Utility blade recommendations

Romans322

Romans322

Gold Member
Joined
Oct 24, 2023
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42
Hi there,
I'm seeking information about utility blade selection.

I've used lenox gold for years, but they don't seem to hold an edge any better than the cheapest blades.

I've also used Dewalt bimetal blades, and they seem apar with lenox and Irwin as well.
(I learn toward bimetal blades to reduce the risk of injuries to myself from broken blades. I've broken standard utility blade in the past).

I have a tajima vrex 2 in my RUK, (it came with the RUK) but both the RUK and the tajima blade are untested as of now.

I looked up some info about the tajima, and from what I read, the blades are now made in China, and aren't as good as they used to be back when they were made in Japan.
(That's the extent of my knowledge about the tajima blades).

I've considered using the carbide enhanced blades, but multiple reviews reported them as not cutting cleanly due to edge chipping because of being brittle.


~ So what I'm looking for is a blade that won't snap under stress, that will hold an edge noticeably better than the average utility blade. ~

Thank you for sharing some of your valuable time with me.
All glory to the risen Lord Jesus Christ, and no glory to us whatsoever!
 
I'm sorry but this confuses me. The whole point of a utility knife is to have cheap replaceable blades that you can swap out easily. If one goes dull then you pop it out and put a new one in. Why exactly do you need a longer lasting edge for a utility blade? The blades are specifically designed to be disposable. If they're really not lasting long enough for you, then what exactly are you using them for or how exactly are you treating them that it makes them not good enough?

Please help me understand this. If I'm being out of line here, then just ignore the question. Sorry.
 
Well I'd buy a pack of tajima and try them. But they are meant to be disposable so you won't find anything in premium steel.
 
fishface5 said:
Well I'd buy a pack of tajima and try them. But they are meant to be disposable so you won't find anything in premium steel.
Click to expand...
I believe I will try the tajima, and thank you for your helpful response.
You know something?
Yesterday I compared the edge of the tajima against the Lenox and the tajima had a much better grind, and a very prominent secondary bevel.
Thank you for taking the time to share your helpful thoughts with me.

All glory to the risen Lord Jesus Christ, and no glory to us whatsoever!
 
Guy McVer said:
I'm sorry but this confuses me. The whole point of a utility knife is to have cheap replaceable blades that you can swap out easily. If one goes dull then you pop it out and put a new one in. Why exactly do you need a longer lasting edge for a utility blade? The blades are specifically designed to be disposable. If they're really not lasting long enough for you, then what exactly are you using them for or how exactly are you treating them that it makes them not good enough?

Please help me understand this. If I'm being out of line here, then just ignore the question. Sorry.
Click to expand...
Thank you for sharing some of your valuable time with me.
All glory to the risen Lord Jesus Christ, and no glory to us whatsoever!
 
Carbide blades!

They now make razor knife (utility knife) blades that are flexible steel, but they somehow deposit carbide onto the cutting edge. They sell them at the big box home stores. The usual name brands make them. They are not much more money than regular or bimetal blades but advertised as 10x edge life
 
elevator man said:
Carbide blades!

They now make razor knife (utility knife) blades that are flexible steel, but they somehow deposit carbide onto the cutting edge. They sell them at the big box home stores. The usual name brands make them. They are not much more money than regular or bimetal blades but advertised as 10x edge life
Click to expand...
Thank you for your kind reply. 🙂
 
"Which Utility Knife Blade Is Best? Let's find out! DeWalt, Irwin, Stanley, Husky, Kobalt, Lenox"
Project Farm

I would avoid Milwaukee and Fiskars blades, since in my tests so far they can be quite dull out of the box.
 
Another Shepherd said:
"Which Utility Knife Blade Is Best? Let's find out! DeWalt, Irwin, Stanley, Husky, Kobalt, Lenox"
Project Farm

I would avoid Milwaukee and Fiskars blades, since in my tests so far they can be quite dull out of the box.
Click to expand...
Thank you for sharing your kind advice for me.

Thank you for sharing some of your valuable time with me.
All glory to the risen Lord Jesus Christ, and no glory to us whatsoever!
 
Having used most every brand at work for 25 years and I think the best overall are the Stanley heavy duty blades, they are so thick they don't even fit in some utility knives. There are multiple "heavy duty" Stanley brand blades, you will have to look carefully to see they are much thicker than the other versions. Those are also not very flexible but they hold an edge very well. The runner up would be the Menard's house brand "Masterforce" blades, they are flexible and not very prone to chipping due to slightly lower hardness, if purchased in sufficient quantity at the right time they are incredibly affordable.
 
thebrain said:
Having used most every brand at work for 25 years and I think the best overall are the Stanley heavy duty blades, they are so thick they don't even fit in some utility knives. There are multiple "heavy duty" Stanley brand blades, you will have to look carefully to see they are much thicker than the other versions. Those are also not very flexible but they hold an edge very well. The runner up would be the Menard's house brand "Masterforce" blades, they are flexible and not very prone to chipping due to slightly lower hardness, if purchased in sufficient quantity at the right time they are incredibly affordable.
Click to expand...
Hey that's interesting information, thank you for sharing that information with me about utility blade recommendations.

Thank you for sharing some of your valuable time with me.
All glory to the risen Lord Jesus Christ, and no glory to us whatsoever!
 
I've found OLFA utility knives to be pretty good. Their heavy duty knives stand up to a lot of abuse. The blades are easily resharpened, too.
 
Romans322 said:
Hi there,
I'm seeking information about utility blade selection.

I've used lenox gold for years, but they don't seem to hold an edge any better than the cheapest blades.

I've also used Dewalt bimetal blades, and they seem apar with lenox and Irwin as well.
(I learn toward bimetal blades to reduce the risk of injuries to myself from broken blades. I've broken standard utility blade in the past).

I have a tajima vrex 2 in my RUK, (it came with the RUK) but both the RUK and the tajima blade are untested as of now.

I looked up some info about the tajima, and from what I read, the blades are now made in China, and aren't as good as they used to be back when they were made in Japan.
(That's the extent of my knowledge about the tajima blades).

I've considered using the carbide enhanced blades, but multiple reviews reported them as not cutting cleanly due to edge chipping because of being brittle.


~ So what I'm looking for is a blade that won't snap under stress, that will hold an edge noticeably better than the average utility blade. ~

Thank you for sharing some of your valuable time with me.
All glory to the risen Lord Jesus Christ, and no glory to us whatsoever!
Click to expand...
Hey, I've decided to stick with Dewalt "bimetal" blades.


I did a recent utility blade test after writing this post, and out of tajima, Stanley, Lenox gold, and Dewalt bimetal blades...
the Dewalt bimetal showed itself to be the toughest of the lot.
So I'm sticking with Dewalt bimetal utility blades.
I still can't tell a big difference in edge retention of any of them,
so I might as well stick with the toughest one of the lot,
at least that way I know that it isn't going to break and injure me.

So thank you for sharing some of your valuable time with me.
All glory to the risen Lord Jesus Christ, and no glory to us whatsoever!
 
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