This section provides an overview for electrician's knifes as well as their applications and principles. Also, please take a look at the list of 15 electrician's knife manufacturers and their company rankings. Here are the top-ranked electrician's knife companies as of November, 2024: 1.Gardner Bender, 2.Fujiya Co.,Ltd., 3.HOZAN TOOL INDUSTRIAL CO., LTD..
Table of Contents
An electrician's knife is a knife used primarily for processing cables for electrical work.
Some people use it for outdoor and DIY activities. Cable processing for electrical work can be done with a cutter knife or wire stripper.
However, it is difficult to process thick cables, etc., so electrician's knives are indispensable in the field of electrical work.
Figure 1. VVF cable
The main use of electrician's knives is for cutting and sheathing cables in electrical work. In electrical work, cables such as VVF (vinyl insulated vinyl sheathed cable, flat type) and CV (cross-linked polyethylene insulated vinyl sheathed cable) are often used.
In order to connect these cables to terminals, it is necessary to remove the insulation sheath (vinyl insulation or cross-linked polyethylene insulation) and outer sheath (vinyl sheath) to expose the inner conductor (copper wire). For this sheathing operation, electrician's knives can process cables of any shape or thickness.
Figure 2. Deep cable wound
Compared to a cutter knife, the electrician's knife has a thicker blade and a moderately dull cutting edge. If the blade is too sharp when peeling the cable sheath, the blade may go deep into areas that should not be damaged.
Deep scratches on the insulation sheath are dangerous because they may lead to electric shock or fire. In addition, if the conductor is deeply scratched, it is more likely to break, which may cause poor contact or wire breakage.
Electrician's knives have a moderately dull cutting edge, making it easy to adjust the blade's entry. Also, because the blade is thick, there is no risk of it breaking like a cutter knife even when force is applied.
There are several types of electrician's knives in terms of shape and material. There are also products with convenient additional functions.
Figure 3. Fixed blade and foldable type
There are two types of electrician's knives: fixed-blade and folding.
Fixed Blade Type
The fixed blade type stores the blade in a sheath. After removing it from the sheath, you can put it to work right away. If you use an electrician's knife frequently, the fixed blade type is more suitable.
In addition, the blade and grip are completely fixed in the fixed blade type, so the blade does not wobble when working. Since there are no moving parts, there is little risk of breakage.
Folding Type
In the folding type, the blade is folded into the grip section for storage. It is compact and portable. Folding type also has replaceable blades, which are more economical.
There are two types of electrician's knife blades: stainless steel and steel.
Stainless Steel Blade
Stainless steel blades are hard, durable, and rust-resistant. If you use it infrequently, a stainless steel blade is suitable for you because it requires no maintenance.
Stainless steel blades are difficult to sharpen, so you will need to replace or repurchase blades when they lose their sharpness.
Steel Blade
Unlike stainless steel, steel blades, which are made of iron mixed with carbon, rust easily. However, because they are easy to sharpen, they are easy to maintain and can be used for a long time if well cared for. They also have a customizability that allows you to make the blade as sharp as you like.
There are three types of grips for electrician's knives: rubber, plastic, and wood.
Rubber
Rubber grips are safer because they are non-slip. These grips are easy for anyone to use.
Plastic
Plastic grips are resistant to impact. They are also lightweight, so your arms will not get tired easily.
Wooden
Wooden grips absorb oil and moisture and become more comfortable in the hand as they are used.
Electrician's knives are simple in construction, but some products have useful additional functions. For example, some knives have holes for splitting and stripping VVF cables, and some have blades for removing burrs.
If you make use of them, you can improve the efficiency of your work. There are also those with a flat blade tip that can be used like a chisel.
Since it is a through-hole type, the end of the grip can be tapped with a hammer. This is useful, for example, when you want to drill a hole in the wall for an outlet.
*Including some distributors, etc.
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Gardner Bender, founded in 1959 and based in New Berlin, USA, is a manufacturer and supplier of conduit bending and fishing equipment, electrical connection supplies, tools and wire management products for electricians. Starting as a manufacturer of its own patent of aluminium conduit benders and fish tape, the company now provides complete solutions for any size electrical installation and maintenance project. Some of these products are wire connectors, heat shrink, cable ties, hand tools, lighting and instruments and hydraulic and electric conduit benders. The company is a part of ECM industries and has an e-commerce platform to supply many of its products.
KNIPEX, founded in 1882, is a German manufacturer based in Wuppertal, specializing in professional pliers and other manufacturing tools. Their product line includes Alligator water pump pliers with self-locking jaws for angular and round workpieces as well as Cobolt compact bolt cutters with up to 20 times manual force amplification. The company also offers Cobra water pump pliers for quick adjustment and fine gradations. One of the series’ compact variants, Cobra XS, measures 100 millimeters in length. Additionally, KNIPEX provides ErgoStrip, a set of stripping tools with three cable processing tools. In 2019, KNIPEX received the "German Sustainability Award" for medium-sized companies.
HOZAN TOOL INDUSTRIAL CO., LTD., established in 1946 in Naniwa-ku, Osaka, Japan, is a manufacturer and supplier of electronics and bicycle tools. Their product range includes soldering irons for electronics assembly, various types of multimeters for electrical measurements, pliers for wire manipulation, diverse screwdrivers for fastening tasks, and wire strippers for precise wire preparation. Additionally, they also offer chemical products such as anti-rust oils, freezer sprays, cutting oil, and dusters.
Hultafors Group, established in 1883 and headquartered in Bollebygd, Sweden, is a manufacturer of hand tools for professional craftsmen. The company's products include various hand tools, including axes, hammers, and tape measures for carpenters, electricians, and plumbers. Its hand-forged axes, such as the aby forest axe and the hult splitting axe, are used for felling trees to splitting logs. Its claw hammer TC offers an ergonomic design and vibration damping for comfortable use in carpentry. The company provides custom prints on tools like folding rules, saws, and knives, with vector and photo printing options.
Sunex Tools Inc., established in 1977 and based in California, United States, is a manufacturer of sockets, hand tools, and air tools. The company also produces products such as lifting equipment, shop equipment, and tool storage products to serve the automotive and industrial sectors. With customer-specific designs and engineering, the company manufactures tools known for performance and can be used for heavy-duty applications. The socket sets manufactured are made in different sizes and configurations and are accessible to professionals and DIYers.
Fujiya Co., Ltd. is a Japanese manufacturer of nippers and pliers established in 1923 and headquartered in Higashi-Osaka City. The company offerss various products including nippers for cutting plastic and other materials, long nose pliers, and dual-purpose side cutting pliers. It also offers lineman's tools, such as specialized wrenches, water pump pliers, and cable strippers. Fujiya Co. products primarily serve machine tool and electronic device manufacturers, home DIYers, and hardware stores, as well as clients in the electric industry.
Klein Tools is a fifth-generation family-run producer of hand tools founded in 187 and headquartered in Lincolnshire, Illinois. Klein Tools sells worldwide directly and through distributors. Klein Tools has a family of companies under its brand including Alco, Civitella, Mumme Tools, Tulmex, and Wattmaster. Klein Tools serves several industries including construction, HVAC/R, plumbing, telecom, municipal, and industrial. Some of the tools Klein Tools produces include non-contact voltage tester bens, multi-bit screwdrivers, digital circuit breaker finders, advanced circuit tracer kits, and multi-bit electronics screwdrivers.
PROTO Industrial Tools, originally founded as PLOMB Tools in 1907 and currently a subsidiary of Stanley Black & Decker, is an American manufacturer and distributor headquartered in Jackson, Tennessee, specializing in industrial tools. Under the PROTO brand, the company offers industrial tools, including master sets, tethered tools, drive tools, and related accessories. The company also operates under the STANLEY TOOLS brand, offering tool storage solutions, hand and impact sockets, screwdrivers and hex keys, and cutting tools. These tools are heat-forged and nickel-plated to withstand harsh work environments in various industries, including automotive and aerospace, oil, gas, and petrochemical, and power generation.
Ranking as of November 2024
Derivation MethodRank | Company | Click Share |
---|---|---|
1 | Gardner Bender |
13.5%
|
2 | Fujiya Co.,Ltd. |
10.3%
|
3 | HOZAN TOOL INDUSTRIAL CO., LTD. |
9.7%
|
4 | KNIPEX Tools. |
8.4%
|
5 | PROTO |
8.4%
|
6 | Klein Tools, Inc. |
8.4%
|
7 | Dormole Limited |
5.8%
|
8 | KNIPEX-Werk C. Gustav Putsch KG |
5.8%
|
9 | Hultafors Group |
5.2%
|
10 | Sunex Tools Inc. |
5.2%
|
Derivation Method
The ranking is calculated based on the click share within the electrician's knife page as of November 2024. Click share is defined as the total number of clicks for all companies during the period divided by the number of clicks for each company.Number of Employees
Newly Established Company
Company with a History
*Including some distributors, etc.
*Including some distributors, etc.
Country | Number of Companies | Share (%) |
---|---|---|
Japan | 3 | 42.9% |
United States of America | 2 | 28.6% |
Germany | 1 | 14.3% |
United Kingdom | 1 | 14.3% |