Short Version: One of these Stanley FatMax Utility Knifes impresses, one does not. One is solid and one is dangerous. One is useful, one is not. One will break, one should last.
The Stanley FatMax Retractable Utility Knife
Do not buy this utility knife. It’s cheaply constructed, has a clumsy blade changing mechanism, and will not hold up overtime. Seriously, it’s a bad utility knife and there is no way I can recommend it.
Half of the utility knife is made out of plastic. The extra blade holder has this flip-up action that feels like it will break in a matter of months. It tends to pop open moments after it supposably closed about 50% of the time showing how its cheapness.
The so-called blade cleaners on the front are just pieces of plastic glued on; my pants have served me well as a blade cleaner for years.
Strangely enough, the blade lock doesn’t seem to work. The blade moves just fine if the lock is engaged or not. The only reason it’s there seem to be so Stanley can advertise it as a safety feature.
Worst of all though, the blade is changed by sliding the button all the way forward and blindly inserting another blade until it locks into place. I have not found a consistent way for the blade to lock. Most times it takes 20-25 seconds of wiggling before the sharp razor blade finds the right place.
I can only assume that this utility knife was designed by lab geeks and marketing folk that have never actually used utility knife before. A utility knife should be something that you can depend. It shouldn’t be fancy or prone to breaking with unnecessary parts.
Take the utility knife I own made by Stanley. It’s a fix blade model with three parts in the entire knife: two pieces of metal make up the body and a plastic button that unlocks the knife allowing for blade changing. That’s it. My knife has served me well for years and I expect it to last until I eventually lose it or I die. This FatMax Utility knife might feature an soft touch grip, pop-up blade dispenser, and a blade wiper, but who cares. It’s a utility knife!
Do not buy this knife. There are plenty of better sliding-blade options available.
Stanley FatMax 9mm Snap Off Knife
This is one, huge snap off knife and I can dig it unlike it’s FatMax counterpart reviewed above. Sure, it’s made mostly out of plastic, but it’s very solid and well constructed. Even though the two knifes are about the same size, this snap off version easily weighs five times as much.
The knife works just like all snap off models have for years. Users slide up the blade and snap off dull sections when needed. There is even a holder for 6 extra blades, so chances are, owners will probably lose the tool before they ever have to buy blades.
Just like the above FatMax model, this one also has a non-functioning lock button. Maybe I’m using it wrong as it doesn’t seem to do anything. I can move the blades with the slider even if the lock is supposedly engaged and likewise, the blades cannot be forced in manually when the lock is in the unlock position.
I like this knife. It does what it’s suppose to well. The blades are tough. The knife is solid and it feels good in the hand. There isn’t anything cheap about it. If you need a large sliding blade knife, buy this one.
Side note/rant
I like classic Stanley tools and my workshop is filled with them. However, the tool manufacturer, along with other American tool brands, seem to be introducing cheap tools. The first Stanley FatMax reviewed is a prime example.
I understand that the brand is trying to drum up sales with new products that can be marketed better. That knife is flashy and has a lot of buzz words: ergonomic, soft touch, FatMax branding. Who the hell cares? Make quality products and consumers will come back. Make cheap products that break and consumers will look elsewhere next time.
I whole heartedly agree about the FM retractable knife. I managed to break it about a week after it was given to me for Christmas. The button that you supposedly press to insert a new blade broke off on the inside. So I took it apart and took the blade lock junk out, and other misc. plastic. Now it’s just a regular utility knife with a horrendous way to insert a new blade.
Just bought the Fatmax you reviewed, got frustrated trying to insert the blade, cut my finger badly and smashed the thing to pieces with a 5 pound hammer. Not a good experience for me or the knife. Stay clear of this thing it absolutely sucks.
actually id like to see it on “will it blend”
Good article! I wish I had seen it before I bought a FatMax at Wal-Mart. I took the knife by Ace Hardware because I could find no way to use it. The men at Ace could not figure out the FatMax, either. We tried everything we could think of and could not get it open to remove the product info card and load blades. It is strange that Stanley did not put instructions with the knife. I returned it to Wal-Mart for a refund. Considering your critique, I suppose I am fortunate that I never had the chance to use the FatMax. I agree that manufacturers should stick with quality basic tools and not try to jazz things up with too many things to go wrong.
I agree with the above. I took it apart and had quite a time getting it back together. Give me a ~solid~ simple knife any day! It works great, but you never want to have to change the blade. I found the same issue as above with the locking mechanism; it moves engaged or not.
The Stanley FatMax Retractable Utility Knife:
It took me over ten minutes just to remove the knife from the package. It only got worse from there. I couldn’t figure out how it worked. I went online and found this review– I STILL could not insert the blade OR put the extra blades in the handle and get it to close. This is the lamest product I can think of ever coming across. Total piece of crap. Stanley should be ashamed of themselves!
My son bought this knife and after removing the package asked if he could trade for one of my old knives because he couldn’t figure out how to use it. I played with it for a few minutes and could not figure it out. I got online to see if I could find instructions and all I found was this article. It is sad they make what should be a simple tool so stupidly and unnecessarily complicated. Why not make just a good solid knife without plastic at the pressure points? I want my old knife back.
PS – My old knife was a Kobalt. All metal, spring open, magnet to hold spare blades inside and took ten seconds to switch a blade.
Oh yes, I agree. During a remodel, my old knife disappeared in the clutter and I thought I’d buy a cool new “modernized” one. I sure hope I find my old knife. I had to unscrew it to put in a new blade, which seems like no problem at all after trying to decode the new FatMax fiasco gadget!
I thought I was just stupid, but it seems the thing really isn’t designed well. It’s cute, but who cares about that, for goodness sake?
AGREED – just got home w/ this ridiculous knife. I couldn’t figure it out and went online to get directions and found this article. I may never buy another Stanley product.