X-acto knives

Stan in Oly, WA

Well-known Member
Does anyone have experience with currently purchased X-acto knives, or other brands of this product? My wife mentioned that the Harbor Freight version she has is useless for her purposes (art), so I thought I'd get her a good quality set for her birthday. Normally, I would expect the brand whose name has become the generic name of the item to be the best quality, but that has stopped being true for so many products that I thought I'd better look into it. I would appreciate any information or advice you can give me.

Stan
 
Harbor Freight has several different sets. Sure looked like one of them had all the same blades Dad's old xacto has ?
 
After reading all the below info of which I never even knew you could buy scalpels I'd HIGHLY recommend getting a pair of Kevlar gloves too !
 
A good X-acto knife can be had from an art store. The refill pack of blades usually only fits the larger diameter knife . The small ones won't fit the better blades. For cutting stencils you need a pivoting blade knife and those blades are sold in 3 packs and real sensitive to tip snapping. All you need is one good x-acto handle. Dispose of blades safely in a container as stray blades on the bench can be nasty. Buy the large pack of replacement X-acto brand blades.
 
I will pay the postage. Thanks. I sent you an email through this site. If you get it and can respond through regular email, then we can work out the details that way. If you don't get the email from me by this evening, I'll post my email address for you here. May I ask how it is you came to have boxes of scalpel blades that you don't need now? I'm just curious. It's not as if I don't have large quantities of various things I used to be interested in but don't foresee ever using up in my lifetime now.

Stan
 
Mike, It isn't the blades that are the problem. It's the weak plastic collet, which my wife says fails almost immediately. It must be true because she's not the one of us who ruins things by applying too much force. In regard to your later post, I also didn't know you could buy scalpels either until a few years ago. I think the truth is, you can buy almost anything in this country---one way or another. The real surprise is in finding out how many things aren't even illegal.

Stan
 
John, I bought ten or twelve scalpels a few years ago, but they are far from being completely high quality products. The blades seem to be high quality, and that's really all I needed for my purposes, but the handles are cheap plastic, and wouldn't be comfortable to use for more than a short time. The collets on X-acto knives I remember seeing years ago were metal---probably aluminum, but possibly steel. That would be enough to serve my wife's purposes, I think. She said that the plastic collets in the Harbor Freight version are no good at all.

Stan
 

FYI...a GOOD fine Diamond Sharpener will put an unbelievable edge on an Xacto knife or Scalpel.. will save you Hundreds of blades...
 

NEVER buy an "Exacto Clone" that has a plastic collet..it will essentially be useless for any serious use..

ALWAYS look for the ones with the Metal Collet..
 
Lots of medical things are available through vetrenary supply houses, that you would expect to be unavailable to the public. Often at priced far below commomon retail.
 
My dad bought so many odd things at auctions. These are an example. I did use a box for cutting the plastic on model cars and planes but I don't need box after box.

My email is [email protected].... If you have paypal, I can send you the email I use for that.
 
Stan, I have a set of x-acto knives. Will look tomorrow and let you know the brand. Also think that I may have extra handles that I probably don't need that I would be willing to send to you. Will look.
 
Thanks. That's the kind of information I value. I always feel that every item that could be used in multiple applications will be exorbitantly overpriced if it's being sold as an exotic item for an activity that few people, or mainly wealthy people, engage in--through an artists' supply house, for instance. But the exact same item might be very inexpensive if it's also used in a less specialized field. Years ago in a Sears paint department, I saw a half pint can of something called traction additive for paint. It cost a couple of dollars. It was sand. I happen to know that sand is much cheaper at a sand and gravel yard---I've sometimes been told that if I want to shovel it myself, I can just have it.

Stan
 
FORGET THE GLOVES! They just give you a False sense of security, and you can't properly feel the scalpel handle in your hands. I'm trained in Surgery & I don't even like wearing Surgical Gloves, but they're a necessity due to Bloodborne Pathogens. - You just have to keep in mind that you are working with something that is EXCEEDINGLY SHARP. YES, I've been stabbed and sliced by my own hand, and it's not much fun especially when you slice through an Artery; but it just makes you more aware that you need to be more careful and THINK before you act.

Doc :>)
 
Stan, another good traction additive is ground up Walnut shells. When I was a youngster, my family always had boats; and not too far from the Marina where we kept our boat, there was a large plant that would grind up Walnut shells. Whenever we needed some, we'd drive over by the plant and Dad would take an old Coffee can and walk over by the fence and scoop up a couple of handfulls of Walnut shell dust off of the ground - FREE "traction additive". Later, Dad would add it to the Deck Paint before we put it on the boat.

Doc :>)
 

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