Tool Thursday: Gordon(R) Lock-Back Utility Knife


Pictured: a red utility knife, open and ready to be used

If you work with heavy leather, you go through a lot of blades, and need something that can take some abuse- without too much weight that will further wear out your arm. It takes a decent amount of strength to cut through the thicker vegetable tanned leather, even with a sharp blade.

I had been dealing with a dull blade occasionally because the current knife I was using was a cheap, old fashioned utility type. You needed to unscrew it to change the blade and I wasn’t always willing to step away to find a screwdriver or stop working on whatever I was cutting out.

While looking at Harbor Freight to find myself a pocket knife, this knife also caught my eye. Knowing that it would probably help to upgrade my heavy duty work knife, I took this one home. I have definitely not regretted that decision.

Changing blades? Super simple. It feels great in my hand so far, the texture helps with grip without hurting. It clicks into the position shown above besides the traditional 180 degrees. I haven’t used that to advantage yet, but I’m guessing there will be some advantage to it.

The locking mechanism is easy, but still quite secure. The button to move the blade must be FULLY pressed before it will change position. The mechanism to change the blade itself seems a little less secure, but I would only be worried about that if I planned to carry it in my pocket.

I suppose time will tell if it becomes a hassle, if I attempt to put my fingers closer to the blade end than the obviously grooved section near the handle, and somehow loosen the blade. I don’t really see it being an issue, but I have only been using the knife for a month at this point.

Overall, if you’re looking for a relatively inexpensive utility knife, you could certainly do worse. The type I used to use was about $2, for $6 I got this one with several extra features- the most important being I will be able to easily change blades- and hopefully save my shoulders in the process.

See you Monday for a monthly wrap up!

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