Knife for electrician?

K

ken harbor

Joined
Jun 25, 2011
Messages
128
Hey everyone,

Looking to figure out what kind of knife I want/need. This knife will be used to cut wire, strip wire, open boxes, cut tape, cut rope, etc. Often in my work environment my hands and gloves will get dirty/greasy/sweaty. I won't use it for prying because a pry-bar does a much better job than a knife for that purpose.

It has to be a folder. No multi-tools, autos, or fixed blades.

I ain't afraid to drop money on it either; no limit as long as the price is justified.

Thanks for the suggestions.
 
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I'm an Electrician as well and I carry a Spyderco Gayle Bradley, a Leatherman Wave, and this little beauty is in my tool bag for when I need to strip a lot of wire or need to make up large ends for wire pulls. It was made for me by a member of the JD as a gift.

I highly recommend the Gayle Bradley. It does everything I need it to do at work. It cuts cleanly with a pull cut through 10AWG stranded.

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Thanks for the suggestion, the Spyderco Gayle Bradley looks pretty sweet.

Also as for as steel goes, what are your guy's thoughts?
 
Here's what I've used.

The M4 on the Gayle Bradley has proven itself to me.

The Paramilitary 2 in CTS 20CP and S30V. The S30V needed to be touched up more often than the 20CP. I was quite impressed with the 20CP.

A Kershaw Blur in S60V, but the edge chipped on me when I was stripping some 500K. It was completely my fault though because I wasn't really paying attention to what I was doing at the time.

I've used my ZT0551 and I may actually have to start switching up between that and the Gayle Bradley. The Elmax that the 0551 uses performed really well at work, but the grind is a bit thick and doesn't strip as well as I'd like. I sent it out for a regrind and I'm looking forward to seeing how it will perform upon its return.

I've used a Kershaw G-10 Tyrade at work and the CPM D2 did a great job, but at work I prefer something a bit less bulky in my pocket.

A Spyderco FRN Stretch in ZDP-189 performed very well at everything and kept a very sharp edge. The only problem I have with it is the flex in the handle when I'm doing serious wire stripping.

Personally, I've been most impressed with the M4 Gayle Bradley, the ZDP-189 FRN Stretch, and the Paramilitary 2 in CTS 20CP. I have a feeling when the 0551 comes back I'm going to be using it a lot because I really like that Elmax steel.
 
Guyon said:
How about an electrician's knife?
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On my first day on a job I had my brand new Klein Electrician's Knife and I was so ready to use it. The blade edge rolled on me in a matter of no time and the flat head tip ened up twisting on me. I knew I needed something else. I think an updated version of the pattern needs to be created.
 
I've been using a Military at work for the past 15 years or so as an electrician. Great for stripping, cutting smaller wire, cutting apart heads, reaming out pvc and the like. It's large, but thin and flat so I don't even notice it under a tool belt. The lanyard hole comes in handy when doing tower work or while up in a crane basket.
 
I admit it is kind of corny but I bought my brother-in-law (an electrician) a Sog Kilowatt Knife (specialty knife for electricians) and he loved it.

http://sogknives.com/store/EL-01.html

It can be purchased through all your typical online vendors for cheap money.
 
Tony8179 said:
On my first day on a job I had my brand new Klein Electrician's Knife and I was so ready to use it. The blade edge rolled on me in a matter of no time and the flat head tip ened up twisting on me. I knew I needed something else. I think an updated version of the pattern needs to be created.
Click to expand...

Made by Hinderer. ;)
 
Im a Master Electrician and have been using Sebenzas since I started and have found the Large Micarta Insingo works the best especially for stripping larger mcm wires.

The steel stays working sharp forever. I put a microbevel on it about 2 months ago and have just had to touch it up every few weeks.

Imo you can't beat it.
 
The SOG Kilowatt is pretty nifty. Electricians that have used it tell me it does a good job.
 
You guys have been very helpful. I am considering a spyderco military, paramilitary, sebenza, unum, and gayle bradley. Main thing is that it has to be sharp, not lose edge quickly, and crack or chip.
 
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