Tools are much like almost everything else; someone is always looking to come up with a new and hopefully improved version. The standard Utility Knife has been no exception in the past few years. Utility Knives are a quite simple tool used for cutting almost anything from carpet, drywall or many other soft materials. The original design was very simple, the blade was permanently secured to the front of the handle and the extra blades were stored inside of it. The first change to this tool was the use of a retractable blade that slid inside of the handle. Both of these versions meant unscrewing a set screw in the handle to change the blade. Safety was always a problem especially with the first version since the blade was always out. A few years ago several tool companies started making a knife that folded much like a pocketknife. These knifes while adding some safety to the knife still required two hands to close and still had a bit of safety issues. For the most part this version was a big improvement on the old classic. Just recently Olympia Tools came up with another version that kind of incorporates several versions of this classic tool. Their Turboknife X has the slide out design of the earlier models and the one hand operation of the later models. The idea is to allow for the safety of having the blade inside of the handle and still allow one hand operation even with blade changes. Also the Turboknife X is harder to open accidentally in your pocket or toolbox.

An improvement on a classic.

The Turboknife X boasts a very solid design. The blade is slide in and out of the handle by pressing and sliding a button on the top of the knife. Closed length of the knife is about 4 ½” and the open length is about 6” with the handle being about 1 ½” wide and ½” thick. The blade can be changed by turning a wheel in the slide out portion of the knife. This knife uses a standard Utility Knife blade. Holding on to the knife is very easy and comfortable since the handle fits perfectly in my hand. Other features include a belt clip for carry the knife with you, a plastic cover for the blade and 5 replacement blades.

Why do I like this knife so much?

The biggest thing that I like about this knife is it adds safety to a very sturdy tool. Olympia designed this knife with those thoughts in mind. Having the thumb wheel for changing the blade is not a new idea, but it is a good one. The slide in/out closing method is very smooth and for some reason gives me a feeling like I am using a totally solid knife. With safety always be foremost in people’s mind, the plastic guard that fits over the blade is a must have. I have used several of these knives for a few projects in the past few months. My experience with this Utility Knife includes cutting drywall, carpet, ceiling tile, and I also carry one of these knives for cutting plastic wrap and cardboard on my job. These knives have never left me down and I really don’t think that they ever will.

One Complaint.

There is no place to store the blades in the knife. Ok, I know the design of the knife is the reason for this, but I still wanted to mention it. This is a minor thing and many of the other newer designed knives have the same problem.

A word about Olympia Tools.

This company is an innovator in tool design. They also have a history of working to improve old tool designs. Many of their products have been highlighted on TV shows and magazines that I have read. The other thing that I didn’t know until recently was how in touch with the consumer that they are. Epinions has given me many of chances to tell my views and stories about my tool experiences. I always hoped that the companies that made these tools would actually read these reviews to become more in touch with the end users of them. Several months ago, I came home from work and found a message on my answering machine from a gentleman that said he was from Olympia tools and asked me to call him back. When I called the number it was indeed a number that put me in touch with an Olympia Tools’ phone number. Upon talking with Art on the phone it was clear that this company was reading reviews on Epinions and had read some of mine. He told me that the company wanted to send me some tools to test and write a review on. I was floored and honored by this and I really want to share this with all of the people here at Epinions. It makes it clear that not only are we helping consumers but just maybe we are making a difference in the way companies build their products. My hat is off to Olympia Tools for caring so much about the consumer. I want to thank them for their generosity and for sending me this wonder tool.

Thanks for checking out my reviews!!!

Steelfan