Fixed Blade knife for my Mom (Advice)

I would have to second the Mora Electrician. Great blade shape for boxes, good carbon steel will stay sharp for her, and most important longer handle so its no harder for her to use than a kitchen knife. Oh, and for the price could get her 2 and still be under $30!
 
Really appreciate the suggestion for the Mora Electrician. I don't think anything will top the usability or price. That little Boker Plus Rambler may find it's way into my collection though.... :)
 
The 440a that Böker uses is not THAT bad. For the world outside of BF, its a usable steel :D. No great edge retention, but easy to sharpen and plenty tough for a conventional stainless steel.

That said, +1 on the Mora electrician
 
I like the sort of box cutter that uses single edged razor blades. It is easy to use, easy to change the blades, and it costs under $2. Get her 3 or 4.
 
average gimp said:
I also wouldn't recommend the Minimalist (or any other CRKT) as a utility knife because of CRKT's mystery steel and NevRSharp heat treat.
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I never got that, maybe it was like that before I ever tested the CRKT Waters, but I own 3, a large Pazoda, a Lake 111z, both in 8cr13mov and a Free Range folder plus an endorser I let my teenager gift to his dad for father's day, both in 8cr14mov, but no mystery as to their Chinese steel recipe, and all 4 came quite sharp, and all 4 are still sharp. Well at least the 3 i still own are. They act exactly as I would expect that steel to act, not great compared to better recipes, but still decent in all regards for a basic level stainless... For $20-30 and 8cr steel, i dont expect fit and finish if a mid tech, edge holding of m390 or toughness of a2 either, i dont expect it to perform like elmax or s30v, but rather on par with a 440a-b, and so far it has in every way... I personally think CRKT mixes right in between Kershaw's Chinese line as the best all around low cost values on the market right now (if you're not adamently against Chinese made). Better then the duck commanders, not as good as the Thermite/Scrambler etc.
(The free range is actually one of my favorite beater around the house edc's because of its blade size and shape and it's comfortable ergonomic rubber grip, and it took a real nice edge when I sharpened it back up a while back, and still holding it? I get it, if you had a bad experience then it's hard to over come as I'm that way with Gerber these days, though I still root for 'em to get their act together, but I'm 4 for 4 all positive for CRKT considering they all cost under $30.)

Albeit the minimalist is 5cr series steel, which I avoid at all costs, as it is lower quality for a knife steel, more akin to 420hc or 4116, of which are the lowest carbon steels I consider for a knife, and only trust Buck's 420hc or (krupp) 4116 from a reputable source...

But I digress, sorry for going off topic...
 
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I would look up some scandinavian designs, they have more rounded handles which are better for someone with artritis.
 
average gimp said:
Many of the blades suggested have very small handles, which are hard for someone with arthritis to hold. I also wouldn't recommend the Minimalist (or any other CRKT) as a utility knife because of CRKT's mystery steel and NevRSharp heat treat (as a defensive throwaway, it's just fine).

Best bet would be a Mora Electrician.

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Comfortable full-length handle, short safety-tipped blade, lightweight easy to use sheath, and the price is right at $18. Moras are one of the best if not the best performing and highest quality low-priced fixed blades available. Over-piercing would not be a problem given blade length and tip.
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+1

Cheap, good quality, good full sized handle, short and sharp.
 
I would get her something that is similar to what she already is comfortable with. I think the Mora Electrician mentioned above would be a good choice. No point in getting some sort of special knife. She'll use it for the move and then likely may not use it again.

Another might be the Condor Kephart. It feels much like a steak knife in the hand. The problem with the Kephart that I see is sharpening. But it is not an expensive blade and she can run it through a knife sharpener if you aren't around to sharpen it for her.
 
strategy9 said:
I never got that, maybe it was like that before I ever tested the CRKT Waters, but I own 3, a large Pazoda, a Lake 111z, both in 8cr13mov and a Free Range folder plus an endorser I let my teenager gift to his dad for father's day, both in 8cr14mov, but no mystery as to their Chinese steel recipe, and all 4 came quite sharp, and all 4 are still sharp. Well at least the 3 i still own are. They act exactly as I would expect that steel to act, not great compared to better recipes, but still decent in all regards for a basic level stainless... For $20-30 and 8cr steel, i dont expect fit and finish if a mid tech, edge holding of m390 or toughness of a2 either, i dont expect it to perform like elmax or s30v, but rather on par with a 440a-b, and so far it has in every way... I personally think CRKT mixes right in between Kershaw's Chinese line as the best all around low cost values on the market right now (if you're not adamently against Chinese made). Better then the duck commanders, not as good as the Thermite/Scrambler etc.
(The free range is actually one of my favorite beater around the house edc's because of its blade size and shape and it's comfortable ergonomic rubber grip, and it took a real nice edge when I sharpened it back up a while back, and still holding it? I get it, if you had a bad experience then it's hard to over come as I'm that way with Gerber these days, though I still root for 'em to get their act together, but I'm 4 for 4 all positive for CRKT considering they all cost under $30.)

Albeit the minimalist is 5cr series steel, which I avoid at all costs, as it is lower quality for a knife steel, more akin to 420hc or 4116, of which are the lowest carbon steels I consider for a knife, and only trust Buck's 420hc or (krupp) 4116 from a reputable source...

But I digress, sorry for going off topic...
Click to expand...

My experience with CRKTs goes back to when they were mainly using AUS-6 for their blades. Granted, AUS-6 is more shock-resistant with poorer edge holding than AUS-8, but even the rare AUS-8 knives of theirs I had were crap--none of them would hold an edge. My problem isn't with the steels CRKT uses per se, but the fact they don't know jack about heat treating or quality control.
 
Well, after all that, I went ahead and bought a Milwaukee box cutter. I did some research on box cutters, and Milwaukee seem to make among the best ones. I got her the 'safety' version, which features a auto-retracting blade when there isn't pressure on the thumb release. That way, the blade will be retracted nearly all the time while she is using it. I also picked up a Milwaukee Fastback 2, which is really cool. If y'all looking for a great box cutter, this gets my recommendation. Complete one-handed operation, both open and close. Very sturdy and intelligent design. Now, this whole process isn't for naught, as I want to pick myself up a little fixed blade at some time in the future, and now I have a good starting point. Thanks everyone for their recommendations, very helpful. Oh, yes, I also gave the cutter to mom, and she was very pleased with it. Cheers!!
 
If there is an ikea near you they sell these for about $2, and they are a fantastic paring knife with a "sheath" thingy that works pretty well. We keep one as a utility knife and one in the knife block.

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OP bought a box cutter, though I'd have gone with anyone without the auto assist since the constant light pressure tends to irritate people's arthritis quite a bit from what I've heard.
 
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