Don’t Open Boxes With Your Kitchen Knives Ever Again! This Utility Knife Breaks Them Down With Ease, And It Helps Tackle DIY Projects, Too.
By Doug Mahoney
Doug Mahoney is a writer covering home-improvement topics, outdoor power equipment, bug repellents, and (yes) bidets.
I spent 10 years working in construction, and on each one of those hammer-swinging days, I carried a utility knife in my pocket. These knives cut with a disposable razor blade, so they’re ideal for all the grunt-work-cutting that would destroy a regular knife. Because the blades can be tossed out when they’re toast, there’s no need to deal with sharpening or even worrying about the edge at all.
I used at least 25 different knives in those 10 years. But my favorite—and the one I used exclusively for the final years of my construction career—was the Milwaukee Fastback.
Our pick
The 48-22-1502 Fastback can be quickly opened and closed with one hand, and it provides a secure grip and a spot to store five extra blades.
Since those days the Fastback has been upgraded a few times, but the core features—the ones that make it so great—have remained the same. I don’t use a utility knife as much anymore, but I still have three Fastbacks—one in my house, one in my barn, and another in my workshop—that I use at least on a weekly basis.
A safe but sturdy tool
I love that the Fastback opens and closes like a folding pocket knife and that the blade locks in the open and closed position. Once a little button on the handle is pressed, the blade swings out with a flick of the wrist. Letting go of the button locks it in the open position. To put the blade away, press the button again and flick it closed.
This setup is unique to utility knives, and it delivers the safety of a folding knife with a fast, one-handed operation. Traditional utility knives have a blade that slides straight out the front, and those can poke out in a pocket. Other utility knives that fold like the Fastback take two hands to open, so they’re much more awkward. (As nice as it is to open the Fastback, it’s still nothing compared to the flip of a nice pocket knife, but you also don’t want to wear down your nice pocket knife blade on DIY work.)
So how does this translate when I’m breaking down cardboard boxes on a Saturday morning? With the Fastback, I can cut the tape on a box, flip the knife closed, clip it to my pocket, and fold the box flat. The knife is under my control the entire time, and I always know where it is. Closing the knife and hooking it takes less than two seconds. The same can be said for grabbing the knife and opening it for the next box.
The handle of the Fastback can hold five additional blades. These are housed in a little cartridge piece that flips down from the underside of the handle. Because the blades are disposable and I use them only for rough cutting, having extras on hand at any moment is a huge feature. This is especially true with the knives I keep in the house and barn, where a stockpile of additional blades isn’t handy.
The slightly cheaper Milwaukee 48-22-1501 doesn’t have blade storage, but I think it’s well worth the few extra bucks to get it.
It’s easy to nick yourself with a utility knife (EHS Daily Advisor, a Business and Legal Reports newsletter, reported that up to one-third of all manual tool injuries come from utility knives like box cutters), so I especially like the secure grip area of the Fastback. Wrapping my hand into the deep finger notch makes it nearly impossible for the knife to slip when I’m getting into really tough work, like the wall-to-wall carpet I cut up last year. This is an area where other utility knives fall far short, with the most basic being nothing more than flimsy metal tubes with a razor sticking out the end.
It’s easy to think that utility knives are a generic bunch (and most of them are), but the Fastback, with its unique features and added safety, is clearly the best I’ve used.
Senior staff writer Elissa Sanci has been pleasantly surprised by how much her Fastback helps with everyday tasks–and her newest hobby. “I’ve had it for a year or so and up until recently, I only used it to break down delivery boxes,” she says. “But I’ve been getting into collaging and it's so much easier to cut images out with a straight razor than with a pair of scissors. It's not really ideal for crafting because it's so big and I'm waiting on the specific crafting one I bought to arrive, but it's been a good stop-gap while I wait! I love how easy it is to flip it open and release the blade.”
It slices past the competition
After testing 25 utility knives over several years, the Milwaukee Fastback is the best we’ve used. This is why we love it:
- Unlike other folding utility knives, the Fastback opens and closes with a flick of the wrist, after pressing a safety release button.
- It locks in both the open and closed position, and it stays at my side, thanks to its nice, springy belt hook.
- The onboard storage area can hold five extra blades, a significant feature for anyone doing serious work with the knife over an extended period.
- The Fastback is very durable. As long as you don’t drop it off a boat or set it on train tracks, it should last years and need only the occasional brushing-off.
The original version of this article was edited by Connor Grossman and Alejandra Matos. The current version was edited by Rachelle Bergstein.
Meet your guide
Doug Mahoney
Doug Mahoney is a senior staff writer at Wirecutter covering home improvement. He spent 10 years in high-end construction as a carpenter, foreman, and supervisor. He lives in a very demanding 250-year-old farmhouse and spent four years gutting and rebuilding his previous home. He also raises sheep and has a dairy cow that he milks every morning.