Where To Start?
The folding utility knife is a relatively new adaptation of the original utility knife concept. Since 1936, when Frederick Stanley introduced the utility knife to the STANLEY® tool line, they have been a staple in every workshop, warehouse, shed, home and in the tools kit of trades people and DIYers the world over. So much so that the name “Stanley Knife” became synonymous with the tool itself, like Hoover®, Velcro®, Tannoy® and Torx® (just… just don’t get me started).
It appears that pretty much every tool brand, these days, has their version of the “Stanley Knife” included somewhere in their product line. They’ve evolved from the two pieces of die-cast metal, screwed together with a trapezoidal blade sticking out of one end.
Now, some have auto-retracting blades for “safety” (allegedly), some have belt clips for easy access *foreshadowing*, and some even have magazine loading of the blades (I kid you not).
Making A Choice
I’ve used quite a number of different utility knife brands and styles, since I’ve been trusted to use pointy objects without supervision (at some time in my mid-thirties, I think). So, when I decided to start up Silverhand Creative, I wanted to find a good quality utility knife that would be comfortable to use, be durable and be a brand I could (potentially) get behind.
It was by pure chance that I happened across the Fiskars® range of utility knives. Up until that point, I thought that Fiskars® only made needlework and dressmaking tools, or gardening tools and equipment. So, I was surprised to find that they also made a range of more industrial tools that included utility knives.
I opted for their folding utility knife (although I have subsequently purchased other knives in the range, as you can see from the above image), and have been using it almost daily for the past year and a half (as of writing this blog) without issue or gripe.
But, Have I Made The Right Choice?
With that choice made, I now want to see if I have, indeed, made the correct decision (that, and the constant need for inspiration for blog articles). So, I decided that I would buy a number of different brands of folding utility knife, to see how they compared. I ended up buying eight knives from different brands and used each one exclusively for a week, then noted down my findings.
Criteria For Inclusion
When I considered the minutiae of this comparison, I decided upon two main stipulations that each knife should have for it to be included into the list (other than that it had to fold), and to make it a fair comparison;
- The knife had to be from a known brand (not no-name Chineseum).
- The knife should not have storage for spare blades.
The latter stipulation was chosen, due to the fact that the Fiskars® knife I already own doesn’t have blade storage. Like I just mentioned, gotta keep it a fair comparison.
Comparison Criteria
This is, by no means, going to be a comprehensive or in-depth comparison of all these knives (I just don’t have that kinda time in my life, right now). These are just my thoughts on the knives during their week-long use.
So, when it all boils down to it, there’s only really two things I want from a folding utility knife;
- The knife should allow for easy one-handed operation (folding and unfolding).
- The knife should feel comfortable in the hand when being used.
Other than that, every feature over and above will either be a bonus or an annoyance.
The Knives
With all of that out of the way, let’s get down to the knives. I’ve presented this list in alphabetical brand order to keep it simple. But (just to be clear), I didn’t test them in this order.
Amazon Basics Folding Utility Knife
If you are unaware of the entity that is the mighty Amazon, then you probably actually live in the Amazon (and most probably don’t have internet access, so won’t be reading this article, anyway). From its humble beginnings selling physical books, Amazon now sells (and pretty much does) everything. So, having an own-brand folding utility knife isn’t that much of a surprise.
Specifications
Dimensions: 98mm long (folded), 157mm long (unfolded and to blade tip) x 37mm x 19mm thick (at the widest point).
Weight: 126.2g [4.45oz]
Price Range: £8 – £10 (only available on Amazon, but the price seems to fluctuate a bit)
First Impressions
I purchased a few of the knives in this list, from Amazon UK, at the same time. So, when they arrived I did notice something immediately. The Amazon Basics knife, along with the Draper and TIMco knives, have a very similar side-facing profile. Almost as if they were manufactured in the same factory, or the designs are licensed from a third-party, elsewhere.
This knife is of an almost all-metal construction, as it has a few plastic accents. Most probably to keep the cost down. But, having said that, it wasn’t the least expensive folding utility knife I purchased for this blog.
The scales look to be anodised aluminium (later confirmed to be the case). They are affixed to the central core of the knife with a couple of Torx®, Hexalobe, Star Drive machine screws. The blade housing release is of a thumb button variety on the left side (a bit pants if you’re left-handed. I have cross-dominance, so it’s not an issue for me).
In Use
One-handed operation of this knife is almost there. The blade housing has a dual locking mechanism (like my trusty Fiskars®), so the release button must be pressed in to allow the housing to rotate freely around the pivot point, out or in.
The reason I say that the one-handed operation is “almost there”, is due to the blade housing not fully folding away. It flicks out just fine, but folding it away means having to push the housing against a leg/hip to fully secure it.
Points are lost (not that I’m bloody well keeping score. Sod that for a lark) for comfort, for the Amazon knife. This due to it being (pretty much) just flat plates laminated (screwed) together. The longitudinal profile is all but rectangular, and in no way conforms to the hand when being gripped.
Blade changing (as with every other tested knife) is a momentary push-button affair. Which means you must be holding this button in when removing or inserting a blade. This is in no way meant to be taken as a negative. But, if you are someone that may have weak grip strength, or have a condition (like arthritis) in your fingers, then having to hold the button in to perform this function, may be awkward.
Thankfully, for the Amazon knife, the button is the longest and thickest out of all the eight knives tested.
Niggles
The only real niggles for me, with the Amazon Basics folding utility knife, are the lack of any thought for comfort in the hand and the fact that the blade housing can’t be readily “flicked” into the folded position, in one smooth motion, when being used one-handed.
Draper Folding Utility Knife [24383]
The British company, Draper Tools, started life back in 1919. Nowadays (in the UK, at least) they’re an ever-present brand when searching for tools online. If you need a specific tool, then Draper most probably manufactures one. From Automotive tools, to gardening tools and associated accessories, they appear to have everything. Including a folding utility knife (more than one, to be truthful). I already own a pair of their carpenter’s pincers for removing nails when I’m Pallet Breaking.
Specifications
Dimensions: 121mm long (folded), 182mm long (unfolded and to blade tip) x 35mm x 18mm thick (at the widest point).
Weight: 133.6g [4.71oz]
Price Range: £9 – £17
First Impressions
Other than the aforementioned similarity in style to both the Amazon and Timco folding knives in this list, you cannot fail to miss the caribena-style belt clip. Which makes the Draper folding utility knife the longest and the only one of the eight that doesn’t have a side-mounted belt clip. It’s also the only one with an additional rubberised grip feature, too.
I am unsure as to whether this rubberised feature will add any real additional grip in use, especially if you’re already wearing work gloves that have a palm/hand-dipped latex/nitrile/pvc coating.
The scales underneath the grip are plastic and (as with the Amazon knife) are similarly affixed to the core with machine screws. The blade housing release button is also of the same style and is on the same side as the Amazon knife.
In Use
The Draper knife fails in the one-handed department, straight out of the packaging. The blade housing doesn’t rotate freely around the pivot point, as it’s a little stiff (said the actress to the bishop). So, you can only ever fully extend and fold the blade using both hands. Whether this would loosen up over time and use, I can’t say (as I won’t be using it after the testing period).
As this knife has more than a passing resemblance to the Amazon knife, it may come as little surprise that the comfort stakes are exactly the same. Flat plates screwed together to form a rectangular longitudinal profile.
The only additional comfort worry would be the length of the knife, due to the caribena-style belt clip. I keep my folding utility knife in a thigh pocket on my work trousers, so I had no issues. But, if you intend to (or already do) keep your knife in a front hip pocket, then you may incur mild groinal injury when bending over, with this knife. Just to be on the safe side.
Blade Changing is the exact process as with the Amazon knife, and presents the same potential issues with having to hold the blade release button in.
Niggles
The main niggle for this knife is not being able to extend and fold the blade away one-handed with any ease. If you stored this knife on a belt loop, using the caribena-style belt clip, then there is absolutely no way that you’d be able to remove it easily (from said belt loop) one-handed.
Every other niggle is as per the Amazon knife, with regards to comfort.
Irwin Folding Utility Knife [IRW10507695]
The Irwin Industrial Tool company (to give it its full Sunday name) started life in America as the Irwin Auger Bit Company, back in 1885, with Charles Irwin at the forefront. They are now a globally known company, with many innovative tools and products to their name. Amongst them, is this folding utility knife.
Specifications
Dimensions: 92mm long (folded), 150mm long (unfolded and to blade tip) x 38mm x 18mm thick (at the widest point).
Weight: 108.1g [3.81oz]
Price Range: £12 – £15
First Impressions
This Irwin knife has an all metal construction, with the most angular esthetic out of all these knives. Almost as if it were forged by dwarves in the very depths of Khazad-dûm itself (#TolkienGeek). It’s also the first knife I tested that doesn’t have a side-mounted thumb button blade housing lock and the only knife tested that has a dedicated wire strip function.
The blade housing release/lock mechanism comprises of a spring-loaded lever that runs down the spine of the knife, which seats into notches that are placed at intervals in the blade housing. I have seen this design on other folding fixed blade pocket knives, but have always had concerns about safety in use. These concerns are due to the position your fingers must be in when folding the blade away. On the plus side, the Irwin folding utility knife can be used by left-, or right-handers.
In Use
The aforementioned blade housing release/lock mechanism completely negates any chance of one-handed opening or closing of the knife. To open the knife, you can hold the handle in one hand, then just pull the blade housing out to the extended position with the other hand (no dual lock mechanism on this knife).
To fold the blade away safely, you must hold the blade housing in one hand, then place thumb and middle fingers of the opposite hand at either side of the back end of the handle. Using your index finger, you need to press down on the lever, to release the blade housing to be able to fold it away.
The easier option to fold the blade away (and this is where my safety concerns come into play) is to hold the back end of the handle between thumb and index finger and press down on the lever with your thumb. This way potentially puts your index finger in the way of the blade.
Thankfully, the blade housing doesn’t rotate freely enough around the pivot point for this to be much of an issue. But, this does mean that the amount of time it takes to lock the blade into a position to be used or fold away again (safely or otherwise), is longer than the average F1 pitstop.
Whilst not of the laminated layer construction of the previous two knives, this Irwin knife still has a similar rectangular longitudinal profile. Therefore, comfort in the hand isn’t really there, unless you have the toughened palms of a dwarven miner from Moria, then it won’t be an issue. #LordOfTheRings #LOTR
Blade changing is pretty much the same process as the previous two knives, but has an extra consideration to take into account. There is still a momentary blade release button on the left-hand side of the blade housing, but the housing must be in a certain rotational position between fully extended and folded away. There is an intermediate notch between these two points where only in this position can the blade be removed from the knife when the blade release button is pressed.
Niggles
For me, the Irwin Folding Utility Knife has absolutely no redeeming attributes. Not even the wire strip function (which I didn’t use or even bother to test) holds any interest for me.
Milwaukee Fastback Compact™ Flip Folding Utility Knife [4932471356]
The Milwaukee Electric Tool Corporation (another Sunday name) was founded in America back in 1924, by A.F. Siebert. They are now an absolute power house (no pun intended) as a world leader in battery operated power tools. I own a few of their M12 range of tools for those little DIY jobs around the house. I also have a heated coat that runs on the M12 batteries.
Specifications
Dimensions: 103mm long (folded), 161mm long (unfolded and to blade tip) x 32mm x 23mm thick (at the widest point).
Weight: 103.7g [3.66oz]
Price Range: £9 – £21
First Impressions
For a brand that prides itself on quality (their power tool warranty is second to none, I tell you), this knife looks cheap. With its plastic-over-metal core construction and oversized paperclip-style belt clip, this knife did not impress me, at first glance. Even the “loop” at the back of the hand (to add to a keychain, maybe?) looked ill thought out.
In Use
However, the Milwaukee Fastback Compact™ Flip Folding Utility Knife surprised me, when I started using it. The one-handed open close action feels almost as good as my trusty Fiskars® knife (almost). Whilst the blade housing does rotate freely around the pivot point, when the blade housing release button is pressed, there does seem to be a little more friction there (but negligible).
As with all the previous knives tested, no thought appears to have been given to comfort in use, anywhere within the design process.
Whilst blade changing is a similar process to all that’s gone before, it did interest me to note that the blade release button is on the right-hand side of the blade housing. I’m not sure what the thought process was behind this decision (other than just to be different), but this change doesn’t appear to serve any purpose or provide any meaningful advantage. If anything, it makes changing the blade a little more difficult.
Niggles
The now usual comfort niggle applies to the Milwaukee Fastback Compact™ Flip and the bizarre decision to place the blade release button on the right-hand side of the blade housing.
Ryobi Folding Utility Knife [RHCKF-2]
The Ryobi brand is the global power tool equivalent of Canadian rockers Nickelback. They’re good (on the whole), but there’s quite a bit of (some would say; unwarranted) hatred towards them. Personally, I have no issue with Ryobi (or Nickelback, for that matter), other than the fact that they produce a fantastic range of pneumatic tools (Ryobi, not Nickelback), which appear to only be available in Australia. That, and only battery operated power tools are available in the UK (this knife isn’t listed on either of their UK or Australian websites).
Specifications
Dimensions: 110mm long (folded), 171mm long (unfolded and to blade tip) x 35mm x 22mm thick (at the widest point).
Weight: 121.4g [4.28oz]
Price Range: £13 – £20
First Impressions
You will not lose this folding utility knife easily, as it all but bloody fluoresces..! If it glowed in the dark, then that would have been a bonus, and raised my estimation of this knife. Unfortunately, the Ryobi Folding Utility Knife manages to look and feel cheaper than the Milwaukee knife, even though it is more expensive to purchase.
As with the Milwaukee knife, this knife has a plastic-over-metal core construction, and the belt clip is similarly of the oversized paperclip variety. But, unlike any of the other knives tested (or any other folding knife I’ve ever encountered), the blade housing release “button” isn’t really a button.
Upon closer inspection, the blade housing release of this knife appears to be a sprung piece of metal attached to the metal core that has the front end folded over. This piece of metal interacts with the blade housing to lock it into the extended position.
In Use
As with the Irwin knife, one-handed operation of this Ryobi knife is completely impossible. The blade can be extended in the same way as the Irwin knife, by just pulling the blade housing out from within the handle (again, no dual locking mechanism). But, folding the blade away is an entirely different issue.
What you may not realise from the image above, is that the blade housing release is chuffin’ recessed into the plastic outer handle.!? How is that (in any way, shape or form) a practical or user-friendly design choice..?
The design and placement of the blade housing release makes folding the blade away a challenge, even when using two hands.
Again, there appears to be no thought put into user comfort at the design stage. I fear I’m starting to sound like a broken record (not that the streaming youth of today would know what one of those is).
There’s not much to say about the blade changing process. It’s pretty much copy and paste from every other knife in this list.
Niggles
By far, the biggest and most annoying niggle (it’s defo more than a niggle) of the Ryobi Folding Utility Knife is the bloody blade housing release. The sadistic bastard in the design team needs a quick kick to the nadges (colloquial term for gonads) for that one. Although, this does smack of third-party name licensing, but I could be (and am frequently) wrong about this. Then again, someone had to approve the design, so kicks in the nadges all round, I think.
STANLEY® Folding Utility Knife [STHT10424-0]
As mentioned right at the top of this blog, STANLEY® have had a utility knife in their product catalogue since 1936. The company itself has been around since 1849, when Frederick Stanley founded the Stanley works in Connecticut, USA. They now have a number of utility knives in their catalogue, but this one fits with comparison criteria.
Specifications
Dimensions: 99mm long (folded), 152mm long (unfolded and to blade tip) x 37mm x 20mm thick (at the widest point).
Weight: 111.0g [3.92oz]
Price Range: £10 – £12
First Impressions
Knowing that STANLEY® were the progenitors of the utility knife, you’d think that they’d have come up with a new, innovative design by now. Nope..! This knife is just another in the long line of laminated layers, folding utility knife.
Add to the fact that this knife actually has a worse blade housing release than the Ryobi knife (I know what you’re thinking; how could it be worse?) I feel more than a little disappointed, really. At least it has all metal construction, I suppose.
In Use
As with the Irwin and Ryobi knives, there’s no way to use this knife one-handed. Again, the blade housing can be pulled into the extended position and only locks into place once there. Folding the blade away is a whole new level of sadism.
The blade housing release is physically part of the metal core construction, which springs into place once the blade housing has been pulled into the extended position and locks it there. The only way to fold the blade away is to press on the ribbed (for no-one’s pleasure) part of the blade housing release with a thumb, and secure the blade away.
What I have neglected to mention, thus far, is that this ribbed release is UNDERNEATH AND INSIDE THE HANDLE..! Which also puts digits in the path of the folding blade..! *Lost for words*
Comfort: NOPE..!
Blade Changing: Cut, copy, paste as per previous knives (there really is no point in repeating myself).
Niggles
BLADE. HOUSING. RELEASE. More nadger kicks need to be evenly and equally distributed amongst the STANLEY® design and design approval departments.
Starrett® Exact® Plus Folding Utility Knife [KUXP010-N]
The L. S. Starrett Company Limited (yet more Sunday names) was founded in 1880, by one Laroy S. Starrett. They are mainly known for saw blades (I own a number of their Deep Cut hole saws and arbors), but also manufacture precision measuring tools, power tool accessories and construction hand tools. Of which, utility knives fall into the latter section.
Specifications
Dimensions: 92mm long (folded), 151mm long (unfolded and to blade tip) x 37mm x 16mm thick (at the widest point).
Weight: 100.7g [3.55oz]
Price Range: £9 – £13
First Impressions
At this point in the process, there’s nothing really new, interesting and/or humorous to say about these knives. They’re all starting to blur into one homogenous entity and I’m slowly losing the ability of rational comprehension. Such is the complete lack of innovation in this field, it appears (and why am I standing in a field..?).
The Starrett® Exact® Plus Folding Utility Knife is all metal, laminated layers, yadda, yadda, yadda…
The only thing of note on this knife (in typical Dull Men’s Club fashion), is that the blade release is of a similar sprung lever mechanism to this knife’s blade housing release (as per the Irwin knife). Also, the affixing screws are Pozi pan-head and not countersunk hex or hexalobular head.
In Use
One-handed: <see Irwin knife>
Comfort: Zip-A-Dee-Doo-Dah (might get censored by Disney for that one).
At least with the blade changing on this knife I’ve got something new to say (unfortunately, not something positive). At just one rung higher from the Ryobi knife, on the “Stupid Design Ladder”, is this monstrosity.
When the blade of this Starrett® Exact® Plus Folding Utility Knife is extended, the blade release “button” (thumb wedge..? Release trigger..? Whatever…) is only a mere 1mm away from the handle, and only protrudes just over 1.5mm sideways from it. Which adds a whole new level of difficulty when trying to replace a blade. This is compounded by the fact that the pivot point (which is one of the Pozi pan-head screws) is less than 5mm away. Meaning that you don’t get much leverage, making it extremely difficult to replace blades.
Niggles
Not only does this folding utility knife sport one of those crappy spine levers for the blade housing release, but Starrett® also decided to add another crappy lever for the blade release. Just bad design all round.
TIMco Folding Utility Knife [253017]
T.I. Midwood & Co. (now shortened to TIMco) was founded back in 1972 by Tim Midwood, in Chester, UK. The company started out importing and selling fixings and fasteners, but now sells pretty much everything you could think of for the building and construction industry. Which includes this folding utility knife.
Specifications
Dimensions: 99mm long (folded), 159mm long (unfolded and to blade tip) x 38mm x 23mm thick (at the widest point).
Weight: 110.2g [3.89oz]
Price Range: £7 – £13
First Impressions
Whilst the TIMco folding utility knife has similar design aesthetics to both the Amazon and Draper knives, this knife has metal scales over a plastic core. Other than that, there’s not much else to expand upon.
The belt clip, however, is on the larger side of all the knives tested and sticks out from the knife body by 4.5mm. This means that it is easier to slide onto a belt or pocket than most of the others, but it still doesn’t go on, first time, every time.
In Use
For one-handed use, this knife surprised me as did the Milwaukee knife. The blade housing freely flicks open when the release button is pressed and (nine times out of ten) folds fully away again. I’m sure that over time this will sort itself out, but if this was the only folding utility knife available to me, then I could definitely overlook the odd time the blade housing doesn’t fold away fully.
There’s no real advantages, over and above all of the other knives tested, in the comfort stakes, as it has a similar rectangular longitudinal profile. The ribbed and dotted plastic spine may improve grip, somewhat, but I would imagine not by much.
Blade changing is exactly the same as every other knife that has a left-hand side, momentary blade release button. Press, remove, press, replace. Ad infinitum (well… at least until the spring fails).
Niggles
The only niggle is in the comfort department, as per every other folding utility knife tested for this blog. Other than that, I’m quite impressed with this knife.
For Completeness Sake
Before we get to the Recommendations and Conclusions sections, it would be remiss of me to not include a rundown of my “Go To” folding utility knife. So, here it is.
Fiskars® Pro CarbonMAX™ Folding Utility Knife [1027224]
Fiskars is the Finnish village where Peter Thorwöste was given permission to set up a blacksmiths, way back in 1649. As I mentioned near the start of this blog, Fiskars® is best known (in the UK, at least) for needlework and dressmaking tools, as well as gardening equipment. But, they also make a folding utility knife (amongst other knives and industrial tooling).
Specifications
Dimensions: 118mm long (folded), 172mm long (unfolded and to blade tip) x 46mm x 26mm thick (at the widest point).
Weight: 177.7g [6.27oz]
Price Range: £14 – £19
First Impressions
The very first thing I remember, when I bought my first Fiskars® Pro CarbonMAX™ Folding Utility Knife (I now own three), was just how heavy it felt. Especially in comparison to the Fiskars® retractable utility knife from the same range, which I had purchased (along with a couple of other knives, also from that range) at the same time.
Now that I’ve used other brands of folding utility knives, I see that the Fiskars® is a veritable sumo at the side of the other more feather/lightweight knives from other brands (I don’t follow boxing. My sports were fencing and archery). This is purely down to the all metal construction.
The other thing that got my attention was the shape of the knife. Definitely more rounded than any of the other retractable style utility knives I’d used previously.
In Use
As I mentioned near the top of this blog, I’ve been using this knife for the past eighteen months (as of writing this blog and excluding the past eight weeks. Obviously), so I know very well how this knife performs.
One-handed operation of this knife is an absolute dream. With just a push of the blade housing release button and a quick flick of the wrist, the knife can be ready for use or folded safely away without any trouble at all. The blade housing moves freely and smoothly around the pivot point, as long as the release button is pressed in.
The blade housing does have a dual locking mechanism, however. So, whether the blade is fully out or folded safely away, it won’t slip loose.
Aside: I did see a YouTube review of the Fiskars® folding utility knife and the person conducting the review did comment that they’d seen other users of this knife performing the same flick open/close operation. To which they stated that this was a “dangerous action”. To whom, exactly? I would suggest if you’re the kind of person that is liable to harm themselves, or others in the vicinity, when performing this action, then it’s probably best you don’t use knives at all (then again, as I’ve stated once already in this blog; I’m not your mother).
The contoured body, with its soft-grip, textured handle feels great when using the knife bare-handed or when wearing gloves.
Blade changing is a breeze too. Just pull up the locking latch, remove the old blade, slide the new blade into place (or rotate to use the other cutting edge), then pop the locking latch back into place. There’s no need to hold in any tiny or fiddly blade release buttons, either.
Niggles
I have to mention this, although it isn’t really a niggle for me (as I never use this function), but it may be to some. The belt clip on this knife is all but bloody useless. This is completely down to the fact that the cranked lip of the belt clip only protrudes a mere 1.6mm out from the body. So, unless you’re using sturdy ribbon to hold up your work trousers, then you ain’t gonna be storing it on your belt.
It could be removed by unscrewing it (as with the majority of the folding utility knives I’ve listed above), but as it doesn’t stick out that far, it doesn’t interfere with comfort in any way. A bit of a pointless move on the part of Fiskars®, but there you go.
Recommendations
Now that I’ve used each folding utility knife solidly for a week, I can honestly say that they’re all pretty much of a muchness. They all fold, they all hold a trapezoidal utility blade and they all cut stuff. So, making recommendations isn’t a simple task, as (out of the eight knives tested) there weren’t any real standouts.
Having said that, there were a couple of surprises. Both the Milwaukee Fastback Compact™ Flip and the Timco folding utility knives held up extremely well to the one-handed operation part of my comparison criteria. The only thing that let them down (for me) was their comfort in use.
To be fair, all of the eight knives I tested failed the comfort in use criteria, as every single one has an almost identical rectangular longitudinal profile. Which makes the Fiskars® folding utility knife really stand out above all of them, for comfort.
Plus, the belt clip “function” on every single one of these knives does not allow for easy belt (or, indeed, the outside of a pocket) storage. Especially, when trying to perform this task on-handed. But, even with two hands, it isn’t as straightforward a task as it seems to (or should) be. I tried multiple times with each knife and not one went onto my belt or onto the outside of my pocket first time, and/or easily.
Another point of note is that all but two of the knives tested (the Irwin and the Starrett® knives) are made specifically to be operated (fold out, fold in) by the right hand. As in that the blade housing release button is on the left-hand side of the knife, whilst in use.
Speaking of the Irwin and Starrett knives, their spring-loaded, lever action blade housing locking mechanism may raise safety concerns. But (as I frequently state in these cases), I am not your mother.
But (when all’s said and done), if the Fiskars® range of utility knives didn’t exist, then I’d gladly take either of the Milwaukee or TIMco knives. Although, I think the TIMco knife may just edge it, as the Milwaukee knife looks (and feels) a bit cheap. This is mainly due to the plastic outer construction, even though it wasn’t the cheapest or the lightest of the eight.
Conclusion
In all honesty, I’m glad I made the choice to go with the Fiskars® Folding Utility Knife. Yeah, it’s by far the heaviest (and potentially the most expensive, depending upon where you purchase it from) out of every other brand I’ve tested, but that’s still a benefit for me. It gives me a sense of assurance that it’s robust, durable and of a great quality.
Ultimately, the choice of utility knife (folding or otherwise) is up to you, and completely down to your own personal set of criteria and/or the top benefit or feature required of it. It could be that the knife needs to be lightweight, or cheap, or comfortable in the hand if it’s being used for extended periods daily. It could also be that you’re left-handed, or it may just all boil down to the fact that it has to be the same brand and/or colour of all your existing tools.
Whichever you choose, there are bound to be some benefit/feature trade-offs. You just have to decide whether the pros outweigh the cons. Remember, it all comes down to Cheap vs. Cost Effective. And for my money, I’ll always search for the most cost effective options.
Further Reading And Footnotes
Links to information on each folding utility knife can be found below:
Amazon Basics Folding Utility Knife
Draper 24383
Fiskars® Pro CarbonMAX™ 1027224
Irwin IRW10507695
Milwaukee Fastback™ Compact Flip 4932471356
Ryobi RHCKF-2
STANLEY® STHT10424-0
Starrett® KUXP010-N
TIMco 253017
For more information about me and all that is Silverhand Creative, go check out the About Me page on this website. I have a presence on Instagram and Facebook, where I post photos (and the odd video) of ongoing and finished projects. There’s also a YouTube channel, where you can see how I go about doing what I do and what tools I prefer to use. So, feel free (there’s no pressure) to follow and/or subscribe to any (or all) of the above.
I am most definitely amenable to commission work and have a web form for you to get in touch, should you be looking for something a little more custom.
All trademarks (registered or otherwise) used in this blog lie solely with their respective owners.