X-ACTO Retract-A-Blade Utility Knife

I had one of this for 13 years and it finally broke. Ordered a replacement without ever second guessing it. Very comfortable and since erhe blad retracts 100%, it's very safe and easy to store. It's about the thickness of a large sharpie marker for comparison.

Love these things for everyday use. Yes its mostly plastic, and yes the rounded end pops off easily. (Can be glued back on or left off with no affect on the safety) But that is nothing compared to the safety that you get from it. Most all metal X-Acto knives I have owned come with some cheap plastic cap that falls off way to easily. Resulting in me resorting to having to tape the cap on for safety. With these ones Its a easy slide to hide the blade safety away. It has a slight locking mechanism so it will not slide open on accident. I normally have one in my pocket all day at my job and have never had a problem.You MUST use the right sized blades for this."X11" blade. Not just the #11. They are not all the same and the wrong sized one will fit the knife fine, but will be too large for it to slide closed, totally negating the whole reason to have this knife.

I always buy these because they are great and last.

I had been looking for a retractable craft knife handle and I figured an X-acto branded one would be awesome. It isn't terrible, to be clear, I do love this tool, but it does have some design flaws. My primary complaint is how much the plastic rod connecting to the collet flexes while tightening it down around the blade. The entire slider assembly is a rather flimsy plastic rod that twists fairly easily and flexion makes me hesitant to really tighten the blade collet the way I'd like to. The blade socket is just threaded into the plastic rod.I would have no complaints if this was some knockoff where cutting corners is expected, but I did expect better from an X-acto-branded tool.

Very handy and I love the fact that I can’t lose the cap for it….I would always lose it and then couldn’t carry the x-acto knife around anymore. I wish it was metal and had a secure lock on it for the blade when closed. I keep imagining it in my pocket and something pressing the lock in just enough for it to slide out, but this hasn’t happened yet and hopefully never will.

These are difficult to come by so when I see them I get it. The body fits well in your hand. Since the blade is retracted into the body lost caps are not an issue. The slide keeps the body from rolling to far on your work surface. The plastic body is light yet durable for general use.

Up front, it is mostly plastic and it was obvious from the description and picture. The mechanism to move the blade in and out is plastic as well as the outer tube. The blade holder, however, is metal which is a big plus there. The reason I chose this one was that it uses #11 xacto blades which I have some and can get them pretty much anywhere. I keep this in my pencil holder by my chair. I'm not a crafty person, but it's good for light weight cutting. Cutting paper, opening/breaking down boxes, opening blister packs, removing warning labels from electrical cords that tell you not to put it in water or do other stupid things with it (duh), etc. Certainly a good value for the cost.

While this is a great idea, it is executed poorly. I explain: I use X-actos all day in the sign business, so I know what works and what doesn't. I will start with cons as they are necessary for a stipulation on the pros.Cons:1) It is important to note that I get the blades that I can order from my suppliers, granted they are never X-acto brand but... MANY manufactures of no.11 blades don't fit in the holder. There is a small part of the blade that goes outside of the width of the "tang" of the blade (part that goes in the holder.) The opening on the knife is ONLY the width of the tang, so any bigger and you cant close it without forcing it, which damages it.2) The holder is crap. The switch that slides the knife out does not stayed latched where it needs to be to work with the knife. Makes it frustrating.3) A continuation of 2: The construction feels cheap, the latch is shotty, overall not a good execution. Would have been better if it were made a bit more rugged, with an aluminum outer case perhaps with a switch that works. It would cost more, of course, but I would pay it.Pros:It is cool to have a knife you can close, if you can find a blade that fits and the latch works for you. Can anyone ever keep up with those clear caps!? NO. How about some color guys! But I digress; if you don't used it all day like I do, and buy only xacto blades, it is a cool idea, just needs to be better.TO XACT-O PEOPLE: Call me, I have a design that will work better.