I use the Stanley quick load type when I worked in construction. You press
a small button on the side of the blade and fully extended it. The blade
releases and you either rotate the blade or replace it with a blade that is
stored in the handle.

Here is the current version of this knife. http://tinyurl.com/s8pxs

The guy I worked with who was much more a "pro" used this knife.
http://tinyurl.com/s39gy

I used a standard Stanley retractable for things like hook blades for
shingles. These blades didn't need replacing as often so I didn't mind
using a screw driver or coin to change the blade. Took may be 2 minutes
hanging of the side of the roof.

I once had one that stored the blades in the handle and magically appeared
from inside the knife.

Are you sure you don't have one these quick change knifes that are not
supposed to be taken apart?

"Greg Guarino" wrote in message
news
My dad dropped by my house this morning with two bright red razor
knives. I forget the brand name. He's in great health for his age but
that age is 85. He no longer has the eyesight and probably never had
the patience to deal with small parts. He said if I'd put the blade in
for him he'd give me the second one.

I'm sure he must have gotten a good deal on them. He had a Depression
childhood and responds to a good deal by buying more and giving the
extras away (thereby paying more than he would have without the
"bargain", but I digress). He probably got some for my sister and
several of his neightbors also.

I was already in the garage when he came by so I got out a screwdriver
and went at it. I won't go through the ugly details, but suffice it to
say that it took me TEN MINUTES to put the blade in. I needed pliers
to get it done and I broke a blade in the process. Even then I had to
tell my Dad not to extend the blade to the last "click". If you do,
you can't retract it.

I figured that as bad as that was I had learned the "trick" and
proceeded to load the second one. It was just as difficult as the
first. The principal problem with this model was that the blade
doesn't fit in its "slide", the movable spring-steel thingy that moves
back and forth in the housing. You have to bend things a bit to get it
in.

While this was perhaps worse than most, pretty much all the knives
I've had stink to one degree or another. I have an ancient Stanley
"non-retractable" hanging in the garage and that's fine, since it has
a safe place to live, but I like retractables for in my toolboxes and
in the house where my daughter might come across it.

Does anyone know of a knife that doesn't suffer from this problem?
And, if I'm not asking too much, isn't too expensive to buy four or
five of? Wait, my Dad will need a couple. Make that 6 or 7.

Greg Guarino