Best Utility Knife Reviews 2021 – Pro Tool Reviews

The utility knife isquite possibly one of the most widely-used tools youll ever add to yourarsenal, so why not make sure you get the one thats right for you? Fromcutting boxes to scoring drywall to installing carpet, finding and using the bestutility knife or razor knife can save you time and effort.

No matter what the task, youll have a knife with the quickness and features you need. Alongwith a hammer, pencil, and tape measure, a utility knife is next in line for thecoveted dont go anywhere without it spot in my tool pouch. Butthere are a lot of choices and preferences when shopping for a razor knife. Folding? Rugged? Retractable? Read on for our top picks.

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Im not sure if its your first love, or something else. Our favorite folding utility knife remains the Milwaukee Fastback Flip. This best folding utility knife lacks extra blade storage (other versions have that) but it opens easily and has a super-quick blade change. Above that, the belt clip just works and it slides easily in and out of your pocket or tool pouch. This wasnt the first folding utility knife, but it may still be the best. Pick it up for around $15 online or at your favorite Milwaukee dealer.

The LENOX 20353SSRK1 Retractable Utility Knife features a simple design that we love. You get a quick blade change that doesnt force you to open up the handle. You can also open the utility knife to store or retrieve up to five blades within. At the front edge, a titanium-coated steel nose stays together and gives you a durable slot that braces the blade while you cut.

Sometimes a simple design just works. Why complicate things? This retractable utility knife even includes three LENOX Gold Titanium Edge utility bladesall for around $15.

Apart from the minor annoyance of not including a pocket clip, the Gerber Prybrid knife impressed us with its style and simplicity. It actually packs quite a lot of functionality into a tiny space. Moreit does that without sacrificing durability. You get a true utility blade for slicing and a notch for cord-cutting. The back end of the tool lets you pry, drive screws, strip wire, and open bottles. Its kinda like carrying around a toolbox that fits in your pocket and only costs $25. This also makes for one of the best DIY gifts.

These OLFA aluminum utility knives come in two styles. The OLFA MPX-AL uses an auto-locking slide while the made-in-Japan OLFA MXP-L locks and unlocks with a metal ratchet wheel.

These also use snap-off bladessomething OLFA invented. Each blade snaps into 8 segments, so its like having 4 trapezoidal blades without the hassle of flipping them around. At less than $20, these knives give you quality and always-sharp convenience like few others.

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We picked the Stanley 10-399 swivel-lock as our best fixed-blade utility knife for several reasons. First, and foremost, the swivel-lock functionality lets you quickly pivot the handle open at the center. This lets you access the spare blade storage compartment within and swap blades when they get dull. The tool-free operation beats a threaded screw-based handle system by a mile. Almost unbelievably, this knife costs less than $5 at many retailers. Buy one for your whole crew.

A good drywall knife emphasizes stability and ergonomics. With the Irwin 1774103, the fixed blade holds the knife steady without fear of it retracting on you during a cut. You also get quick and easy blade changes as well as onboard blade storage. We also like how you can choke up on the front of this knife for better control when dragging a cut toward you. Lastly, $13 is a great price for a no-nonsense tool-free drywall utility knife that should last many years.

The Milwaukee 48-22-1500 Fastback makes a great pocket utility knife. More compact than the original Fastback, it works even better for easy carry in your pants pocket or clipped to a loop in your favorite tool belt. It keeps the press-and-flip function and tool-free blade change. It even has a small lanyard hole for tethering. For under $9 you cant find a better EDC (every-day carry) pocket utility knife than this.

A carpet knife has to have the right angle to let you cut quickly and accurately. You want a no-nonsense knife with a fixed blade and tool-free blade change. The Crain 726 carpet knife delivers. Not fancy, its quick, and the pivoting body opens quickly to let you replace the blade as needed to keep your edge sharp. It also supports various blade extension positions but clamps down tightly so you dont get any slide.

Clearly, you can grab any standard utility knife if thats what you want. However, a nice hawkbill blade remains hard to beat. For that, we like the Klein Cable Skinning Utility Knife. You can swap the hawkbill for a coping bladebut both are replaceable. That makes this a true utility knife and you never need to sharpen the blades. Just charge it to the jobsite.

When we tested the Klein Cable Skinning Utility Knife, we skinned more than 50 cables with one blade. The 44218 runs less than $20 and blades run about $10 for a 3-pack. That should keep you skinning cables for quite some time.

Why carry two knives when one suffices? The Stanley Fatmax Xtreme 10-789 Twin Blade utility knife can carry both a standard utility blade and a hook blade. That covers most of what you may run into on the roof. They also made blade changes easy with a single release button on top. For less than $14, its like having two knives in one.

We dont like to skimp on utility blades. The best utility blades should last long enough to get the job done without requiring you to change them prematurely. We like the Irwin Bi-Metal utility blades best. They come in a 100-pack and serve as a great general-use blade for working on wood, plastic, or drywall.

Irwin makes these blades using welded spring steel and high-speed steel construction, which helps prevent shattering under stress. Weve used these blades, and they tend to stay sharper for longer than the cheaper bulk carbon steel blades. You can get the pack for $27around $0.37 per blade.

In our experience, the best utility knife brands include OLFA, Milwaukee Tool, Stanley, DeWalt, and Lenox. We could also expand on that with specialized brands like Klein and Crainor budget brands such as Husky, and WorkPro. Lots of manufacturers make utility knives. Sticking with the top brands gets you a tool thats likely been jobsite tested by hundreds or even thousands of Pros.

While more expensive power tools demand consideration of warranty, we dont typically expect a decade of use out of our utility knives. Even the best utility knives function as consumables in our work experience. You certainly want the best tool for the joband you dont want to overpay. In the end, however, the best tool helps you get the job done quickly and accurately.

Ask yourself some of the followingquestions when searching for the perfect utility or razor knife:

Depending on your application, you may prefer a folding utility knife. If you go through blades like theres no tomorrow, youll want something with ample blade storage. This sounds like an easy question, but realize that utility knives are made inspecific ways for specific tasks.

For those laying carpet, youll want a knifethat is always ready and can handle quick, painless blade changes (which youllbe doing at a rate of aboutoh, I dont knowonce per minute, lol.) If you just want something for general use (openingpackages, sharpening pencils, etc) then consider going with a standard knife. Models with a retractable blade can easily take a new blade when needed.

Alternatively, a folding razor knife might be theticket for those wanting something different. Or, consider a smaller-profile knife with segmented, breakaway blades. Those qualify in this category as well. In either case, its important to matchthe knife to your intended useor plan on picking up a couple of differenttools.

There are three essential types ofutility knives. If you want the best utility knife for your application, understand each one. Im sure you can come up with a few more that might deservetheir own category, but for sake of simplicity, well contain the descriptionsto these four:

These knives are the mostcommon utility variety and feature a sliding blade mechanism with variabledepth. Actuation is typically through a button that is depressed with thethumb to expose the knife and control the depth of the blade (some knivesare all or nothing).

Most retractable knives can accept multiple blade types,but this varies from manufacturer to manufacturer. Simple versions featurea straight handle and some kind of screw to separate the device and loadspare blades, while advanced models may be more ergonomic in shape and offerquick-release blade changes.

Some safety knives auto-retract or force you to squeeze a trigger to extend the blade. OSHA requires these tools on certain jobsites in order to meet various safety standards. Most users dislike using them as they violate every rule of ergonomics. However, when you have to use them, make sure you grab one that helps you work as efficiently as possible.

These knives are perfect forheavy duty use and precision cuts. Since the blade gets locked into asingle position, the knife experiences no blade slop orside-to-side wiggle which is common in standard retractable knives. Sincethe blade doesnt retract, its important to carefully store these knivesor even remove the blades when not in use.

These knives are most commonlyfound in the carpeting industry and they can typically accept manydifferent types of blades. Apart from the common full-sized knife, certainhobby knives are also fixed-blade in design and can support ultra-sharpblades of various sizes and shapes that are used for precision cuts.

A variation of the fixed-blade knife includes folding knives. These feature the stability of a fixed blade with the fold-away protection of a retractable blade. They also give you a much more compact footprint.

Snap-off blade knives feature segmentedblades that are broken off in sections to deliver a brand new edge oncethe old one is too dull to be useful. They let you continue cutting without the need for a blade change. These knives started out catering to hobbyists where heavy-duty use wasnt required. Now, OLFA makes segmented utility knives with heavy-duty snap-off blades that can hold up to jobsite use. Most blades come with anywherefrom 8 to 13 segments.

There are several bladetypes which will make each type of job much easier. Here are some of the more common styles you can buy:

Theseare the typical trapezoidal razor blades you see on full-size utility knives. Theirtrapezoidal shape gives you pointed edges for cutting materials ofvarying degrees of thickness and composition.

These are identical to standard utility blades except for blunted points.This avoids accidental stabbing while still allowing for maximum cuttingability on a variety of materials. Some jobsites might require these for safety reasons.

These blades are excellent onlinoleum or carpet and allow for rapid cutting of those and similarmaterials. These blades come in a variety of sizes, and can also includeblunt ends or single/dual-sided forms. A variant on this blade is theLinoleum blade which is typically single-sided and features a singlearched blade hook.

These blades are typicallyrectangular and double-sided. Pros use them with specialty fixed utility knives that canaccept them.

Snap-off blades include standardwedge-type blades for smaller hobby knives and heavier-duty segmented blades. Some manufacturers offer these in varying thicknesses and materials, so pay attention to the application and materials you need to cut.

These are almost always soldas a separate system but they are worth mentioning since they are usedextensively in construction to cut various materials like cement board. These blades come in a variety of shapes and sizes. They let you score material designed to be snapped rather than cut through with a blade.

Look for the followingfeatures in a utility or razor knife to enhance and expand upon the standardfeatures youd expect to find in a knife. Sure, you can get a straight-up bladewith no frills, but some of these nifty features make using a utility knifesomething much more useful.

A new trend is to treat the standardutility knife like a Kershaw folding pocket knife. As far as we can tell, this waspioneered by a company called Superknife and then quickly knocked off bymany other manufacturers. Instead of the sharpened steel blade, you have aremovable razor blade that is locked into a folding arm.

It typicallylocks away when not in use and makes for a great addition to throw into atool bagor your pocket for that matter. There are also utility kniveswith handles that bend but do not completely fold. This is mainly an issueof ergonomics, and these knives otherwise resemble standard, non-foldingknives.

While some people preferold school utility knives that require a flat head screwdriverto separate the body into halves to change the blade, our personalfavorite are the models that use a simple button to swap blades.

With thesimple push of a button, you can flip the razor blade around to the freshside and continue use. Other knives feature a spring-loaded mechanism thatcan pivot or split the knife open and allow fast blade changes.

Most utility knives offerinternal blade storage, but increasingly, knives are coming up with moreconvenient ways to access those blades. While older knives had to bedisassembled, new knives feature quick-release compartments and delivermuch easier access to five or more spare blades.

Some knives include a smallslit in the body that accesses a small area of the blade just behind thehead of the knife. This is perfect for slicing strings and twine withouthaving to adjust the knife. Its safe and easy to use.

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Best Utility Knife Reviews 2021 - Pro Tool Reviews