CANARY Box Opener Tool 5" - Mini Package Opener Box Cutter Knife for Opening Packages - Made in Japan, Red

Why did you pick this product vs others?:Love this!!! Cuts thru cardboard & foam so easily. Great for making props!! Especially for tight spots where electric cutter would rush thru or chop something small part of!

The stainless version is a huge deal. Never rusts and it stays harder and sharper for longer. Safe to use, too, as the blade is not long and blunt to the touch. Made in Japan, and it shows.

Why did you pick this product vs others?:I break down a lot of cardboard boxes for recycling. This knife saves my better blades. Good value, good product.

After being totally fed up with getting cuts and the awkwardness of using an open scissors or an actual knife to open the literally dozens of Amazon (and other) packages we get each month, I found this - and SO glad I did! We got the pink (shorter, serrated edge, with the non-stick coating). Literally a game-changer for SO many packages and plastic-sealed products we are always opening.The "blade" is serrated, but while it cleanly and easily slices through all plastics and all cardboard boxes (even pretty thick ones) with ease, it does not cut the user, simply because you brush against the cutting edges. Even if you gently rub it across your skin, it's rough, and maybe leaves a white scrape mark, but no cutting whatsoever. Shocking given just how easily it slices though heavy-duty cardboard. Simply a brilliant product!As far as the "protective sheath," it's more of a small, flimsy shaped plastic that slips over the blade, and part of the handle. I wouldn't rely on it for anything, really (it's about the consistency of a thin plastic sandwich bag, not hard plastic). At first, I thought we'd regret not having gotten one with an actual hard protective sheath, but given that the serrated edges do no harm on their own, without applying a decent amount of pressure (but not too much, it's still easy to cut boxes/seals easily), it doesn't really need it for just sitting in a drawer, waiting for it's next use.nPersonally, I like this size, because of the leverage it offers - longer blades have greater chance of hitting something you don't intend (like if something delicate is packed towards the cutting edge of the packaging box), but this can only go so far inside, and even so, is unlikely to demage anything but the most delicate (or cardboard/paper-based) item inside the box, even if it did hit it.It's lightweight, is well-balanced in the hand, and easy to grab regardless of whether you're right- or left-handed (it's serrated on both sides). I've found it's much easier to pull towards you (which we always hated using scissors!), rather than pushing away... just seems to have much greater leverage.Really a great product - just ordered a 2nd one to have one upstairs and down.

This serrated blade allows you to saw through cardboard boxes. It's sturdy, easy to use and safely cuts without worry of the blade slipping and cutting my fingers.

Great knife for cardboard

I work as a stocker at a home improvement store. So I cut down a lot of boxes, some days more than others. I bought the one with the red handle and this little gem is so amazing. And it's made in Japan, why is it that the really superb/nifty objects like this come from Japan? The round beveled tip allows you to easily slip the blade between to pieces of cardboard and cut the tape. It slices through the cardboard itself super smoothly as well.There is a bit of a learning curve as it definitely handles differently than traditional razor type box cutters that basically like to get away from you and do whatever they want and the other flat type safety cutters that require you force the cutter through the tape/cardboard before you can try to cut with it. With this Canary you can just lightly skim the surface once or twice to make an opening that you can easily slide the blade through to make your cut.I have small hands so many box cutters are too big but this one fits comfortably while still being substantial enough to maintain a good grip.I actually carry two traditional razor type box cutters and two of those flat safety cutters as well in my work uniform and this is by far my favorite. I got in the habit of carrying around so many box cutters because one would be better for normal taped boxes, another would be better for cutting through straps, and another would be better for actually cutting though the card board, none of them were good with removing labels. This canary has been doing it ALL and has been doing it like a champ for the past two months. I think I can start carrying a couple less box cutters from now on.The only complaint I could possibly have is that it sometimes gets rather gunked up with adhesive from the tape it cuts through, but it doesn't affect it's performance at all. However, it kinda self cleans which is awesome as I'll keep cutting my way through boxes and the adhesive that is gunked on the blade will magically disappear. Though that is more of a complaint about the quality of tape that is used to tape the boxes together than anything else.I am going to spend the extra dollar and get the pink handled one this time and see if the non stick coating will make much of a difference. Now that I've experienced how amazing a Canary is I don't think I can go back to the traditional stuff. I am even contemplating engraving my name into the handle incase it get lost. I almost lost it today and it made me realize how much I have really come to love it and that I definitely want a back up ready to go in case I do actually lose it. Thus, I am buying another one now.11/15/2022 Just wanted to put in an update. I'm still using the first Canary that I ordered and it is still going strong. I use this almost exclusively at work. Yes I still carry three other box cutters, but I also have like 5 pens, 3 markers, bandaids, and tampons that I carry in my apron, so that's just something I think I'll always do. But I'll only use one of those other box cutters like less than .1% of the time. Like once or twice a month I'll run into a situation where I'll use something besides the Canary. With going through up to a few hundred boxes in a day, I'd say this is definitely worth the investment.

Cutting ability:So much better than what I was using before to break down boxes - scissors. The blade cuts clean and straight. I can reuse cardboard more efficiently.