Recommendation? Inexpensive (~$15.00), American-Made Insulation/Duct Knives?

S

Stahlmann

Joined
Jan 21, 2021
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I was doing a bit of online surfing and I came across some very inexpensive, American-made insulation/duct knives. Seems like they would be a great bargain for a basic shop/camp knife?

I'm curious if anyone here has any insight into which brand to opt for? Klenk, Klein, Midwest, etc? Thanks.

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DA71000 KLENK TOOLS Dual Duct / Insulation Knife - Rosewood Handle

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DA71010 KLENK TOOLS Ergonomic Dual Duct / Insulation Knife

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Klein Tools DK06 Knife, Serrated Stainless Steel Bladed Duct Knife for
Flexible Duct and Duct Board in Sheath

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Midwest Tool and Cutlery Midwest Flex Duct Knife - 5" Blade
with Contoured Wooden Handle & Nylon Sheath - MWT-FDK01

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Midwest Tool and Cutlery MWT-FDK02 Flex Duct Knife - 5" Blade
with Rubberized Handle & Nylon Sheath​
 
When I discovered these my first thought was “dive knife”. I have Milwaukee one. I’ve never used it.
 
I've used some of those brands...to cut ductboard. Klein and klenk. I've given them away as I got out of the field and more in the office and a supervisory role. I've used other brands as well over the years too.

most are cheap stainless, some a cheap carbon steel such as the duct machine blades....and barely hold an edge. glass will kill any edge on any steel that I've tried, very quickly so being hardened doesn't matter so much. edge won't last anyways. they tend to run very soft. i watch the duct mechanics drop them all the time and they never break. more dings and rolls.

they don't come sharp per say, not like youre used to with a spyderco, as an example. if you want a shop knife or camp knife buy one built for that. a mora far exceeds most of these for cutting tasks. these are gonna disappoint you as a knife for knife tasks that aren't cutting ductboard.
 
jbmonkey said:
these are gonna disappoint you as a knife for knife tasks that aren't cutting ductboard.
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Agree. I never see my HVAC guys use them anywhere but board work. The steel is just too soft. Ideal for them though, as they can hand one to me and I can put a super toothy edge on one with my belt sander in a few seconds.

These are purpose-built and I think they should be considered pretty much a dedicated tool designed for a specific task.
 
midnight flyer said:
Agree. I never see my HVAC guys use them anywhere but board work. The steel is just too soft. Ideal for them though, as they can hand one to me and I can put a super toothy edge on one with my belt sander in a few seconds.

These are purpose-built and I think they should be considered pretty much a dedicated tool designed for a specific task.
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Do you happen to know what kind of steel they are made of?
 
I use whatever knife is on me during the day. Usually my sebenza. Those Klein ones are garbage.
 
Those look awfully like a hori hori knife...

Get a mora and you're good to go.
 
Murphjd25 said:
I use whatever knife is on me during the day. Usually my sebenza. Those Klein ones are garbage.
Click to expand...
there are worse ones like the bramec ones, but none are that great. Malco makes one too. I used those for years.
 
Stahlmann said:
Do you happen to know what kind of steel they are made of?
Click to expand...

No idea. Maybe no one does... just kidding. Almost all of thse are made overseas and made with a price point in mind so I suspect it just meets some buyers minimum requirement.

Think about the knives you have owned in the past and compare the steel quality and you can draw your own conclusions:

- these almost never rust, even when left in the back of a work truck covered with glue

- they don't bend easily, but when they do they are a snap to straighten and they suffer no harm

- you can sharpen these with anything from a sander, angle grinder, bench grinder, or even on concrete

- they DO NOT hold a fine edge for more than a cut or two. Really toothy edges cut/rip/tear well and last pretty well with these

- I have never, ever seen one of these, no matter how rough it is after job site use chip on the cutting edges

My conclusion is that steel is whatever fills the guy that "badges" it requirement of price point to utility value. It could be a number of really low cost, low RC hardened steels.

Robert
 
I suppose I should have just read the comments from those that actually own/use the different knives pictured. Based on those comments, they actually do make excellent, low-priced shop/camp knives.

Quite a few comments about them being a bargain because they're utilitarian tools, and not consumer products that rely on advertising to spur their prices upward.

FWIW, the Klein knife is made in the US, while both Klenk knives shown appear to be made in Taiwan.
 
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