Cardboard, mortal enemy of sharp knives

When I have to cut a lot of cardboard I use a box cutter. ;)

That said, CS's VG-1 is excellent for cutting cardboard, holds an edge for a very long time.

Also, lately I have been using the Busse Boss Street to cut up cardboard and I have to say it's working very well, holds an edge and after I am done one or 2 strokes on a ceramic steel and it's back to hair shaving sharp. :thumbup:
 
Cardboard is not the mortal enemy of sharp knives.... it helps me keep my knives sharp! Makes a great strop.
 
stitchawl said:
It's called 'the right tool for the job.'

We don't slash through jungle with a Spyderco Military, we use a Machete.
We don't use a Machete to slice up our tomatoes. We use a kitchen knife.
We don't use a kitchen knife to baton firewood. We use a bushcraft knife.
So why do so many people insist on cutting cardboard with the wrong tools?

Sure, you 'can' slash through jungle vines with a Spydie. You 'can' slice tomatoes with a machete. Etc., etc., etc. You can also hammer a nail with the back of a wrench, but a hammer works better. A lot better. A replaceable blade box cutter works best for boxes. That why they call it a box cutter. :D

Stitchawl
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Hi Stitchawl -

Could you list the things we are allowed to cut with our pocket knives then please?

Thanks and best regards -

mqqn
 
stitchawl said:
It's called 'the right tool for the job.'

We don't slash through jungle with a Spyderco Military, we use a Machete.
We don't use a Machete to slice up our tomatoes. We use a kitchen knife.
We don't use a kitchen knife to baton firewood. We use a bushcraft knife.
So why do so many people insist on cutting cardboard with the wrong tools?

Sure, you 'can' slash through jungle vines with a Spydie. You 'can' slice tomatoes with a machete. Etc., etc., etc. You can also hammer a nail with the back of a wrench, but a hammer works better. A lot better. A replaceable blade box cutter works best for boxes. That why they call it a box cutter. :D

Stitchawl
Click to expand...

AND
We don't stuff a billion tools into our pockets.

That said, *I* am the guy that suggested carrying two knives if maintaining one shaving sharp is very important to you LOL.
 
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hiwa said:
I used to cut cardboard boxes every day for about 5 years. Thousands. With all the knives I own and have tried , NOTHING worked better than an Olfa utility knife with snap-off blades. Everything else is too thick. And with the dulling nature of cardboard , snap a section off , and you're good to go. I'm talking about practical cardboard cutting on a continual daily basis.
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stitchawl said:
It's called 'the right tool for the job.'

We don't slash through jungle with a Spyderco Military, we use a Machete.
We don't use a Machete to slice up our tomatoes. We use a kitchen knife.
We don't use a kitchen knife to baton firewood. We use a bushcraft knife.
So why do so many people insist on cutting cardboard with the wrong tools?

Sure, you 'can' slash through jungle vines with a Spydie. You 'can' slice tomatoes with a machete. Etc., etc., etc. You can also hammer a nail with the back of a wrench, but a hammer works better. A lot better. A replaceable blade box cutter works best for boxes. That why they call it a box cutter. :D

Stitchawl
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Now, I've had the opposite experience. I find box-cutters and razor-knives don't cut cardboard nearly as well, nor as long, as my pocket knives. Of course, I usually use a traditional, thin, carbon steel bladed slipjoint, which sails through what seems like miles of cardboard. When I've tried box-cutters and razor-knives, they just seem dull by comparison.
 
I've had really good results with CPM 10V, CPM S110V, CPM S125V and ZDP-189. First 3 were from Phil Wilson, thin, flat ground blades, 64, and 65HRC respectively. ZDP was Kershaw shallot.

BTW, another CPM knife, 3V in particular, which Phil made for me performed surprisingly well, 62HRC, ~1m thick bade. It was an experimental project and at first I wasn't sure it was success when I first got it, it's so thin and quite flexible, but cutting cardboard with it, that was real easy...
 
stitchawl said:
It's called 'the right tool for the job.'

We don't slash through jungle with a Spyderco Military, we use a Machete.
We don't use a Machete to slice up our tomatoes. We use a kitchen knife.
We don't use a kitchen knife to baton firewood. We use a bushcraft knife.
So why do so many people insist on cutting cardboard with the wrong tools?

Sure, you 'can' slash through jungle vines with a Spydie. You 'can' slice tomatoes with a machete. Etc., etc., etc. You can also hammer a nail with the back of a wrench, but a hammer works better. A lot better. A replaceable blade box cutter works best for boxes. That why they call it a box cutter. :D

Stitchawl
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Congratulations Stitchawl!
I haven't seen a single post quoted so much in a very long time.

The one note that I must make, is that the Spyerco Military works much better in the kitchen than most kitchen knives.
Chances are your Spyderco Military is sharp.
A couple of days ago I saw my Dad trying to cut a roast with a kitchen knife, it was pretty hilarious.
 
I've had good luck with ZDP-189 and S30V. I don't carry a box cutter and don't need one. If you want to see some S30V sail through some cardboard watch Cajunblaze's youtube video of knife EDC chores, go to about 4min 30sec. here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WhCFbFRQIwU
 
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Tenacious said:
If you are doing a lot of cardboard cutting then a box cutter is the way to go. It will out cut any spydie in production.
It's kind of funny how so many people here are so intent on using their folders for this just because it's 'cool' or 'fun'. Seems like they don't want to use the right tool because it shows them how little they actually need their knives.
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I've taken ZDP189 Spydercos down to ~5 degrees per side primary grind, ~10 degree microbevel, and they outcut box cutters. They were able to achieve sharper edges, and hold them longer.

Box cutters work great for what they're designed for, but it's just simple geometry. Attempt to replicate that geometry on a Spyderco in a high-end steel and you'll have a superior box cutter.

Swick FTW :D
 
I was cutting water cardboard (The ones that store the 32 bottles of water) and I cut a few peices off and got the blade too close to a bottle and made a gash in the bottle :D I like this knife, going to possibly put the clip back on though. lol
 
stitchawl said:
It's called 'the right tool for the job.'

We don't slash through jungle with a Spyderco Military, we use a Machete.
We don't use a Machete to slice up our tomatoes. We use a kitchen knife.
We don't use a kitchen knife to baton firewood. We use a bushcraft knife.
So why do so many people insist on cutting cardboard with the wrong tools?

Sure, you 'can' slash through jungle vines with a Spydie. You 'can' slice tomatoes with a machete. Etc., etc., etc. You can also hammer a nail with the back of a wrench, but a hammer works better. A lot better. A replaceable blade box cutter works best for boxes. That why they call it a box cutter. :D

Stitchawl
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If box cutters were so great, then we would all be carrying them instead of a normal pocket knife!


we carry what we like and we reserve the right to use it in any manner that we see fit.
 
My latest custom builder, Martin Knives told me that the best way to make your edge perfect is to cut cardboard and that it actually improves the blade with each cut.
 
TattooBlade said:
My latest custom builder, Martin Knives told me that the best way to make your edge perfect is to cut cardboard and that it actually improves the blade with each cut.
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don't know what that guy was smokin', but he's just a little bit more than; off base!
 
TattooBlade said:
My latest custom builder, Martin Knives told me that the best way to make your edge perfect is to cut cardboard and that it actually improves the blade with each cut.
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I'm guessing over (a lot!) of time it will naturally put a convex shape on the edge that is optimized to cut through cardboard?
 
Joshua J. said:
Congratulations Stitchawl!
I haven't seen a single post quoted so much in a very long time.
Click to expand...

Often 'common sense' and 'machismo' don't see eye to eye. :)

Chances are your Spyderco Military is sharp.
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I've never owned one. I have a few Spydercos, but was never interested in that model. I should try it out some day. There seems to be a lot of positive press about it.

A couple of days ago I saw my Dad trying to cut a roast with a kitchen knife, it was pretty hilarious.
Click to expand...

LOL! Imagine if he was trying to 'backhand slash' it with a karambit!! :eek:

Stitchawl
 
elkins45 said:
Why do you think cutting at an angle helps?
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In this case, cutting at an angle encourages the cardboard to deflect away from the blade as it cuts. This makes it easier to cut than when the blade is perpendicular. The reason is that the blade has to displace the material it's cutting. Displacing material is more difficult when the blade is perpendicular to the material. The effect is more pronounced with thicker blades, causing the blade to bind more due to the increased friction as it compresses cardboard to make way for the blade.

The same behavior is not limited to sheets of cardboard. It can also be observed with a simple sheet of paper.

This observation hints to a reason boxcutters are so good at cutting cardboard. The typical boxcutter blade is very thin and has to displace less cardboard than the typical pocketknife. The blades are so thin, they can often cut even when the edges are not very sharp.
 
my spyderco m4 mule is my all time cardboard champ. hundreds of cuts on double thick card. 23 min & still shave leg hair.
 
The best performance in cardboard that I have experienced was with S90V. ZDP-189 takes second, and S30V and CPM D2 aren't too far behind.

I haven't had a chance to try my new CPM M4 blade yet.
 
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