# utility knives



## Carpenter eyes (Jan 10, 2012)

We all got them, show them off









The dewalt is my main knife these days


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## VinylHanger (Jul 14, 2011)

I just use the plain old Stanley you have in the middle. Never lets me down and never pops open when I'm beating on it.


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## WildWill (Jun 6, 2008)

Oh I got a bunch of these in my quest to find the best. Turns out there isn't "one" best. I will take pictures here a bit later on.


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## Carpenter eyes (Jan 10, 2012)

Stanly for drywall, bostich for roofing, dewalt for odds and ends. Also have the husky doubke end knife for roofing as well


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## GRB (Feb 23, 2009)

Lenox Gold is the standard all others are held to. :thumbsup:


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## Tinstaafl (Jan 6, 2008)

GRB said:


> Lenox Gold is the standard all others are held to. :thumbsup:


Been using the same one for 6-7 years now, and have a spare in case something happens to it. No gimmicks, just a damned good design. :thumbsup:


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## summithomeinc (Jan 3, 2011)

I've bought at least 30 this year...Funny how I can't seem to find one. That's what happens when you hire help.


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## GRB (Feb 23, 2009)

summithomeinc said:


> I've bought at least 30 this year...Funny how I can't seem to find one. That's what happens when you hire help.


That's why I make the help buy their own hand tools. No excuse for them not to have the basics.


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## JWilliams (Nov 11, 2008)

ill have to round them all up but i have atleast over a dozen utility knives that are all used lol


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## TimelessQuality (Sep 23, 2007)

GRB said:


> Lenox Gold is the standard all others are held to. :thumbsup:


ditto^^


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## woodworkbykirk (Sep 17, 2008)

GRB said:


> That's why I make the help buy their own hand tools. No excuse for them not to have the basics.


tell that to one of the labour/carpenters helper on my crew... he has the stuff but never has it with him...

as for the stanley knives.. cant stand em old school style or olfa style.. they dont hold the blade


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## Cole82 (Nov 22, 2008)

Stanley fixed blade 199 must have at least 10 of them from the days of employee's. 

I HATE every other knife I have used. The lenox gold just didn't fit my hand but performance was fine.

Cole


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## ohiohomedoctor (Dec 26, 2010)

Cole82 said:


> Stanley fixed blade 199
> 
> I HATE every other knife I have used. The lenox gold just didn't fit my hand but performance was fine.
> 
> Cole


You must have little girl hands, :laughing: my hand feels naked without a lennox gold coddling it. I have two of them, or at least I still did this morning. We will see how many show back up monday :whistling:


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## Cole82 (Nov 22, 2008)

ohiohomedoctor said:


> You must have little girl hands, :laughing: my hand feels naked without a lennox gold coddling it. I have two of them, or at least I still did this morning. We will see how many show back up monday :whistling:


I do have odd shaped hands my fingers are short but my palms are over sized. Trying to find gloves that I can fit my palms in and not have an extra 3/4" over the finger is like trying to win the lottery.

Cole


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## ohiohomedoctor (Dec 26, 2010)

Cole82 said:


> I do have odd shaped hands my fingers are short but my palms are over sized. Trying to find gloves that I can fit my palms in and not have an extra 3/4" over the finger is like trying to win the lottery.
> 
> Cole


I was just messing around. Im sure your hands are perfectly adequate :thumbsup: What are the advantages of having large palms?


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## Cole82 (Nov 22, 2008)

ohiohomedoctor said:


> I was just messing around. Im sure your hands are perfectly adequate :thumbsup: What are the advantages of having large palms?


People only want to give me 5 once and never again.:laughing:


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## ohiohomedoctor (Dec 26, 2010)

Cole82 said:


> People only want to give me 5 once and never again.:laughing:


:laughing:


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## Greg Di (Mar 12, 2005)

GRB said:


> Lenox Gold is the standard all others are held to. :thumbsup:


Holy cow....without even looking at the profile...I knew it was you in quasi-stealth mode. :laughing:


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## Splinter hands (Aug 31, 2011)

summithomeinc said:


> I've bought at least 30 this year...Funny how I can't seem to find one. That's what happens when you hire help.


Anything that fits in a pocket the help supplies themselves ALWAYS until you know your crew good enough to know who will rip you off and who won't.


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## Brutus (May 29, 2007)

I use a OLFA handsaver with Irwin blades


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## woodworkbykirk (Sep 17, 2008)

i have the folding milwaukee, 1000x better than the stanley ones.. yet to have a blade come out of it.. only prob i do have is everyone wants it.... bastards


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## Carpenter eyes (Jan 10, 2012)

Tom M said:


> I picked up that folding dewalt knife andit sucks. Everything is about it is great except the most important thing the blade doesnt stay in the dam plastic guide sleeve.


Never had that problem with mine and im on my second one. First one was on my tool belt when i was sheeting a roof, slipped off and into the woods. Never to be seen again


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## woodworkbykirk (Sep 17, 2008)

i was lucky enough to have mine paid for by the employer.. i worked for a local university in the carpenter shop.. any tools we needed they paid for


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## Tom Struble (Mar 2, 2007)

ol 199 for me too,i like the time it takes to change the blade:thumbup:

this is my only action shot:sad:


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## Randy Bush (Mar 7, 2011)

Cole82 said:


> I do have odd shaped hands my fingers are short but my palms are over sized. Trying to find gloves that I can fit my palms in and not have an extra 3/4" over the finger is like trying to win the lottery.
> 
> Cole


Got the same problems, pain finding right gloves at times.


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## Randy Bush (Mar 7, 2011)

I have the old stanleys. Works great in siding business , use a hammer on them and hold up pretty good. :thumbup:

Although did buy that stanley mulit-pack deal a while back for 9.99 , got it for the blades more then anything, although does look like a nice knife. Haven't even opened it yet.:no:


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## superseal (Feb 4, 2009)

Here's a couple of mine...I mainly like the older quick change Stanley with the metal button up front as opposed the the current plastic button - blades seems to slip out pissing me off :whistling


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## The Coastal Craftsman (Jun 29, 2009)

I don't know how many dam knives I have gone through but the one below has impressed me. Just ha to find blades around here though that's any good. Can't find the Stanley branded ones anywhere.


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## Tinstaafl (Jan 6, 2008)

superseal said:


> Here's a couple of mine...


You sir, have a problem. Unless you're Kali, you don't have nearly enough limbs for that collection. :laughing:


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## CanningCustom (Nov 4, 2007)

BC, ive had 3 of those and they all sucked! The blade kept coming out. So i went back to OLFA


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## DuFast (Dec 15, 2010)

I got the folding lenox gold. I actually like it, but have no clue why I bought it since I hate thier recip blades with a passion.


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## Tom Struble (Mar 2, 2007)

Tinstaafl said:


> You sir, have a problem. Unless you're Kali, you don't have nearly enough limbs for that collection. :laughing:


he's the Loneframer of utility knives:laughing:


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## mnjconstruction (Oct 5, 2008)

TimelessQuality said:


> ditto^^


yep, best out there!


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## Randy Bush (Mar 7, 2011)

BCConstruction said:


> I don't know how many dam knives I have gone through but the one below has impressed me. Just ha to find blades around here though that's any good. Can't find the Stanley branded ones anywhere.


For a snap blade that is a good one, got one of them too, Now if I can just find it. :whistling


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## The Coastal Craftsman (Jun 29, 2009)

CanningCustom said:


> BC, ive had 3 of those and they all sucked! The blade kept coming out. So i went back to OLFA


I have had it 2 year and ain't had that problem yet. Could be the blades though as the cheap blades I have been using from lowes really are ****. They won't engage when you swap them out for new blade. Stanley ones never did that. I have seen the Olfa ones around but never tried them. Might buy one next time.


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## superseal (Feb 4, 2009)

Tinstaafl said:


> You sir, have a problem. Unless you're Kali, you don't have nearly enough limbs for that collection. :laughing:


:laughing: Honestly... it's not even half of them I swear 

wanna see my tape measure collection :cheesygri


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## GRB (Feb 23, 2009)

superseal said:


> :laughing: Honestly... it's not even half of them I swear
> 
> wanna see my tape measure collection :cheesygri


Yes. Because:



20 and Out said:


> Really??? Utility knives? And 2 pages. :wallbash:


I bet we triple the page count of the thread if we toss in tape measures as well. :clap:


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## Tinstaafl (Jan 6, 2008)

superseal said:


> wanna see my tape measure collection :cheesygri


Confucius say, "Man with two watches never know correct time." :whistling


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## txgencon (Jan 4, 2011)

If you take the battery out of a battery-operated clock or unplug a corded clock... it's still right twice a day.


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## superseal (Feb 4, 2009)

Tom Struble said:


> he's the Loneframer of utility knives:laughing:


You had to mention Lone didn't ya...He's probably out in his garage getting 90 of them ready for the photo shoot! :laughing:


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## Tom M (Jan 3, 2007)

That husky box cutter was garbage for me as well. I use those things for cutting insulation and like Canning Custom said the blades disengage.


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## Tinstaafl (Jan 6, 2008)

Tom M said:


> That husky box cutter was garbage for me as well. I use those things for cutting insulation and like Canning Custom said the blades disengage.


For insulation, there's a better tool. Sharpen the edges of a 3-4" drywall knife and use that. Works great on both foam and fiberglass. :thumbsup:


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## Tom M (Jan 3, 2007)

Tinstaafl said:


> For insulation, there's a better tool. Sharpen the edges of a 3-4" drywall knife and use that. Works great on both foam and fiberglass. :thumbsup:


Tin, I do that for the rigid foam but not batts. Most of the batts I install are kraft, I need a sharp thin blade.


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## Tinstaafl (Jan 6, 2008)

I know what you mean, but even on Kraft, I get better production with a drywall knife. Just have to resharpen it every so often. Especially on the thicker batts, a utility knife blade just isn't big enough.


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## Cole82 (Nov 22, 2008)

Tinstaafl said:


> I know what you mean, but even on Kraft, I get better production with a drywall knife. Just have to resharpen it every so often. Especially on the thicker batts, a utility knife blade just isn't big enough.


They sell insulation knifes that are even better.

The slight wavy side cuts all the way through every time, also cleanly cuts the craft face. Just make sure the craft face is down not up.


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## The Coastal Craftsman (Jun 29, 2009)

Tom M said:


> That husky box cutter was garbage for me as well. I use those things for cutting insulation and like Canning Custom said the blades disengage.


They ain't made buy husky they are the fatmax extreme models. Perhaps the husky ones have issues but it has been flawless for me.


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## woodworkbykirk (Sep 17, 2008)

ive been using a drywall knife with teh edge sharpened for a couple years for cutting rigid foam.. havent tried it on fibreglass though, will next time


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## Tinstaafl (Jan 6, 2008)

Cole82 said:


> They sell insulation knifes that are even better.


I know of those knives, but have literally never seen one. I'd have to order it from somewhere and then not only store it in a safe place until needed, but also be able to remember where that safe place was. :laughing:


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## Tom M (Jan 3, 2007)

Cole82 said:


> They sell insulation knifes that are even better.
> 
> The slight wavy side cuts all the way through every time, also cleanly cuts the craft face. Just make sure the craft face is down not up.


Cool, Looks better the machete's I have seen guys use on batts.


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## Madmaxz (Dec 19, 2010)

i love these! 1 handed open with a flick of the wrist.


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## neill (Sep 29, 2011)

maybe this will make it a 5 pager...

i like the tajima gri 3/4". rubber grip is comfortable, and the tajima blades seem better than the olfa. plus it was cheaper than the olfas. 

http://www.atlas-machinery.com/products/Tajima-LC-561-GRI-Comfort-Grip-Knife-3-4-Dial-Lock


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## Carpenter eyes (Jan 10, 2012)

Madmaxz said:


> i love these! 1 handed open with a flick of the wrist.


Love the one handed opening but feel thin to me. Thin feeling knives are not nice to my fingers


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## Tom Struble (Mar 2, 2007)

this is how you cut foam:cowboy:


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## Tinstaafl (Jan 6, 2008)

Tom Struble said:


> this is how you cut foam:cowboy:


The Force? :blink:


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## Tom Struble (Mar 2, 2007)

:w00t:


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## superseal (Feb 4, 2009)

My buddy Nick let me use one of his today whilst slicing bitumen cap sheet...worked pretty well, but is big and a little heavy. Great for this job though.

Pull butt of the handle and rotate to disengage for quick change blade feature. Quality tool for sure...


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## Hardly Working (Apr 7, 2005)

These have been my goto knives for a few years now.

http://www.amazon.com/Stanley-10-98...X2I1/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1329547089&sr=8-4


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## jdspeed99z (Jan 20, 2013)

Superseal, my brother is a screen contractor, and loves the "old" 10-499 they're way lighter and the blades don't pull out like the new ones, I'd love to find him a few replacements or if I could get my hands on one and remanufacture it I'd love to try that. When building a screen enclosure, you need a knife that you can use to cut aluminum, caulk, caulk tubes, scrape, screen and spline among other things. he keeps it in his back pocket and has a screen wheel attached to the hanger hole, it's amazing to watch him work with it. The new ones are so much heavier, and the blades pull out too easy. Any ideas for a comparable lightweight retractable model that has a wheel on the opposite end?


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## darthdude (Dec 30, 2012)

Madmaxz said:


> i love these! 1 handed open with a flick of the wrist.


Woooo, someone brought up an old thread! But anyways.....
I've had one of these for about a year now, works great! Never spits blades, it is so fast to open, close and change blades I can't stand it. It's heavy duty, belt clip is awesome and the corner on the end makes a great bottle opener:drink:.


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## MKnAs Dad (Mar 20, 2011)

I am about to buy one of these I think

http://buy1.snapon.com/catalog/item...roup_ID=675308&store=snapon-store&dir=catalog


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## woodworkbykirk (Sep 17, 2008)

those knives are great ghost.. i have a few of em but i dont always carry it.. i prefer it for drywall work and cedar shingle work.. unlike olfa blades that snap when under pressure


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## maxwage (Nov 25, 2012)

I have 8-10 Stanleys, 4 Dewalts, a couple Irwins and 2 Lenox Gold folding and the white Lenox that has the hinge at the back of the knife.

The Lenox Golds, along with their blades, have been choice. Their blades are spendy but superior to all others ime.


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## 18withtools (Jan 13, 2013)

I think this thread gave me bad luck. My Lenox gold broke on me today. Opened it up today to get a blade out the back, an it don't stay closed now. It's been a little loose on closing the two halves together but today it gave out. Farther diagnosing the problem it's the piece of metal that the spring pushes the stop into that wore down so far it doesn't grab like it should.


I've had her a while an she's been great. Will be buying another Lenox gold next time Ime at HD.


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## maxwage (Nov 25, 2012)

Was organizing tools before the Super Bowl, so I wanted to check my utility knife inventory. Missing one of my Dewalts.  

Gotta have the Lenox Gold blades! :clap:










I think I need a few more.... :whistling:


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## EricBrancard (Jun 8, 2012)

chetec79 said:


> This is the little Fat Max Stanley doesn't make make/distribute around me anymore...10799. I buy them off EBAY whenever I come across one.


My favorite one was similar to that. The wheel was exposed instead of being covered. I lost it and never found a new one, though. I've been using the Milwaukee one lately because the slide for the blade is side mounted. I've always had trouble with the top mounted, quick change blades pulling out under heavy cutting. The Milwaukee has done well so far.


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## tenon0774 (Feb 7, 2013)

" Its a good day Willie...gots you enough money to buy you a pistol and a pocket knife, man"

-Shelby Stanga

...and I thought I was the only one with this condition.

I have a few 99E's, and a ton of the yellow ones with the black T nut,
but by far, the best is the super heavy duty 10-122A...

...that they stopped making of course.

- Scott


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## sidn3y (Feb 16, 2013)

By far my most favorite utility knife. I've tried every option available at Lowes, and they're all garbage. Been using this Dewalt I picked up at HD.

It's the most essential tool in my line of work (crawlspace encapsulation) so the knife I use has to be worth a damn. I put this thing through hell. Hammer in those 6" spikes with the butt of my knife to secure the cleanspace membrane down. 

I just wish I could find a razor blade that doesn't dull within 10 minutes.


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## Carpenter eyes (Jan 10, 2012)

sidn3y said:


> By far my most favorite utility knife. I've tried every option available at Lowes, and they're all garbage. Been using this Dewalt I picked up at HD.
> 
> It's the most essential tool in my line of work (crawlspace encapsulation) so the knife I use has to be worth a damn. I put this thing through hell. Hammer in those 6" spikes with the butt of my knife to secure the cleanspace membrane down.
> 
> I just wish I could find a razor blade that doesn't dull within 10 minutes.


Try irwin blades. I swear by them


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## maxwage (Nov 25, 2012)

sidn3y said:


> By far my most favorite utility knife by far.
> .......
> I just wish I could find a razor blade that doesn't dull within 10 minutes.


I have two of those Dewalts in my collection. Try the Lenox Gold blades. Superior to all others. 

My newest addition.


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## redwood (Dec 5, 2007)

sidn3y said:


> By far my most favorite utility knife. I've tried every option available at Lowes, and they're all garbage. Been using this Dewalt I picked up at HD.
> 
> .


That's currently my favorite knife as well. It has a more rugged feel to it.


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## darthdude (Dec 30, 2012)

maxwage said:


> I have two of those Dewalts in my collection. Try the Lenox Gold blades. Superior to all others.
> 
> My newest addition.
> 
> ...


I noticed just yesterday that the Milwaukee is down to $9.xx at Home Depot! Far cry from when they came out, they were about $20 then.:clap:


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## maxwage (Nov 25, 2012)

darthdude said:


> I noticed just yesterday that the Milwaukee is down to $9.xx at Home Depot! Far cry from when they came out, they were about $20 then.:clap:


Yep, snagged it for 8.99$ at my local Cheapo.

Got a yellow Lutz #88 the other day. I have my eye on a C.H. Hanson Fast Load :whistling:


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## CanningCustom (Nov 4, 2007)

It's great reading about all these brands that we don't even have up here :blink:


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## tenon0774 (Feb 7, 2013)

redwood said:


> That's currently my favorite knife as well. It has a more rugged feel to it.


Can you beat on it at all and it not break apart?


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## woodworkbykirk (Sep 17, 2008)

CanningCustom said:


> It's great reading about all these brands that we don't even have up here :blink:


those are up here... or not all the way up here in your case.. i have the milwaukee,, hd had the lennox for a while nowits just in plumbing supplies. they have the dewalt too


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## sidn3y (Feb 16, 2013)

tenon0774 said:


> Can you beat on it at all and it not break apart?


I beat the hell out of it. It's sturdy as heck.


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## Calidecks (Nov 19, 2011)

sidn3y said:


> By far my most favorite utility knife. I've tried every option available at Lowes, and they're all garbage. Been using this Dewalt I picked up at HD.
> 
> It's the most essential tool in my line of work (crawlspace encapsulation) so the knife I use has to be worth a damn. I put this thing through hell. Hammer in those 6" spikes with the butt of my knife to secure the cleanspace membrane down.
> 
> I just wish I could find a razor blade that doesn't dull within 10 minutes.


Yellow makes me sad


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