Which Utility Knife Blade Brand Wins?
In our test 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.
DeWalt
Price shown in test: 79 cents per blade
Affiliate link. We may earn a commission at no extra cost to you.
Irwin
Price shown in test: 39 cents per blade
Affiliate link. We may earn a commission at no extra cost to you.
Stanley
Price shown in test: 19 cents per blade
Affiliate link. We may earn a commission at no extra cost to you.
The quick take
The short version of why each pick lands where it does, built straight from the measured results.
“the DeWalt makes a really strong case as the best overall blade totally destroying the competition on that staple test”
The measured results
Every number below is read straight from the test. Products are listed in the order they finished.
Staple test
- 1DeWalt carbide edge
DeWalt did an amazing job at 245 taking the lead from Irwin
- 2Stanley
Stanley takes the lead from Hyper Tough [at 530]... the regular Stanley blade finished fourth
- 3Irwin
Irwin takes the lead with a very impressive score of 380... the Irwin finished second
- 4Stanley FatMax (carbide edge)
Stanley carbide did great at 485, but not enough to take the lead from Irwin... Stanley Carbide third
- 5Lenox Gold titanium edge
Lenox felt the pain with a score of 660
- 6Masterforce
Masterforce scores 550 with Stanley holding onto the lead
- 7Milwaukee
Milwaukee scores 605
- 8Kobalt
Kobalt didn't do much better at 635
- 9Craftsman
Craftsman scores 610
- 10Husky
Husky really felt the pain at 735
- 11Hyper Tough
at a score of 575, the staple did a lot of damage to the blade edge on the Hyper Tough
Cardboard sharpness retention
- 2Stanley
Stanley was a little sharper than the Hyper Tough at 225
- 4Stanley FatMax (carbide edge)
Stanley carbide did great at 185
- 5Lenox Gold titanium edge
Lenox also did great at 185
- 6Masterforce
Masterforce did great at 190, but Milwaukee stays in the lead
- 7Milwaukee
at 170, Milwaukee kept a really sharp edge and takes the lead from Husky
- 8Kobalt
at 230, Kobalt wasn't quite as sharp as Husky
- 9Craftsman245
for Craftsman, so Milwaukee stays in the lead
- 10Husky
at 220, Husky is sharper than both the Hyper Tough and the Stanley, and takes the lead
- 11Hyper Tough
cutting through a length of 12 ft of cardboard dulled the Hyper Tough blade from 160 to 245, which is still pretty sharp
- 1DeWalt carbide edgenot tested
- 3Irwinnot tested
Drywall abrasion test
- 1DeWalt carbide edge
the DeWalt takes the lead away from Stanley carbide [at 245]
- 2Stanley
the drywall caused quite a bit of wear, with the Stanley doing slightly better than the Hyper Tough
- 4Stanley FatMax (carbide edge)
Stanley carbide did great at 260 and takes the lead from Masterforce
- 6Masterforce
with a score of 300, Masterforce moves into the lead
- 9Craftsman
Craftsman really struggled with a score of 415
- 3Irwinnot tested
- 5Lenox Gold titanium edgenot tested
- 7Milwaukeenot tested
- 8Kobaltnot tested
- 10Huskynot tested
- 11Hyper Toughnot tested
Copper pipe test
- 1DeWalt carbide edge
DeWalt did an amazing job at 230
- 3Irwin
Irwin takes the lead with the score of 255
- 5Lenox Gold titanium edge
Lenox did terrific at 225 and takes the lead from Irwin
- 11Hyper Tough
the Hyper Tough achieved a 335 sharpness rating
- 2Stanleynot tested
- 4Stanley FatMax (carbide edge)not tested
- 6Masterforcenot tested
- 7Milwaukeenot tested
- 8Kobaltnot tested
- 9Craftsmannot tested
- 10Huskynot tested
Initial sharpness
- 7Milwaukee
Milwaukee claims to be two times sharper than the competition, and it did prove to be the sharpest
- 8Kobalt
the Kobalt Masterforce tied for third
- 10Husky
the Husky wasn't too far behind, coming in second place
- 1DeWalt carbide edgenot tested
- 2Stanleynot tested
- 3Irwinnot tested
- 4Stanley FatMax (carbide edge)not tested
- 5Lenox Gold titanium edgenot tested
- 6Masterforcenot tested
- 9Craftsmannot tested
- 11Hyper Toughnot 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”
