I recently purchased a handful of both of these "survival kit minimalist cutting tools". I had seen them showing up in EDC,SERE,Survival tins etc.
So I was very curious if they were worth buying but more importantly if they were worth putting into a kit of any kind.
The Dermasafe Utility Razor shows up in many kits and retails for less than $2 in many cases. The UST is a bit more with an MSRP of $4.99, but of course it has two tools with both a razor and a hacksaw" type blade.
Both tools come with very similar plastic handles that the blades are folded inside of. Both are around the same size. The Dermasafe comes in a variety of colors including orange and black, the UST Razor/saw is available in black and orange only which is really no big deal.
When first opening the Dermasafe blade was easy to grab and fold out. The UST's saw was easy to grab but blocked easy access to the blade. The blade was a bit difficult to grab and fold out at first and the pivot was very sticky.
Upon inspection and a paper test the Dermasafe showed to be as sharp as any razor blade out of the box. The UST's blade although coated which would seem like a plus was both a bit dull and the coating was extending over onto the actual edge of the blade, this was fixed with a few swipes on a ceramic stone and a strop.
The Dermasafe being "razor sharp" was very reliable and durable. The UST's blade was thicker and a bit more robust but also more dull to start.
The UST's 24tpi saw was pretty useless on wood but did cut metal OK. Dermasafe sells a saw version of their utility knife with either 12 of 18tpi, 12 being better for wood. I have not held or tested these as of this posting. I will try and get a few to test out but I am less concerned with the saw as I favor the wire saws. In fact it looks like UST sells a very good version of the classic wire saw.
As far as the durability and toughness of the handles both were more robust than expected and the Dermasafe paired with its razor sharpness cut like a knife much more sturdy than the Dermasafe.
All in all I would recommend the Dermasafe folding utility razor but I would hesitate to place a UST Razor/saw in my kit. Better than nothing maybe but not better than the Dermasafe.
But I would still carry a real knife of some kind and have the razor as a backup.
So I was very curious if they were worth buying but more importantly if they were worth putting into a kit of any kind.
The Dermasafe Utility Razor shows up in many kits and retails for less than $2 in many cases. The UST is a bit more with an MSRP of $4.99, but of course it has two tools with both a razor and a hacksaw" type blade.
Both tools come with very similar plastic handles that the blades are folded inside of. Both are around the same size. The Dermasafe comes in a variety of colors including orange and black, the UST Razor/saw is available in black and orange only which is really no big deal.
When first opening the Dermasafe blade was easy to grab and fold out. The UST's saw was easy to grab but blocked easy access to the blade. The blade was a bit difficult to grab and fold out at first and the pivot was very sticky.
Upon inspection and a paper test the Dermasafe showed to be as sharp as any razor blade out of the box. The UST's blade although coated which would seem like a plus was both a bit dull and the coating was extending over onto the actual edge of the blade, this was fixed with a few swipes on a ceramic stone and a strop.
The Dermasafe being "razor sharp" was very reliable and durable. The UST's blade was thicker and a bit more robust but also more dull to start.
The UST's 24tpi saw was pretty useless on wood but did cut metal OK. Dermasafe sells a saw version of their utility knife with either 12 of 18tpi, 12 being better for wood. I have not held or tested these as of this posting. I will try and get a few to test out but I am less concerned with the saw as I favor the wire saws. In fact it looks like UST sells a very good version of the classic wire saw.
As far as the durability and toughness of the handles both were more robust than expected and the Dermasafe paired with its razor sharpness cut like a knife much more sturdy than the Dermasafe.
All in all I would recommend the Dermasafe folding utility razor but I would hesitate to place a UST Razor/saw in my kit. Better than nothing maybe but not better than the Dermasafe.
But I would still carry a real knife of some kind and have the razor as a backup.