I think that happens to all of them, except the fixed blade type.
I also have several of the dewalt small (9mm) breakaway blade knives. The are all metal (except for the button), sturdy, and operate smoothly. I keep one in my apron pocket because it is small and light and can be extended quite a bit to use as a marking knife in a pinch.

https://www.authorizedtooloutlet.com...SABEgKdVfD_BwE

[eta:] Dewalt also makes a 18mm snap off knife; no experience with that one, I like the smaller version.

[Bernie Kopfer]

Best one I've ever had - perhaps the same one that Bernie referred to:

Attachment 453022

$8 at Home Depot.

Yes, that’s the one.

[Michael Weber]

The only one I use is a stanley that has a fixed replaceable blade. It is so much better to use then the retractable ones.

Me too. Supplied by an employer in the late 70’s. For decades I kept it in a holster made from wide masking tape as was the style at the time. Lol

[Lee DeRaud]

I use these and have been very pleased with them. No way they are going to close while the business end is in use...

Attachment 453049 Attachment 453050

Second that recommendation.

I just wish they made them in orange instead of black so the would be (slightly) harder to lose.

[John K Jordan]

I'm sure I own every one posted here, and others, but only one each of those, bought on trial. This is my favorite, and I keep them in a number of different places.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j95TFJFeKNM

Do standard blades fit in the Lenox knife?

[Jim Becker]

Second that recommendation.

I just wish they made them in orange instead of black so the would be (slightly) harder to lose.

My other one is red, Lee. I got them at HD and they had both black and red. The belt hook sometimes comes loose and since I don't use it, I remove it, but a small Allen wrench will tighten things back up quickly.

https://www.homedepot.com/p/Husky-Fo...9979/311920676


oooh...looks like they have a wood handle version, too

https://www.homedepot.com/p/Husky-Wo...9736/303741410

And then there's rare but deadly combo utility knife/"sporting" (pocket) knife...

https://www.homedepot.com/p/Husky-2-...9978/312050315

[Tom M King]

Do standard blades fit in the Lenox knife?

Yes, standard blades fit, and there is plenty of room in the easily opened, but stays closed while using, handle, to store several more in a protected edge fashion.

To remove a blade, and insert a new one, you push the extension activator forward, and to the right side. That moves the plunger that holds the blade in to the side, allowing removal, or insertion. You can see how it operates by opening the door, and activating the mechanism.

The handle is thick, rounded, and very comfortable. The angle of the blade is very comfortable to use too.

The last I looked, they go for about 16 bucks, and rarely ever go on sale. Home Depot stopped carrying them a couple of years ago, but Lowes still does.

They also make a smaller, fixed blade version, but I've never felt I needed one, since this one works so well.

[Lee DeRaud]

My other one is red, Lee. I got them at HD and they had both black and red. The belt hook sometimes comes loose and since I don't use it, I remove it, but a small Allen wrench will tighten things back up quickly.

https://www.homedepot.com/p/Husky-Fo...9979/311920676

Cool! Haven't seen those at mine yet but I'll take a closer look, or just order them online.

[EDIT] I think I see the problem: I've been buying the 3-packs in black...probably just overlooked the red singles.

[Jim Becker]

Yes, there have been various combos, Lee. I actually think my black one and red one came in the same package as a "two-fur".

I actually like having at least two because invariably, one of them is involved in some home improvement project and that means there's still one in the shop...they get frequent use.

[Lee DeRaud]

I actually like having at least two because invariably, one of them is involved in some home improvement project and that means there's still one in the shop...they get frequent use.

Let's see...three in the garage, one on the kitchen desk, one on the upstairs desk, one in the car console.

And I've bought three (that I remember) of the triple sets, so I've got at least a 1-in-3 loss ratio. I'm hoping the red handles will help with that.

[Rick Potter]

Having the same gripes, this thread got me interested so I stopped at Lowes and looked around. Came home with a Lennox with a blade that is always out, eliminating the offending buttons, knobs etc., and it is on the fat side, making it easy to hold.

The new thing I found which I was unaware of was CARBIIDE blades. Never knew they existed, so I brought some home also.

Anyone use them.

PS: My main use for the box cutter is boxes. With the Covid thing, the Amazon growth, and living with four gals, we seem to have a never ending stream of cardboard coming to our door. Guess who gets to knock down all those boxes to fit in the recycle barrel?

[Lee DeRaud]

The new thing I found which I was unaware of was CARBIIDE blades. Never knew they existed, so I brought some home also.

Not cheap, I'd expect. (checks Borg website) Yup, about 4X the regular ones.

And the tip usually gets broken off long before the edge loses sharpness, especially when opening or knocking down boxes. Not sure how the carbide helps with that.

[Jim Becker]

Rick, I hear you on the box recycling...both our very large bins are currently filled due to storm related delays in pickup and we have a whole bunch more waiting to go out when we finally get a pickup this coming Monday. Our recycling output always eclipses our trash output. We keep a dedicated knife in the kitchen knife drawer for this stuff!

[Paul F Franklin]

I like the carbide blades when working with sheetrock. I'm not sure they are really cost effective for that, but they reduce the hassle of (as) frequent blade changes. Sheetrock dulls regular blades really fast.

[Lee DeRaud]

Still not sure about the carbide blades, given that I have about 75 regular ones left in my current pack of 100.

But one line in an Amazon review did catch my eye: "This is like the John Wick of box cutters."