Insulation Knife: Discover the Safest, Most Durable Option
Anyone who uses an insulation knife with a metal blade knows how quickly metal blades dull. It’s frustrating to replace your blade all the time just to get an effective cut. When cutting abrasive materials like insulation, metal-blade insulation knives dull even more quickly.
Another major concern is safety. Unfortunately, most users accept a high risk of lacerations because they believe that cutters must be dangerously sharp to work well. This isn’t true.
Slice® has changed the script about both longevity and safety by creating two models of insulation cutting knife in our industrial knife category. Both knives feature our unique safety blade: it lasts longer than metal, up to 11 times longer, and it’s safer than traditional blades, both metal and ceramic.
The Slice Insulation Cutter Blade: Durable and Safe
Slice blades are made of 100 percent zirconium oxide, an advanced ceramic. This ultra-hard material has superior wear resistance. Slice’s thick, patent-pending blade design creates finger-friendly® blades—you can safely touch the blade edge—that last significantly longer than steel.
Steel is comparatively soft, which is why metal blades dull quickly. To extend the life of the blade, manufacturers sharpen metal blades beyond what’s needed to cut. That is, metal-bladed tools like insulation knives are sharper than they actually need to be to effectively cut most materials. Because these blades start dangerously sharp, consumers mistakenly assume that sharper is safer, but that’s not the case. Just as blades can be too dull, they can be too sharp. Other ceramic blades, be they for kitchen or industry, mimic the dangerously sharp design of metal blades. Slice blades start at a sharpness that is effective and much safer.
Our Answer to the Insulation Batt Knife: Slice Industrial Knives
The most salient design feature of a batt insulation knife is that the blade is long enough to cut insulation, which is thick. Typically, these tools are similar to utility knives but they feature extra-long blades.
In the Slice line of tools, our long-blade knives are our Industrial Knives, and the two versions we make are the Slice 10559 Manual Industrial Knife and the Slice 10560 Auto-Retractable Industrial Knife.
Both insulation cutter models feature a slider that the user engages to expose the blade. These blades extend up to 76 millimeters, or 3 inches. With the 10560 auto-retractable model, the user keeps the slider engaged to keep the blade exposed. Once the slider is released, the blade automatically retracts into the handle. This provides an extra level of safety in case the tool is accidentally dropped.
The manual model allows the user to fix the blade at four cutting depths: 6 millimeters, 28 millimeters, 53 millimeters, and the full 76 millimeters. The user re-engages the slider to retract the blade fully into its housing when the knife is not in use. The Slice 10559 Manual Industrial Knife makes quick work of the tough task of cutting fiberglass insulation. Slice blades are safer and longer lasting than traditional blades.
Both Slice Industrial Knives are suitable for right- or left-handed users: flip the blade over to change the hand orientation. No tool is needed to flip or change the blade. Simply push the quick-release blade-change button on the non-slider side of the tool and pull the blade out. To replace the blade, engage the button and slide the blade back in.
The tool handles are made of a highly durable but lightweight glass-filled nylon. And they feature a lanyard hole at the end of the tool for easy storage.
Three Long Safety Blades
The Slice Industrial knives are compatible with three safety industrial blades: the Slice 10538 Rounded-Tip Blade, the 10539 Pointed-Tip Blade, and the 10540 Serrated Blade. The tools ship with the 10538 rounded-tip version. If you need to initiate your cuts with a puncture, the pointed-tip blade is a good choice, and a serrated insulation knife is necessary when you need to make a sawing motion to execute your cuts.
In addition to their excellent durability and safety, Slice blades feature these properties:
- Never rust
- Non-conductive
- No messy lubricants or oils
- Non-corrosive
- Are recyclable
An Insulation Knife Is for More Than Insulation
A knife that works to cut insulation will also cut other materials. Think of this tool like a utility knife with extra cutting depth. Both models of the Slice Industrial Knife cut ceramic fiber blanket, ceiling tiles, rubber mats, and more. Watch how nicely the Manual Industrial Knife cuts foam:
Would you like to know if the Slice Industrial Knife will cut a material you work with? Please send us a request.
When you are searching for the best knife for your next insulation job what will your parameters be? At Slice, we believe the best insulation knife is the safest, most durable insulation knife.
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