Steel used to cut boxes

The title is a bit interesting and most would think that steel is designed for manufacturing processes. It is but there are lots of applications for different types of steels. There are hundreds of types of tool steel literally designed to make took and cut our different types of material. This is the biggest application of using steels, but for the average worker in a factory a different use is needed.  Many employees that work at your average factory end up cutting boxes and tape consistently each day.  It is a normal part of their lives and they are considered the backbone of the American economy. 

So what do these average factory workers need when it comes to steel in the knives they use to cut boxes and tape?  It depends on the location of the factory and the amount of cutting each individual does every day.  The average worker begins by simply going out and purchasing a cheap knife that they think will work.  

Generally, those workers are talked into purchasing a product based on looks. They will pick up a cool look blade with designs that are appealing to them and not look to what the product is made out of.  Materials are extremely important when cutting cardboard boxes because they are actually very dense and cause lots of wear on the steel of knives. 

So what does this mean in realty when working.  If you are cutting cardboardboxes and you are using an inexpensive knife, you can expect to cut anywhere from 4 to 10 boxes before your knife is essentially dull.  This can become a problem for workers who are found cutting anywhere from 20 to 100 boxes per day. So purchasing a inexpensive knife based on looks can lead to bad performance and even reflect on your daily output if you are unable to keep with the demand put on your individual task of cutting boxes.

It is important to purchase a steel that will outperform the needs you require on a daily basis.  Preferably you would like a knife that can work for weeks at a time with no maintenance so you don’t spend extra time from you day to sharpen it.  So purchasing a high quality knife can keep your job more secure and allow you to spend less time sharpening and more time working.  So choose a high quality knife with high edge retention when thinking about a factory working knife.