Photos Scrapers (for kitchen, or else)

[kreisler]

These days i doht need a scraper but whenever i needed and used one i was wishing for a better one, so during quarantine time i got myself this stuff. I also use a scraper as vertical cutting tool, like a fine chisel with replaceable blade! Always good to have in the household.

My order contained a 3-pack of these generic plastic 1€ scrapers. They're definitely usable, the trapezoidal blade sits well secured and without play in the handle:

And it is impossible(!) to accidentally lose the blade guard protector. The protector clips uber secure on the tool. It is hazardous to clip it off or on, imho. And it is also not easy/safe to exchange the blade, especially if you're under pressure/stress in an urgent work environment. The plastic handle has sharp edges (no problem if you work with gloves duh) and the material is not too flimsy but i can feel its strength limitations. All in all this product reminds me of my disposable razors lol :

After watching a hobby craft knife youtube clip i felt inspired to check out the Wiha universal scraper since it could be used as craft knife as well. Youtubers quote 12 bucks for the US market, in gemani the manufacturer charges 47.33€ shipped, i paid 20€ shipped thx to voelkner coupon. Expensive but erh let's see what we've got:

While this "wiha Universalschaber" is also "known" as "Wiha 430" with "SoftFinish®", none of this info is printed anywhere, not on the packaging insert, not on the tool itself. My production unit was manufactured in 2020 (as indicated by the "20" on the handle) and has a black (painted/anodized?) metal collar. The spare blades are oiled, as expected:

The plastic blister kind of packaging is opened without tools and can be re-closed, Like New. Probably not intended to function as storage packaging, one could very well employ it as such. Yeah lemme keep it for now:

This "reference make" has a simple agreeable construction with vely good materials. The three geman trading brands Vigor Equipment, KS Tools, BGS have a similar looking scraper in their catalogs at half the price, see amazon, but i don't doubt that the Wiha has the superior materials and build quality. I didn't just want a tool that does the job (like the Wolfcraft 1€ scraper from above) but i also want to experience joy or satisfaction (or pride lol) when handling/working with/looking at/owning the tool. It's my first original Wiha tool ever:

Okok gotcha hehe. The shiny aluminum part wasn't as polished OOTB. I polished it with my RUBY1000 and a wood strop iirc:

How the mechanism works should be obvious, it's not rocket science. Upon screwing/tightening down the metal collar, the blade shaft gets squeezed and firmly held in place, without play whatsoever:

The aluminum slit length is 21mm, so blades with rectangular shaft dimensions of max. 21.0×9.2×0.7mm would fit. If the rectangular shaft section is a bit longer than 21mm, then also no problem me thinks. The included spare blades have a rectangular shaft section with the dimensions 15.0×8.9×0.61mm, nice:

One could try to find blades from other manufacturers as long as they fit in the tool. An exchangeable scalpel blade or a generic hobby craft blade would be too thin or too narrow (min. 6.0mm blade shaft width). I haven't done any research on the topic since i doht need other blades for this universal wiha handle but i'd share info/photos if i got some pertinent accessories in.

Which scraper(s) have you got? Please share

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Price. To the ignorant public, non-knife people, the price by itself might be a shocker, whereas on amazon you don't hear complaints about the price: the vast majority of owners are very satisfied hence don't feel that they had overpaid for the product, quality, incl. warranty/customer services. 3.0 years ago, long before the inflation hike and ru-ua conflict outbreak, a first concept model was made available by the factory on AX at ~45$ shipped, for the bare knife. Early adopting shoppers, mostly from non-Western countries (like ru, ua) happily jumped at the opportunity to acquire a titanium frame-lock knife at such a low price point. Since then the product/parts/materials have been officially imported, re-designed/refined/improved, assembled/QC'ed, and packaged with a generous set of original spare parts, all in the USA. Shoppers knew that 59$ was the US company's introductory price offer before the launch of the company website with official warranty terms and services. The base package starts now at 80$ shipped in the US (with many order options which would "upgrade" the total even higher; no need to go there). From the reviews and constant sales rate one can conclude that owners don't take issue with their price paid. Me too thinks, for what you're getting, the price is fair and absolutely worth the total package, not expensive fwiw. Only after adding a series of (unnecessary?) product options may the total cost make you wonder if it's still worth it. It is unfortunate (and understandable), for example, that many custom scale models come extra on top, i.e. one cannot save money by not wanting the standard scale, e.g. if you were interested only in a V3 with an installed ruler scale (which is among the most popular ti custom scales afaik), without the standard scale in the box. On amazon you actually see many owners commending the price point and buying more V3 units (for themselves or as gifts). No regrets regarding the monies paid. Also because you're carrying it more often than your other premium folders and utility knives (~amortization), "promised". Meaning: after all the research and you paying full price for the knife with the sincere plan/hope to edc it, giving it a real chance, i am confident that it'll get all the intended pocket time, during work and or beyond work, because the product will not disappoint you in the intended realistic purposes. "Basically, the knife will replace whatever EDC knife or folding utility knife you've been trying to #realedc before but left you looking for something more suitable, more likable." — sorry for the trivialization of tastes in #realedc, but i hope you got my point.

 

[kreisler]

I also use a scraper as vertical cutting tool, like a fine chisel with replaceable blade! Always good to have in the household.

For scraping ive been using the wolfcraft, highly effective tool. But today i really needed a vertical cutting tool. There was absolutely no way (space) to reach and cut the plastic part with a knife or utility\razor blade. Sure, other workers would have tried to cut the part with any knife (and would have failed) but when i saw the task i knew that only a fine chisel blade, i.e. my wiha, was the acceptable way to go. And it worked!

The roller shutter was semi-jammed because of some curled plastic in the guide rail, and now, after cutting off the plastic (leaving some hole in the shutter ) the shutter is free in its movement, nice.

It was a 334 destructive fix but a fix is a fix. It was the first time since date of purchase that i used the wiha for a serious task.

well done kreisl. well done.
thanks.

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Con:
1. no blade storage. it would be unfair to list this as a con, since no other titanium folding utility knife on the market does have such a thing. And those utility knife models —folding or non-folding— which do have it, are not suitable for EDC beyond work. Mind you this knife model is not targeted at hardcore construction workers who toss their diecast STANLEY's or red plastic MILWAUKEE's all day long from four-storied buildings onto asphalt and concrete, but at all other (construction and non-construction) workers and people from all fields of life, including the PC office hero and couch potato. the lack of blade storage is an invalid con.
2. blue loctite. I hardly noticed that the two screws were blue-loctited, i had no problems disassembling the knife, but it's important to point out that some users could possibly run into problems if their screws were tightened with a tad more blue loctite, resulting in stripped screw heads or ruined tool tips. SPYDERCO had used red loctite in the past, which is even harder to break free, and nowadays uses blue loctite. Given that the instruction manual is clear about handling the blue-loctite situation, and the substance being knife-assembly industry choice, i would rate EXCEED DESIGNS' choice of blue loctite as invalid con, too. I will call the use of blue loctite unfortunate though, because it could lead to frustration and problems with the material quality (see next point).
3. if we list this as a con here, then in all fairness it should be criticized every time we buy small sized hex/torx tools and screws Made In China: the questionable material quality (or hardness) of the supplied hardware screws and S2 torx key. I don't use loctite on my screws, so i wouldn't run into material hardness problems of either my torx bits or the installed hardware. After the blue loctite is broken free, this point will be moot. Also, no need to whine or rant, simply buy a new set of screws from the website, and thereafter don't reapply blue loctite. Problem solved. Since the retail box comes with a spare set of hardware already, it renders the point of hardware material quality invalid too. Fair enough imho.
4. the V1 (IV/2020) had had issues with blade retention and blade compatibility. This was improved upon with the V2. And then furthermore improved with the V3. We can regard those old issues as tackled and solved, hats off to the company for continuing the perfection of their product. Not a valid con anymore.

neutral:
5. if i'd list it as a pro with other knives, in all fairness i should note it under con with this knife: the blade is not screwed down by a screw/thumb screw to eliminate (the minimal(!) remaining rocking) blade play in the holder and to secure the blade absolutely 100.0% in the holder. personally —and i'm known for being ubercritical and finnicky—, i accept the little up-and-down blade play in the blade holder (there's no side-to-side nor rattling play in the blade holder) because it is minimal and, for all intents and purposes (like cutting 2 or more layers of cardboard), the blade is held sufficiently secure in the V3 as demo'ed, a definite improvement over the V2 and V1 and as good as it gets with this kind of "flex-open" holders (fyi Bigidesign holders failed the cutting tests). It'd be cool to have absolutely zero blade play but as a V3 owner you won't care about the little what's left. The little doesn't matter and is soon overseen and forgotten. Basically, in practice, it is not a relevant con, let's be generous: cool to have zero blade play, yet unimportant if you have or don't have it. and with the suggested hilariously primitive tape mod, it's 100% eliminated anyway.
6. as with most other razor knives —folding or sliding—, when you flip the heavily used blade, the fresh edge might not present itself in mint condition but have pre-blunted spots, and you're wondering how come? Well, that edge blunting was inflicted by the user, when he/she inserted the brand-new blade and later again when he/she extracted the blade in order to flip it: the edge would accidentally hit/scrape against the lower corner of the holder. Since the V3 holder is fiddly, the probability for such a hit-and-run scenario is high tbh. And as you know from experience, this is a common(!) problem with all other razor knives where blade exchange is performed through insertion, extraction, re-insertion, instead of disassembly of the holder. While this unfortunate phenomenon could be regarded as a common con therefore, there are 5 alternative ways to work around it: 1) disassemble the holder whenever you install or switch a blade (unacceptable? maybe. but it's also unacceptable to list it as a con!); 2) be perfectly careful when inserting and extracting the blade (unrealistic? agreed!); 3) install a film layer, e.g. dried glue or tape, at the bottom/corner of the holder such that the edge would not touch metal of the holder at the time of insertion/extraction (sounds like a plan!); 4) don't use straight razor edges to begin with but blades with curved sections (STANLEY #5192 works! MOZART SOLINGEN is too long) or serrated razor blades (not a bad idea thx!); 5) forget about the fresh edge section and toss the entire blade, simply insert a brand-new blade, moving on (oh well … yeah okay then!)
7. the finish of the standard titanium scale (and some of the custom scales) is smooth. smooth can be rather good/advantageous (stellar looks, elegant, handling, manipulation, pocket-friendly, flexibility in grip, etc), or rather bad/disadvantageous (visibility of scratches, slippery, etc), depending on the aspect. If you are seriously bothered by the slipperiness of the handle, you could apply any kind of tape to improve the grip or simply buy one of the non-slip custom scales (warpspeed, slash, swerve, micro slash, cf slash) instead. it would be unfair and absurd to complain about a scale being slippery, when you bought a slippery scale! personally, i don't mind the smooth titanium finish of my MM-ruler scale because it provides perfect adhesion for my transparent scratch-protection tape; the grip is also improved, a win-win situation.
8. the functionality of the prybar (of the prybar rear spacer option) is limited because the prying tip is too short, stubby, and the ramp/bevel geometry is too thick, imho not optimal: if the tip manages to get into a crack to pry apart, the obtuse angle of the tip would push the prybar out of the crack. the tool wouldn't stay in place to do its prying job. for example, under fortunate circumstances you could open a paint can (paint jar) with it but it would be your last choice of tool tbh. it'd be a fun challenge to list all the specific tested(!) applications where this prybar really comes in handy. the critical mind would scratch paint cans from the list ymmv. if you order the prybar rear spacer with serious use intentions, please limit your expectations. i'll keep mine installed in the continued search for practical uses and because it feels good in the palm of my hand. it can be used as lever though, e.g. to lever up nail heads off the plane, lever open ("plop!") lids of pickled glass jars (the glass needs to have "shoulders"), so maybe a more fitting name for the part would be "leverbar" instead?
9. the prybar can be used to plop open beer bottles, similar to the lighter technique. it's just that the narrow pocket clip digs into your left index finger and that concentrated pressure kinda hurts if you have bony fingers. definitely not my favorite way of opening a beer bottle but maybe i'm just a sissy.

 

[kreisler]

And it is impossible(!) to accidentally lose the blade guard protector. The protector clips uber secure on the tool.

tirantedit

The scraper Wolfcraft 4193000 / Wolfcraft 4193 Schaber is not manufactured by Wolfcraft which is a tool trading company. Today i am realizing that the manufacturer's intention for the design of the blade guard is two-fold, and that's the reason why it is rather impossible to clip/unclip the blade guard safely/easily without tools (pliers):

With the blade guard clipped on, the scraper can be used as plastic scraper! The blade guard is bevelled, has a sharp keen plastic edge, and is firmly secured on the scraper. To me, there's no single doubt that the actual (Chinese?) manufacturer intended this dual purpose (blade guard + plastic scraper).

Btw i noticed that scraping window glass with the metal edge leaves 817 microscopic scratches (because window is not gorilla glass!!). So for scraping windows without leaving scratches, i highly recommend the use of plastic edges. No need to buy plastic razor blades, if you have the Wolfcraft 4193 scraper already:

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Pro's:
1. hassle-free tool-free blade exchange — a common feature, convenient, but imho not indispensable, e.g. i wouldn't mind a thumbscrew
1. lanyard attachment — i wouldn't want to miss it; gives you (ring finger + pinky, or hand) something extra to hold onto
2. a choice between three tail ends — nice to have but not too important; the Rear Pry-Bar Spacer should be the most useful and popular
3. free-standing razor part, long cutting edge — untypical for razor blade work knives yet i highly appreciate it
4. milled out titanium flipper construction, sturdy, indestructible — competing 'titanium utility knives' have come and gone
5. "no play" — absolute zero holder play, and only little blade play in the holder
6. little blade play in the holder — definitely less compared with other non-screw holders; naturally, because of different blade makes, manufacturing tolerances, blade compatibility, such "nosed" holders can never come with absolute zero blade play.
6. never-fail action — strongish detent results in never-failing flipper action, even with thumb; yet it still keeps wiggle-shutty action
6. premium look & feel, with lots of alternative scale options ( https://exceeddesigns.com/shop/#customscales ) — proud show and carry in any situation, super likable
7. one-handed operation — a must-have feature, very important
8. longevity through stellar service and availability of all spare parts thru warranty or purchase — ease of mind, appreciated
9. agreeable low weight (68.0g, or 60.0g with 1 carbon fiber scale) — nothing to complain about, suitable for actual EDC
10. slim form factor (thinness of handle = 10.4mm) — among the world's thinnest, suitable for actual EDC
11. narrow form factor (width of handle = 22.5mm) — world's narrowest, suitable for actual EDC
12. an "actually usable and likable" pocket clip (deep carry, long or short clip) — so important for EDC purposes
13. ruler scale option — immensely useful for everyday purposes, and my personal killer feature
14. full disassembly possible and endorsed — what happens if you cut something in soil, or the knife gets dropped into a pile of sand or dirt water?
15. pocket clip does not rest on lock bar — on other knife models their clip does, which then becomes a problem when trying to flip the knife open
16. simple form factor is the best for grip, no pressure points — more universal/versatile and more comfortable/ergonomic in practice than a hand-moulded "ergonomic" handle shape; free choice of optimal (or preferred) hand positioning on the handle, with no punishment through pressure points/areas because there aren't any.
17. blade retention/security is excellent and has passed my vigorous testing to my liking, which is where i draw the line no pun intended — for EDC purposes the blade is sufficiently secure in the V3, and even construction workers wouldn't complain. while there are knives with more foolproof blade securing methods (e.g. screws, thumbscrews), believe me that blade retention/security in the V3 should be none of your or even my concerns. That's why i had to do the banana cut tests (which i had done with my TPT's and Utilizer's before too, and those models had all failed in their own way!) for self-reassurement in the first place.
18.

Neutral:
1. recommended reversible mod. Hot glue in the triple cut-out (on the outside of the lock bar) evens out the critical spot where the pants fabric would rub against, when sliding/clipping/unclipping the knife at the brim of your pants pocket; the hot glue adheres very well in there — i did the same mod on my GiantMouse ACE Riv and Spyderco Techno's, i.e. small knives with a highly practical pocket clips which i tried hard to actually edc #realedc
2. recommended reversible mod. The standard stone-washed ti scale is very smooth and slick. There is no harm in taping it with clear/matt film (or any other kind of tape or sticker) for enhanced grip and or for scratch protection.
3. secure/tight pocket clip retention. The steel clips are flexible and have a nice spring tension to secure the clipped knife to any fabric, thick or thin. I appreciate the effectivity of the clips, they are well-made! The shallowness of the clip and lip helps to not dig into your palm, nothing about the presence of the clip is poking, which is lovely. At the same time, it's this shallow lip and the effective spring tension which make this a "not-fast" clip. Personally, i don't simply slide the knife fast into this clipped end position (because that would be a real strain/tear on the pants fabric) but lift the lip with my right index finger during the clipping movement and finally release it when the knife has reached its final destination; this can be performed one-handedly and fast enough but it's not as simple and fast as, for example some fine-tuned wire pocket clips ((btw while wire pocket clips would be the fastest clips, they also come with a bigger foot print and annoying pressure points in your palm, see for example The James Brand The Ellis)). For EDC purposes imho, the not-fast clipping shouldn't be a point of concern because you're not constantly clipping and unclipping, all the time non-stop, under stress and time pressure; instead, you clip it once and then carry it all the time, forgetting that you've been carrying it non-stop, so when the time of EDC deployment comes, maybe 3-5x per day, you'll be in a position where the extra 1-2 seconds of clipping the knife back neatly to your pocket, with 1 or 2 hands, doesn't bother you. To everdaycarrying, actual carrying and not feeling (bothered by) the carrying of the EDC item is more important than the quickness of stowing it away. Similarly to my bunch of keys (now being clipped to the brim of my left pants pocket) and its TEC Accessories P-7 Suspension Clip, it's so fast and convenient to unclip yet not as fast and convenient to clip back on.
4. the clip is made out of stainless steel (i didn't say rust-proof), as is the blade holder. Some user was able to break the clip (snap off?). Same could happen with LEATHERMAN clips, SPYDERCO clips, BENCHMADE clips, etc. Then check with the company if yours constitutes a valid warranty case, or if you must pay for the replacement part. Btw it is imho questionable if the same style clip would be really better, made out of titanium sheet metal, what do you think?
5. generally speaking, one needs some focus, attention, dexterity (or practice), lighting, when exchanging the blade. That's your price for getting a blade holder with tight tolerances which holds the blade securely fwiw. The tool-free blade exchange was listed as a pro already, so it'd be unfair to list "oh i need dexterity for the exchange!" as a con. Clearly, if you have lost your left arm in a shark attack and your right thumb and forefinger in a bandsaw accident, then yes you could still flip the knife open and enjoy but no would hardly be able to exchange the blade. In such an unfortunate case please don't blame the product or the customer service rep; the product just is likely not for you.
6. i have skinny small fingers and experienced no issues with the closed blade cutting accidentally my fingers when handling the knife. under normal usage/user this neutral point is 100% a non-issue. however, if a skinny boy or fine lady tried hard to somehow reach the apex of the blade edge, e.g. by pressing a finger tip hard into that 4.1mm narrow "groove", then yes the finger tip could overcome the 1.7mm clearance (gap depth) and get a cut. not a single person on amazon complained about getting cut in the closed blade position because it doesn't happen with the intended customer base. Baby index fingers would get cut there i guess, so if that happens, feel free to apply some tape on the groove or on the baby's finger.



hot glue