Folding box cutter/utility knife.

arrowhd

arrowhd

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Apr 19, 2011
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My new job basically requires fairly frequent use of a knife with one big catch. It HAS to be in the form of a box cutter. Purchased a Gerber EAB lite just because it fit the need and was cheap. First Gerber I've bought in years. Quality is ok but nothing special. Any one have any recommendations on decent quality box cutters I should check out? Prefer something fairly thin and a folder is a bonus. Must use disposable utility blades. Photos appreciated if you have them.
 
I had a Gerber Transit that I used for packaging items for shipment, cut zip ties, cardboard, paper, tape you name it. It is a folder with a liner lock and nested stainless liners. It is really compact and light. I think it was around ten bucks. Only downside is that it uses a special sized blade, it won't take the normal utility blades.

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For folding box cutters, I don't think they'll be very thin. Home Depot has the Husky #21113, Lowes has the Kobalt #55906, and there are a lot of other brands that have their own variation on the theme.

~Chris
 
A non-folding retractable box cutter is much more ergonomic than those folding ones. Lenox, Stanley, and others make good ones. I prefer the models with tool free access to spare blades in the handle.
 
If you're going to use it a lot, do your hands a favor and forget the whole folding thing. I've never found one that I liked and that didn't become uncomfortable after a few pulls.

Get a Lutz #82. They're indestructible, I've used mine as a hammer on many occasions, and comfortable enough to use all day with or without gloves.
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Also get a belt holster for it. I use one of these as I'm generally also carrying a bunch of other stuff, but there are plenty of options out there to fit your needs. Including a rigid plastic carrier with an attached coil wire so you never lose the cutter.
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I work alone now so I don't have to worry about it, but when I was younger I'd have loved the coil wire. I worked in a warehouse and box cutters had a habit of wandering off in someone else's pocket.
 
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I have used many different brands of razor knives for many years, the best ones I have used are the Milwaukee, Klein Tools, and the Kobalt 56653. I buy the Kobalt 56653 for my guys in the warehouse, inexpensive, light and tactical. :) , I keep a Milwaukee in my tool bag.
 
Lots of great ideas. I have acess to full size heavy duty box cutters. Have one in the tool bag for heavy use when needed. Just looking for options to fill the gap. A light weight, thin easy to carry folder for light cutting duties that is always on me. Will have to check on something like the Cold Steel Mini Tuff. I believe corporate requires it to have a replaceable blade. Less threating you know. :rolleyes:
 
This is what I've come up with so far. Both are adequate but have drawbacks. The Gerber really isn't too bad for light use. Just disappears in your pocket. Down side is pretty poor liner lock engagement and it is slick. The Milwaukee Fastback Compact is much more comfortable to use but is fairly thick to carry in pocket. Push button lock seems secure but flexes more than I expected. The "hump" under the pocket clip caught on my jeans to the point I almost could not remove it from my pocket. Easy to sand down, but I got a little to aggressive and sanded a hole through it. No effect on knife function and now I can at least get it out of my pocket.

 
arrowhd said:
Lots of great ideas. I have acess to full size heavy duty box cutters. Have one in the tool bag for heavy use when needed. Just looking for options to fill the gap. A light weight, thin easy to carry folder for light cutting duties that is always on me. Will have to check on something like the Cold Steel Mini Tuff. I believe corporate requires it to have a replaceable blade. Less threating you know. :rolleyes:
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Lightweight, easy to carry backup you say? Can't beat these old things:

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Weighs nothing, disappears into a pocket and is often free at mom'n'pop hardware stores. If you order them in bulk online they're also a good option to let folks "borrow." At $.75 each you can afford for them to walk off.
 
This is the only folding utility knife that I've kept. The lockup is pretty solid and it's thin enough in pocket that I don't really notice it any more than I do my PM2. It stays on the wall in my parts warehouse as a backup though and doesn't see much use.

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Lightweight, easy to carry backup you say? Can't beat these old things:
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No doubt they work, but just no style. Lol. Kicked around the idea of buying the Screwpop utility knife. Really prefer something with a pocket clip though.

 
I really like this stupid thing I got at Walmart. The blade swaps with a tool less lock back type button. It even has a fold over deep carry clip. Its not impressive, but overall i think it works great and a 3 pack was like $6.
Lifetime Warranty ;)
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