M4 or other premium steel utility blades!

[slimshaneee]

Just a quick poll.

How many of us would like to buy a premium steel utility blade? I think M4 would be the natural choice. Although I would trust Spyderco to pick the proper steel.

I have tried so many knives for my job as a residential electrician, and nothing is as practical, and works quite as well as a utility knife.

Spyderco could sell billions of these things, every store that sells blades could carry them. Home depot, lowes, hardware, wal mart.... It would also get their name into the peoples hearts when they see how well they perform! Could even include a little leaflet in there with a couple of awesome knife designs. I bet Spyderco knife sales would jump!

A Spyderco Utility Blade would be a Spyderco for everyman.

Even more of a dream come true would be a Spyderco designed utility knife. With Spyderco ergos and premium materials. Oh man!

Sorry to ramble! It's early :D

[Frapiscide]

A problem:
M4 is hard to work with after heat treat and the blades are thin. It'll result in a lot of chipping/breaking unless pulled down to around RHc 57-58 and the blades are going to be more expensive because of the extra work/better steel.
Irwin blades work pretty well from what I've heard.

[jackknifeh]

Just a quick poll.

How many of us would like to buy a premium steel utility blade? I think M4 would be the natural choice. Although I would trust Spyderco to pick the proper steel.

I have tried so many knives for my job as a residential electrician, and nothing is as practical, and works quite as well as a utility knife.

Spyderco could sell billions of these things, every store that sells blades could carry them. Home depot, lowes, hardware, wal mart.... It would also get their name into the peoples hearts when they see how well they perform! Could even include a little leaflet in there with a couple of awesome knife designs. I bet Spyderco knife sales would jump!

A Spyderco Utility Blade would be a Spyderco for everyman.

Even more of a dream come true would be a Spyderco designed utility knife. With Spyderco ergos and premium materials. Oh man!

Sorry to ramble! It's early :D

I'm not sure how the blades would go over if the steel used was more expensive than what is already available. The main selling point of utility knives is cheap replaceable blades. By utility knife I'm thinking of what I've normally called a sheetrock knife. But slimshaneee, I think a Spyderco designed handle that uses the existing blades would be great. One thing about these knives is they are used a lot during a work day. So a very comfortable handle with great ergonomics would be a great selling/buying point. If Spyderco wanted to provide blades of better quality steel for the situations that may benifit from them that would just be icing on the cake.

Jack

[SQSAR]

+1 with jack. A guy walks into a Home Depot for utility blades, they want cheap, , quality is a nice bonus at best when it comes to utility blades. Also, the blades we currently find at the Depot are SO widely marketed/produced, there is no way Spyderco could put theirs on the market for anything near the price. But maybe Spyderco utility blades available from the SFO would be a nice test of the waters.

However, the thought of a Spyderco designed utility knife/handle, , ,I like it. I like it a lot. despite all the knives I've got hanging around my shop/garage, I still reach for the old faithful utility/drywall knife more often than not. To have one made by Spyderco, , perhaps in FRN, , would be nice.

[Evil D]

Eh, i'd be down for an M4 knife similar to a Yojimbo but with a stronger tip, designed to be a utility knife.

[ChrisR]

What's a "utility knife"? :confused:

[SQSAR]

Eh, i'd be down for an M4 knife similar to a Yojimbo but with a stronger tip, designed to be a utility knife.

That's a great idea! I think you might be on to something.

[unit]

Eh, i'd be down for an M4 knife similar to a Yojimbo but with a stronger tip, designed to be a utility knife.

+1

I thought that was what the OP was requesting.

I would love something like you describe, except it does not need to be much like the Yo...I would be thrilled with something akin to a Delica with an M4 Wharncliffe. That would be relatively inexpensive and WHAT a work horse!

[Pinetreebbs]

I'm not sure how the blades would go over if the steel used was more expensive than what is already available. The main selling point of utility knives is cheap replaceable blades. By utility knife I'm thinking of what I've normally called a sheetrock knife. But slimshaneee, I think a Spyderco designed handle that uses the existing blades would be great. One thing about these knives is they are used a lot during a work day. So a very comfortable handle with great ergonomics would be a great selling/buying point. If Spyderco wanted to provide blades of better quality steel for the situations that may benefit from them that would just be icing on the cake.

Jack

One big benefit of Jack's idea, introducing a new group of potential knife buyers to the Spyderco name.

Blades in utility knives are used and abused knowing they are inexpensive and easily be replaced. Users also know replacements can be picked up at a variety of sources. I'm not sure premium blades would sell if they cost much more than other blades.

Making utility blades would require specialized manufacturing and heat treatment lines that are not the same as those used to make knife blades. Spyderco might be able to get a utility blade maker to run special lots made from a particular steel and distribute them with the Spyderco name.

Spyderco would also need to establish distribution channels in the tool trade to sell the utility knives.

IMO, it would be probably be OK if the blades were made overseas, but something marketed to tradesmen should be domestic if at all possible.

[yablanowitz]

What's a "utility knife"? :confused:

Also known as a boxcutter.

[defenestrate]

Isn't the upcoming Gayle Bradley Air supposed to be an M4 wharnie? Or am I mistaken about the steel?

[VashHash]

Why would someone worry about edge retention on something you buy knowing you're only go to throw it away after you use it. I've seen people sharpen these blades but please raise your hand and tell me if you sharpen your utility blades or just throw them away.

[defenestrate]

Isn't the upcoming Gayle Bradley Air supposed to be a wharnie with an M4 blade? Or am I mistaken about steel type?

M4 or other high end steel for utility razor blades would be quite expensive and probably not be worth the extra expense for a little longer life.

I like the idea of a :spydie: handle for these types of blades, but I think it might be a little below Spyderco's pay grade to do so.

[O,just,O]

ChrisR from the UK, asks, what is a utility knife ?
yablanowitz from USA shows a knife known as a utility knife or box cutter.
Interesting thing to me is the knife in the photo is branded Stanley.
In Australia we call them all of that pattern a Stanley knife, no matter who made it.
What are they known as in the UK ChrisR ?

As for Spyderco making a utility knife, I like Evil D's idea the best.
O.

[Evil D]

The knife pic above i would call a utility/carpet knife. Carpet installers use those to cut carpet. To me, this is a box knife:




Anyway, as for the Yojimbo utility knife...i just mean the blade shape. I've been lusting for a big beefy wharnie for a few months now. I'd be happy with that blade with a thicker tip in just about any handle as long as it has a nice 50/50 choil for solid pulling grip.

[ChrisR]

ChrisR from the UK, asks, what is a utility knife ?
yablanowitz from USA shows a knife known as a utility knife or box cutter.
Interesting thing to me is the knife in the photo is branded Stanley.
In Australia we call them all of that pattern a Stanley knife, no matter who made it.
What are they known as in the UK ChrisR ?

As for Spyderco making a utility knife, I like Evil D's idea the best.
O.

Yeah, same here - they are known generically as a "Stanley knife" (a triumph of marketing by one company ) rather like vacuums are often called a "Hoover" here :D

I'm not sure that I'd like Spyderco to be associated with cheap, disposable knives that are often/usually abused and covered in paint and glue. Also, I don't think that they would ever be able to compete in an already well-populated market.

[Blerv]

I'd rather them work on the knife rather than the blade. (I.E. Handle, clip, lock).

There is something majestic about replacing blades when you are cutting through nasty crap all day. I don't know the kind of steel used for standard utility blades but they seem like a durable carbon steel. For the price it's hard to complain.

I will say few utility knives offer amazing ergonomics or fluid opening/closing, lock, etc.

[The Mastiff]

I've seen and bought utility blades that were marked "high speed steel" before. I'd guess they were probably M2. I've also seen "bi metal" utility blades.

[yablanowitz]

Why would someone worry about edge retention on something you buy knowing you're only go to throw it away after you use it. I've seen people sharpen these blades but please raise your hand and tell me if you sharpen your utility blades or just throw them away.

That would be me. I have to sharpen new utility knife blades before I can stand to use them.

[butch]

i only stopped carring my hom emade box cutter when i tested my maker skills on a new blade and handle style

i have again changed to a new style to replace that last knife witha bit more a dress blade
its M4 tho i think i need to go back to the hard use wharnnie for my work knife (keeping my M4 dres knife for dress work )

for hard use i think i will go with cpm3v less ther is another steel i want to test when i go to do the build