Sometimes, straightforward tasks call for straightforward tools. For chores like opening boxes, cutting through packaging and scraping away gunk, the simple utility knife is fully capable. You can get a reliably sturdy one for less than $10, but that didn’t stop a group of aerospace engineers who design prototype aircraft for a living from using their free time to make a maxed-out version that goes for close to $100.
They call it the X-1, and it’s currently funding on Kickstarter to the tune of over $22,000. So what do you get for that extra cash? Significant material upgrades, for one; the group, which calls its new venture Resolute Tools, replaced the plastic and metal construction you’ll find at the hardware store with Grade 5 titanium and aluminum-bronze alloy. They also took the design’s simplicity even further. Resolute replaced the conventional sliding switch (which many of us have known to fail) with a bronze piece that locks into a channel but can be removed when it’s time for a new blade.
Speaking of the blade, that’s the one thing the engineers didn’t fuss with. They built the X-1 around the replaceable trapezoidal blades that you can pick up for mere pennies. (Seriously — you can get a pack of 100 at Home Depot for $10).
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