• The BladeForums.com 2024 Traditional Knife is ready to order! See this thread for details: https://www.bladeforums.com/threads/bladeforums-2024-traditional-knife.2003187/
    Price is $300 $250 ea (shipped within CONUS). If you live outside the US, I will contact you after your order for extra shipping charges.
    Order here: https://www.bladeforums.com/help/2024-traditional/ - Order as many as you like, we have plenty.

  • Today marks the 24th anniversary of 9/11. I pray that this nation does not forget the loss of lives from this horrible event. Yesterday conservative commentator Charlie Kirk was murdered, and I worry about what is to come. Please love one another and your family in these trying times - Spark

Cardboard cutting champion

B

Barabus

Joined
Jun 15, 2013
Messages
398
This Wednesday I will have a pile of cardboard to process. Not sure what knife will work best to cut into the recycle container. Thinking about using my Spyderco mule 17. Thin profile K390 seems like the ticket. Anyone else planning to process a bunch of cardboard this week? If so, what blade are you using?

My runner up was a Spyderco Southard, FYI.
 
Last edited:
No, I'm not, but I think you're going to be pretty happy with that mule in K390 and thin profile.
I think you've done this before...a lot.
 
Are there possible staples in any of the cardboard? I wouldn't use an expensive knife if there are, I'd just use a Stanley knife. Actually, I'd probably prefer that anyway. Not as fun or glamorous, but you'd be a lot less disappointed if you dropped it and broke the tip.
 
Never used a knife with m390. I have processed a pile of cardboard with my vg-10 delica and was impressed.
 
Planterz said:
Are there possible staples in any of the cardboard? I wouldn't use an expensive knife if there are, I'd just use a Stanley knife. Actually, I'd probably prefer that anyway. Not as fun or glamorous, but you'd be a lot less disappointed if you dropped it and broke the tip.
Click to expand...

whats the point of owning knives if you rnt going to use them?
 
Planterz said:
Are there possible staples in any of the cardboard? I wouldn't use an expensive knife if there are, I'd just use a Stanley knife. Actually, I'd probably prefer that anyway. Not as fun or glamorous, but you'd be a lot less disappointed if you dropped it and broke the tip.
Click to expand...

Good point about the staple. Thanks for the heads up. I will be careful and mindful.

On a related note, what knife will you use to open gifts? I will most likely use my 3.5" F3 Curtiss. I can use a nice knife. No small children and the adults all know and respect nice blades.
 
For opening gifts, I'd say the Kershaw Skyline would be perfect... That sandvik blade is very thin and cuts like a razor.

In terms of cardboard cutting, my ZT 0560 with ELMAX was able to process quite a few boxes. I lost count after a while, but the knife went through those boxes like they were nothing. It also still has a great working edge after all that.

But if you really want to break down boxes efficiently... Go get a cheap box cutter from Lowes and some spare blades. You'll save the edge of whatever knife you were gonna use and it'll make your job easier.
 
For the record, my favorite box cutter is my GEC #47 Hayn' Helper. The O1 tool steel takes a wicked edge, holds it well, and sharpens easily, and the thin blade just glides through cardboard.

attachment.php
 

Attachments

  • IMG_20131222_152521_882.jpg
    IMG_20131222_152521_882.jpg
    49.4 KB · Views: 364
Large Griptilian is a good one for breaking down a lot of cardboard. Nice rounded handle fills the hand well, helping to alleviate fatigue after lots of repeated cutting. The Mora Allround, with its soft rubber handles, is also a good choice.
 
Well, if you aren't going to use a box cutter, an Opinel with its thin blade will do well. My favorite, the Svord Peasant (mini) will do well, but not as well as the Opi. The thinner, the better.
 
Barabus said:
On a related note, what knife will you use to open gifts? I will most likely use my 3.5" F3 Curtiss. I can use a nice knife. No small children and the adults all know and respect nice blades.
Click to expand...
As much as I'd like to use my new Sage 3 I'll be using my Xmas knife from my wife, an ESEE zancudo, to open all the kids packages (unless of course santa brings the ESEE 4 I really want). For boxes the next day I will be using my byrd hawkbill, again unless I get something new for Xmas.
 
I would personally go with the K390 Mule. For me, the Southard would be one of my last choices. The steel is great, but the spine binds in thicker cardboard from my experience. I did some cardboard cutting on Friday at work (~30 feet) with my ZT 0801 and it was butter knife dull with many many micro chips/rolls. No exaggeration I have never had a knife get that dull since my Tenacious. I had put a micro bevel on the factory edge and was impressed with how easily it got hair popping sharp. I really hope after I re-profile and put another micro bevel on it the edge will perform better. I haven't taxed my MT17 yet but have no reservations about it. Some other considerations would be my Gayle Bradley, CRUWEAR Military, and CTS-204P PM2.
 
As it stands, for me on Wednesday:

Gift Opening: Curtis F3 and backup PM2 (as a loaner for other adults)
30 or so boxes afterward: spyderco MT17 with Opinel 8 Carbon as backup

Happy Holidays
 
nccole said:
I would personally go with the K390 Mule. For me, the Southard would be one of my last choices. The steel is great, but the spine binds in thicker cardboard from my experience. I did some cardboard cutting on Friday at work (~30 feet) with my ZT 0801 and it was butter knife dull with many many micro chips/rolls. No exaggeration I have never had a knife get that dull since my Tenacious. I had put a micro bevel on the factory edge and was impressed with how easily it got hair popping sharp. I really hope after I re-profile and put another micro bevel on it the edge will perform better. I haven't taxed my MT17 yet but have no reservations about it. Some other considerations would be my Gayle Bradley, CRUWEAR Military, and CTS-204P PM2.
Click to expand...

That was a common story with ZT's Elmax. Even a cheap chinese steel do better than it.
 
I just cut the tape on both ends of the boxes, flatten them out and stack them up. If I had to shove them all in a container I wouldn't recycle them.
 
This time of year is fun because of how much cardboard I must cut.

My champion is a small sebenza or large sebenza with my custom thinning and polishing of the edge bevel.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top