DeWalt Utility Knife Blades (75 pack)

Why I picked up this 75-pack

I go through a lot of utility blades—demo days, flooring, boxes, and the odd stencil or shiplap score. Buying blades one blister pack at a time is a good way to burn money and patience, so I moved to bulk packs a while back. This 75-count pack from DeWalt promised a sharper grind, heat treatment for strength, and an induction-hardened edge to stretch the time between blade changes. On paper, that’s exactly what I want: predictable sharpness and fewer swaps in the middle of a job.

Test setup and materials

I ran these blades over a couple months across typical jobsite and shop tasks:

• Scoring and snapping drywall
• Cutting out and lifting glued-down carpet and pad
• Trimming LVP, underlayment, and roofing felt
• Breaking down double-wall corrugated and plastic strapping
• Scoring paint lines and opening caulk tubes
• General utility cuts in polyethylene sheet and landscape fabric

I used them in a DeWalt folding knife, a standard retractable fixed-body knife, and a compact skeletonized handle. All are standard two-notch, trapezoid-style blade carriers.

Build and grind

The blades arrive as a bulk pack—nothing fancy, just a stack ready to feed your knife. Each blade has the familiar trapezoidal shape with two cutting ends, so you can flip halfway through its life. The grind presents as a clean, consistent double bevel with a subtle “toothy” feel under the thumbnail rather than glassy-slick. That tooth is beneficial on fibrous materials (carpet, rope, drywall paper) because it grabs right away instead of skating.

DeWalt’s pitch here is a specific grinding geometry for a sharper edge, heat treatment for overall strength, and an induction-hardened cutting edge. The latter is especially relevant: by hardening only the cutting line, you get edge wear resistance without making the whole blade brittle.

Sharpness out of the pack

Out of the box, the first blade sliced newsprint cleanly and zipped through painter’s plastic and poly mailers with minimal drag. It wasn’t the absolute slickest-feeling edge I’ve used—some factory-installed blades that ship with new knives can feel almost polished—but these had better initial bite on carpet and strapping. I’d describe them as keen and slightly aggressive rather than “buttery.”

On double-wall corrugated, I got clean, one-pass cuts for about 12–15 box sides before I noticed extra push force. On painter’s plastic and polyethylene sheet, the edge cut easily but you can feel that micro-toothiness; it’s not a problem, just a different vibe from ultra-polished utility blades.

Cutting performance and longevity

Manufacturers love percentage claims. DeWalt cites 35% sharper and 20% stronger. I can’t verify exact numbers, but here’s what the blades did in actual tasks:

• Carpet and pad: I cut roughly 120 linear feet of glued-down carpet in strips before I flipped the blade, then another ~100 feet on the second edge. The edge held its bite longer than a basic contractor carbon-steel blade, and I didn’t have to lean into the knife nearly as much toward the end.
• Drywall scoring: I comfortably scored and snapped around 35–40 seams per edge before I called it. The score line stayed crisp, and the paper didn’t fuzz out prematurely.
• Roofing felt and synthetic underlayment: Abrasive stuff—these blades handled about 25–30 linear feet per edge in a cutting board setup before the drag picked up.
• Double-wall corrugated: About 350–400 inches of cuts per edge before I felt it was time to flip, which is better than the bulk “no-name” blades I keep around for dirty work.
• Plastic banding and zip ties: Excellent bite; no skating, quick snap cuts without rounding the tip prematurely.

The induction-hardened edge seems to pay off mainly in how the blade loses sharpness: instead of getting immediately dull and rounded, it transitions from keen to serviceable more gradually, so you stay productive longer without that awkward “why isn’t this cutting?” moment.

Strength and tip integrity

Utility blades aren’t pry bars, but they’re often used like one for staples and light scraping. Within reason, these held up well. I didn’t experience tip snapping during staple lifts or during controlled scraping of old caulk. The blades are heat-treated across the body, so flexing during heavy push cuts felt predictable—no unnerving springiness or sudden micro-chips along the edge. If you really torque them sideways in a cut, you can still notch the edge (normal for any steel utility blade), but I saw fewer visible micro-chips than with bargain blades.

Fit and compatibility

Fit was a non-issue in my DeWalt folder and in two other standard two-notch knives. Some utility knives can be picky about the notch and slot geometry on off-brand blades; these dropped in and locked without drama. The stamping is clean, and I didn’t spot burrs around the notches. Blade changes were smooth and repeatable.

Consistency across the pack

One concern with bulk blades is variability—sometimes blade #1 is great and blade #15 feels like it skipped a polishing step. I ran through a dozen blades for this review, spot-checking edges under a loupe. Grind symmetry and burr control were consistent. Subjectively, all the blades felt like they came from the same process window; I didn’t hit any surprise duds.

Safety and handling

The edges are sharp enough to punish sloppy changes. If you store blades loose in a drawer, you’ll want a small caddy or magnetic keeper. In use, the slightly toothy grind helps control on slick plastics, but do mind the initial bite on fabric and your cut lines. As usual: cut away from your body, keep fingers out of the path, and flip or change the blade at the first sign of extra force—pushing harder is how accidents happen.

Value

Buying 75 at a time lowers the per-blade cost and reduces the number of orders you place over the year. With longer edge life than commodity carbon blades and a predictable wear curve, the total number of changes you make on a job drops. That matters for efficiency—and for sanity when you’re kneeling on subfloor trying to find where you set the blade pack down.

If you need extreme longevity on abrasive materials like roofing shingles or fiber-cement underlayment, carbide-infused blades still reign. They last longer per edge but cost more per blade. For general contracting, remodeling, shop work, and packaging, this DeWalt 75-pack hits a smart value point: noticeably better life than budget blades without the premium price of carbide.

Where they shine—and where they don’t

Highlights:
- Strong initial bite on fibrous materials and strapping
- Predictable edge wear; longer useful window between changes
- Clean stamping and reliable fit in standard two-notch handles
- Cost-effective in bulk; two edges per blade helps stretch the pack

Potential drawbacks:
- The edge feel is more “toothy” than glassy; if you love an ultra-slick slice on thin films, you may prefer a more polished grind
- Bulk packs can surface rust in damp environments—store dry or use a desiccant
- Not a carbide blade; for highly abrasive tasks all day, you may still want a premium option on hand

The bottom line

The 75-pack from DeWalt does exactly what I want from a workhorse utility blade: it fits reliably, starts sharp, bites immediately on tough materials, and hangs onto that edge long enough to be worth the swap. I can’t promise the manufacturer’s percentage improvements down to the decimal, but in practice I changed blades less often, and I didn’t run into consistency issues across the pack.

Recommendation: I recommend these blades for anyone who uses a utility knife as a daily driver—remodelers, installers, shop techs, and even heavy home users. They strike a good balance of sharpness, durability, and price, and the induction-hardened edge makes the wear curve more forgiving. If your workload is mostly shingles or other abrasive materials, keep a few carbide blades nearby for those days. For everything else, this 75-pack is a dependable, cost-effective staple in the kit.