Hyde Tools 50050 Square Point Knife #1

Cut on a sacrificial surface — a poly board or a lift of scrap under the line — never on a bench top that matters; even a square-nosed knife severs through to what is beneath. Grip for control. Choke up: thumb and forefinger close behind the ferrule, the blade an extension of the fingertips. On the #1 that is the whole point — it is a short knife bought for control, not leverage. Angle. Lay the edge low to slice on the draw; a steep blade chatters and hops on leather. The square end is a tool, not a limitation. Ride it against the board to work into corners and to stop a cut clean. Edge care — the heritage contract. This is hardened high-carbon cutlery steel, and it is bought to be maintained, not fed: hone it back to keen on a stone, strop it true, and it will trim for years. The trade-off is rust — carbon steel plus moisture blooms overnight, so wipe the blade dry after any damp, oily, or cased-leather work and it stays clean. That maintain-don't-replace bargain is the dividing line between this whole heritage wing and the snap-off and utility knives elsewhere in the line, whose blades are consumables.