Olfa 9mm [Tp4 Reviews]

[tp4tissue]

Many o' ya'll probably have hand-me-down Olfa knives from your parent's era..

They are among the oldest weeaboo brand of utility knives. Made in Weeabooland of high quality plastic and stamped steel.

These knives are very durable and will serve for decades to come.

In the photo we are looking at:


A300 , mid 90s model

SVR-2 , modern

A-1 , modern

PA-2 , modern




A300

-- This is the old standard. it has a plastic housing unlike the newer SVR-2.

-- However unlike the newer Olfa knives, this one does not have auto lock, which means the blade can slide back into the knife as you're cutting.

-- There are NEW models made without autolock, so it's not a standard feature across all new knives.

-- The plastic housing provides grip that is superior to the all metal exterior of the SVR-2, but it is bulkier

-- The color is also of a brighter sunnier yellow vs the newer Darker-yellow.


SVR-2  

-- This is the defacto standard Olfa of today, new autolock, blade will not slide back into knife as you're cutting.

-- The metal only housing provides a thin profile for pocket-ability and closeness to cut material

-- This is the knife you'd use if ever there was a tight space or little clearance for the body of the knife

-- Very svelte

-- However, it loses out on grip, because the all metal is so smooth.


A-1

-- This is the replacement for the general purpose A-300. 

-- These newer models have auto lock, will not slide back.

-- The rear features a removable edge breaker, for when you need to snap off a piece of the blade for a sharp point. This is especially handy, because you won't have to look for a pair of pliers

-- The plastic housing provides great grip.

-- The body is wider in the back which makes the overall cutting experience more ergonomic



PA-2

-- This is the most fancy iteration of the Olfa 9mm cutters, which has a multiblade housing. This can carry up to 5 blades for quick refresh should you use up the previous blade.  -similar to mechanical pencils..

-- Even though the mechanism is cool.  The spring loader is somewhat flimsy in construction, which calls into question the durability of this multiblade function.

-- The housing is also slightly tapered to be ergonomic, although it looks like it's flat all across, it is not.

-- Overall the auto load mechanism works well. and I'm hoping the Weeaboo factor will keep it from breaking down.



The Black Blades

These are the Ultra sharp line of blades that Olfa produces. They are 25% sharper than the standard silver blades.  They come standard with the more expensive models, but not with the cheaper ones. 


The standard silver blades are still very sharp, but because they're duller than the ultra sharp, their edge is technically more durable..

Both silver and black blades are interchangeable between all 9mm knife handles.


Amazon has 50 pack for $13..   they're all also weeabooland made..   

-- Keep in mind that's alot of money for steel blades, because China versions are much cheaper and just as sharp, at least initially.   

-- As no Olfa blade will outlast 2 of the China equivalents, the durability of weeabooland may be m00t.



Lubrication:

Everyone on Geekhack loves Lube..

Be very careful when lubricating the slide mechanism in utility knives..

If you overlube, it can pour over to the handle..

You definitely Do Not want to slip your hands on one of these knives.. They can cut your finger clean off at the joint. --Especially using Olfa's ultra sharp black blades.

You've been warned..


Usage:

When using 9mm blades, remember they are not equivalent to box cutters or their larger 18mm cousins.

9mm blades can snap with too much force..

They are super sharp for a reason, so you do not have to apply any sawing action to the blade.

If it won't cut, it's not going-to-cut with more force..  STOP and re-evaluate your cutting strategy, Use a Different Tool.

[SpAmRaY]

So you just use these to open boxes?

[tp4tissue]

So you just use these to open boxes?

and other secret stuff too.. ..

[iLLucionist]

Man, these knives really are the cutting edge

[digi]

YES! New guide!! I was looking for someone to review box cutters! Thanks TP! <3

[need]

Black blades are actually more long-lasting than silver blades, to me at least. I use them with kokuyo cutter, as I prefer their ergonomic handle to Olfa's boxy shapes. Its rubber coating also makes it impossible to slip.

[dgneo]

https://www.amazon.com/Stanley-10-099-Classic-Retractable-Utility/dp/B00002X204/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1492546015&sr=8-3&keywords=box+cutter

tried and true

[tp4tissue]

Black blades are actually more long-lasting than silver blades, to me at least. I use them with kokuyo cutter, as I prefer their ergonomic handle to Olfa's boxy shapes. Its rubber coating also makes it impossible to slip.

I want to try NT-Cutter, but I have so many of these things already, I've not been able to justify buying more knives..


As for Rubber grip..  they're not unslippable..  especially working in environments where there might be some oil or liquids..   Still gotta be very careful around these things..

[iLLucionist]

Black blades are actually more long-lasting than silver blades, to me at least. I use them with kokuyo cutter, as I prefer their ergonomic handle to Olfa's boxy shapes. Its rubber coating also makes it impossible to slip.

I want to try NT-Cutter, but I have so many of these things already, I've not been able to justify buying more knives..


As for Rubber grip..  they're not unslippable..  especially working in environments where there might be some oil or liquids..   Still gotta be very careful around these things..

Do they get blunt? For cooking you have carbon reinforced knives... do you have that for box cutters as well?

[need]

Black blades are actually more long-lasting than silver blades, to me at least. I use them with kokuyo cutter, as I prefer their ergonomic handle to Olfa's boxy shapes. Its rubber coating also makes it impossible to slip.

I want to try NT-Cutter, but I have so many of these things already, I've not been able to justify buying more knives..


As for Rubber grip..  they're not unslippable..  especially working in environments where there might be some oil or liquids..   Still gotta be very careful around these things..

Do they get blunt? For cooking you have carbon reinforced knives... do you have that for box cutters as well?

The black blades are described as "carbon tool steel", they don't really get blunt but they do snap.

[tp4tissue]

The black blades are described as "carbon tool steel", they don't really get blunt but they do snap.

My guess with the black blades is that they are made from steel with higher carbon content.

Higher carbon content hardens steel, but makes it brittle.

The harder steel however can be formed into a sharper edge, whereas the softer steel can not.


BUT the harder steel will not hold their edge as well, because that edge is more brittle.



For example, on the extreme side, we have GLASS. if made into a blade, it could be much much sharper than any steel blade..  but it'd break upon cut attempt.



CUTTING is more than sharpness, it's a balancing act of many material properties.

[iLLucionist]

The black blades are described as "carbon tool steel", they don't really get blunt but they do snap.

My guess with the black blades is that they are made from steel with higher carbon content.

Higher carbon content hardens steel, but makes it brittle.

The harder steel however can be formed into a sharper edge, whereas the softer steel can not.


BUT the harder steel will not hold their edge as well, because that edge is more brittle.



For example, on the extreme side, we have GLASS. if made into a blade, it could be much much sharper than any steel blade..  but it'd break upon cut attempt.



CUTTING is more than sharpness, it's a balancing act of many material properties.

Perhaps for the intent of knives of the topic here.

But for cooking: sharper is always better. Especially when cutting difficult objects, like yam and (red) cabbage. If your knife isn't sharp, it will break out unpredictably and you will cut yourself.

[tp4tissue]

Perhaps for the intent of knives of the topic here.

But for cooking: sharper is always better. Especially when cutting difficult objects, like yam and (red) cabbage. If your knife isn't sharp, it will break out unpredictably and you will cut yourself.

Hahaha..

I just wanted to be clear with the wording, because sharpness alone is not the only attribute of a good cutting tool.

It's a balance between strength and hardness.

[iLLucionist]

Perhaps for the intent of knives of the topic here.

But for cooking: sharper is always better. Especially when cutting difficult objects, like yam and (red) cabbage. If your knife isn't sharp, it will break out unpredictably and you will cut yourself.

Hahaha..

I just wanted to be clear with the wording, because sharpness alone is not the only attribute of a good cutting tool.

It's a balance between strength and hardness.

Yeah, that's exacltly right. Because French kitchen knives have good strength but very low hardness. So you may even have to turn your knife even in between cutting vegetables. But up to that point, it's really sharp.

Now at the other extreme you have these Japanese kitchen knives that are even harder than a typical man's sausage. But you almost can't turn them or sharpen them because they are too hard.

Then you have the optimum: German knives, like Zwilling-Henkels and Wusthof, which have the perfect balance between strength and hardness.

[tp4tissue]

Perhaps for the intent of knives of the topic here.

But for cooking: sharper is always better. Especially when cutting difficult objects, like yam and (red) cabbage. If your knife isn't sharp, it will break out unpredictably and you will cut yourself.

Hahaha..

I just wanted to be clear with the wording, because sharpness alone is not the only attribute of a good cutting tool.

It's a balance between strength and hardness.

Yeah, that's exacltly right. Because French kitchen knives have good strength but very low hardness. So you may even have to turn your knife even in between cutting vegetables. But up to that point, it's really sharp.

Now at the other extreme you have these Japanese kitchen knives that are even harder than a typical man's sausage. But you almost can't turn them or sharpen them because they are too hard.

Then you have the optimum: German knives, like Zwilling-Henkels and Wusthof, which have the perfect balance between strength and hardness.

From my experience with machining, I've been taught  that there is neither an ideal cutting tool.. nor an ideal _balance_   every job may be different.

On the lathe for example..  people see a lathe chuck and they think oh well, that must clamp stocks of all diameters..  But in reality,  there's a specific jaw for Every diameter that the shop may be machining..

we don't often see that part of the job.


Just as there may be a knife for chicken, and a knife for fish.

[fanpeople]

Perhaps for the intent of knives of the topic here.

But for cooking: sharper is always better. Especially when cutting difficult objects, like yam and (red) cabbage. If your knife isn't sharp, it will break out unpredictably and you will cut yourself.

Hahaha..

I just wanted to be clear with the wording, because sharpness alone is not the only attribute of a good cutting tool.

It's a balance between strength and hardness.

Yeah, that's exacltly right. Because French kitchen knives have good strength but very low hardness. So you may even have to turn your knife even in between cutting vegetables. But up to that point, it's really sharp.

Now at the other extreme you have these Japanese kitchen knives that are even harder than a typical man's sausage. But you almost can't turn them or sharpen them because they are too hard.

Then you have the optimum: German knives, like Zwilling-Henkels and Wusthof, which have the perfect balance between strength and hardness.

From my experience with machining, I've been taught  that there is neither an ideal cutting tool.. nor an ideal _balance_   every job may be different.

On the lathe for example..  people see a lathe chuck and they think oh well, that must clamp stocks of all diameters..  But in reality,  there's a specific jaw for Every diameter that the shop may be machining..

we don't often see that part of the job.


Just as there may be a knife for chicken, and a knife for fish.

Sooo..... asking for a friend.... what would be a good knife for human?

[iLLucionist]

Perhaps for the intent of knives of the topic here.

But for cooking: sharper is always better. Especially when cutting difficult objects, like yam and (red) cabbage. If your knife isn't sharp, it will break out unpredictably and you will cut yourself.

Hahaha..

I just wanted to be clear with the wording, because sharpness alone is not the only attribute of a good cutting tool.

It's a balance between strength and hardness.

Yeah, that's exacltly right. Because French kitchen knives have good strength but very low hardness. So you may even have to turn your knife even in between cutting vegetables. But up to that point, it's really sharp.

Now at the other extreme you have these Japanese kitchen knives that are even harder than a typical man's sausage. But you almost can't turn them or sharpen them because they are too hard.

Then you have the optimum: German knives, like Zwilling-Henkels and Wusthof, which have the perfect balance between strength and hardness.

From my experience with machining, I've been taught  that there is neither an ideal cutting tool.. nor an ideal _balance_   every job may be different.

On the lathe for example..  people see a lathe chuck and they think oh well, that must clamp stocks of all diameters..  But in reality,  there's a specific jaw for Every diameter that the shop may be machining..

we don't often see that part of the job.


Just as there may be a knife for chicken, and a knife for fish.

That's true. I also have several knives for different jobs. Cutting of meet requires a differently sharpened knife than for cutting vegetables, for instance.

But farther then "vegetable knives"and "meat knives" and "butcher knives" (you know.. for cutting parts off of a cow or filleting fish) I never went.

[iLLucionist]

Perhaps for the intent of knives of the topic here.

But for cooking: sharper is always better. Especially when cutting difficult objects, like yam and (red) cabbage. If your knife isn't sharp, it will break out unpredictably and you will cut yourself.

Hahaha..

I just wanted to be clear with the wording, because sharpness alone is not the only attribute of a good cutting tool.

It's a balance between strength and hardness.

Yeah, that's exacltly right. Because French kitchen knives have good strength but very low hardness. So you may even have to turn your knife even in between cutting vegetables. But up to that point, it's really sharp.

Now at the other extreme you have these Japanese kitchen knives that are even harder than a typical man's sausage. But you almost can't turn them or sharpen them because they are too hard.

Then you have the optimum: German knives, like Zwilling-Henkels and Wusthof, which have the perfect balance between strength and hardness.

From my experience with machining, I've been taught  that there is neither an ideal cutting tool.. nor an ideal _balance_   every job may be different.

On the lathe for example..  people see a lathe chuck and they think oh well, that must clamp stocks of all diameters..  But in reality,  there's a specific jaw for Every diameter that the shop may be machining..

we don't often see that part of the job.


Just as there may be a knife for chicken, and a knife for fish.

Sooo..... asking for a friend.... what would be a good knife for human?

Everything, even chopsticks. As long as you apply enough force it will perforate through. I would worry more about the LOCATION you start to cut as opposed to which cutting device. Humans are weak.

[buryberry]

i prefer NT😏 i guess it's hard to say which is better. just a personal preference (abstract reasoning). the a-300 is my favorite. for standard size (18mm?) i do have an olfa L2 which was a hand me down from my mum. i will probably replace this with NT as well though

[Coreda]

i prefer NT😏

I use an NT with the black Olfa 18mm blades and the more acute edge. They slice wonderfully, likely helped by the thinner grind, though realistically I bought them for the look and increased corrosion resistance.

[buryberry]

i prefer NT😏

I use an NT with the black Olfa 18mm blades and the more acute edge. They slice wonderfully, likely helped by the thinner grind, though realistically I bought them for the look and increased corrosion resistance.

this sounds like a great idea. maybe i will get some black 9mm blades

[tp4tissue]

i prefer NT😏

I use an NT with the black Olfa 18mm blades and the more acute edge. They slice wonderfully, likely helped by the thinner grind, though realistically I bought them for the look and increased corrosion resistance.

The black blades corrode pretty fast if wetted.

The blade for no_corrodz is the stainless blades.  They're the most xpensive too.

Tp doesn't use the stainless though, cuz it's pretty rare to cut around fluids.

[roaduck]

I`ve gone back to safety razors and cut throat straight razors.Too much waste and expense on cartridge razors.
I learnt to sharpen knives in the seventies even on a rock outside.
Just get a good knife and learn to sharpen properly.
Now I have diamond sharpening plates I can make powdered metallurgy supersteel kitchen knife ten times sharper than a scalpel that will cut kitchen towels with a push cut, slice a single hanging hair and cut a single cigarette paper into many slices.Even when it`s not optimally sharp - you can shave with it.
Plus it stays quite sharp for months and is tough - can hack fresh coconuts etc with no edge damage.That is just RWL-34 steel nowadays there are much better ones than that and no replacement blades to buy - ever.

[roaduck]

I`ve gone back to safety razors and cut throat straight razors.Too much waste and expense on cartridge razors.
I learnt to sharpen knives in the seventies even on a rock outside.
Just get a good knife and learn to sharpen properly.
Modern PM steels like HAP40 , Magnacut and LC200 annihilate all carbon steels for performance and edge holding and never rust.Not that expensive in the long run either.
I have expensive blue#2 aogami carbon steel Japanese kitchen knives and modern steels eat them for breakfast.
Now I have diamond sharpening plates I can make powdered metallurgy supersteel kitchen knife ten times sharper than a scalpel that will cut kitchen towels with a push cut, slice a single hanging hair and cut a single cigarette paper into many slices.Even when it`s not optimally sharp - you can shave with it.
Plus it stays quite sharp for months and is tough - can hack fresh coconuts etc with no edge damage.That is just RWL-34 steel nowadays there are much better ones than that and no replacement blades to buy - ever.

[fohat.digs]

even on a rock outside.

Most coffee mugs have an exposed ceramic ring on the bottom, and that makes an excellent sharpener.