How to open an envelope with a knife

Knowing how abrasive and blade-dulling paper actually is, how many of you use your traditional to open your envelopes? And if you carry a multi-bladed knife, do you have dedicated mail-opening blade?
Just curious.

I have a GEC Executive Whittler with a long Wharncliffe blade that is perfect for opening letters. It sits on my desk and that is essentially all I use it for.

Generally spoken - the secondary blade as this is my working blade. This blade is mostly shorter than the mainblade, so I can work more accurate with it. And sometimes I also use to open my letters with the secondary blade of my knife. There I prefer straight edge blades like wharnies, coping and sheepfoot blades. The main blade on my knife it usually for food preperation.

But for opening that taped packages I don´t use any traditionals. I use to have a SAK near in my reach and the short blade on them is predestinated for that work.

I only have single blade knives,so it’s an easy choice.

I picked up this Utica in a "lot" of knives that I purchased on the bay. I keep it at my desk for opening letters and it works well. Being that the handles are celluloid, if it starts to "out-gas", it far away from my good knives and close to the trash can.

Most of the knives I carry have Clip main blades - that's the one I use. I also have this IKCO advertising knife/letter opener - if I'm at my desk that's the one I use. OH

Yes, I generally use the clip master blade to open letters with a push cut when carrying a stockman or jackknife. The sheepfoot on a stockman is used for opening boxes and packages (cardboard or plastic) with a draw cut. Pen or spey secondary blades are usually kept razor sharp for finer detail work, so don't get used too often.

Pen blade on my peanut or like Andi the small blade of what knife I have near.

Dave

I do use my traditionals to open mail, usually use the main blade of whatever knife I am carrying that day. Sadly opening mail is the only action my knives see many days.

In general I don't use a knife to open letters. If I do it's pretty much whatever's in my pocket that day. If I stop to think about it I'll use a pen blade if the knife has one.

I use whatever I happen to be carrying that day. If a multi-blade I'll usually use a secondary blade, though I'm not that picky.

I sure do. No better letter opener than a sharp knife. It doesn't matter how abrasive paper is, that's what a strop and stones are for. Besides, I doubt that I'll ever wear out a knife, and even if I do I have a others in reserve.

The pointiest blade on whatever I'm carrying at the time.

Clip blade on my peanut, pen blade on the jack.

OH, that one's got to be rough on pockets.

I've tried to train myself to use a knife to open letters, but I'm having a hard time overcoming a 50 year old habit of opening mail with the side of my thumb. It's not pretty, but for me that's far faster and more efficient than a knife, at least so far.

- GT

Yes, I generally use the clip master blade to open letters with a push cut when carrying a stockman or jackknife. The sheepfoot on a stockman is used for opening boxes and packages (cardboard or plastic) with a draw cut.

I have to be careful, though. On a few occasions I've managed to also cut the letter in half when opening an envelope. Depending on how it's folded in there, the blade can catch the contents as well.

Same here about cutting the letter in half. I used to have a plastic letter opener that had a little razor blade at an angle at the end of a slot. But sometimes it would end up cutting the contents as well as the envelope. So I usually just use my thumb and rip it along. The envelope normally gets tossed out anyway, no need for it to be pretty when done opening it.

I usually use the smaller blade on either my Victorinox Spartan or Executive. They're perfect for that. I have to say, though, I haven't found that opening envelopes has dulled the blades at all. I could understand that if you're slicing a lot of paper all day, that would dull a blade. I simply don't find that opening mail is enough to wear down the blade edges.

Jim

I use a Case Desk Knife. 154 CM Steel Similar in size to a Case SBJ The sheath lays flat ... no loop on back It sharpens up nicely and the 154 CM makes it useful for much more than letters and packages

Like Pistonsandgears said, opening mail for me is often the only use I have for a knife on a daily basis. At work I feel strange sometimes pulling my knife out to open the mail. I usually just use the thumb/rip method unless I am actually in my office. Then I actually get to take out, use, and enjoy my knife...

Usually the clip blade on my stockman (my most-carried favorite pattern). But a razor-thin sheepsfoot works very well for package/mail-opening as well, especially for boxes and those un-tearable, composite paper-esque 'envelopes' that parcels are sometimes delivered in; a sharp tip on the sheepsfoot unzips those in a flash.

David

Since the only folders I carry on a daily basis are single bladed Buck 484s, I use that for letters. For packages, I shift to which ever fixed blade I'm carrying at the time - Kabar 1232, 125x or 126x, BK11.

Most of the knives I carry have Clip main blades - that's the one I use. I also have this IKCO advertising knife/letter opener - if I'm at my desk that's the one I use. OH

I have a nice letter-opener knife sitting on my desk, but generally I use my pocket knife to open mail. As others have said, if I think about it, I'll use the secondary or pen blade, but if not, I'll just use whichever blade I open first.

When opening a letter or package I like to reach around up into the kitchen cabinet where I keep the old box-o-case's. By default I usually grab a case slip joint, a peanut perhaps. The case slip joint is my preferred traditional letter opening blade, I have several. I hope this helps. G-d bless America.

---cinna

I really use whatever knife is lying around. Main blade is great because that's the one I'll end up sharpening the most anyway.

Only when it's cardboard or tape do I think about using a beater knife.

Frank, wonder how many thousands of those Advertisers must have been made and given away in years past? Nice hand down from your Dad too! OH

I generally use the wharcliffe blade on my improved trapper when opening letters. My avatar knife also gets to open a lot of letters and mail of all kinds. It's a wharnie, too.

Ed J

I use whatever is riding in my pocket or is handy at the time, and since most of mine are single bladed, I don't have a preference there.

For a standard business envelope, I'll use the spey blade. Packages, the sheepsfoot.

I used to, but no one has sent me a "snail mail" letter in decades.

I used an Opinel Effile #8 so only one blade.

Whatever is on me works fine but I find that the Case Baby Doc blade or the secondary blade on my GEC Boys knife works best for this.
Any razor sharp, thin, and pointy blade should suffice though.

I use whatever knife is handy and that usually is either a modern that I keep on my desk, or my SAK. SAKs are easy to sharpen. I seldom use something like a GEC, Queen, or Canal Street blade to open mail or boxes.

A single blade Doctor's Knife, long narrow pointy blade is just the job. Never found much other use for this pattern, except cutting the odd pill and it's by no means the best knife for that task anyway...so it's become the folding desk knife