I originally tried this post in a knife newsgroup, oops, wrong crowd for a do-it-yourselfer.....so I thought I would ask the newsgroup who were a little more like myself, all comments appreciated.
I like to carry a small, thin knife for every day use. I also use it at work to open boxes, cut plastic banding, etc. I am not supposed to have a knife at work, but my work is easier with one. The current one I have is a folder, very thin, and cheap. I hate how the blade dulls after a few uses. Looking for recommendations for decent quality knife that will hold an edge, but am not interested in spending a ton of money for a pocket knife. I appreciate the responses in advance.
I can tell you what *not* to buy... I had a CRKT pocketknife with a stainless blade that someone gave me as a gift, and it dulled very quickly.
I just lost it a week or so ago and gave up and bought a cheapo Schrade from Tractor Supply. Haven't used it enough to assess how long it keeps an edge, but it was razor sharp out of the box.
If you've been told not to have a knife at work, don't. Unless you _want_ to give your employer a great reason to not only fire your ass, but to deny your claim for unemployment benefits, too.
If you really need a cutting tool for work, ask your boss to provide you with one.
In the typical workplace that has nothing to do with the government and everything to do with employers' rights. A rule prohibiting guns and knives helps keep a company's liability insurance costs down. But even if they want to issue a ban on just a whim, that's their right. If an employee doesn't like it, he or she can find another company to work for.
What do you open boxes coming into receiving with? Your fingers!? Envelopes? Ban those lil' sheilded blade letter openers in case a terrorist wants to unzip yer eyelids? Moron.
It might well be that your knife is cheap, but I have a vague recollection that stainless steel does not make a good knife.
"Stainless steel is easy to care for, but it has a bad reputation among many knife users because the early stainless was almost impossible to sharpen. If you did manage to get it sharp, it wouldn?t stay that way very long. Stainless has come a long way since then, and the best of the modern stainless will hold an excellent edge. But it?s still somewhat more difficult to sharpen."
So was your CRKT one of the best?
"Stainless steel is a mixture of iron, carbon and various additional elements, especially chromium, which give the alloy high rust-resistance and reduced brittleness or improved ductility (resilience). It's important to note that the performance properties of stainless steel depend to a large degree on how the alloy is processed -- whether it is stamped or forged -- and how well it is manufactured."
"Most stainless steel knives are softer than carbon steel knives and are as easy or easier to sharpen, but do not stay sharp as long. Carbon steel is harder than most stainless alloys but it can also be brittle, so pieces of the knife-edge can break off. Carbon steel edges are weakened by the alloy's tendency to rust easily.
"To increase stain resistance, early stainless steel alloys contained an excessive amount of chromium, which made the alloy too soft to form a durable edge. Later alloys increased edge durability. Today, a new ultra-high carbon alloy gives knives exceptional edge retention. Today's stainless alloy knives take a durable, razor-sharp edge because they contain a much lower percentage of chromium while still retaining excellent stain resistance. A recently introduced forged knife line made from a unique ultra-high carbon stainless alloy holds an edge up to ten times longer than any other stainless kitchen knife and has excellent stain resistance. The new alloy contains about 1% carbon (for hardness), twice the carbon of any other forged kitchen knife. Unlike carbon steel knives that tend to be brittle, this new alloy is resilient, due in part to the fact that it contains between
10 and 30 times the molybdenum (for ductility or resilience) of any other forged kitchen knife. This alloy is as strong as carbon steel and takes an edge that is as sharp or sharper."
I like the folders that take the replaceable cutting blades. DO NOT buy the one with the pushbutton release, but the one with the clothespin type safety closure. For opening boxes and cutting banding, they are great, and quickly sharpened by inserting a new blade. Other knives are good, as recommended, but more $$$, and you have to carry a sharpening stone, and eventually, they wear down. Plus, if you lose one, you have to pony up more $$$, whereas the folders with the replaceable blades are not as spendy.
Steve
Heart surgery pending? Read up and prepare. Learn how to care for a friend.
I have a Gerber caron-steel folder I bought at Wlmart for $20-25. It keeps an edge reasonably well. I use it most often for cutting paper, so I keep a pretty fine edge on it that dulls a but quicker than I would like when cutting anything more substantial. Don't put as fine an edge on it if you cut a lot of banding.
More importantly to me than how often I have to sharpen is that I can easily open/close it with one hand.
I don't see it on their web site, but it looks similar to this one, but without the skeletal handle.
"nefletch" wrote in news:uaKdnWgTuYjIA9zQnZ2dnUVZ snipped-for-privacy@posted.mobiuscommunications:
Get a box cutter. One that uses single edge razor blades,cheap to replace,VERY sharp. One I have is thinner than a pocket knife.
Cold Steel,Columbia Knife and Tool(aka CKRT),Benchmade,all make good folding knives,perhaps a bit pricier than you want. Gerber,too,and you can find them at WalMart.
Or go to a gun show,they usually have some vendors who specialize in knives. and boxes of cheap knives abound there.
I have been using a key chain knife for some time. I can't live without it, and sometimes it opens in my pocket. Perhaps one that does not open like a switchblade would be better. I have sharpened it maybe once or twice after several years.
If it is mostly used for opening boxes, what about a regular boxcutter or utility/razor knife? If the common type is too bulky there is a version that is flat, just a few inches long, and takes a regular utility blade.
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