Soft Grip Hobby Knife, Excel Blades K18 with Safety Cap, American Made Light Duty Craft Knife (Blue)

The XACTO blade holder is terrible. The mechanical principle behind the way it grips the blades is unsound. Eventually the blade loosens and you have to re tighten everything and it's super annoying. Instead of grab and use the knife you teach yourself to grab, tighten and then use it... it's sad.That's why I got this one, the mechanism behind it is different but so much better. You tighten the nut on the back which PULLS the chuck through a tapered seat. The chuck is split 4 ways and applies the forces better around the blade. The result is a super strong lock, that blade is going nowhere. It's hard for an old XACTO user to unlearn the grab, tighten, use. I have never had to re tighten this thing again.

This product is superior to any xacto brand i have used. The covering is comfortable to use as well as prevents the cold feeling you get from metal xacto handles. But where this really shines is the locking mechanism. Using xacto handles on 3d prints it was often the case that maneuvering the knife around caused the knurled locking nut (which is directly under where you grip) to become loose. This IMO is a critical design flaw in xacto that this brand overcomes with its locking nut at the rear of the knife. This location prevents any interaction with the users index finger and thumb so the blade inside stays locked. Luckily this handle also is compatible with xacto brand blades (which i do still like and have many of, highly suggest their linenof titanium coated blades). Overall great, cheap kption for hobbiest looking for a bldr handle that wont keep coming loose!

It seems expensive until you use it for a while. This is my second purchase of this as I am tired of having to of get it when I work at my second work area, so now I have one for each area as it gets used so often.This is an upgrade from the standard hobby knife. It uses a collet that is more similar to that used on a lathe to hold the blade. It is much more secure and durable than the setup used on the less expensive standard hobby knife.It only gets better from there. The rubber grip is more comfortable and sure to grip giving you better control and confidence. The hexagonal shape on the back end keeps it from rolling on the workbench when you set it downThere is an elegance and attention to detail in this that makes this a tool that lasts and is a joy to use.

Cap fits tightly-won't come off by mistake. The cap is impact resistant plastic as well. I don't think it will crack or crush. Excellent quality knife overall. The metal pieces are precision machined and fit together perfectly. Made in USA. No downside I can see...buy it.

I'm really digging this new hobby knife from Excel. I had a really bad problem with blades loosening with my other brand knife. To a point where it was unsafe.With this new Excel knife the tightening is done via knurled knob opposite the blade, nowhere near where you'd normally grasp the knife. Thus putting pressure on the handle while cutting will not cause the blade to loosen.Craftsmanship looks very good. No sharp burrs or metal flashing left behind. Blades are held on by a 4-prong claw(collet?).My only lament is that I wish the handle was totally metal. The black part is this matte finished polymer. And it basically bridges the metal ends of the knife. Who knows if this will affect longevity but so far blades are all held securely. No pull-outs yet.

Purchased: Nov. 16. 2015.Expected/Actual Arrival: Nov. 18. 2015 (Prime)I have had this for a while now and so far it has been cutting very well and it fits nicely in my hand without discomfort. In the picture I was able to cut out 17 different images and there were no involuntary cuts that had caught on the images itself.There are no downsides to this and I would highly recommend this to any of my family members or friends.(Sorry If Images Are Unclear Or Sideways)

I have really been enjoying this knife. The old-style X-Acto knives used to draw the collet into the body of the knife by turning the knurled portion near the blade, holding the blade very snug and releasing it easily. The new style X-Acto has the collet loose in the body, meaning turning the knurled area on the body does nothing, and you have to actually hold the sharp blade itself and turn it to get the collet to catch and tighten. It's a poor design that favors economy and profit over quality and safety.I really like the Excel style of knife, as it has gone with the draw-bar method of tightening the collet, and makes it very easy to change blades, while holding them very securely. It's very easy to set the blade in and tighten the knurled knob at the other end of the body to hold the blade at just the right tightness. This design works great and has been used in lathes for probably 150 years. I used to love the X-Acto brand, but cutting corners for profit has led me to switch to using the Excel knives, and I'm glad I did.

The handle is excellent. Holds the blade firmly, soft feeling and an anti roll hex on the end. The blade, however, is a revelation. The Excel #11 blade that comes with this knife is the sharpest knife I have ever had the pleasure of using. I removed some belt loops from my wife's synthetic raincoat. The stitching was so fine that I had to use a magnifier. Just a touch would cut the synthetic thread. And the blade is so extra pointy and sharp that I could get under the tiny threads and easily slit them.I've used the usual competition's knives and blades since the 1950's. The handles are a matter of taste, but these Excel blades are what I always wished the others would be.

This craft knife has a warning on the pack, that it contains Lead, if I had known that I would not have brought it, and I am not sure it is legal to sell it in the UK, the warning starts California Proposition 65 Warning, I can not tell which parts have Lead, very dangerous contaminant

Not as sharp as x-acto blades, the handle itself though is far better. Easy to grip and slighlty thicker making it more comfortable to use. I like the addition of the hex nut to stop it from rolling on a flat surface. Don't bother buying Excel brand spare blades and get x-acto ones, they fit in this perfectly and grip far better than the x-acto knife handle too.

This is a good knife on the whole but the one issue I do have is that it is a little bendy when you put pressure on it. I use knifes alot for all sorts of crafts and this is the best I have in my collection, its thin, light and very easy to hold and use. If it just didn't bend it would be awesome.Hope this helpsCheers Steve

excellent handle. has a nice weight to it, doesnt feel cheap. the texture of the rubber(?) coating feels nice and is very comfortable to hold, and also nice and grippy. blades are held in very solidly with no wobbling at all, taking a decent amount of effort to remove even when unscrewedthe only downside is it apparently contains lead, according to the packaging. this wasn't mentioned anywhere in the amazon product description. the packet doesnt specify where the lead is used either so you have no way of knowing if you are coming into contact with it from normal use

I bought this for paper cutting after much research. The knife has a round barrel, much more comfortable to hold than the flat scalpels and the blade is securely held with no movement. It is a good weight and the blade itself is held at a very good angle for cutting the paper and card. I would definitely recommend this knife for use in paper cutting projects.