Soft, open-cell foam that wants a blade to track it — the lighter .065" hollow 60180 is the better feel there.
Thin cloth, webbing, and light sheet — the flat, livelier 60090 cuts those better; a heavy hollow blade is overkill and slower.
Belting-cover skiving on a splice — use the flat 60450/60510, whose flat faces bear evenly on the cover.
Fine leather skiving — thin skivers.
Deep bun foam beyond ~4" — the 6" hollow blades.
How the pros run it
01
Slice, never press — even with the heavy blade
The extra spine does not change the foam rule: a drawn slicing stroke cuts clean, downward pressure compresses and tears. The stiffness is for holding the line, not for chopping.
02
Progressive passes in rubber; single long slices in foam
Dense rubber grips — deepen the cut in repeated draws. Foam clears in a long continuous slice. Same blade, different rhythm for the two materials.
03
Let the spine do its job
The reason to own the 60480 over the 60180 is that it does not deflect — so trust it on the long straight cut through firm stock and don't fight it around tight curves it isn't meant for.
04
Maintain the edge and preserve the hollow
Hone on a stone, strop, wipe dry. When re-sharpening, follow the existing hollow bevel — do not flatten the relief on a coarse stone, or you lose the very feature you paid for and turn it into the flat 60450.
Asked at the counter
BUYER QUESTIONS ANSWERED BEFORE THE CART, NOT AFTER THE RETURN
60480 or 60180?
Both are hollow-ground foam knives; the .083" 60480 for firm, high-density foam and dense rubber, the .065" 60180 for softer, open-cell foam.
60480 or the flat 60450?
Same gauge; the hollow 60480 for deep, dense cuts that wedge a flat blade; the flat 60450 for belting cover and general heavy cutting.
What is "BG142"?
Hyde's pattern number for this hollow-ground square point; the blade is 4" × 1" × .083".
Can it cut thick foam?
To about its 4" reach; deeper bun foam wants the 6" hollow blades.
Sharpening?
Maintained high-carbon — hone along the existing hollow bevel, strop, wipe dry.
