The double blade utility knife gives you flexible versatility for a wide range of cutting tasks, but standard hook blades easily lose their edge and have limited functionality. Poplock has redesigned the standard hook blade to give you the Poplock K blade, a longer lasting, more effective, stronger cutting tool for your folding double blade utility knife.
Why is the Poplock 2-in-1 folding utility knife a better design?
Like all Poplock tools, the 2-in-1 folding utility knife has been designed from first principles. When we make tools we start by identifying how existing tools can be improved. One of the issues with single blade utility knives is the limits imposed by only having one type of blade profile. The solution is to make a dual blade utility knife that gives you the functionality of standard and curved blades to cut the widest range of materials at different cutting angles.
What are the limitations of straight utility knife blades?
The straight utility knife blade with a triangular tip is very good for straight line cutting of flat materials, but is not so good at cutting irregular, rounded or fibrous materials. When trying to cut soft or very thin materials with a standard utility knife blade these tend to ‘bunch’ and crease, this limitation is very common when the blade is slightly worn. It is also hard to get a secure cutting angle with a straight utility knife blade on rounded or narrow objects like ropes and tapes.
Is the standard hooked utility knife blade effective?
The limitations of straight blades have been known for a while, and the response by utility knife manufacturers was to develop a hooked blade that could penetrate uneven surfaces and cut ropes, netting and fibres. Making a sharp ended hooked blade was an effective solution, but it creates its own problems.
How does the standard utility knife hook blade work?
- Sharply pointed narrow hook is effective but fragile
- Designed for single direction cuts in ropes, tapes and films
- Small contact area gives high cutting pressure but short lifespan
- Good for hook-and-cut, not suitable for deeper cuts
- High cutting power but poor depth and directional control
The very small surface area of the pointed blade tips makes hooked utility knife blades lose sharpness very quickly, and the finely pointed end profile is vulnerable to snagging and breaking off. It is also hard to control cutting depth with a hooked blade and easy to cut yourself if you get snagged or slip on a hard surface.
How did Poplock solve the problems with hooked blades and add functionality?
We recognized the need for a curved blade that could add flexibility to the standard utility knife design, and could cut ropes, fibers, soft, thin and rough materials but retain a sharp edge and resist breaking under load. If you look at the image above you can see the difference between the standard hooked blade design (top) and the Poplock ‘K blade’ profile.
What are 7 improved features of the Poplock K-blade for utility knives?
- The wider radius curve forms a smoother transition before the hook for better control
- A larger contact surface increases blade life by distributing wear more evenly
- The K-blade can be used for all types of push cuts, pull cuts, and controlled depth cutting
- Strong enough for leather and plastic sheets as well as cardboard
- One blade combines the features of straight and hooked blades
- Easy depth and pressure control for safer, smoother cutting
- Ergonomic design makes cutting easier and reduces fatigue
The patented Poplock ‘K blade’ profile retains the tip strength of a straight blade and adds the versatile cutting ability of a curved blade by moving the curved segment of the blade further back from the ends. This gives us the strength and longer lasting cutting edge of a standard blade but adds the utility to cut ropes, thin, soft and curved surfaces with ease.
The Poplock K-blade utility knife, better engineering in your hands
The Poplock K-blade 2-in-1 utility knife gives you better engineering design for cleaner, safer cuts and longer blade knife. Constructed to Poplock’s exacting standards, it’s a versatile, well engineered, double-bladed utility knife that you will want to keep close at hand for everyday use.
The robust, functional, safe cutting action is ergonomically designed to be comfortable and secure in the hand for the most challenging and repetitive cutting tasks. Find the Poplock folding utility knife as part of the selection of high quality tools and accessories on the Poplock Amazon store.
