I’ve been wanting to write about my favorite craft knife for some time now, but I bought it several years ago and had never seen it in stores again. Well, we are all in luck because last week, I found it again at my local Joann’s craft shop. Its the Fiskars SoftGrip Craft Knife ($5.69). It has a soft rubberized grip area with a unique soft arced shape.This creates a comfortable grip and keeps the knife from rolling off the table which is a big plus.
I use X-acto blades everyday because of my job so finding a comfortable tool is paramount importance. This is the best knife I’ve owned. My daily knife is a soft aqua color that has turned a dull blue gray from years of use. These are photos of my new bright orange version for home use. Goodbye, metal tube knife!
If you’ve never used a utility or craft knife before, I highly recommend adding them to your arsenal of tools. Combined with a cork-backed metal ruler and a self-healing mat, trimming paper, photos or other straight edge cutting will be fast and clean. Detail cutting can also be done with a craft knife and is less hand-cramp-inducing than scissors.
How do you replace the blades?
Untwisting the knurled end will loosen the clamp on the blade to easily replace with a new sharp blade. The Fiskars takes a standard #11 craft blade. I use Excel blades in the box of 100 ($18.75) which is by far the best value. Align the knife blade and tighten the knurled end.
Storing a craft knife
It comes with a cap to cover the blade but, sadly, the cap does not stay on well and I get nervous removing the cap that I might slide my thumb over the blade when removing it. I’ve actually done this in the past so I definitely have that once-cut-twice-shy behavior. Also, I lose the caps within weeks so its not a big deal to me. I do recommend storing all X-Acto style knives, tip-down in a cup or jar to avoid accidents but the whole point of a knife is to be sharp so use with care. If you need a portable X-acto, I recommend a retractable version like a utility knife rather than a knife with a cap.
What do I do with all the dull blades?
Use an old can or jar with a cover (or make a slot in the lid just big enough to drop your blades into) to put used blades into. When full, tape it shut and drop it at metal recycling facility.
I hope this helps inspire you to try a new tool.
I am still using the xacto knife with the grippy finish. I hadn’t thought to try different except for a finger guided knife which was awful. I never though of recycling the blades. I used to tape them to cardboard when I threw them away. (So many years ago.) Now I used a large prescription bottle (just ask the pharmacist) because it has the safety lid so my boys could not open it.
Thanks for the heads up about this knife – I’ve never seen it in stores.
I want one. And excellent tip about the dull blades.
Cool knife but I’m a bit rough with a blade so that sharp point would end up in 1 of 10 fingers shortly. I will probably pick one up for occasional fine detail work. Thanks for the review
Thanks for the great review – I’ve been looking for a comfortable-to-hold craft knife.And the reference to the blades to use is so helpful!
Thanks for the review I will be checking these out, FYI a fun little trick I like to do when done with my knives is remove the blade and insert it in reverse and tighten. It keeps the majority of the blade covered and protects the tip from breaking. 🙂