Klein Tools1550-44 Pocket Knife with Stainless Steel 2-5/8-Inch Hawkbill Slitting Blade

I do a lot of electrical work, and I had heard that this would be a handy knife. The blade seems like it's good quality. It came slightly dull, but that's because I am very picky about knife sharpness, so I generally sharpen all my knives when they're new. This knife really only has two problems, the handle, and the folding mechanism...The handle is made out of plastic, which is okay, but the plastic panels are peeling away from the knife right out of the box. See attached pictures. I haven't even started using it yet, and it seems like it's falling apart, but that's not the biggest problem.The knife stays shut because of a spring bar that pushes on the back of the blade. This spring bar pulls the blade to one of three positions, whichever position the blade is closest to. These positions are closed, 90°, and open. This spring is so strong that it's very difficult to use. Not only that but when you're closing the knife, the sping is so tight that when you cross the line from where it was pulling it open, to where it's pulling it closed, it snaps to the next position so fast that it's extremely difficult to control and quite dangerous if you're not wearing good gloves. My brother and I tried working the knife back and forth for at least two hours, hoping it would loosen up. Between the two of us, we got our hands stabbed 3 or 4 times, just opening and closing it. I'm attaching a short video, it's kind of hard to see, but I hope it's helpful.Other than these two complaints, I think it's a pretty great knife, but these two things are bad enough that I have to give it 1 star.Note to seller or manufacturer... If you think mine is defective, I'd be happy to swap it out and update this review. I accidentally let the return deadline slip by, so I can't return it for a refund.

The knife cane to me very oily- I had to wipe off the fake-wood handle before using it. The pins that attach the fake-wood handle to the knife body protrude a bit, and will need to be sanded down for comfort. The blade was so stiff I had to oil the hinge, which didn’t help. The safety lock that keeps the blade open (don’t know what it’s called) was so stiff that I had to use a screwdriver to push it to the side, and then push hard on the stiff blade to get it to close. This knife is not worth getting your hand cut. I’m surprised, because Klein is supposed to be big on quality.

Bought this as a birthday gift to my bro who is an electrician. Despite the lack of reviews here do a quick search of the best electrician's knifes and this one is the go-to. I think that reflects well on professionals as they already know to buy Klein tools and don't need Amazon reviews in order to choose the right tool. For the uninitiated, yes this is the right choice... ignore the crap Chinese "tools" that cost less.Actual review: The carbon steel blade is deadly sharp. It came very well oiled. The blade mechanism takes time to loosen up, but it will. On pulling the blade out you know right away not to screw around with it, this blade type is very dangerous in the wrong hands. The handle is plastic for good reasons - it is tougher than wood and this is a tool, not for looks like a sporting knife. In terms of the blade, carbon steel keeps an edge longer than other blades and is also easier to sharpen. Professional chefs use carbon steel knives for the same reason. Keep in mind that carbon steel will rust and needs to be cared for. If you plan on storing this blade for any amount of time you need to oil it well, and also in between use you will need to oil it a bit to keep it from coloring.

I'm an electrician by profession and one of the tools we're told to have is an electrician's knife. I (along with most other people I work with) have always just carried a folding utility knife instead. I learned my lesson when I sliced my wrist open while removing insulation from a 4/O wire. I was extremely close to hitting a tendon but missed it by about one centimeter. I needed ten stitches and had to miss a couple days of work. While I was home I did some research on electrician's knives, trying to find the best one. Eventually, I settled on two of them because I wasn't sure which one to get. The one you're reading about now and  Klein Tools 44005 Lightweight Lockback Knife - 2-5/8" Sheepfoot Blade .First of all, if you're an electrician and are carrying around a utility knife, do yourself a favor and switch to one of these. I was very skeptical at first but I honestly feel so much more comfortable using this type of knife versus a utility knife. I feel a lot more in control when I'm removing insulation off of a wire. The blade doesn't slip much compared to a utility knife. In my opinion, it's a better and safer job. Now on to my review...When I first took this out of the plastic, I could tell that this was a well made knife (made in USA). Sure, the handle is plastic but who cares? It certainly doesn't feel cheap at all. The knife has a nice weight to it, letting you know that it's quality. Opening the knife is definitely a two hand operation as the blade is very stiff. The blade was coated with a thin layer of oil and shined up to a mirror finish when wiped off. As mentioned in other reviews, this blade is very sharp. Don't let that scare you though. As long as you respect it, you'll be fine. It's important to be careful opening and closing it until it's broken in a little bit. I've been meaning to buy some oil for it to help it loosen up but I just haven't gotten around to it. Due to its size, I prefer to wear this on my belt. It doesn't come with a case but one can be purchased here on Amazon.Using this is honestly a pleasure. It cuts through the insulation with ease and the (extremely) sharp point at the end is great for slitting anything from thick insulation on 500mcm wire all the way down to NM cable. It contours bigger wire very well and is just as comfortable using it on smaller wire. Most importantly, the blade stays sharp for a long time. I would only have to sharpen it once a week when I was using it everyday on insulation.The best thing about this knife is the price. I'm shocked that this is nearly HALF the price of the lightweight knife. At this price, it's a no-brainer if you're trying to decide between the two.The only reason why this wasn't five stars was because of the stiffness. I understand that's normal but it would have been nice if it wasn't as stiff or broke in quicker. Besides that, I can't speak enough about it. It's just another high quality tool from Klein! If you have any questions, just ask in the comments.I hope this review helped!

Esta navaja es muy útil y de buena calidad. No tiene los acabados de lujo de otras, pero cumple al 100% los requerimientos de cualquier trabajador.