What do you think of when you hear Milwaukee Tool? Some things that come to my mind are quality, innovation, the large line of cordless power tools, top rated battery technology and yes, the color red. I think of all the technology they have created over the years and how other power tool manufacturers were asleep at the wheel and are now trying to play catch up to them. While I love their tools, especially the Packout, I love their innovation and love how they aren’t afraid to deviate and try new things. However, the one thing I don’t think of when I hear Milwaukee Tool is Knives. Well, not until now. So let’s jump into the Milwaukee Knife Review.
Milwaukee Knife Review Overview
Milwaukee has had a utility knife in their line up for a while. However, over the last couple of years, they have started to produce job site knives such as the Hardline Knife and the Fastback Knives, Insulation Knives and the Duct Knife. So when Milwaukee did introduce two new knives, it wasn’t a huge shocker.
For me, I am a knife fanatic. Not sure why, but I love the knives. Maybe because it’s one of the oldest tools known to man or maybe it’s the technology that goes into these cool products. Either way, you have to love knives.
Milwaukee introduced two new knives and both are uniquely different. The first knife is the Milwaukee Tradesman 4″ Fixed Blade Knife model 48-22-1926 and the other knife is part of their Hardline 5″ Fixed Blade knife 48-22-1928.
Milwaukee Knife Review Features
Milwaukee 4″ Tradesman Fixed Blade Knife – 48-22-1926
The Tradesman knife features a 4″ blade with an overall length of 9.5″ and a height of 1.5″. The knife comes in with a weight of .4 lbs.
Milwaukee designed this with a full stainless steel drop blade design. Now after doing some research, I am not sure which type of stainless steel Milwaukee opted for this blade. However, how the blade is heat treated does play a significant aspect, which again not sure how they heat treated these blades.
I am not sure what type of material is designed into the handle, but it’s a type of hard plastic which is great for durability and preventing staining.
The design of the handle is very comfortable. The curves are sleek and not only provide comfort but allow the user to have full control when using this knife. The knife features a full tang which means it’s very durable for tougher applications.
When you wrap your hand around the handle, your index finger fits nicely underneath and your thumb has two comfortable positions on top. You can either rest it on top of the handle or on top of the blade, depending upon your application.
On the back of the knife, Milwaukee designed a built-in lanyard.
The knife comes with a hard plastic sheath. The sheath features a belt clip and also has a small hole on the bottom to let out any liquids that may have come in contact with the blade.
If you are looking for an inexpensive job site knife that resists rust and stays sharp under normal wear and tear, take a look at the Milwaukee 4″ Tradesman Fixed Blade Knife 48-22-1926.
Milwaukee Hardline 5″ Fixed Blade – 48-22-1928
I know some people don’t care about the looks of a knife, but for me, it’s important. It’s the art of designing a knife and taking into account every curve, every fastener, and every little detail. Okay, call me weird. I think this is a beautiful looking knife. The black and red contrast with the simple curves in the handle. I love how the red comes to a point in the handle, opposite of the blade. The square pattern on the handle with the rings around the screws makes this an extremely cool looking knife.
The Hardline knife features a 5″ blade with an overall length of 10.3″ The knife weighs .6 lbs. and has a height of 1.7″.
The knife features a drop point design and is made of AUS 8 Steel. The Aus 8 steel is very similar to the 440 American steel. The Aus 8 steel is considered an upper grade of steel and is usually Japanese made, however, some AUS steel is made in China.
You might see AUS-8 and AUS-8a. Both have the same makeup of metals, but the heat treatment is a little different.
AUS-8 is very easy to sharpen to a sharp edge but can dull quicker than other types of blades. This type of steel does withstand rust extremely well.
One great feature of this knife is the full tang. As you can see, the solid piece of metal runs from the tip of the blade to the very end of the handle. With a full tang, the handle gets pinned to the blade. A full tang is a lot more durable than a two-piece knife, which makes this a solid knife.
The design of the handle is fantastic. The square pattern not only gives it a complete look but provides grip. The red part of the handle is a hard plastic, while the black part is a little more rubbery.
On the end of the knife, there is a lanyard hole for those who need it. The knife features a full tang but I love the design of the fasteners with the circle stamped into the fastener. Gives it a nice overall design.
The sheath is made of a hard plastic. The knife fits securely into the sheath and as you can see has a beautiful design with the same square pattern that is found on the handle, is also found on the sheath.
Now I know for some, I was talking a lot about the looks of this knife for the Milwaukee Knife Review but to me, it shows craftsmanship. While yes, it’s mass-produced, there can still be beauty to a mass production knife.
While this knife is tough and features a great and comfortable design, I think Milwaukee did an incredible job on the layout, look and feel of this knife.
Milwaukee Knife Review Value
The Milwaukee 4″ Fixed Blade Knife (48-22-1926) retails for about $20 at The Home Depot. $20 for a quality fixed blade knife is a pretty good deal. Sure I have seen fixed blades for higher and lower, but for the overall feel, quality and design of the knife, I think it’s a fair price.
The Milwaukee Hardline 5″ Fixed Blade knife is a little higher. Looking around you can find it for about $80. Again, for the quality, design and the feel of the knife, $80 isn’t a bad price. As I said before I love knives, but I am looking at this from a guy who is really into knives and not a guru knife smith. So they might think differently. I own a lot of fixed knife blades and they range from $10 and up. When I compare this to some of the other knives I own, it’s in line.
Milwaukee Knife Review Final Thoughts
Here is my thought on Milwaukee Tool making and producing knives. Keep it up and don’t stop. I would love to see Milwaukee run the tables in the knife category. I would love to see a full line of knives in their SKU line. The one knife I wish they would make, but I am sure they will not is a fillet knife. I use a fillet knife at least twice a day. I think they are the best knives ever made and would love to see a quality fillet knife come from Milwaukee.
I think Milwaukee did a great job with these two knives. They created a quality knife for a reasonable price. If you are looking for a great jobsite knife or a knife in general, check these out.
That hardline 5″ knife is a cool looking knife and one that I would like to get in my collection. You are right looks of a knife is very important and a big reason I would buy it. Nice review Eric.
Thanks for the feedback. Let me know how you like the knife if you pick one up. Always like hearing your opinion.
I am curious as to what you feel is the target market for this knife is? I don’t really have a fixed blade in my tool kit, other than a machete for cutting insulation, and tend to prefer a folding blade in my pocket for general knife needs on the job. I do have several fixed blades in my knife collection, but not kept for use on the job.
I agree most guys use folding knifes or keep them on their side. I think Milwaukee is creating these for the few that want the fixed blade option. Most of the guys I know have folding knives as you said. I do have two buddies who love fixed blade. One is a plumber and the other is a labor who deal with demo work. He uses a fixed blade all the time. He just prefers a fixed blade and says they are much strong and uses his for his job to pry things apart. He keeps it on his side and just likes how strong it is and doesn’t have to deal with opening and closing the knife. Most of the time he takes it out for quick use and that’s it.
You forgot to mention (or deliberately didn’t) that the $80 knife is somewhat of a copy of Gerber Strongarm. The strongarm is made in USA and can be bought for $60. Milwaukee produced these knives for Home Depot hoping that an average Joe who doesn’t know much about knives will buy them not knowing that better knives exist for less, like the Gerber Strongarm. I’m not saying this is a bad knife, it’s probably very decent but it’s not worth $80. Maybe $40 the most.
Thanks for the info.
I agree with you mostly on this BUT aus-8 is arguably better than 420-hc that the strongarm uses.
I think Kershaw makes them knives for Milwaukee?
That is good to know. I like Kershaw
The Milwaukee Trades knife (48-22-1926) is exactly same as Menard’s ($12 Master Force) knife. They must be made by same manufacturer.
Good to know. I like the knives but if I can get them cheaper, why not.