Knife recommendation for tire guy

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David Richardson

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My kid works in a tire shop and is going to be a mechanic. He has a couple of crappy knives and seems ready for something better. Looking to check my thinking and get some recommendations. Hoping there's a better option I'm not considering.

He cuts a lot of boxes every day, which was a surprise to me. He also cuts a lot of valve stems and rubber hoses. This knife is going to be abused. The edge is going to bang into metal, it's going to get dropped, and it's going to get grease and brake fluid on it. He's also a beginner at sharpening, so harder to sharpen steels will be a challenge.

Here's my thinking: getting through hoses and tire stems is tough - thinner is better, or hollow grind. It will often be greasy, so something grippy is good. A tough steel is better but probably not required.

My first two thoughts were Delica or Buck Vantage. Finding a Delica with tough steel will be a challenge. VG-10 is probably adequate. Buck 420 HC is fairly tough and is easy to sharpen. The Delica has a grippy handle. The Vantage with GRN is ok on grip.

I was thinking 3V, 4V, or Cru-wear would better steels. It occurred to me that LC200N is also fairly tough, so Spyderco Salt knife could work. I have a Cru-wear Para 3 and PM2 I can give him, but those have relatively thick blades that won't cut as well.

The other option is to go serrated, which makes sharpening less of an issue. Maybe a SpyderEdge Salt knife?
 
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David Richardson said:
He cuts a lot of boxes every day, which was a surprise to me. He also cuts a lot of valve stems and rubber hoses. This knife is going to be abused. The edge is going to bang into metal, it's going to get dropped, and it's going to get grease and brake fluid on it. He's also a beginner at sharpening, so harder to sharpen steels will be a challenge.
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It ain't "sexy", "cool", or "fun", but I'd recommend a utility knife/box cutter with replaceable/disposable blades. Preferably paid for by his employer since it's a tool required for work.

A single drop on concrete can ruin the tip of a knife. That can be a painful drop if the knife is expensive.

If he does choose an actual knife, and it will be exposed to chemicals, best to choose one with handles that won't be adversely affected by such chemicals.
 
killgar said:
It ain't "sexy", "cool", or "fun", but I'd recommend a utility knife/box cutter with replaceable/disposable blades. Preferably paid for by his employer since it's a tool required for work.

A single drop on concrete can ruin the tip of a knife. That can be a painful drop if the knife is expensive.

If he does choose an actual knife, and it will be exposed to chemicals, best to choose one with handles that won't be adversely affected by such chemicals.
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You can get pretty high end versions of them these days.
 
I would also suggest a utility knife.

Good knives, no matter how expensive will not hold up to the constant abuse. Contact with solvents, concrete and metals will wear and damage the knife rapidly. It is fine to give him a good knife for his personal carry- he will need that as well; but, for performing his job, he would need to use a proper utility knife that can be abused, used hard and easily replaced as needed.

Also, most employers frown on employees with personal knives. To them it is an additional Workers Compensation risk and has the potential of scaring off some business. In a worse case scenario it can become a serious liability issue if an employee were to act out and attack anyone with a knife while on duty. For them, it is much safer to issue designated utility knives deemed suitable for the required tasks.

n2s
 
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David Richardson said:
My kid works in a tire shop and is going to be a mechanic. He has a couple of crappy knives and seems ready for something better. Looking to check my thinking and get some recommendations. Hoping there's a better option I'm not considering.

He cuts a lot of boxes every day, which was a surprise to me. He also cuts a lot of valve stems and rubber hoses. This knife is going to be abused. The edge is going to bang into metal, it's going to get dropped, and it's going to get grease and brake fluid on it. He's also a beginner at sharpening, so harder to sharpen steels will be a challenge.
Click to expand...

Except for the dropping part, a Cruwear PM2 or 3 will be the perfect knife for him. Look, he will be a mechanic soon, so he must understand the value of a great tool and possibility to destroy it when dropping it on concrete - he can’t drop some other shop tools on concrete either. For all the other abuses the Spyderco will do fine, and Cruwear is easy enough to sharpen. If the knife wears out after a couple of years, it can be replaced. But it was made for this and then had a good run - Sal would be proud of your son :)

Roland.
 
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killgar said:
It ain't "sexy", "cool", or "fun", but I'd recommend a utility knife/box cutter with replaceable/disposable blades. Preferably paid for by his employer since it's a tool required for work.

A single drop on concrete can ruin the tip of a knife. That can be a painful drop if the knife is expensive.

If he does choose an actual knife, and it will be exposed to chemicals, best to choose one with handles that won't be adversely affected by such chemicals.
Click to expand...
Very interesting idea. I could give him a better knife for EDC if he wants one and a utility knife for work. Nothing is going to cut like a very thin blade. And disposable means it's always sharp. Will take a look at this.
 
David Richardson said:
Very interesting idea. I could give him a better knife for EDC if he wants one and a utility knife for work. Nothing is going to cut like a very thin blade. And disposable means it's always sharp. Will take a look at this.
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For a utility knife I have the Gerber tachide and bought serrated blades.

I had to break down boxes a lot cut that plastic stuff on pallets. Stuff like that.


I never found the handle had to be steel or especially strong. And I never found I needed an especially strong lock.

Just quick simple pull out, use put back.

Mines a lot easier to flick open than his is.

This is just kind of cool.(found it while looking for videos)
 
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The first knife that comes to my mind is a Buck 110.
Inexpensive so you don't mind beating on it.
Easy to sharpen.
Very solid build.
Classic and not threatening to coworkers/customers.
Good corrosion resistance for the price (I'm sure it is going to be exposed to all manner of fluids and gunk).

They are heavy knives to be sure, but they are real work horses.
 
It’s not the thinnest knife out there, but perhaps a Mora Robust? It has a stainless version I think, so rust shouldn’t be too much of a problem. If it breaks for whatever reason, it won’t break the bank. Edge retention isn’t the best though.
 
can he sharpen or will you be sharpening his knives?

I agree with all above who said utility knife, but also a nice knife to carry out of work, I've gifted some decent knives to people I work with but also seems like I'm sharpening them very often for them

Another thought is maybe a multi tool
 
I wouldn't go too expensive just in case it gets lost. With that being said as a truck mechanic I use a Kershaw 7777 and it holds up great and sharpens decent around 70 bucks.
 
My son has a fence company and cuts boxes, some wires, hoses, wood and the like. He is on his second CS Tuff-Lite. The first lasted several years and is still usable. Dunno if that would meet your son's needs, but it would not cost much to find out.
Good luck for your son in his career.
 
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