FC Heavy Duty Utility Knife

After putting this knife through its paces over a long weekend of home repairs including cutting shingles and installing carpet, I found that this knife has it all. The advantages of this knife come down to ergonomics and safety. In use, the contoured handle and deep finger notch make for a grip that is both comfortable and secure, with or without gloves. This knife can be easily (and quickly) opened and closed with one hand, and it locks in both the open and closed positions for ease of making strong, downward cuts, like on a carpet. Changing blades is simple, a nice, springy belt hook helps keep it portable, the included belt case is a nice addition and makes storing the replacement blades convenient. You can’t be the price relative to value. It’s a nice, all-around utility knife + a fantastic tool to have in the home tool box or junk drawer. It cuts with a removable razor blade, so the edge is both incredibly sharp and very disposable, making it ideal for all of the grunt-work cutting that’s too difficult for scissors and too dulling and damaging for a pocket knife. It’s good for jobs like breaking down cardboard boxes for recycling, cutting carpeting, or slicing the painted seam on a stuck window. I used it to size a small patch for a linoleum floor, trimmed a rug pad, and opened some products trapped in those blister-pack nightmares you get from Costco. Drywall, tarps, rope and even roofing shingles can all be cut with ease and safety with this utility knife. To get the full range of use out of the knife + as much safety and portability as possible, this ‘folding style’ is much better with a retractable. It is smaller to store, has a convenient belt hook, and because of the way the folded blade nests in the body of the knife + locks, there is virtually no chance of the knife accidentally deploying in your pocket (or getting snagged + opening). When closed, folding knives are typically two to four inches shorter than retractables, making them a better fit for a pants pocket. But when unfolded, the two are about the same length, so there is no loss of grip area with this folded variety. I paid special attention to the grip on this knife, the blade changing process, the folding mechanism, and blade storage- all of which are superior, and no matter what you’re doing, whether opening a bag of ice melt to cutting an asphalt roof shingle, you want to make sure that you have a good grip on any dangerous tool. This knife ensures your grip with finger ridges and groove- it supplies a physical impediment to slippage and keeps your fingers and hand safe when cutting. The only downside I can mention (it is minimal) is storage for additional blades. Because it doesn’t take a lot to dull or break the edge of a razor, constant trips to the toolbox for new ones can get to be a hassle. It’s possible to go through three or four blades on a tough job, and the ability to have a few extras on hand saves time and energy. This would not be a deal breaker for me if I were to purchase this knife again, which I most certainly would. Because of its styling, it has a lot of the appeal of a traditional knife. Some people don’t see a utility knife as refined enough for them- with this knife, I disagree. It has all the bells + whistles of much more expensive models + the styling of a traditional knife. I prefer utility knives for their disposable blades. You always have a nice edge, and I never have to think for even a second about blade maintenance. I live a fairly aggressive DIY lifestyle, so traditional blades don’t last very long in my pocket.