Klein Tools 1580-3 Klein Kurve® Skinning Knife

No. The 1580-3 Klein Kurve skinning knife is NOT insulated and will not protect against electrical shock. Klein's own warning is explicit: never use it on or near live circuits. De-energize and verify dead before you cut, and wear approved eye protection. If you need a tool rated for energized work, this is the wrong item.

It's a cable-jacket knife. The 2 inch (51 mm) hook blade is sized for control when scoring and slitting cable jacket, so you can open a jacket without driving the point into the conductors underneath. The notch ground into the back of the blade handles scraping and stripping insulation off individual wires. Electricians and low-voltage installers use it for jacket removal on NM and similar cable, not as a general utility cutting knife.

Overall length is 8.75 inches (22.2 cm), and 8 inches (20.3 cm) measured without the ring. The handle itself is 6.75 inches (17.2 cm) with a 2.047 inch (5.2 cm) blade. At 0.28 lbs it's light enough to carry all day, and the oversized ring is there for strength and for hanging it off a pouch loop or lanyard rather than burying it in a bag.

The 1580-3 is a fixed-configuration hook blade knife with a ring on the butt end, not a folder. It measures 8.75 inches overall (8 inches without the ring), so there is no closed length and it needs a sheath or pouch for carry. Klein also notes you should check local law on selling, carrying, or possessing the knife, which matters for crews working across jurisdictions.

The notch on the back of the blade is made for scraping and removing wire insulation, so for occasional cleanup of a conductor it covers you. It's a blade-based notch, not a calibrated gauge, so there's no AWG-sized hole to pull insulation off cleanly and repeatably. For production stripping of specific gauges you'd still want a dedicated wire stripper alongside it.

Steel blade, black ergonomic handle, and Klein states the 1580-3 is made in the USA. That matters if you are buying against a domestic-preference or Buy American purchasing policy for a government, school, or healthcare MRO order.

Order it as Klein Tools 1580-3. That is the manufacturer part number and the knife ships as a single complete tool, one model only, with no handing, size, or finish options to specify. No sheath or accessory selection is part of the order.