What do the *REAL* Operators use?

H

Hair

Joined
Nov 9, 2005
Messages
1,455
I am a real operator. No seriously.

I am a machine operator at a local newspaper. I work in post press. I use a knife every day to cut down boxes, cut open pallets, cut out jams, cut belts, cut bad sections of strap out of the strapper etc... No, it isn't as tactical as using a knife to slit Osama's throat, but I think I use a knife more often than the "operators" that work for the government. Like John Cena and Vin Diesel.

I use Bob Dozier fixed blades. They cut very well, are super comfortable in every grip, are very tough, and are very fast to access and return. Speed is a major issue for me since at work time is the enemy (we have a deadline and my reputation is based on how fast I can get the product complete and out the door) and everything is automated (and we have to keep up). I have found not a single knife that is better.

It may look "tactical" to have a kydex sheath on my belt, hanging from my neck, or strapped to my shoulder, but it is actually practical. I don't do it for looks, or to play commando.

What do you real operators use every day at your real job? What is your tactical pallet deanimator?

In plain English, I am asking about people who, like me, need a knife for their job every single day. We are the real knife users. We are the real operators. Do you use a "Super Knife" or box cutter? A Leatherman? A SAK?

I also carry a Leatherman Charge Ti and/or some kind of SAK pretty often, but I have found that the speed and superior ergos of my Doziers are far more important than the extra tools of the SAKs and Multitools. Especially since I have access to "real" versions of all of those other tools at work already.
 
Hair said:
In plain English, I am asking about people who, like me, need a knife for their job every single day. We are the real knife users. We are the real operators. Do you use a "Super Knife" or box cutter? A Leatherman? A SAK?
Click to expand...

Our store room guys (who open about 100 computer boxes a day and cut them up for recycling among other things) use boxcutters. It ain't sexy, but IMO, it's the best tool for the job.
 
I'm a paramedic and I've worked on tactical teams and I carry the same knives everyday. I always have a multitool, usually a leatherman wave, and an Emerson PSARK. I don't like trauma shears...Period. When we get calls to motorcross tracks, shears can't cut the kevlar suits fast....but the PSARK will unzip them much quicker and with less movement of the injured area. The wave lets me open with one hand and it is very comfortable to use.
 
Yes, until spyderco or busse come out with a knife called 'the box cutter' i dont think any knife will compare to the cardboard task.
 
Great answers guys!

Nordic- I like box cutters and "Super Knives". They are very practical and get the job done without being pointlessly flashy. But I have never used one that had the ergos and toughness of the Doziers I use now. The comfort factor is large since I sometimes have to use a knife constantly and in a wide variety of grips (which are sometimes "imperfect" grips and not standard grips most knives seem to be biased for). And sometimes I am elbow deep in a machine and the knife is getting banged on metal parts as I try to cut out a jam or cut a belt free. I have found that box cutters tend to be less than great (and not very secure) in a variety of grips and that the blades don't hold up very well. Yes, they are replacable, but a Dozier is sharpenable. I would rather sharpen a Dozier every week or two than go through several razor blades a day (and I have- I have used box cutters at my current and other jobs).

Box cutter blades will cut boxes for a long time (even after going very dull) since they are so thin, but they start to have trouble with hard plastic and soft metal strap VERY quickly.

But you are right, for pure box-cutting-duty they are great and cheap/expendable... IF there is a supply of blades.

I still think there are many "real" knives that are better for box cutting, though. Box cutters just do dull too fast on cardboard.
 
For boxcutters you can buy replacement blades with TiNi coating on their edges.
They will last about 5 x longer than normal ones, and are made by Lenox.
:)
 
if i have to cut alot of cardboard, ill use a box cutter. if no box cutter is around then both of my folders to help reduce wear on just one of them. ill also fold alot of cardboard in half to save on cuts.
 
Hair: What do the guys you work with - the non knife knuts - carry and use?
 
Since we're on the subject, here are my two favorite box-cutters....

knives024.jpg
 
I use both of the tools I EDC several times daily , my CRKT S-2 has a special "cardboard groove" to reduce messy (and potentially embarrassing) cardboard splashing.
This guy is my box cutter , strap cutter , tape cutter , plastic cutter and sometimes...my own personal finger cutter. :eek: That's okay though , I feel once your knife has tasted your blood you become as one.
My other tool is a Leatherman MT , whose blade gave me a nice gash yesterday while trying to test how much pressure it would take to foce it closed (do not try this at home).

At my job , when I first started I noticed they all used regular old razor blades to open boxes etc , I could not get my eyes to come back outta my head from rolling them back so far , after seeing my constant use of a real tool like a knife , one of my co-workers inherited my old Gerber and another bought himself a Leatherman.
People are funny sometimes.

:D
 
allenC said:
Since we're on the subject, here are my two favorite box-cutters....

knives024.jpg
Click to expand...

Oh AllenC..... why did you do this to me..... I have never seen one of those Toads before and now I am in l o v e , love....:o
That has got to be one of the coolest little knives I've seen in a long time !
:thumbup:
 
I am a machine "operator" at a plastic plant.I use my knife constantly between 250 th 300 times per shift,to cut cardboard,plastic,and to cut plastic and paper bags for loading into a mixer.Every spare minute is spent sharpening so the knife will be ready to cut and prepair the ram materials for the next batch,(around 30 to 40 times per hour).What we use is a mill knife(think razel) with about a 4 inch blade cheap stainless steel,with a wooden handle,leather sheath.these are provided bu the company.All of this cutting is done in an environment that is so dusty and dirty that you must wear a respirator at all times.My knife works very hard.no one in there right mind would bring a knife from home for this kind of work.I think the company that makes the knives is "everhard"cool name!
 
I manage an IT dept. so we're constantly deanimating computer peripheral and toner boxes.... I use an Exacto Ergonomic Box Cutter from Staples.

We have regular tool kits so I don't need a multi tool. My EDC is generally a small folder , usually nothing bigger than a SOG Flash II ( what I have today) but more often a Leek or Scallion. I use my knife if nothing else is around.

I seldom show my carry knife at work, but people do see me cutting my lunch with whatever I've left on my desk, usually a cheap folder that can "walk away" without me caring . I definitely can't wear a fixed blade at work, although I sometimes carry a fixed blade on weekends when hunting or doing yard work. I've never really gotten into carrying a fixed blade as an EDC ( and I own at least 6 or so), I always associate them with hunting knives, plus in general, I really don't like things attached to my belt or hanging from my pants ( not even a call phone ).
 
i use mostly kj eriksson moras, found a stainless one last week so im using that one now, mostly for prying stuff apart, its actually very little cutting going on. if i need to cut something i just use a boxcutter (i mostly use this on to cut paper and tape on glass, i need the pointy edge in the corners). probably any fixed 3-4inch knife would do just as good for everything i do, but the moras are cheap and i havent broken any yet, somehow they just disappear.
 
I'm an operator - a Bronto F32-RL Aerial Ladder Platform operator.
I carry a Benchmade folder, usually one of the Griptilian range, and a Victorinox Swisstool X multi tool.
 
mnblade said:
Hair: What do the guys you work with - the non knife knuts - carry and use?
Click to expand...

The Foreman carries a Buck Strider Mini-SP. One carries a Kershaw Leek that I gave him, but used to carry a Buck Sirus (currently on my dresser waiting for me to sharpen it for him). Another carried a no-name lockback. He lost it so I gave him a Buck stockman. Another carries a Kershaw Vapor I gave her so she didn't have to use her Chinese-made SAK copy. A couple carry "Super Knife" folders. The rest don't carry knives since they aren't "real operators" and don't do any of the problem solving or setup, they just feed the ad inserts into the hoppers and when something ****s up they don't have to fix it.

matt said:
I am a machine "operator" at a plastic plant.I use my knife constantly between 250 th 300 times per shift,to cut cardboard,plastic,and to cut plastic and paper bags for loading into a mixer.Every spare minute is spent sharpening so the knife will be ready to cut and prepair the ram materials for the next batch,(around 30 to 40 times per hour).What we use is a mill knife(think razel) with about a 4 inch blade cheap stainless steel,with a wooden handle,leather sheath.these are provided bu the company.All of this cutting is done in an environment that is so dusty and dirty that you must wear a respirator at all times.My knife works very hard.no one in there right mind would bring a knife from home for this kind of work.I think the company that makes the knives is "everhard"cool name!
Click to expand...

We have knives like that at the paper, too. The Pressmen all carry them. If I worked in the press, I would too, since any knife I brought would become an inky mess in about a day. They are made by Herrington and Son, or something like that.
 
As a security supervisor in the middle of the desert, I'm constantly cutting things, including dead animals, rope, boxes, branches etc. My "go-to" tools are a Strider SLCC and a Swisstool X.
 
rebeltf said:
Oh AllenC..... why did you do this to me..... I have never seen one of those Toads before and now I am in l o v e , love....:o
That has got to be one of the coolest little knives I've seen in a long time !
:thumbup:
Click to expand...

Sorry to torture you buddy.
It really is a very clever design, is'nt it?
There was also a serrated version made and I think they are easier to find.

I bought two of these awhile back...one was given to my father-in-law, and my wife claimed the other one (it's still an ongoing battle, but one that I think I'm losing).
 
I have a trucking company. I cut a lot of tape, cardboard, some shrink wrap and various types of ties. I like to keep my 551 (CE) griptilian and a LM Wave. The LM Wave can pretty much do the work, but the 551 is fun to use and it does save a little time because I can pull it out so fast. I'm always having to take it out of my pocket and back in, so the axis makes it easier for me. I gave one of my partner's a Camillus Heat and another a Leek. The one with the Heat has decided that it'll be easier for him to use a razor, but he said it's really that he just hates using such a nice knife for work (his first quality knife).

I'm really interested in getting a Dodo or a Navigator, I think they just look so comfortable and made for what I do. That Toad looks really cool also.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top