What's with EDC and boxes?

It's funny, cuz I just burned a bunch of boxes in the burn barrel yesterday, and I didn't break down a single one with any of knives... Just threw them in whole and watched 'em burn....

I do like to use my knives to open boxes containing new knives though... That's always fun...
 
I think the main reason people talk about cutting boxes is because it's one of the most abrasive media that won't damage or be considered "abuse" of your knife. Cutting cardboard shows how different steels, grinds, and bevels react. Because cardboard has sand in it, the knives tend to wear quickly and this seems to be the "standard test" of wearability for the knife community. Just my opinion.

But I see your point. I'd like to see more videos of actual use as well.
 
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I'm sure that this has been covered about 50 times in the past year, but the bottom line is, that the ability to cut boxes and still retain an edge is a tried and true test of any blade.
 
whitty said:
Before I started selling knives I had never worked or owned a business that shipped or received a lot of boxes. I still loved my knives but used them for more of the task the OP is talking about. I still usually carried a pretty nice knife (zt or CRK). Now that I am shipping and receiving knives all day long I realize how much box breakdown and tape cutting people in the retail industry do. We are small company for even the knife industry, so I can not imagine what big knife shops do in a single day. Much less furniture stores, car parts places, clothing stores, grocery stores etc.....
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Yup. Small business and we have limited recycling space. That means if boxes go in whole we're out of room in 2 days. Hence, loads of cutting cardboard.
 
AusLoX said:
I think the main reason people talk about cutting boxes is because it's one of the most abrasive media that won't damage or be considered "abuse" of your knife. Cutting cardboard shows how different steels, grinds, and bevels react. Because cardboard has sand in it, the knives tend to wear quickly and this seems to be the "standard test" of wearability for the knife community. Just my opinion.

But I see your point. I'd like to see more videos of actual use as well.
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+1. Mannlicher stated it well too. It's a good test of a blade.

I don't cut much cardboard. I do cut a lot of tape that allows me to fold the cardboard boxes into the recycling bin. If I did have to cut a lot of cardboard, I'd have a serrated blade. :D
 
killgar said:
Cutting open boxes does not automatically imply that one has a job that requires cutting open boxes. The need to cut open a cardboard box, whether for ones work, or at home, is a common "knife task", and therefore it's a common reference point when discussing sharpness, edge retention, and edge geometry.

If skinning dear was a more common "knife task" than cutting boxes, then people would talk about how well a knife will skin dear. But as it is, far more people need to cut open cardboard boxes than need to skin dear.

I occasionally need to cut open a box for work, but I order a lot of stuff over the internet (love my Amazon Prime ;)), and the boxes can pile up fast. But I prefer the super-thin blade of a box cutter over my knives for cutting cardboard.
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THIS^^ For me, cutting cardboard boxes at home for disposal is the most frequent usage of my non-kitchen knives, so yes - how long the edge can hold for cutting cardboard boxes is among the most important features of a knife that I pay attention to.
 
AusLoX said:
... Because cardboard has sand in it, the knives tend to wear quickly and this seems to be the "standard test" of wearability for the knife community. Just my opinion.
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I think dirty cardboard may have sand and other debris embedded that can damage an edge, but I believe the abrasive you are referring to that is in fresh cardboard is clay. This is also what make cardboard effective for stropping things.
 
I work in a parts department at a car dealership during the day and a furniture store at night and on Saturdays....there is a LOT of cardboard to be cut up and disposed of. I used to karate chop the cardboard, but I found my knife does the job better so I use that now...
 
Spey said:
I think dirty cardboard may have sand and other debris embedded that can damage an edge, but I believe the abrasive you are referring to that is in fresh cardboard is clay. This is also what make cardboard effective for stropping things.
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How about adhesive? That can wear knives.
 
If you have a knife, you're supposed to use it. If you use it, you will put wear on it. That's just normal.

Of course, there are things called box cutters if you really don't want to use your knife.
 
strategy9 said:
It's funny, cuz I just burned a bunch of boxes in the burn barrel yesterday, and I didn't break down a single one with any of knives... Just threw them in whole and watched 'em burn....

I do like to use my knives to open boxes containing new knives though... That's always fun...
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Sure, if I could just have a blast burning all those pizza boxes, I'd probably do that.

But I cant. so I cut them up into bits and put them in the garbage. Why not? I like using my knives.

Really, if you aren't looking for any excuse to use your knives, what are you doing here?
 
clarkkentanabi said:
Majority of reviews I've watched about folders always mention that knife is good for cutting open boxes. I mean do most knife nuts really have jobs that involve cutting boxes. It sounds a bit of a cliche to me. I use my EDC to splice wires and to cut paper which is why I carry cheap folders. Let me know what you guys think.
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I use my EDC to cut whatever needs cutting.
If I'm carrying $500 knife that day and need to cut wire or cardboard, that's what will be cutting it.

If I'm carrying a $50 knife and need to cut a sandwich, that's what knife will be cutting it.

As a grad student right now, not much box cutting in my daily life...although yesterday I cut a bunch up to throw in the garbage; shipment of my new book had come in, and my wife was annoyed by cardboard clutter in the living room. :)

When I was working as a lab tech, opening boxes or cutting rubber hose was a relatively common use of the knife, as was occasional cutting of fiberglass insulation.
Once again, I just used whatever knife I was carrying that day; price is irrelevant.
 
Spey said:
Urban Cowboys

I would sooner grab a piece of wood, but that's just me I find pleasure making something and/or refining skills and testing edges that I work to improve.

different strokes ... (when I cut cardboard, I typically use a box cutter)
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What?? You'll use a box cutter on a box instead of your knife??? Totally kidding - of course you would as it is the right tool for the job. I once got RIPPED here for saying that... "why carry a knife if you're afraid to use it" and other dumb replies of the sort. Kind of pissed me off.
 
jasonbroni said:
What?? You'll use a box cutter on a box instead of your knife??? Totally kidding - of course you would as it is the right tool for the job. I once got RIPPED here for saying that... "why carry a knife if you're afraid to use it" and other dumb replies of the sort. Kind of pissed me off.
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I don't like box cutters.
Had to use them when working stock for a clothing store.
Theirs were dull as hell, so I bought my own.
It worked, but got dull pretty quickly...went through a lot of replacement blades.

Bought a regular, not very expensive knife; it worked fine, and I'd just clean off the tape gunk and sharpen it every so often.

It turned out to be the right tool for the job.
Your experience may differ, and that's fine. :thumbup:

But don't get pissed off because other people think differently than you. ;)
 
No - I got pissed off when people told me that I was afraid to use my knife because I chose to use a box cutter on a box over my EDC. I'm not afraid to use my knife - I just chose the RIGHT tool for the job.
 
jasonbroni said:
No - I got pissed off when people told me that I was afraid to use my knife because I chose to use a box cutter on a box over my EDC. I'm not afraid to use my knife - I just chose the RIGHT tool for the job.
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And I chose the RIGHT tool for the job also (capitals make it more emphatically correct :D ).

You're going to get a bunch of opinions on a site filled with thousands of people, and some of them are bound to be different than yours. Some of them are bound to be phrased in snarky ways that can piss one off too...I have felt the annoyance build numerous times as well.

So the advice to not get pissed off isn't just aimed at you; it applies to everyone, including myself. :)
 
For those who prefer using a box cutter on cardboard, I highly recommend the bimetal blades by Lenox. Irwin also makes them. The edge lasts significantly longer than the Stanley blades, plus they won't snap off if bent. Except the very tippy tip, which is 100% the harder edge steel.

Also, utility knife blades CAN be sharpened, although almost no one does it.
 
Bill1170 said:
Also, utility knife blades CAN be sharpened, although almost no one does it.
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I was using the ones with the blades that snap off when working stock.
At the lab we had one with the blades that could be sharpened, but no one had in over ten years...seriously.
It was so amazingly dull. :D
 
stabman said:
And I chose the RIGHT tool for the job also (capitals make it more emphatically correct :D ).

You're going to get a bunch of opinions on a site filled with thousands of people, and some of them are bound to be different than yours. Some of them are bound to be phrased in snarky ways that can piss one off too...I have felt the annoyance build numerous times as well.

So the advice to not get pissed off isn't just aimed at you; it applies to everyone, including myself. :)
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True - I can agree with that
 
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