If you do any amount of crafting, art or design work, chances are you are familiar with the X-Acto name and their respective line of products. I started using these years ago and now the boys are starting out with them for their projects. They are easy to use, the blades can be replaced in a matter of seconds and they allow you the freedom to do freehand cuts without having to use scissors or a paper cutter. If you can hold a pen or pencil then you can use an X-Acto product. So what sets this apart from others in the series? To be completely honest, not much. The barrel of it is a little nicer looking and isn't as thin as the ones that design students primarily use but outside of the looks of it, it functions the same was as most other X-Acto cutters. So if it's the same, why did I purchase one? First, it was on sale for $3.00, second, with the boys using the other cutters I wanted to have something tucked away just for me to use so when I had the need to use it, I didn't have to go rooting around looking for one.

X-Acto Pen Knife with Pocket Clip & Cap #10 Blade

Most of the time I use the #11 blades when cutting posterboard and foamcore but the #10 that comes with this knife does do a fine job. The barrel is textured [but not as much so as the regular knives] so you are able to get a firm grip on it and if you are making precision cuts you can do so without any slippage. This is a little thicker than the regular X-Acto knives so if you are used to using them, it might take you a little bit of time to get used to this one. Since this costs more than twice as much as the regular knives from X-Acto it's not something that you are going to want to toe around with you if you are prone to losing things. The #11 blade that you get with this [specialty marked packages come with three free blades] thicker than the #10 so if you are trying to cut through something thick like foamcore or cardboard the tip of the blade might get stuck in it and if you don't have the barrel locked in tight enough, it will pull the blade right out of the housing. Then you are left to try and dig it out without slicing your fingers or making the situation worse.

If you are going for looks then this is definitely the one to go with without sinking twenty or more dollars into a knife. While it does cost more than the entry level or basic knives, it looks a lot nicer so if you are a 'professional' it looks better than having the basic silver ones. Instead of the cheap caps [plastic safety caps] that crack or get lost, this one has a really nice one that is slightly rounded and has a metal keep clip on it so that it can be attached to a pocket or liner to keep it from getting lost. In a way it really looks more like a pen than an X-Acto product and this is where things can get dangerous, if someone were to grab this while not paying attention, well, I don't need to tell you what could happen. This shouldn't be left out if you have younger children in your household; the blades are extremely sharp and even when they seem dull to you, they are still sharp enough to cut through skin in seconds. Dispose of the blades properly too, I use masking tape to cover the edges then toss them in the trash but there are blade receptacles that you can purchase if you go through a lot of them.

As I said, I got this for three dollars at my local office supply store; the normal selling price can range from $5.99 to $6.99 depending on where you are shopping. Is this worth it? It all depends on how much need to you have a knife like this as well as what you plan on doing with it. I like the fact that I can use the pointy #11 blades or the curvy #10's or even the #16 for extremely fine line cuts. You can get this in gold or silver but if you are trying to 'show off' a little, stick with the gold one … most of the basic X-Acto knives are silver so if you want this to stand out a little, go for the gold! X-Acto is a great company to deal with, when ever I have had any problems or questions, emails were answered in hours, not days and phone calls were taken promptly.

The Bottom Line

While I really like the way that this looks and the way that it performs, for a couple dollars more I could have gotten one of the ultra cool X-Calibre knives with retractable blade sleeve. I'm not disappointed with this knife in the least but outside of it looking nicer than the basic there really isn't a lot of difference to it except the cap and the blade that comes with it. You can use almost every size X-Acto blade in the sleeve of this, the exceptions are printed on the back of the product card so if you have specific requirements or needs, make sure you read which blades will not work with this before you buy it. You can check out other product from this company by visiting their official website at www.xacto.com


As always, thanks for the visit…

~^V^~ Freak ~^V^~

© 2006 Freak369


Related reviews …

X-Acto Light Duty Knife
X-Acto Knife Blades
X-Acto #11 Blades

The Ultimate "Back To School" List



Recommended: Yes