Customer Reviews

Irwin Industrial Tools 2082200 ProTouch Retractable Utility Knife

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(4)

 

 

If you try putting any pressure on this knife while pulling it along something, like cutting through drywall, the blade will pull right out on you! Happens repeatedly. It is a real pain in the butt after you have to keep putting the blade back in all the time. Works fine if you don't apply much pressure. After long uses of hard gripping, plastic will chafe your skin away also. But the blades are great, I love those. I will buy these blades again for my other utility knives. For a good knife, try to find the silver and black Rhino brand knife, which has a thin soft rubber grip on it, then use these Irwin blades in it.

I've been using, or should I say trying to use my new Irwin utility knife for 2 months now while building a new workshop. It looks so professional out of the box, but wait til you try to use it. The biggist problem is keeping blades in the knife. Any drag whatsoever, and the blade pulls right out of the knife handle.The two knife halves are held together with a spring action locking system, and they simply don't squeeze together tightly enough. You can't keep a blade in on any weight siding paper, but blades often pull out when cutting shims, or other wood materials, too. However, the worst feature of this product is it can be a hazzard. On one occasion I noticed that a blade stored inside the handle slipped through the butt end of the handle and was protruding about 1/2" out of the handle. It could have easily sliced my holding hand. I've abandoned using this knife and gone back to old an trusty generic type. Use this knife with caution.

Jason-------Carmel Valley

After viewing a few blades, I picked this one out because it looked very industrial. It worked well at first. I used it to open boxes, cut open plastic packaging. Then I started to use it while working around the house. Cutting drywall; the blade comes out. Scoring silicone around sinks and bathtubs; the blade comes out. Scoring paint along moldings; the blade comes out. Now my spring activated opener doesn't work anymore. I have to pry it open with a screw driver.
I gave this a 1 star because it has a high price and very little value due to fact the blades pull out and my opener ceased to work.
If you are looking for a blade that you can work with. Look elsewhere. If you want an over priced amazon-package-opener to store in your kitchen drawr. This might just be for you.

Four interns working for an organization which builds simple houses for low-income people were given this knife at the beginning of their one-year terms of service. During this one-year period, the interns (two male and two female)worked full-time building houses, and frequently used this knife in a variety of house construction situations.
The group had the following criticisms: 1. Blades had a tendency to pull out during use. 2. Rubber handle became greasy and slippery during use. 3. Quick release feature was unwieldy and difficult to use. 4. Design of knife was generally uncomfortable and unnecessarily complex. Overall, the group did not like the knives, and abandoned using them entirely, preferring to use low-end basic utility knives instead. A definitive "no" vote from this group of daily users.
A similar group from a previous year, however, was given the Stanley 10-989 swivel-lock utility knife, and the Stanley knife was prized and well-liked by all the construction interns.

This knife stinks, not only does the blade pull out (noted in other reviews) but STORING the blades in the handle is a NIGHTMARE. Inside the handle is a springy clip, if you try to squeeze more than 1 or2 blades in there Watch Out! What in the blue hell was Irwin thinking? They must have stock in suture material. It does have a great look though and a great rubber grip. I was very disappointed.

I NO LONGER RECOMMEND THE IRWIN KNIFE OVER THE STANLEY!
Previously I preferred the Irwin 2082200 over the Stanley knife. I own both the Irwin and Stanley knives and the Irwin bi-metal blades and the Stanley blades. I prefer the Irwin bi-metal blades. (All my hacksaw blades are bi-metal and well worth the extra cost.) Contrary to what you may have read the knife blades are interchangeable.
I primarily use the knives to cut 5/8ths inch PVC sprinkler hose. Both knives do the job but I find that the Irwin is more comfortable and easier to work with. Previously I had no problems with blades escaping or pulling out. I do not use them daily nor do I try to cut drywall or wood with them(except to sharpen carpenters pencils). I no longer recommend the Irwin 2082200 as an excellent tool for general use around the home.
5-3-10 UPDATE: Today, for the first time, the blade DID come out of the handle while I was cutting. I have lowered my evaluation to 4 stars.
5-14-10 UPDATE: Once again the blade came out of the handle. This is undesirable in a household utility knife and completely unacceptable in a daily working tool. While this can be avoided by tightly gripping the handle and using extreme care in cutting there is no reason to put up with this inconvenience for the sake of a more comfortable grip. It is, I am forced to admit, an overpriced, attractive tool to be kept in in the kitchen drawer for occasional use.

It has a great design and the blade change button is not in the way like most quick change knives that cause the blade to fall out when you least expect it.

After reading the other comments, I'm compelled to take a stand for my favorite knife! Although the in-handle storage is quite tight, I've never experienced the blades pulling out (even when cutting dry wall). I find this knife very useful and am quite satistifed with my purchase! And, my spring-loaded quick entry still works and is my favorite feature of this knife. Thanks Irwin!

I've been using this knife for about a year and have never had a blade pull out. I like the design and it feels very sturdy, although I've seen knives I like better since then. One problem I've noticed is that blade storage inside the hanlde is pretty horrible. It has a clip that comes with about 5 blades in it. The tension on the clip is incredibly strong though so you almost need to take the blades out with a pair of pliers. Forget about trying to get one back in there if you need to. Very dangerous.

I have owned more than one of these, and if it were not for the fact that I loose tools, I wouldn't likely need more than one of these. They seem very solidly built. It is very easy to open the knife to change out a blade. This is my third one, again only because I have lost the previous ones. Good quality tool.