I feel that I was tricked into buying 2 Lenox utility knives, and I was mostly tricked by myself. How could this happen?
I was strolling through the tool deals section at Lowes, picking up items of interest. A Lenox folding utility knife, with “NEW” on the packaging had caught my eye. Sure, I’ll give it a try. It looked decent enough.
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And then when checking out the regular utility knife section, I saw another new Lenox knife, similar, but with a built-in fold-out screwdriver. I bought that one too.
I pulled out my phone to search for the “new” Lenox LX150 and LX250 knives by their model numbers, and didn’t find any reviews or online product listings.
Today, about a week later, something brought me to a past Irwin utility knife review, and I saw that I linked to 2 other Irwin knives at the end of the post.
Wait a second, that’s funny. Irwin makes an FK150 knife, and an FK250. And the FK250 has a similar fold-out screwdriver as the new Lenox LX250 folding utility knife.
I have both of these Irwin knives in my test pile, but never found myself reaching for them over my more favored folding utility knives.
So why did I buy the same exact knives? Well, it wasn’t exactly intentional.
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And yes, they look identical to me, aside from color scheme and branding.
It’s amazing what different colors and branding can do to a product. Had I seen the Irwin knife on a shelf, I probably would have given it a glance, but I would have left it on the shelf.
Which would you buy off the shelf?
The Lenox? It did a much better job at grabbing my attention. Plus, I was curious – how well would I like a Lenox utility knife? How good would it be?
I don’t need any more utility knives (that doesn’t stop me from continuing to buy more), but thought the Lenox would make for an interesting review.
I was completely unaware that this “NEW” Lenox knife was an Irwin knife in disguise.
Buy Now(Irwin via Amazon)
Buy Now(Lenox via Lowes)
And the same goes for the Lenox LX250, an Irwin FK250 clone.
I kind of liked the Irwin version, and if I recall correctly my only dislike was that it had a somewhat chunky handle. I’ll have to pull it out to refresh my memory. Wait, no, I can just grab my new Lenox knife, and that’ll bring everything back. Right now it’s still in its clamshell packaging.
Buy Now(Irwin via Amazon)
Buy Now(Lenox via Lowes)
If I could read my own post and go back in time, would I still buy the Lenox utility knives? Maybe just the first one, the one without the built-in screwdriver.
I feel that I tricked myself – mostly – as I should have remembered that Irwin and Lenox were sibling companies – now owned by Stanley Black & Decker.
But Lenox is not free from guilt. They slapped a big NEW badge on the utility knives’ packaging, which I took at face value.
The absence of any online feedback or product listings for the LX150 and LX250 knives led me to put reasonable trust in that “NEW” claim.
Ah well, I’ve got 2 new utility knives to add to my upcoming comparison review.
RKA
I looked at both when I picked up the Lenox last week. They were largely similar but the Lenox seemed to be finished a little better. The difference was so small that I can no longer recall. Ultimately the extra few dollars on the white color scheme probably means I’m less likely to lose it.
Travis
Bamboozled I say! Dang you marketing team.
BonPacific
And now we have seen why Irwin bought Lenox.
Cr8ondt
Well I guess the only thing in question is which has the better included blade?
OhioHead
Stu,
It will only get worse once the acquisition is finalized……….
Michael
I bought the Lenox with the flip out screwdriver and blade storage. So far I like it. It came with a #2 Philips and a #2 square drive which I swapped out for a flat blade. It also came with 3 gold edge blades.
Pete
That looks more like a multi tool to me…. kind of thick. For that much space i’d rather carry my gerber crucial- https://www.amazon.com/dp/B001R93IQQ/
I use it EVERY DAY.
Andrew
While the utility knife might be the same, judging by the pictures and features. The blade itself is slightly different.
Both utilize bi-metal blades, but, Lenox does goes a slight step further to coat the edge of the blade with ‘titanium’. I’m not 100% sure if it is Ti, but, it does make cutting easier. I also can’t tell if it helps with longevity.
Sally
Help! I can’t figure out how to get the blade into the Lenox LX250!
I have a cut finger, and nothing to show for it.
Stuart
I don’t have the knife in front of me, but here is general guidance for these types of utility knives:
Press down on the same button you used to release the older blade. If the tool is brand new and not loaded with a blade, look for the horizontal button on the blade holder. Hold down the button, insert the blade, release the button, and then gently and carefully slide the blade until you are confident it is locked in place, or you hear the lock click into place.
Philip McEntarfer
Follow the directions on the package. The key is that the knife must be opened in the 45 degree position, not fully opened.
Dan Carney
Instructions on package was for everything but blade placement.
I was ready to throw the knife out until I read your post. Thank You for posting how to put the blade in.
Steven Kandel
Love-Hate relationship… I got the knife because may of my previous knifes allow the blade to break loose during a heavy cut. The Lenox knife was far superior to others on blade retention. However, the changing of the blade is really a pain. It has to be removed and replaced at a preciously 45 degree angle. I’ve found it very difficult to change blades. I love the knife, but hate the blade change, it’s a real struggle!
Brad
I agree with this statement fully. I want to like the knife and appreciate the extra safety of this 45 degree lock, but between it and the tiny button that’s difficult to press… something has to give. Changing a blade shouldn’t be a “learned skill” that requires quite so many stars to align. Nice article btw @Stuart