COMPACT SLIDE UTIL KNIFE

Compact and easy blade change.

This little razor knife is awesome. That’s perfectly in my pocket. It’s not too big not bulky. Would recommend it to anybody.

I work in a big-box store that strictly prohibits the use of real utility knives that grown-ups have used without notable difficulty for more than a century. Management insists on providing their employees instead with a sad, orange "Junior's First Knife." To operate this abomination, one must hold a blue plastic slide button firmly forward to project a quarter inch of dull, rounded blade tip as you attempt to pierce the outer skin of a cardboard carton. Should you succeed in that, you are instructed to release the blue button and the tiny knife tip should then theoretically be lodged tightly enough by friction within the cardboard to begin slicing operations. Then repeat as necessary, and if all goes well, one can expect to disassemble a small cardboard box into flattened panels suitable for the compactor in around 20 minutes, give or take. For many years I owned and used what was probably the most practical and dependable compact utility knife ever made, the Husky Compact Retractable Utility Knife, Model #1120. I should have known Home Depot would discontinue that model, since they sold every one of them as fast as they could get them. I only bought three Model #1120s over time, and all were subsequently stolen by craven thieves. If it had occurred to me that Husky would ever stop making them, I would have bought fifty. I've seen pre-owned Husky Model #1120s offered for sale on eBay for anywhere from $60 to $135, but I suspected I would likely be buying one of my stolen knives back, so I declined. Enter the Milwaukee Compact Slide Utility Knife. It's somewhat more portly than the Husky Model #1120, but it's still small, it works splendidly, and most importantly—it's retractable—not folding. Every manufacturer makes a compact FOLDING utility knife, which defeats the whole purpose of having a compact knife to begin with, namely, to use in place of the company-issued orange turd, while keeping a low profile so as not to be seen using a functional knife. Clever operators will keep a decoy orange safety knife poking out of their utility pouch to switch to surreptitiously should management approach. Having to take an extra few seconds to quickly find and release the buttons or levers to collapse and finally conceal one's forbidden knife is simply unacceptable and poses unwarranted risks. The Milwaukee Compact Retractable Knife is a worthy replacement for the much-missed Husky, although blade selection can be finicky. A number of different manufacturers offer heavy-duty utility knife blades, which the Milwaukee will not accept. I have even found some blades without the HD moniker to be slightly too thick for the little red knife. My solution has been to simply stick with standard Milwaukee blades, and it has been trouble-free as a result. Since accepting the Milwaukee knife as a trustworthy and satisfying successor to the Husky, I have bought another. Upon reflection, perhaps I shall purchase yet another. Perhaps fifty.

This is a good and comfortable little box cutter. I originally bought it because I work on a site that doesn’t allow regular box cutters and they require a retracting spring so you have to hold your thumb on it and it retract back. That’s what I thought this was, but it is not it is not self retractableonce you push the thumb lever forward it stays in place but it is cool. I’m gonna keep it for the house.

Best box cutter I've ever had. Light, small but not too small, easy blade change. Very durable. Only down side is no blade storage but I hate the rattling that can cause anyway.

Too bulky to be useful, needs to be slimmed down.

Great knife from an equally great company. Everything I get from Milwaukee never ceases to amaze me and always works fantastic.

Great knife, easy to change blades and fits great in pocket.