What is a Hot Knife?

Heavy Duty Hot Knife HK-60

When cutting certain materials, it can seem just about impossible to keep the edges from fraying and splitting. Sailcloth, carpet, rope, and webbing can be particularly troublesome when it comes to getting a clean, sealed edge. The solution was to develop a tool that cuts and seals with a beaded edge to help you achieve the perfect shape and finished look for your materials… Enter the industrial hot knife.

The hot knife has hundreds of uses for cutting and melting. It can cut through any synthetic that is less than half an inch thick and provides a nice, neat edge that prevents fraying and presents an attractive, smooth finish.

A heavy duty hot knife can heat up to 1,000 degrees Fahrenheit, which makes it quick and easy to cut through tough materials and still achieve straight clean sides. Surprisingly, this tool is also very lightweight which makes it even easier for the blade to glide through outdoor carpets or awnings. Where scissors or a razor blade can be painstaking and imperfect, the hot knife will give you an effortless, sealed cut.

These tools are typically equipped with a 6-foot power cord and operate at 115 volts, making it perfect for your garage or a machine shop. With a blade tip of 5/8th of an inch long, it can cut through many different types of rough material, which is why the industrial hot knife is a common choice among automakers who use it to cut door seals, plastic parts, and floor carpets.

One of the greatest things about these tools is that it’s strong enough and affordable enough to be used in both personal and industrial situations. So whether you are resizing your sail cloths or manufacturing a car, a hot knife can really come in handy.