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Shave hook or stripping knife: a flat face or a curve

Updated: 21 October 2026

You are in a UK hallway with a flat panel door on one side and moulded skirting on the other, and one blade looks as if it should clear both. A shave hook or stripping knife is a split in the edge, not a brand preference. The knife is a straight blade for doors and window boards. The hook is a shaped edge for architrave, skirting and banisters. A straight 3 inch knife only meets the high points of a profile. A hook is slow on a wide flat panel and can slip and gouge. If the room has both surfaces, you buy both. The listings are on the [paint scraper comparison](/hub/painting-supplies/paint-scraper).

You are in a UK hallway with a flat panel door on one side and moulded skirting on the other, and one blade looks as if it should clear both.

Our top picks

Harris Harris 3 inch stripping knife

Best overall

Harris Harris 3 inch stripping knife
9.1/10about £5.88
View offer
ALLWAY Contour scraper set

Alternative

ALLWAY Contour scraper set
7.1/10about £17.99
View offer
DEKEones DEKEones shave hook set

Rank 3

DEKEones DEKEones shave hook set
5.6/10about £15.99
View offer
On this page
  1. 1.They are not rivals
  2. 2.What a hook edge is for
  3. 3.What this set can and cannot prove
  4. 4.Contour blades and heat

They are not rivals

Homebuilding treats the two tools as a pair. A flat scraper is for doors and window boards. A shave hook is for architrave, skirting, banisters and corners. On a flat door a 3 inch blade clears a wide strip. On moulded skirting the same edge bridges from peak to peak, so the cove keeps its paint. The hook fails the other way. Its edge is small, and Homebuilding's warning is specific: a hook can slip and gouge. Owning both is the right call when the room has both surfaces. That order is in the paint scraper buying guide. ProDec sells the RCS combination hook and the DGS3 3 inch knife as two products. Neither is an ASIN here, and a notch on a 15-in-1 will not follow a banister.

What a hook edge is for

A hook is not one shape. The triangular head has straight edges that meet at points, for a corner where architrave meets the wall and for a flat fillet. The pear head, sometimes listed as a heart, has curved edges that sit into a rounded section. A combination head puts straight and curved edges on one piece of steel, so you turn the handle instead of changing the tool. For one room, buy the combination and stop. Decorators who strip mouldings all week often carry a triangular hook and a pear hook as a pair. Each edge on a combination is shorter, and a slip still gouges. ProDec's RCS states 2 mm steel, four edges and a 115 mm hardwood-handled shaft. It is not in this set, and it does not retire the flat knife.
Harris Harris 3 inch stripping knife

Testsieger

Harris Harris 3 inch stripping knife
9.1/10about £5.88
View offer

What this set can and cannot prove

The flat knife in this set is the Harris 3 inch, ASIN B0815CNRNF, at about £5.88, listed for flat wallpaper. UK reviews describe that knife. It is the top pick for flat faces here and a poor tool for a spindle. The DEKEones three-piece set at about £15.99 names a triangle, a combination and a heart. The UK review text does not describe those hooks, so 3,482 ratings are not a test of the profiles. If the photographs show filling knives, leave it. A stripping knife is not a filling knife. The stripping knife is stiff and wide. A filling knife bends in the middle when you lean on it, which is why it skates on a door.

Contour blades and heat

When a fixed hook still bridges the bead, the third tool is the contour set, ASIN B0FS7P3DQG, at about £17.99. The heads swap, so you match a curve to a spindle, and the handle includes a file. One review describes a snapped head. Use it for mouldings, and do not lean on a head as if it were solid forged steel. Leave it if you only have flat doors. If the staircase paint may contain lead, stop before any heat. How hard to pull on ordinary modern paint is on how to use a paint scraper. A short rubber grip is poor beside a heat gun, because the shaft conducts heat into your hand. ProDec's hardwood handle is not an ASIN here. Buy the Harris 3 inch for the door, a combination hook when the skirting is moulded, and the contour set only when that hook still bridges the bead.

Common questions

What is a combination shave hook?
A combination shave hook puts straight edges and curved edges on one head, so you turn the tool instead of changing it. That is the sensible single hook for one room of skirting and a short handrail. It can slip and gouge, and it will not clear a flat door at the speed of a 3 inch knife.
Should you choose a triangular or a pear shave hook?
The triangular head suits an internal angle and a flat fillet on architrave. The pear head, sometimes listed as a heart, sits into a rounded section of skirting or a banister. If you buy one hook for one room, a combination covers both. A one-off job rarely needs the pair.
Is a stripping knife the same as a filling knife?
No. A stripping knife is a stiff, wide blade for lifting paint or wallpaper. A filling knife bends in the middle, which is why it skates on a door. In this set the Harris 3 inch, at about £5.88, is the stiff knife. If a cheap blade flexes across its width, it is not doing the stripping job.
Is the £15.99 three-hook set the one to buy?
Not on the rating. The DEKEones listing at about £15.99 names a triangle, a combination and a heart, but the UK review text does not describe those hooks. The 3,482 ratings are not a test of this set. Open the photographs. If they show filling knives or a multi-tool, leave it.
When is a contour set the better third tool?
Choose the contour set when a fixed hook still bridges the bead on spindles or a tight banister. In this set that is ASIN B0FS7P3DQG, at about £17.99, with swappable heads and a file. One review describes a snapped head. Skip it when the only work is flat doors.

Related pages

Best paint scraper

Paint scraper

Paint scraper buying guide: start with the surface

How to use a paint scraper on ordinary modern paint

Scraping lead paint UK: overcoat or wet-scrape only

Sources

Public UK sources used for this comparison. Listing prices, stars and review counts are the amazon.co.uk figures saved for this set, not a live re-check on 20 October 2026.

  1. HSE, Lead in construction (retrieved 20 October 2026)
  2. HSE, CIS79 Old lead paint (retrieved 20 October 2026)
  3. GOV.UK, Lead information for the public (retrieved 20 October 2026)
  4. British Coatings Federation, PaintSafe (retrieved 20 October 2026)
  5. Painting and Decorating Association, HS-034 Lead in painted surfaces (retrieved 20 October 2026)
  6. Homebuilding, Tools to remove paint from woodwork (retrieved 20 October 2026)
  7. Screwfix, Remove paint from wood (retrieved 20 October 2026)
  8. Cleaning Guides, Paint on glass (retrieved 20 October 2026)