About a week in, I was breaking down a box for recycling, and though... Gee the next time I get a really big box, I am going to use the Pingo and document it.
Breaking down cardboard to fit into my recycling bin is one of the most common and frankly most demanding tasks my EDC will face on a normal basis. Cardboard is pretty hard on blades we all know. So I got a grill to assemble a week ago, and so fed it to the Pingo.
Had a good pile of cardboard to break down, and some of it was the thick double walled kind. When I break down boxes I cut them into small squares, maybe 8-10 inches square. Or 8-10 inch long, 3-5 inches long. So I set to work.
Impressions? The Pingo has a unique blade profile, it makes an excellent slicer, and at the beginning I could practically push cut the whole length of the cardboard. Everything went well. The sheepsfoot style blade, with the upswept tip does allow more utility than a straight sheepsfoot would allow, and the tip was useful for exact cuts. I have said before and I will say again, for most tasks a lock is not needed, and if you know your blade can close on you, you plan for it, or don't do things that would make it happen. Grew up with slipjoints, you learn this quick. One of the problems with them, however, is when you get the blade wedged down in the cardboard, you need to watch that you can't really pull up, as the handle will fold. In most cases this is not an issue as the blade is in the cardboard and will not result in injury. The Pingo has stronger spring, or maybe it is because it has a smaller blade than the UKPK and less leverage? Either way I want to try this out with the Pingo as it will happen with the UKPK. You can make it happen with the Pingo is you pull up sharply but seemed to be less prone to this than the UKPK. Again, par for the course you know it will happen and deal with it.
The knife did dull during the process, which I knew it would. It was not factory sharp to begin with, but it did dull pretty noticeably by the end. Cuts were not as clean and took more effort. Still sharp enough to do more work but will not shave hair.
The champion on the mountain of cardboard...
Overall I like this knife, it is a clear winner if you are in need of a knife in a highly knife sensitive environment, size, shape, and blade profile will make it a winner in such places. But it clearly can do some serious work if need be. The point will poke things, but the unsharpened forward portion of the blade will push the blade down as it enters material. The only thing I would change is a nail nick on the blade. I know it was not designed to open one handed, however a nail nick would preserve that but make it easier to open. Right now you have to pinch the blade with your fingers and I can see some situations where that could be an issue. Maybe even the scallops (like on the really old Jess Horn), however that may not preserve the strict two hand opening option. Also you do lose the 50/50 choil of the UKPK, and I did miss it some. There is an unsharpened, jimmped part of the lower tang under the index finger, and it sort of works the same, but also not the same.
All in all, a winner. Especially if you are in the market for a small, light, utility knife that will not scare the masses.
The Pingo taking a break from work...
