Are retractable utility knives (and its refills) a scam considering you can sharpen the blades yourself?
You can check the answer of the people under the question at Quora “disposable utility knife“
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Are retractable utility knives (and its refills) a scam considering you can sharpen the blades yourself?
You can check the answer of the people under the question at Quora “disposable utility knife“
About Alexa97
No, they are not a scam. Box cutters and the like take abuse doing things that would require a “real” knife to be resharpened hundreds of times a day.
I work for a fairly major cutlery manufacturer, we use box and utility knives for (surprise, surprise) opening cardboard boxes, heavy cloth sacks full of glass bead media, cutting rubber strips, trimming flash off of plastic castings, and all kinds of stuff. It just makes sense.
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I dont think so, sharpening takes time and skill. Someone who works in construction or carpet installation doesnt have time to sharpen their blade, in some cases multiple times a day. I know a buy who installs carpets and uses about 12 blades in 8 hours. I doubt he wanta to spend his down time sharpening blades at home.
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No, they’re not a scam. Like the name implies, they are utilitarian in design and use. Razor blades are thin, very sharp blades. As a result, they are not very durable. Consider cutting a rubber floormat on a concrete floor. A razor knife would be ideal. The edge will surely sustain damage. You get two fresh edges with each blade, then you dispose of it. Load a new fresh blade, and back to work. Using a proper knife would be maddeningly inefficient and labor intensive. I often find myself trying to get too much out of a disposable razor. Just change the damn thing out and quit fighting with it. Dull sucks! And its dangerous.
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The OP clarified that he meant that you could sharpen the utility blades, specifically the snap-off kind of utility blade.
So, are they a rip-off?
I don’t think they are. You aren’t FORCED to buy new snap-off blades if you don’t want to (the way you are with pen refills, ink jet cartridges, etc.) If you want to take the time and trouble, you can sharpen those blades (as the OP himself points out) and never buy any new ones. The manufacturers OFFER replacement blades IN CASE you don’t feel like sharpening them.
They are also cheap. The really nice steel snap knives from Olfa or X-acto are maybe $12 each, and the replacement blades are 20 cents each. The particular snap-of knives I buy are the smallest kind, with blades about 1/2″ wide. They cost $1 each at Home Depot. I don’t bother getting replacement blades for them.
Also, they work really well. I use them daily. They are especially good for marking saw cuts. They make a thinner, more accurate line than pencils…
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I have sharpened utility blades using a sharpening steel. I use a Chinese brand Shi Ba Zi that are good and relatively cheap. Running the blade edges at the proper angle deburrs the blade, before I install them. At the end of the day, you can take the used ones and realign the edges again.
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They are not widely distributed in North America and there are lots of brands out there. The last one I got did not even have any English characters on the rod or the sleeve
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Yes you actually can resharpening those blades but when you’re working up on a roof who has time to sharpen the blade you need to get the job done that’s why they make those disposable blades
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Depends.
How much is your time worth?
A new blade costs pennies, how long does it take to get the blade back to the same level of sharpness?
Honestly, I don’t think it’s worth it.
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