Help me find a new utility knife

[Mike160304]

Personally I love these:

https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0001IW59A
They do clamp firmly at the very front of the handle - the knob at the rear slides the two halves against each other until they are wedged firmly against the blade in a vice-like grip.

I like the look of that - no front clamp to get in the way!
Snap-off was a game changer when it first appeared and I have loved it ever since. But some form of front clamping is obviously a big improvement, I may get one.

 

[Phil Pascoe]

I thought I'd get the small one, but Amazon can't verify my age ................... despite selling me a few litres of booze over Xmas.

 

[spiritburner]

The point of a snap off blade knife is that you only ever have one blade part out at a time, any more than that, and locking the blade, while out is likely to cause a nasty accident, especially if you put pressure on the blade. That's why most of these knives do not come with a front locking wheel. it's simply too dangerous and easy for the blade to snap while cutting.

 

[Sideways]

One of my uses for a snap blade knife is cutting shadowfoam.
2" thick, needs a clean cut through the full depth.
An overextended snap off blade is the best thing I've found to do that.
As there is no sideways force I've never snapped a blade doing this over several years.

I would use it the same way on celotex.

As for the lock, a knife blade needs to be held securely to be safe. A the majority of snap off types just use a spring indent and plastic parts, not a decent lock. Without a lock or a different design of adjuster blades can pull out or push in when the knife is being used hard. Not everyone needs the feature but some of us do.

When it comes to knives, I haven't quite trained myself out of the habit of putting out a foot to catch that dropped mug / tool / whatever before it hits the ground, but I'm working on it

 

[Spectric]

Have you noticed that scalpel blades feel hair splittingly sharp for about the first 6-10 feet of cutting and then become merely "very sharp"

That is because 6 to 10 feet is a lot of flesh in the medical world but not a lot when cutting carpet and such for us.