Product Review
KnobbyKnife
KnobbyKnife. Unique name- unique tool. Admit it, at one time or another we have all tried to extend the life of a worn out dirt bike tire. The concept of shaving tires isn’t new, but until recently the job ranged from messy to down right dangerous with results often falling short of expectations. The KnobbyKnife, a heated knife designed to trim the round edge of worn tires , hopes to change all of that .
The KnobbyKnife works as advertised and after a bit of trial and error I was able to get a sharp edge on several tires that were otherwise destined for the landfill. As the instructions warn it is a hand tool and some skill and practice is required. Fortunately the learning curve is short and easy to master with just a little practice. Still, I wouldn’t use the knife for the first time on a tire with only a couple of rides on it.
The instructions claim an entire tire can be sharpened in 10 minutes, but the best I could do was just under 20 minutes. I’m sure my time would improve with more practice. Some tires are softer than others so that will factor into how long it takes to complete. It was a great surprise to discover there were no fumes, smell or huge mess from the melting rubber, unlike other attempts I’ve made trying to revive old tires with a grinder. The knobs of some tires were wider than the blade, requiring two cuts and tires such as the Michelin S-12 have unique shaped knobs that the make the work a little more time consuming. The skill level required for tires with any knobby pattern also goes up considerably. Most tires I had lying around my garage sharpened well. I even experimented with making my own patterns that have yet to be tested. It would be great if the knife were offered with additional size interchangeable blades. One larger and one smaller would give a lot more versatility to the tool.
One weak point I found with the knife is the support stand, which is large metal paper clip. The knife gets very hot and caution must be taken of where you place it, even with the support stand. Damage to your workbench or worse could happen if the knife is left unattended for extended periods of time. The knife takes a full 30 minutes to reach peak operating temperature so it’s very easy to plug in, get distracted doing something else and forget about it until you smell your workbench burning. I’d like to see an auto off switch after 45 minutes or at the least a better support stand.
The ‘new’ tire performed very well and I could tell right away the tire had new life and increased grip. For testing purposes I sharpened the center and the right side knobs, leaving the left side untouched. While brake sliding or making sharp turns I could tell which side was sharpened and which side had the worn knobs. Not a huge difference, but a difference for sure.
A great addition to any workshop, but especially racers on a budget. Of course we would all love to spoon on new tires for each race, but for most of us that just isn’t a reality. The Knobby Knife will get at least one or two more races out of an otherwise worn out tire. The casual trail rider will extend the life of a tire considerably, but may fall just short of the company’s claim of extending the life of a tires 3-5 times. Each time the tire is sharpened the knob of course gets a little smaller. There are only so many slices you can take before the shape or the knob is changed considerably. For more info or to order visit www.knobbyknife.com
Cost $59.99
Price 8/10
Function 10/10
Ease of Use 7/10
Durability 9/10
Design 8/10
Likely to buy again 9/10
Total 50 out of 60
