Don't cut yourself with a dull knife

[snopes]

Comment: I have heard on numerous occasions that a dull knife is more
dangerous than a sharp knife, because, if one cuts oneself, the dull knife
will cause more damage than the sharpened knife. Is this true?

[Troberg]

It sure hurts more with a dull knife, and the wound bleeds more, which I suspect is due to more damage being inflicted.

If nothing else, there must be some reason surgeons prefer sharp scalpels to old bread knives...

[chillas]

The dangers of a dull knife are more about the lack of control - it requires more force to cut with a dull knife, which increases the chances of losing control of it.

[Little Pink Pill]

I keep my knives very sharp because it allows me use them with a light touch, and seeing what they can do to a carrot makes me a lot more careful with them. You have to apply more pressure with a dull knife, and in my experience if you slip while using it you are more likely to drive it harder into your fingers.

But out of the kitchen I prefer to be attacked with a butter knife.


Spanked by Chillas--wow, did it really take me that long to type that?

[Troberg]

The dangers of a dull knife are more about the lack of control - it requires more force to cut with a dull knife, which increases the chances of losing control of it.

Not only lack of control, compare how badly a paper cut heals to how quickly a cut from a razor blade heals (hint: don't try to strip wire with a razor because you don't want to ruin your Swiss army knife...). A jagged edge don't just cut, it shreds the tissue.

[MissE]

As someone who's cut herself with a sharp, fresh-out-of-the-box-razor, it's no picnic!
I didn't exactly feel it when it happened, but afterwards it was pretty drippy and it was deep.

I imagine a dull razor would have been worse.

[Casey]

It's all about tissue damage. The sharper the edge, the lesser the tissue damage and the less time will be needed for the wound to heal.

TMI for Active Topics if wounds gross you out. TMI for Active Topics if wounds gross you out. TMI for Active Topics if wounds gross you out.

My worst scars are from dull knives, or non-knife things. A sharp piece of concrete tore my right index to the bone on the knuckle, a piece of tin can took my right index to the bone on the pad side, a breaking wrench did my knuckle in, again.

[queen of the caramels]

Originally Posted by Casey

It's all about tissue damage. The sharper the edge, the lesser the tissue damage and the less time will be needed for the wound to heal.

TMI for Active Topics if wounds gross you out. TMI for Active Topics if wounds gross you out. TMI for Active Topics if wounds gross you out.

My worst scars are from dull knives, or non-knife things. A sharp piece of concrete tore my right index to the bone on the knuckle, a piece of tin can took my right index to the bone on the pad side, a breaking wrench did my knuckle in, again.

Working in labs for many years, I have scars to prove it
A long scar from a plastic beaker
A deep scar from the edge of a door lock
And my persoanl favourite a plastic pipette which I managed to embed in my palm to 10 mm depth.....


The one I got from scaples and broken glass just seem to have faded away

It's not as simple as amount of tissue damage or if the knife was sharp or dull. Yes, more damage means a larger scar but sometimes large scars can form from small, clean cuts. It happens by the body producing too much collagen during the healing process. This creates those large bump-type scars that are often larger than the original wound.

I have a scar from when I accidentally kicked a utility knife while barefoot* and it split my big toe almost in half. The scar from this is almost impossible to see. I have another scar on my finger from a razor when I was building a model in high school. The scar is about 3 times the size of the original cut and is raised above the skin. Smaller, cleaner cut but much bigger scar.

[1958Fury]

At least it wasn't a spoon!

I recall my Dad telling me the same thing while sharpening one once.... Ironically, he almost instantly managed to cut the tip of a finger off with it. He just got up, washed the little spot of fingertip off, and "glued" it back on with neosporin and a tight bandage. It healed up perfectly, though.

[Fun with a 9mm]

Originally Posted by Para

I recall my Dad telling me the same thing while sharpening one once.... Ironically, he almost instantly managed to cut the tip of a finger off with it. He just got up, washed the little spot of fingertip off, and "glued" it back on with neosporin and a tight bandage. It healed up perfectly, though.

Are we related? I can't even tell you the number of times I watched my father repair his fingers, hands, etc. over the years using his own techniques. (Eeew, Daddy, shouldn't you get stiches for that? Nah!)Bandages, electrical tape, superglue...the man was his own surgeon.

[Lawgiver]

(little pink pill)
if you prefer to be stabbed with a butter knife then wouldn't the wound hurt more and you would bleed much more and more than likly die a horriable death nice and painfull

[bjohn13]

Originally Posted by Lawgiver

(little pink pill)
if you prefer to be stabbed with a butter knife then wouldn't the wound hurt more and you would bleed much more and more than likly die a horriable death nice and painfull

Getting "grazed" with a butter knife in the wrong spot wouldn't even break the skin, while getting "grazed" with a scalpel in the wrong spot could be fatal. I'd be more afraid of getting bludgeoned to death with a butter knife than any open wounds.

b "butter knife wounds hurt" john13

[Missie]

When I was young, I sliced my middle finger on my left hand open with a butter knife. I can't quite remember how. I think it involved one of those little matchbox cars.

Another time, many years ago, I sliced my right pinky finger open on a cracker. Ever eat those crackers that come in those military MRE packages? Those things are deadly weapons. It was an ugly, ugly cut. I still have a scar there.

Anyway! My point is, they both hurt like hell, and both left scars. Just anecdotes, really.

[bjohn13]

Originally Posted by Missie

When I was young, I sliced my middle finger on my left hand open with a butter knife. I can't quite remember how. I think it involved one of those little matchbox cars.

I now have coffee stains on my carpet.

[MapleLeaf]

And I'm cowering under my desk wondering why I chose to read this thread

When my brother and I were younger, I was probably 11 or so, my parents had the icky apple trees that were in our backyard cut down. It was summer vacation and we had nothing better to do so my parents told us to go out the next day and cut the branches smaller so that they could be easily bundled up for the trash. (yeah, my parents were of the school of thought that having children meant that you had free laborers at your disposal) The only available saws we had at the time were two old, jagged hacksaws. As I was attempting to cut a branch I somehow forgot to watch my fingers and ended up slicing my left thumb right down the middle. I was dripping blood all over as I headed in to get bandaged up. Shortly after I went inside my brother followed with his own finger sliced. Needless to say the next day my parents called a brush cleaning company out to get rid of the branches by shoving them through a wood chipper. Later that day I had a private lesson with my cello teacher and he couldn't believe that I didn't need to get any stiches or that I hadn't damaged any nerves.

To this date, the top wrinkle in my thumb is no longer straight.

Just my little story to add to all of the "fun"