2019 test11 productsBlades, Bits & Abrasives
Which Utility Knife Blade Brand Wins?
We compared 11 utility knife blade options head to head. DeWalt came out on top. See the measured results, the runner-up, the budget pick, and a link to the full test video.
Winner
DeWalt
Price shown in test: 79 cents per blade
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Runner-up
Irwin
Price shown in test: 39 cents per blade
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Budget pick
Stanley
Price shown in test: 19 cents per blade
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The measured results
Every number below is read straight from the test. Scroll sideways to see all measurements. Products are listed in the order they finished.
| Product | Drywall abrasion test | Copper pipe test | Staple test | Cardboard sharpness retention | Initial sharpness |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1DeWalt carbide edge79 cents per blade | the DeWalt takes the lead away from Stanley carbide [at 245] | DeWalt did an amazing job at 230 | DeWalt did an amazing job at 245 taking the lead from Irwin | not tested | not tested |
| 2Stanley19 cents per blade | the drywall caused quite a bit of wear, with the Stanley doing slightly better than the Hyper Tough | not tested | Stanley takes the lead from Hyper Tough [at 530]... the regular Stanley blade finished fourth | Stanley was a little sharper than the Hyper Tough at 225 | not tested |
| 3Irwin39 cents per blade | not tested | Irwin takes the lead with the score of 255 | Irwin takes the lead with a very impressive score of 380... the Irwin finished second | not tested | not tested |
| 4Stanley FatMax (carbide edge)42 cents per blade | Stanley carbide did great at 260 and takes the lead from Masterforce | not tested | Stanley carbide did great at 485, but not enough to take the lead from Irwin... Stanley Carbide third | Stanley carbide did great at 185 | not tested |
| 5Lenox Gold titanium edgenearly five times the cost of the least expensive blade | not tested | Lenox did terrific at 225 and takes the lead from Irwin | Lenox felt the pain with a score of 660 | Lenox also did great at 185 | not tested |
| 6Masterforce26 cents per blade | with a score of 300, Masterforce moves into the lead | not tested | Masterforce scores 550 with Stanley holding onto the lead | Masterforce did great at 190, but Milwaukee stays in the lead | not tested |
| 7Milwaukee24 cents per blade | not tested | not tested | Milwaukee scores 605 | at 170, Milwaukee kept a really sharp edge and takes the lead from Husky | Milwaukee claims to be two times sharper than the competition, and it did prove to be the sharpest |
| 8Kobalt21 cents per blade | not tested | not tested | Kobalt didn't do much better at 635 | at 230, Kobalt wasn't quite as sharp as Husky | the Kobalt Masterforce tied for third |
| 9Craftsman30 cents per blade | Craftsman really struggled with a score of 415 | not tested | Craftsman scores 610 | 245 for Craftsman, so Milwaukee stays in the lead | not tested |
| 10Husky20 cents per blade | not tested | not tested | Husky really felt the pain at 735 | at 220, Husky is sharper than both the Hyper Tough and the Stanley, and takes the lead | the Husky wasn't too far behind, coming in second place |
| 11Hyper Tough15 cents per blade | not tested | the Hyper Tough achieved a 335 sharpness rating | at a score of 575, the staple did a lot of damage to the blade edge on the Hyper Tough | cutting through a length of 12 ft of cardboard dulled the Hyper Tough blade from 160 to 245, which is still pretty sharp | not tested |
How it was tested
- initial factory sharpness measurement (grams of downward force to cut test media)
- sharpness retention after cutting a 12 ft length of cardboard
- abrasive wear resistance cutting through drywall
- cutting edge strength against a copper pipe
- blade edge durability after one pass across a metal staple
“the DeWalt makes a really strong case as the best overall blade totally destroying the competition on that staple test”