Quite a few readers have been asking about and mentioning the new ToughBuilt Scraper utility Knife, a 2-in-1 tool that quickly converts from utility knife to scraper knife and back.
A full review will take more time, but I can say that this definitely one of the most unique utility knives I have ever used before.
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ToughBuilt is sponsoring our exploration of their new scraper knife, and they also recently sent over a couple of other products that readers have been asking about.
My familiarity with ToughBuilt goes back quite a few years, when I purchased some of their early tool bags, pouches, and hand tools (convertible bolt cutters). They now have updated tool bags at home improvement centers and online, and a huge roadmap of new hand tools and accessories on the way.
In a phone call, ToughBuilt talked up their new scraper utility knife, describing it as a game-changer.
As a utility knife, the design is quite unconventional, but comfortable and secure.
Blade changes are relatively quick – you press the yellow button at the rear of the blade clamp to remove the dull blade, and then press it again as you insert a fresh blade.
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While the knife does require special ToughBuilt blades, which have a trapezoidal hole at their center, you can use those same blades in most other brands’ utility knives.
To be frank, I don’t like scrapers. I’ve tried a couple over the years, and they were all terrible. So, I usually improvise with a standard utility knife or plastic scraper blades (or expired gift and credit cards on occasion).
I have used scraper knives in lieu of utility knives before as well, often with compromised ergonomics or results.
But this one from ToughBuilt? It has a place in my tool box.
In an advertisement, ToughBuilt describes this knife as The Do it All Tool.
The world’s first Utility Scraper Knife has arrived. One Blade To Rule Them All. Built Strong. Built To Last. Built Tough. Get ToughBuilt.
Personally, I see this ToughBuilt knife as a scraper first that can also be effectively used as a utility knife.
It also has a paint can lid lifter built into the end of the handle.
Will this replace your standard utility knife? For most users, probably not. It’s not as compact as a folding utility knife, and unlike most fixed-handle utility knives, this one doesn’t have different blade extension settings for controllable cutting depth. Plus, it only works with ToughBuilt blades, although these blades are also compatible with most other standard utility knives.
This is a great scraper knife in my opinion so far (troublesome sticky labels no longer laugh at my frustrations!), with the utility knife as a great “have if you need it” function.
I need to disassemble and clean two of my utility knives, because I have been using them for wet and dirty outdoors projects, and there’s crud crammed into all of the holes and recesses. I wouldn’t even think about using this scraper knife, with its moving parts, in a similar manner.
Who should buy this?
There are users for whom this could be their one-and-done utility knife, but I am certain that it’s not for everyone. For more demanding users, and for ToolGuyd readers, I would reiterate my view of the knife as a scraper first, with a comfortable utility knife mode that’s an effective but secondary function.
One thing that I’m really pleased to see about this knife is that ToughBuilt doesn’t seem to have taken any shortcuts. There a few places where they probably could have shaved costs down a bit, but I think they were adamant about designing and building a tool that they’d want to use themselves.
Price: $17.98
I have been spending a lot of time testing and trying to understand this knife. What kinds of questions do you have?
MM
Seems like an interesting tool, but I have never had the need for an all-in-one scraper and utlity knife combo. I do use scrapers but this one wouldn’t really suit my needs. It’s too short to be an effective carbon or gasket scraper for automotive work, and I’m really not a fan of those sharp points at the corners of the blade, that’s just asking to dig in and mar softer surfaces. That said I’m sure there is some trade or application this would be great for. Glazier work maybe?
This does remind me of another new (to me, anyway) utility knife design that I had never seen before: A snap-off style knife which also had storage for spare blades inside the handle. Olfa Pro-Load PL-1.
MichaelHammer
I agree with you about those sharp corners. They are a pitfall. Everything seems to be going along swimmingly when suddenly one of those corners catch and cause catastrophic damage. You’re exactly right about softer surfaces which includes glass. Glass is deceptively soft and easily scratches. Beware this style scraper.
Peter Fox
That looks huge!
I am not sure how this is any real improvement over having both a basic slide out utility knife and single edge razor scraper. it looks bigger and is probably heavier than two seperate tools.
Although I am definitely not the intended market for such a tool it looks like a case of hey why don’t we tape these two tools together.
I love my Toughbuilt tool pouches but the rest of their product offerings don’t really seem like anything particularly innovative.
Speedlines Dusty
It is a little large and unwieldy in the hand, but you do get used to it.
Speedlines Dusty
I just picked up this product about a week ago at my local Lowes. I had been checking on the website as soon as the commercial came out, and was surprised at how long it took for my local brick and mortar to get it.
My first impressions were that it was larger than I as expecting – maybe that’s a compliment to the “models” in the commercial. Along with the size, this knife does seem a little bulky, though not heavy enough to make much of a difference in real use. The one design feature that I needed to get used to most was the length of the stroke of the slider tab to activate the scraping position of the blade.
I’m attracted to this product because my main toolbox is comprised of Craftsman Tradestack + Versastack/Tstak combo mostly for trackside support at local race tracks and track days. I figured if I could replace two tools with one, I’d be saving valuable space in my mobile setup.
I am slightly disappointed with the absence of any on-board blade storage. Most of my utility knives have blade storage and I’ve used it in almost every application/job that requires my utility knife. I suppose blade-style scrapers lack this feature as well and wile I really don’t know how they would incorporate this, it would have been a largely valued feature from my end.
Overall, it’s a fun “gadget” to have around. I’m not sure how it will hold up in my of my uses (scraping glass/windows of decals and other automotive-related tasks), but the build and quality seems pretty strong. It will also be interesting to see if the rubber-like grip coating endures the life of the product.
Stacey Jones
Interesting. I don’t use scrapers much, so no real need to carry one most of the time. I’d just treat this as a dedicated scraper that might go in the tool chest, but not the tool bag or pocket. Too pricey at that though, $4.99 and I might grab it…
Jared
I like the look of the tool generally, but using special-built blades is kind of a bummer. I’ve got lots and lots of spare blades in my shop – I think the fact that I couldn’t use them would prevent me from trying this tool.
I like Toughbuilt products generally though. They’ve been quite good in my experience. I don’t doubt that this is a nice enough tool, perhaps just not for me.
JoeM
I look at it and think “Label Remover!” more than utility knife. I have plenty of other knives for utility, this one has been teased by Toughbuilt and social media ads for… well months now… Possibly a full year, this pandemic has made time extremely hard to track! I genuinely don’t know if I first saw this design back in January 2021 or January 2020!
I do remember posting an ad for it to Stuart on DMs on Instagram… I think the best I could articulate was “Huh? What’s this thing?”
Now… Elephant in the room (Not me, I’m working to drop the weight, I promise.) I know I’ve been very vocal about my ToughBuilt excitement in the past… For their C700 Saw Horses and the huge hexagon-shaped Totes and Tool Bags… To a lesser degree the pretty-brilliant knee pad designs they have… I don’t do a lot of work bent down, or on my knees, but I can acknowledge the company has some genuinely great ideas there. I’m not saying I want one of these knives, I’m simply glad that Stuart has one to test out and let me know the final verdict on it… I do have products I need to remove labels for… having a dedicated tool for it along these lines would make a lot of things easier.
Do I have any questions? Pretty much just one… Does the ToughBuilt rep you talked to think there’s any future for different blades for this scraper? Plastic of various hardness, carbon fibre? Flexible blades for getting edges clean? That kind of thing? That’s it for me. If it’s a Lowes exclusive… It might be, if it has a future, the only reason I would put money down on a Lowes counter at any point in time.
How’s that sound, Stuart?
JoeM
And… For reference? Those of you saying “The handle is HUGE!” …That’s the selling point for me… I have big hands, there’s grip all over the place, it’s a straight-line tool, allowing for maximum control over the scraping surface… I genuinely see it more as a Scraper than a knife. It’s the retractable nature of the scraper that grabs my attention. Most scraping tools you have to put entirely away in order to use it. Having it retractable means, when you’re busy removing labels for any amount of time, and you gotta put it down for any reason… Just flip the blade in, keep it closed, put it in the pocket of your choice (meaning pants or toolbag, whatever.) Then go do what you gotta do.
I see it as more scraper than utility knife. Maybe it’s the company that makes me biased for this? I dunno.
Brandon B.
If they could’ve pulled this off with standard blades, I’d probably take a swing at putting this into my regular rotation. However, I’ve really come to prefer snap blades to regular utility knife blades. Put enough extension on one and you can flex it enough to use as a scraper in a pinch. Or, pull the blade out and wield it with vise grips (again, emergency use). Unless you need to scrape something that you can’t put the slightest scratch into, I find sharpened putty knives beat razor blades for this job almost every time.
Koko The Talking Ape
I agree. Snap knives are the shizzle. You can also hone the blades, should you be so inclined.
nic
decent knife, awesome fidget tool
Oumuamua
I want Gillette to make their Gillette Widgets again.
Stuart
They’re not widely available, but you can still find small scrapers like that, such as the Stanley 28-100.
Philip Proctor
Special blades is a deal breaker for me.
fred
I agree – hard to buy into a special blade from a manufacturer who has just started its foray into tools that are sort of outside their comfort zone of things for which they are best known. Then, couple that with what seems like a limited distribution channel (mostly Lowes right now) – and I can see one getting stuck in the future with a handle that has no source for replacement blades. Lowes is also not incredibly well known for the longevity of its offerings. So if this doesn’t meet sales expectations the blades may become as scarce as hen’s teeth.
Koko The Talking Ape
I agree. I don’t want to stock another set of very similar blades.
But I actually see why regular utility blades wouldn’t work. The notches will let a handle hold them in place laterally, so they won’t get pulled out of a regular utility knife. But they won’t hold a blade against being pulled from back edge toward the cutting edge, especially if the entire edge is free, as it is in this knife when used a scraper.
Actually, is it the first scraper that uses utility knife blades? The other ones I’ve seen use single-edge razor blades. Utility blades are thicker and stronger, so there would be some advantage to using them instead, for some applications.
fred
Hyde and Stanley both make ones:
https://www.amazon.com/Hyde-Tools-13080-Utility-Scraper/dp/B000KKOPK6/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=B000KKOPK6&qid=1631844095&s=hi&sr=1-1
https://www.amazon.com/Stanley-0-28-590-Window-Scraper-Yellow/dp/B0001IWDBK/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=B0001IWDBK&qid=1631844164&s=hi&sr=1-1
There may be others too.
fred
It looks like the Hyde that I linked to above – also requires a special blade – with a square hole in the center:
https://www.amazon.com/Hyde-Tools-42100-5-Piece-Utility/dp/B000KKSTM6/ref=sr_1_34?dchild=1&keywords=hyde+utility+blade+scraper&qid=1631844573&sr=8-34
I also see an Amazon Basics utility blade scraper:
https://www.amazon.com/Amazon-Basics-Handle-Utility-Scraper/dp/B08D9QSQSB/ref=sr_1_9?dchild=1&keywords=utility+blade+scraper&qid=1631844479&sr=8-9
OldDominionDIYer
Interesting but not for me. Seems really big, and despite the potential for multiple uses it just seems not worth it. Then you have to buy their blades? Never mind I’ll stick with what I have even if it is two separate tools. Not saying this wouldn’t be good for certain trades that need it all the time but not for me. How big is that thing?
alex
Could be pretty useful when painting and don’t want too many tools on you. Probably why they put a can opener on it.
Blocky
Can you post a pic of the unique blade?
What is your impression of its sharpness/toughness/durability?
Albert
https://www.lowes.com/pd/tough-but-expensive/5001606045
MattW.
Have it and lasted one week before the slide gummed up with saw dust on the jobsite. Makes a great fidget toy but the olfa scraper stays in the tool bag for now.
It did make its way to the paint tool bag and the can opener works great on crusted over gallons on paint. As many have said handle is huge and you can even swap the plastic grips if you want.
In the end it’s a neat idea but more of tool fidget spinner than something that will hold up to any dusty construction site.
PW
I bought a scraper just this past week, and would have been interested in something that could do double-duty.
The price + proprietary blades is a bummer though. If it were cheaper or used standard blades I’d be a sale. I really like the idea.
MattT
“Plus, it only works with ToughBuilt blades…”
I’m out.
Tiberious
Tough Built seems like nothing more than LOWES yearly gimmick tool. A few years ago it was the blue utility blade scissor / knife blade tool thing. It seems like a great idea too but the blades fall out too easy and it was just not a tool I grabbed over similar tools.
They had ADs and pushed that hard with promotion. NOT GOING TO FALL FOR THAT STICK AGAIN LOWES! Isn’t Tough Built one of Lowes brands? There bags are fine. But this feels like a Lowes here today gone tomorrow tool. In my Area Lowes is getting its but kick by Menards. Nothing against Lowes. But there store never seems staff. It’s hard to get help and most of the store feels like cheap O Craftsman everywhere and these no Names Like Tough Built. Are they American Made? If not Might as well go to Harbor Freight. I wish Lowes would put more quality and name brands in their store instead of making there own fake pro tool brands and calling them PRO. They use to be a great store.
Stuart
Toughbuilt is NOT a Lowe’s brand.
Ah, you’re referring to the Kobalt Triple Cut – https://toolguyd.com/kobalt-triple-cut-review/ . That was not a good tool.
Dave P
Special blades- PASS.
All “retractable” scrapers I’ve ever found are JUNK- push even a bit hard on them and the blade retracts…
30+ years ago I welded up/modified a small vice grip to clip onto a Stanley blade (made the jaws wide enough that the blade stays true/doesn’t pivot sideways) and it’s still better than anything I’ve ever seen. (Look at a sheet metal vice grip and you’ll get the basic idea). Yes, you need to remove the blade before you throw it back into the drawer but it won’t hurt you when it accidentally retracts when you’re using it.
Maybe someone makes a FIXED handle (not retractable) that holds a Stanley blade firmly, but I haven’t seen it.
Jerry
The blades do have a special cutout in them so they won’t slip but they work justfine in my standard utility knives.
The way this one works it will NOT retract under pressure. It locks very securely and has to extend outward a bit to unlock so it can swivel 1/4 turn and retract.
As to a fixed blade scraper, I got one years ago at a home improvement store that locks a standard utility blade in a groove with 2 screws. Very solid and secure, but this one seems to be 90% as secure and with a quick and tool free blade change
Dave the tool
Nothing worse than ruining a item by scratching or marring it! Over the years I have collected different types of scrapers to use for different projects and I still screw up occasionally! I don’t like the fact this tool uses proprietary blades when razor blades are a disposable item and don’t last that long to begin with! I have traditional razor blade scrapers, heavy duty wide razor scrapers, assortment of gasket scrapers, plastic scrapers and (2) different types of actual plastic razor blades that fit into traditional scrapers. No such thing as an all in one scraper IMO. Could be a niche market for this but not for me.
Matt R
Intriguing to say the least, and don’t get me wrong, I’m all for a gimmicky tool. However, the non standard razor blades might be a deal breaker for me. It’s kind of an unofficial official rule I have, no proprietary consumables unless there’s literally no comparison. Like I really wanted to hop on the Bosch X-Lock train, I think it’s a really cool idea, but not being able to use 3M Cubitron discs was a deal breaker for me.
At the moment I can’t think of anything that I use that has proprietary consumables, but I’d love to hear if anybody else has anything that I’m not thinking of at the moment.
Jerry
I got one and really like it. I use scrapers a lot in the shop and field, and having a scraper with a blade that retracts is something I have wanted for a long time. The fact that it has a very easily replaceable blade is nice as well. Yes it uses special blades but the blades fit a standard utility knife so I see no reason to buy a pack of blades out of fear you won’t be able to use the blades. If the blades no longer are available it renders the tool useless but I made sure to get a couple years supply already. Often I need to scrape grease/gunk off a tractor or implement and a disposable blade scraper is great for this. The blade retracts for safety and is super fast and easy to change compared to another utility blade scraper I have. If Toughbuilt is reading this, I’d buy another version that had blade storage in place of the pry bar. IMO it is a sleep but sturdy knife, and a very good scraper. I use it for scraping grease and gaskets so the mechanism can be cleaned with a snot of penetrating oil if it gums up. Also, if Toughbuilt were to make blades with rounded corners, I’d get a batch of them too. Would make it less of a worry that a corner would gouge when scraping.
All in all I give it a C- as a knife and a solid A as a scraper, for what I have used it for so far.
Shane
Yeah, the special blade negates any other features to me.
ONR
Looks interesting. I like unique tools. Thanks!
Helen
I have bought one of theseToughbuilt scraper utility knifes and found though a little heavy.it’s easy to use and durable.The only problem i’ve had is changing the blades.The yellow button on top of the knife doesn’t press down to release the blade.Even watched the video clip several times,but still can’t push button down to release.
Rich H
On mine you push the button to the right…
Eva
I purchased this knife, on the recommendation of some random construction worker in Home Depot. Honestly, it has become one of the best additions to my field kit.
The ability to alter the blades position from scraper to utility knife makes for fast paint chip, or bulk sampling. The blades are sharp enough to cleanly cut through plolyflow tubing. This blade is useful for anyone involved in the Lead, Asbestos or Enviromental industries. Once you figure out how to change the blade blade changes are quick and easy.