Utility knife

A handle for a utility knife includes a housing made up of two or more portions. In one embodiment, a manually operable member for use in releasing the blade is retained to at least one portion of the housing and does not become separated from the housing when the housing is in an open state. In another embodiment, a catch for engaging the blade extends from a support member that is slidably movable within the housing. In another embodiment, the housing is formed of metal and a nose portion is formed of a metal that is more wear resistant than the rest of the housing, in order to improve the durability of the nose portion. In another embodiment, a bail screw is captured on a first housing portion and threadedly engageable with a second housing portion for (i) releasably securing the first and second housing portions in a fully closed state and, in turn, releasably securing a blade within the blade opening, and (ii) manually positioning at least one of the first and second housing portions in at least one intermediate state between the fully closed state and a fully opened state to, in turn, permit the blade to be manually moved through the blade opening.