Is a Head Knife Better than a Utility Knife in Cutting 9/10 Oz. Leather?

[Gosut]

After cutting out a revolver holster pattern out of 9/10 ounce letter, was just wondering. And I put a new blade in the utility knife before I started. It took repetitive cuts and most aren't perpendicular to the grain, and looking for a better way. Especially since I hope to make two or three more holsters and some other projects out of leather of the same weight.

[alfredleatherworks]

I’ll start by saying the best cutting tool is the one that is both sharp and comfortable for you to use. 

That aside, I love, love, love my head knives. I don’t use them for everything though. I still regularly use a box cutter, exacto knife, scalpel, etc. The finer the detail I’m cutting the finer/smaller of a blade I choose. The absolutely most important thing is that whatever you choose, it has to be sharp. And not just fresh from the package sharp. I mean stropped to a fine mirror edge.

I take any box cutter blade, exacto blade, scalpel blade, injector blade (ie. for the safety beveler), etc and I strop them with white compound on both sides till they are a mirror finish and I can clearly see myself in the cutting edge. This is what gives you clean cuts that are easy to control (with practice, still) and are safer to use. I do the same with any blade in my shop, but the other knives that is more expected. Trust me when I say, if you think those blades are sharp out of the box just wait till you strop them up and see what they can really do!

[JDFred]

I really like my round knives.  I used a utility knife when I first started but never really liked it or got along with it.  So I bought the round knife and trim knife set from Tandy and never went back to a utility knife.  I’ve since upgraded my round knife with a  W. Rose round knife I bought from Bruce Johnson.  I still use both as the tips of the blade are different profiles. The Tandy knife comes to a very sharp point while the Rose is more rounded at the tips.  So in really tight corners I like the Tandy knife but on everything else I like the Rose knife as it has a much thinner blade and really glides through the leather.  Also the Rose is made of better steel and doesn’t need tuned up as often as the Tandy knife.  All that to say if you do get a round knife look at the whole knife profile and think how and where each part of the edge is used. 
 

Also I’ve noticed that Hermann Oak leather cuts a lot easier than the leather I’ve bought from Tandy, why is this I have no idea probably the same reason it tools better.  So spring for good leather it makes things a lot easier, and that’s not to say you can’t get good results with cheaper leather because you can it’s just more work.  
 

Sorry for the rambling response the moral is find a knife that you are comfortable with using and use it and KEEP IT SHARP.  If you know someone that has a knife you would like to try see if they’ll let you test drive it it’ll save you from getting a bunch of money tied up in something you don’t like.

[Gosut]

Thanks, all. May try sharpening a utility knife blade before springing for a head knife. Kicking myself for not trying my cable knife, which is like a fixed-blade sheepsfoot.

BTW, leather is a panel from Amazon. I don’t have the skill to justify Herman Oak. Maybe one day.

[chuck123wapati]

Any SHARP knife will work. A thin 1/8" or so but sturdy blade is easier, which is why head knives have them. I use a Gerber folder I have a lot, or my Buck 110, as well as a bandsaw at times or a scroll saw if my arthritis is really bad. I don't use my head knife much unless I'm skiving large pieces. A utility knife isn't robust enough for the heavier stuff imo, but I have one for thinner leathers.

1 minute ago, Gosut said:

Thanks, all. May try sharpening a utility knife blade before springing for a head knife. Kicking myself for not trying my cable knife, which is like a fixed-blade sheepsfoot.

BTW, leather is a panel from Amazon. I don’t have the skill to justify Herman Oak. Maybe one day.

yeah  that will work just fine; sharpen the heck out of it.

[JDFred]

47 minutes ago, Gosut said:

BTW, leather is a panel from Amazon. I don’t have the skill to justify Herman Oak. Maybe one day.

I told myself the same thing for a long time, when I finally made the plunge I wished I had done it sooner.  However that is just my opinion and you have to make your own call on that.

[Thadrick]

Ive been playing with leather for 6 years now and still havent tried herman oak. LOL Maybe some day?

 I had a head knife for quite a while and never really got used to it and since Im accident prone from birth i decided not to persue it. I use a various pile of knives but my go-to is always the utility blade and hold it like a pencil for detailed cuts and hold it like a cleaver when Im lobbing of larger pieces.  I keep sharpening supplies close and will some times sharpen several times during a single project. I seem to prefer 600 grit diamond steels 

[BlackDragon]

I use different knives depending on the situation. Sometimes I use my head knife for freehand work but when I need a more precise cuts I grab my utility knife for large/thick leathers and an exacto knife for thin leathers. As stated a few times SHARP is the key. 

Also some leathers are more dense than others. If a leather feels stiff I lightly wet the leather and let it sit for a few minutes so the water can get into the fibers, this makes cutting much easier.

[Gosut]

3 hours ago, chuck123wapati said:

Any SHARP knife will work. A thin 1/8" or so but sturdy blade is easier, which is why head knives have them. I use a Gerber folder I have a lot, or my Buck 110, as well as a bandsaw at times or a scroll saw if my arthritis is really bad. I don't use my head knife much unless I'm skiving large pieces. A utility knife isn't robust enough for the heavier stuff imo, but I have one for thinner leathers.

yeah  that will work just fine; sharpen the heck out of it.

It’s amazing how much less effort a sharpened cutting tool takes to use. While I use my stockman knife for various cutting tasks, prefer a fixed or lock blade where I’ll be using some force.

[chuck123wapati]

1 hour ago, Gosut said:

It’s amazing how much less effort a sharpened cutting tool takes to use. While I use my stockman knife for various cutting tasks, prefer a fixed or lock blade where I’ll be using some force.

lol yeah strop that utility knife too. You'll be surprised that even the new blades aren't sharp enough.