I have tried different brands and styles of utility knives over the years, and so far I’ve found Dewalt’s Carbide-Edge to be the best.
These Dewalt Carbide Edge blades have a tungsten carbide cutting edge that is deposited via high powered laser, making the edge harder than the steel base material and with greater edge retention.
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In other words, it stays sharper for longer.
Carbide is more brittle than steel, but I haven’t encountered any issues so far. The blades still have typical amount of slight flex to them, since only the cutting edge is modified.
Dewalt says that the blades stay sharper 10X longer than traditional blades.
At Home Depot, for the sake of comparative pricing, you can buy a 50-pack for $18, or 36 cents per blade. A 75-count of Dewalt “heavy duty” blades are $15, or 20 cents per blade.
The “heavy duty” blades are said to last 3X longer than standard blades, compared to 10X for the carbide blades. So, the Carbide Edge blades should have up to 3X longer sharpness in comparison, for roughly double the price.
Amazon has a 50-pack for $15, or 30 cents per blade.
Generic blades can be found for $10 for 100, or 10 cents per blade.
I haven’t quantified how much longer the Dewalt Carbide Edge blades last for me, but I can tell you that I absolutely notice when I use lesser blades.
The Dewalt Carbide blades do last considerably longer in my experience, and are my go-to choice.
If you know of something better for me to try, let’s hear it.
Buy Now: 5-Pack via Home Depot
Buy Now: 50-Pack via Amazon
Buy Now: 50-Pack via Home Depot
These blades are made in the USA with global materials. There might still be some made-in-UK versions as well. I have bought and used both, but haven’t noticed any differences.