Exacto Blades Not Sharp Anymore

[andyk]

Anyone else notice the past couple of years Exacto Brand #11 blades do not stay sharp and the tips break easier? me to! Have tried supposedly different grades from Exacto and they are all equally terrible.

In my search for a good quality #11 have purchased Arteza Brand blades and they are great...stay sharp for days at a time (just like Exacto Brand used to twenty years ago) and the tips do not immediately break off into the cutting mat.

 

[Marlene]

I use #16 blades from Havel's. They come individually wrapped in boxes of 100. Always sharp and no issues. Been using them for years.

 

[JTBoh]

Xacto's Zirconium blades aren't bad - I use them for my "personal" blade but for day to day shop use still use the steel ones.

 

[Johnny Best]

Have always used havel's for the last 30 years. Have always like #16 blade (113-4 size for havel's) better than #11 (172 havel's). Buy them in a box of 100. Never had breakage.

 

[bannertime]

I switched all my X-acto handles to the weeding tip. Been much happier using the Olfa Knifes/Steel Snap Off Blades .

 

[DerbyCitySignGuy]

Olfa precision blade for their art knife is good. Xacto blades are garbage. We had some laying around the shop and the tips usually bend within an hour.

 

[Gino]

We use several kinds and quite honestly, for something which costs about 25¢, it doesn't matter to me how long they last. That's not even $3. a week if you're hard on them. I still like the #11, but the #16 are just as good, in my opinion.

Something I've been doing for a long long time is..... once a point gets dull or not as sensitive as ya like, take a pliers, nip the very point off and it works great all over again, and just as accurate. If I was cutting ruby, then I wouldn't use a nipped blade, but for anything else, it's just dandy.​

 

[Billct2]

We have tried other brands but found Xacto #11 to work best for us.

 

[Mosh]

About a year ago I got a box and all the tips had a bend in them. Other than that one box not had a problem in 29 years of using them.

 

[DerbyCitySignGuy]

We use several kinds and quite honestly, for something which costs about 25¢, it doesn't matter to me how long they last. That's not even $3. a week if you're hard on them. I still like the #11, but the #16 are just as good, in my opinion.

Something I've been doing for a long long time is..... once a point gets dull or not as sensitive as ya like, take a pliers, nip the very point off and it works great all over again, and just as accurate. If I was cutting ruby, then I wouldn't use a nipped blade, but for anything else, it's just dandy.​

Sure. If you're using it a lot and constantly having to change the blades, that time starts to add up though. We've been using Olfa blades for a while and they last days at a time, unless somebody does something dumb (like the dude who likes to throw the knives into the cut mat... ).

 

[Baz]

I prefer working with #11 type blades. I hate the X-Acto brand ... I have been using Grifhold brand blades for many years. Way better.

 

[ikarasu]

I've used the same blade for over a year. Just for weeding, to me it doesn't matter if it's full or not... It still grabs into the vinyl.

For cutting I use an olfa... For fine cutting I use a 30 degree snap blade - https://www.rtmediasolutions.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/lb39h.jpg

Such as this. Probably a no name brand, bought a 100 pack on Amazon for like $10-20, and it's lasted me awhile. I usually only use it for wraps... Go through a blade per wrap.

What do you guys use the tiny exactos for that your dulling them out so quick? I've never considered using them for anything besides weeding vinyl.. for everything else I do, it seems an olfa is better suited. When it gets full, a simple snap and it's sharp as new again. Convenient, and saves time.

 

[ams]

No issues

 

[GAC05]

Sure it is not user error? Have to have the pointy end facing out.
Olfa snap blades here. All day - every day.

wayne k
guam usa

 

[Johnny Best]

Back around 1970 exacto ran a deal if you sent in so many empty packs of blades they would send you a gold blade holder. When I received it the finish was gold anodized aluminum. It was really nice, had it for about 5 years or so and was working in a shop in Missouri and someone lifted it. I was really upset and have never seen the promotion again. Cut a lot of plastic faces with sticky back and embossed faces with rubber mask and tons of rubylith with that knife. I sometimes wonder if the person who stole it took care of it or just sitting in some garage tool drawer getting ready for a garage sale.
Sorry for getting off topic but the thought of exacto blades bought up a lot of memories.

 

[SignosaurusRex]

Been using X-acto brand #11 & #16 for 40+ years. I use each for separate tasks. No complaints about quality here. I generally get 3 100ct. boxes for about $35 -$40. At worst, I might need to replace a blade 7 times in a week. Not gonna worry about pennies over the course of a month.

 

[SignosaurusRex]

Sure it is not user error?

wayne k
guam usa

 

[jfiscus]

Thanks for all the knowledge shared here. We go through a LOT of blades here, but we have a "few" people in production. I think we might give the Havels a try, I love their other products and they're a local company.

 

[The Sign Goddess]

I've seen a decline this last few years. Had to actually send two 100 packs back to my supplier this summer as the entire blade had been cut wrong. No point and no edge, you could physically see the flat spot on the edge where it should have been sharp. I've had other packs where half of them were dull. They don't hold an edge as long as they used too either IMO.

 

[DerbyCitySignGuy]

I've seen a decline this last few years. Had to actually send two 100 packs back to my supplier this summer as the entire blade had been cut wrong. No point and no edge, you could physically see the flat spot on the edge where it should have been sharp. I've had other packs where half of them were dull. They don't hold an edge as long as they used too either IMO.

I received an entire box of screws once that hadn't been threaded.