Testing the SUPERKNIFE..utility knife.

L

loosenock

Joined
Jul 10, 2002
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77
A month or so ago I happened to see a picture of a knife in a magazine that I thought was pretty slick. It was a folding utility knife that took the various styles of changable utility blades. I looked their site up on the internet and was even more interested. But, I soon forgot about the knife. Last week I was doing some file cleaning and history deletion when I came across the page again and brought the site up and read about the Superknife again. It was my birthday and I said "what the heck" and ordered one on line. That was Saturday.

Wednesday, when I came home from work I had a USPS Priority Mail package waiting for me. I was pleasantly pleased I received the knife so quickly. The knife was packaged very tight. The clear plastic was riveted to the tough backing. No pulling this sucker apart. I had to get my pocket knife out to liberate this one from the package.

As soon as I picked the Superknife up, I was pleased. It has a nice heft to it, all aircraft metal construction, and very nicely made. I would say as nice as any of the current high end liner lock folders being made. I rolled the blade open, although a little firm, it was as smooth as my Benchmade Emerson CQC 7.

Wtih the Superknife you get a cool little tool that has a spanner and small hex/allen wrench to change the tension on the blade opening and to change blades when needed. I stuck the spanner in the tensioning screw and backed the tension off about an eighth of a turn and tried the knife operation again. That's all it took. It was sweet.

Also included is a plastic blade change gizzie that I suppose some liability lawyer told Superknife they had to put with the knife so someone wont cut themselves. It works, but really, this thing begs to get lost. I am really surprized that I had it long enough to take pictures of it. I am not going to carry it with me while I'm out with the crews installing pipelines. Its going to get lost, and I dont care.

The little wrench goes on your key ring. I dont think it will get lost and I hope I dont loose my keys. You get and extra set screw and tensioning washer. The little screw looses its self real easy. I lost it taking a picture of it, but I found it again. The little washer is thin, dont lay it down on your wife's table. You cant pick it up. The only thing you can do is scratch the surface of the table with your finger nails. It'll take getting out your pocket knife and slipping the edge under the washer to pick it up.

That evening I had my first chance to use the knife. I was cutting some leather harness strips from 1/4 inch leather for my saddlebags on the Harley. Naturally the disposable razor did just fine. The knife really feels good in the hand and safety was thought out so you can choke up close to the cutting edge and put some thumb pressure on
top and get some real work done.

I have used the knife on at work and at home. It is very handy. Everyone I have showed it to loves the knife and I am certain that Superknife will be getting orders soon. I have had some fun too. Several of the foremen have ask me where I got the knife and I told them that supply has them. I wish I could be around when they go down to purchasing to ask for one and try to expain it to clerks what they want.

I have used the knife daily on some of the toughest stuff imaginable and the kife works great. It locks up tight, sounds like a vault door closing.

My one complaint. The belt clip is very stout. I have a 46 inch belly imediately above and contiguous to my 42 inch belt. From the belt to my knees is pretty much conical. There is not much human appendage that you can grip your levis with between the belt and the knees. So.... when putting the knife back in my pockets at least, I tend to push my pants down while trying to get the belt clip to open. I really think that Superknife could have a secondary market for these clips in trailer manufacturing. They could use them for axle springs.

I do use and enjoy the Superknife daily. Their web site is WWW.super-knife.com I paid $24.95 for all the gizzies that came with it and that included priortiy mail. Its a sweet deal.
 

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loosenock,
Great review and pics! Saw these in an A.G.Russell catalog. Looks like one off those "must haves" for us "junk" junkies. Can even say this one has a TRUE razor's edge!:)
 
Thanks for the review and the pictures.
A folding box cutter with a clip, got to have a couple of those to carry to work!:D
 
I saw one of these in a catolog a while back and forgot about it. It looks very useful. I think I may have to pick one up. I would propably use it a lot. Thanks for the review, Reagan
 
Any comments on this design vs the common utility or carpenter knives that use very similar blades, or the large snap-off blades made by Olfa? What is your perspective on the behavior of the steel? Do they specify the type and/or heat treat specifics?

Nice review.

-Cliff
 
Cliff, in answer to your question, their website mentions nothing about the grade of steel, heat treating, etc.. Also, there is no mention of a warranty on their website or the knife's package (At least not on mine).

I picked up one myself out of curiosity. Mine is one of the blue coloured older models without the extra washer and the old style pocket clip.

su903.jpg


Neat box cutter but my model had alot of blade wobble out of the package and when I adjusted the pivot to remove the wobble, it's action became a bit stiff. Incidentally, the pocket clip on mine (older model) is on the left side of the knife, as if designed for left handed carry, yet the linerlock is obviously positioned for right handed use.

My impression is that this tool makes a nice gift for someone working in shipping & receiving, merchandise stockers and tradesmen. At first I was turned off by the fact that for a folding knife, there's not much of a cutting edge, but when you think of it as a compact folding box cutter, it's unique design makes it a pleasure to own. Also, the fact that you can replace the blades with standard household or contractor grade utility blades available almost anywhere makes it appealing. For a Chinese made folder, it's fit and finish is better than the imported junk usually found in discount stores and hardware shops, but it certainly is no high tech wonder. As far as knives with replacable blades go, I would still go with a Tiger Sharp folder for all around use, but this "Superknife" is a handy tool to have around.
 
There is no warrantee on their website. I was cutting wonder board (1/2" and 1/4" concrete like boards) with a utility knife and the wonder board is tough stuff. I would like to try a superknife on this stuff.

If the superknife develops play from hard cutting, will the manufacturer replace it? Any one send one back yet?
 
I've managed to considerably reduce the side to side wobble with the pivot adjusting tool included with the knife, however, there is still slight vertical and horizontal play. It's just a small bit, not enough to interfere with the knife's performance. Still, I've yet to see a Chinese made folder (With the exception of the Kershaw Vapor) that does not have some form of blade wobble, so for a knife in the $20-$25 price range, don't expect tight tolerances.

***Update*** I was able to take it apart, reassemble it, tighten up the handle screws and add a little loctite to the pivot screw and now the blade wobble is gone. ;)
 
Thanks for the review! I've been considering one of those and now I'll do it. Looks like a neat must-have tool.:cool:
 
Another word of advise for those interested in the "superknife."
Keep the utility blades well oiled or use Tuf-Cloth on them, because they will rust in a heartbeat if not cared for!
 
Why would anyone want to fold a utility knife? The folding lock is addding a weak link to a strong platform (the standard Stanley utility knife).
 
Great review!
I like knives like this just for the gadget-factor.

BTW, a folding utility knife is'nt a bad idea. After all, the thin blade is surely going to break before the pivot pin does.
I can't tell you how many times I've seen old fixed stanley utility knives with broken blades (but that's why they're replaceable).

Allen.
 
I checked out the improved version and it's a heck of a deal! It's half, (or less), than the size of a Stanley and like Allen said, the razor blade will break long before the pivot pin does. Sure, it may have some blade play but on the example I checked, tightening the pivot helps. I think it's a neat idea and handy as hell!
 
Originally posted by RH
Why would anyone want to fold a utility knife? The folding lock is addding a weak link to a strong platform (the standard Stanley utility knife).
Click to expand...
Think about it this way (drawing on experience..):

You are construction worker. You use your utility knife to cut everything from insulation to electrical cord. You use it anwhere from 10-50 times each day. You get tired from constantly having to open and close the blade and besides that, it's takes up space in either your bag or your pocket.

Instead, you buying a folding version. You still have to open/close it, but now you don't have to worry about the blade not being all-the-way-closed (many an "ouch" saved). Plus, it fits nicely in your pocket so you don't have to carry you pouch with you everywhere just to use the knife.

Personally, I think they're ugly (as stated when this subject first came up). However, I can see them really taking off on the jobsite.
 
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