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Box cutter love

P

Peak_Oil

Joined
Nov 6, 2005
Messages
554
I got a Milwaukee box cutter a couple weeks ago. It's primary purpose is breaking down boxes from Amazon to reuse as firestarters in my wood stove, and secondary purpose is ripping open shipping containers. It has replaced all my pocket knives, period. Nothing breaks down boxes like a box cutter. Nothing opens packages like a box cutter. I'm not talking about the kitchen or the woodpile, this is just about boxes and envelopes. One swipe and it's handled. On the rare occasion that I have to switch out a blade it takes about a minute to open it up and flip the blade around or install a new one. No sharpening needed. Not that I dislike sharpening knives, I do that with my kitchen knives all the time.

Bottom line is, if I need to shred an edge of a box to start a fire, I'm reaching for my box cutter. Not a single one of my knives do the job anywhere near as well. I got the thing free with a tape measure, so it was kind of a surprise as to how effective it was. Even better, I shred the box away from me with the box cutter, and my knives just don't do it that well. I have to go from the edge of the box IN. Safer to boot.
 
At work, a full-size Ritter Grip, a Charge TTi, and a Rat 2 all compare favorably to company-approved razors in terms of cardboard and other items. Gayle Bradley, Rat 1, Military, Paramilitary 2, not so much. I even talked a newb into a Benchmade 550 just by showing him how the Ritter performs.
 
I love box cutters. I just wish that there was a good PREMIUM one out there. I'd buy a Spyderco-quality box cutter if one were made. I know they could be made thinner, lighter, and stronger if they weren't all done in cast zinc. Out of the standard available styles nothing beats the regular old sliding Stanleys for me.

I resharpen my blades, too. I don't think I've ever bought a pack of blades--I just touch 'em up when they get dull.
 
I've been using a olfa L-2 at work for 5 years standard sliding style
I'm a aluminum window installer glazier and its my most used hand tool along side my Richards paint scraper pry bar
315_rn.jpg
it fits my hand so well I've thought about some one making me a custom folder with similar design
 
my neighbor uses one for gutting and skinning, Ive seen him use it on goats, pigs and chickens. seems to work well, and he uses the ultra cheap disposible handle models they give him at the grocery store where he works, and throws them away when he is done. I cant get into them. to be honest, I do not always choose a knife for efficiency, so I use my pretty pocket knives for things that a box cutter is better at all the time. Just shows how unreasonable my obsession with pocket knives is. Almost everything I use a knife for could be done at least as well, if not better, with a $2 box cutter. its just not the way I wanna do it.
 
SVTFreak said:
There's your million dollar idea!

They say everyone has one in their lifetime. It's what they do with it that makes the bill Gates and Steve Jobs.
Click to expand...

Oh I've got a lot of million dollar ideas. I have to pick and choose which ones I decide to tackle. :D :D :D
 
FortyTwoBlades said:
I love box cutters. I just wish that there was a good PREMIUM one out there. I'd buy a Spyderco-quality box cutter if one were made. I know they could be made thinner, lighter, and stronger if they weren't all done in cast zinc. Out of the standard available styles nothing beats the regular old sliding Stanleys for me.

I resharpen my blades, too. I don't think I've ever bought a pack of blades--I just touch 'em up when they get dull.
Click to expand...

I think a premium box cutter would be a hard sell. I have a drawer full of cheapos, all of which do the same thing. I just couldn't see paying much for a box cutter that did the same thing all those others did, using razor blades just like they do. Yes, I realize that you could say "Well Quiet, then why do you buy expensive knives?!?!? HUH! ANSWER ME THAT!" but the fact is, that's entirely different. A box-cutter is just a handle for a replacement razor blade. Knives command what they do based on a large variety of factors.

But you know what? I could be way off base. You could come out with a $150 box cutter with premium materials in the handle and sell a trillion of 'em, and you arrange your huge piles of money into the words "QUIET CAN SUCK IT" big enough to be seen from space. I'd applaud you for it, that's for sure!
 
My problem is that I have a million one-dollar ideas :)

Box cutters are useful no argument. Still use my dad's.
 
That's interesting, I think a good utility knife/box cutter would sell, I've known lots of handymen, carpenters, myself included etc. that use them all day long, and when some of the new/better designs come out, like the folding Milwaukee/Dewalt, or some of the nicer handle non-folding versions they are excited about using them. Also some utility blades are much better than others, so there could be a market for it. Heck look at how popular the Havalon knives are, they don't do anything for me, but I know sportsman buddies that rave over them, they hate sharpening. If anything I think there's a market for premium steel blades, if they are cost effective, if they only last 25% longer but cost 3x as much, never happen.

I think the difference is they are 95% concerned with functionality, they don't care about color, fancy materials etc. unless it really provides a better using experience or saves them time/money/both. So the price point is still going to be low. Some of those guys pay $200+ for a Ti hammer if they feel it's a benefit, so you never know :)
 
I'm a strange one.

I need a knife to cut boxes at work since I hate box cutters I got a sebenza for the job.

Took months removing shoulder from edge and now it glides through cardboard better than a box cutter could dream of.
 
tobin420 said:
I've been using a olfa L-2 at work for 5 years standard sliding style
I'm a aluminum window installer glazier and its my most used hand tool along side my Richards paint scraper pry bar
315_rn.jpg
it fits my hand so well I've thought about some one making me a custom folder with similar design
Click to expand...
This is what I use. Yet nine times out of ten I reach for my knife because I can open, cut, and close WAY faster that that frakkin dial on the OLFA.
 
FortyTwoBlades said:
I love box cutters. I just wish that there was a good PREMIUM one out there. I'd buy a Spyderco-quality box cutter if one were made. I know they could be made thinner, lighter, and stronger if they weren't all done in cast zinc. Out of the standard available styles nothing beats the regular old sliding Stanleys for me.

I resharpen my blades, too. I don't think I've ever bought a pack of blades--I just touch 'em up when they get dull.
Click to expand...
Google superknife. The original. They are superb, but he had to sell out to Gerber, all the big box stores went with cheap imitations. That's the problem with million dollar ideas - half million dollar rip off artists.
 
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sodak said:
Google superknife. The original. They are superb, but he had to sell out to Gerber, all the big box stores went with cheap imitations. That's the problem with million dollar ideas - half million dollar rip off artists.
Click to expand...

I've seen 'em but they aren't quite what I'd be after. I've looked pretty hard. :)

As far as what I'm envisioning, think something fixed, but thin, light, and pocketable in design (closer to the snap off utility knives) only without the industrial feel, a pocket clip, and with a retractable-type mechanism that used standard blades.
 
I used to use my old (79?) Stanley box cutter at work. Original "slow" blade replacement blade needed a screwdriver (ok, I used a dime) to change the blade. Inside storage for about 5 replacement blades. Non-retractable blade.Real Al handle. Leather belt sheath. I was told I had to use the PS company issue because it was a WEPON!! Not to hijack the thread. Now use a personal Kobalt (Lowes) folding model. Like the fast switchable reversible idea tho, I favored the Stanley Sports Utility model with a razor and regular blade (spreader) but mine wore out.I sharpen for fun (relaxation)or cause its needed, but at work they dont pay me to do that so I guess that razor blades it is.
 
Thick double walled cardboard vs. thin flat ground knife with good edge vs. crappy razor that's been used to cut crap for a while. I'll take the thin FFG knife. Razors are okay, but sometimes it's just faster to whip out the knife and get the job done instead of fiddling with replacing the blade.
 
I have a Blackie Collins design Meyerco that I picked up for $15 about 8 years ago. It's assisted and uses replaceable
utility blades; I get about a week out of a single Lenox gold. I'd buy another if they were still being made....
 
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