The knife is the oldest manufactured tool known to humans. Before that, all we had to work with were rocks and sticks. But after learning how to chip a knife blade from rock, we were well on the way towards the industrial age. Humanity’s creativity and curiosity would take that skill of making a knife and turn it into a myriad of tools.
The knife is still one of the most common and useful tools. Many other tools we use, such as saws, are based, in some way, upon the knife. In a sense, they are nothing more than an improvement on that original stone knife which was able to cut different materials in different ways, but always depending on the sharp edge it gave us.
Today, many types of utility knives are available to us. Many specialized knives are created for a specific purpose. However, there are general-purpose knives carried by people of all walks of life, typically just to have a knife handy in case of need.
The utility knife falls into this category, being a general-purpose knife, designed for use by tradesmen of all types. Pretty much all construction trades offer opportunities where a good knife comes in handy even if it's for nothing more than opening packages of material. In fact, carrying a utility knife has become de rigor for workers in the construction trades. Many homeowners have them as well for those times when they are pretending to be carpenters or electricians.
What makes a utility knife stand out from other types of knives is the replaceable blade. The thin blade is pointed on both ends so that it can be reversed when one side becomes dull. This is a great time-saver over having to stop and sharpen a blade. While the replaceable blades may not be as high quality as a high carbon steel blade, their thin profile and sharp point make them excellent for their purpose.
Traditionally, utility knives have been designed so that the blade is retractable so they are safe to carry yet easy to use. However, the retracting mechanism does have an inherent weakness of not being strong enough so it’s often easy for the blade to be pushed back into the handle, especially with the lower cost knives.
Many companies have now switched over to a folding utility knife design, some with locking blades. This may not be as convenient to work with but it ensures the blade will stay extended during use. As the knife blade is not designed for stabbing, there’s little chance of the knife folding, even without a blade lock mechanism.
On-board storage for extra blades is also common, as it allows the tradesman to continue working, without having to go back to their toolbox or truck in search of blades. When a blade becomes dull, it is merely flipped end for end or replaced. Some of the better utility knives now offer tool-free blade changing, replacing the screw lock for a different sort of locking mechanism.
Regardless, we've put together a list of what we consider to be the top five utility blades on the market right now. Check out the list below to pick the right one for you!