What Is The Point Of A Head/round Knife?

[Windrider30]

Ok why under the Good Lord's green earth would you need such a knife? I mean really I use a stanily knife for every thing from 8 to 9 0z down to 2-3 oz leather and i have already had to have stitches because of the stanly knife..with a head knife I would be afraid to lose a finger!! or a hand! So what is the actual point and does it truely come in handy to have such a blade?

[JLSleather]

There is no point on a round knife.

Actually, I'm sure you'll have some folks liniin' up here to tell you all about so many wonderful needs for the things, but I've never owned one. I've made a LOT of stuff over the years without one.

[humperdingle]

I've managed to hold-off buying one, purely because my large handled Stanley does the job - 100 double blades, changed everytime I start a new project, seems plenty sharp right up to 5mm leather.

[RStevenson]

I think the idea is because of the blade shape, it has a lot of different uses from cutting to skiving etc. That being said, I don't use one either.

[Ferg]

I have a large one that is over 60 years old, I bought it new. I also have two others. My favorite is one made by Terry Knipschield. Small with a slightly curved handle. I use it to skive thin leathers. I also have several skivers including a powered one.

Indispensable to me.

ferg

[johnv474]

Traditionally, using a Stanley knife would not have been an option, as razor knives weren't available. For many cuts they work great. The benefit to the round/head knife is its versatility. You can cut a long straight line without a straight edge. You can cut around bends. You can use it like a roller blade to cut without stretching the leather. You can push it straight down through 4 layers of leather. You can skive edges. It takes practice to develop the skill to use it well, but is a multipurpose knife for leatherwork. Virtually anything it can do can be done with some combination of other knives, but with a head/round knife you only have one blade to maintain and don't spend time searching for the others.

[JLSleather]

Yeah, there's that "traditionally" thing. But in terms of actual USEfulness, the utility knife can be "learned" as with any other tool, to do about anything, WITH the advantage of not spending hours sharpening (just swap a new blade in and go), which is why I prefer that route. My judgment, most people who have one -- have one so they can say they have one.

There's nothing wrong with tradition -- each his own. But I'm not getting a round knife to do what I already do without one. I'm also not takin' my wares to the general store on horseback / pack mule

Oh, and much as I admire A. Stohlman's work (STILL), I don't buy tools just because they say "Al" (even if others do).

[robb01]

Rotary and xacto knife here.

[electrathon]

It is like saying what is the use of a pick-up, I have a car (or vice versa). You can survive without one, but once you learn how it is used and why you have a hard time understanding why people are opposed to learning the best way just because they have learned a functional way.

One reason I have witnessed people not liking them is because they buy a crappy soft wont properly sharpen knife. Then they are frustrated that it is a crappy soft wont hold an edge knife. A quality round knife will out cut any box cutter in so many ways. A so-so box cutter will out cut any dull soft crappy round knife.

Edited September 10, 2015 by electrathon

[Thor]

As electrathon says, there's a huge difference from the Tandy and whatever cheap round knife stuff to a proper round knife and if one used a really good round knife once he won't touch the other crap again. There will always be people trying to justify what they are doing and it may even work for what they are doing. Interestingly it's always the same kind of people. And electrathon is right one can use a Passat instead of a pick-up, but you'll notice very soon that the car will be overloaded in no time.

The round knife still serves its purpose and its use must be trained to really muster it. Some people just aren't able to use it right and say you don't need it.

Again for many uses an exacto knife or roller knife is just fine. Learning to use and master the tools of the trade sets the professional apart from the others.