X-Acto Blade Styles
- X-Acto blades are most identified as being triangular with a steep angle to the sharp edge, but there are many other styles of blades available for use in the various handles that X-Acto makes specifically to grip and control their blades. X-Acto blade styles include curved blades at different degrees of slope, useful for whittling and carving; flat blades sharpened only at the front edge, used to chisel and smooth wood; deep-toothed saw blades, for keyhole sawing in tight spaces; and even blades curved like a hook, used in working with such materials as leather and linoleum. The different styles of blades lend themselves to a variety of crafting projects and, depending on the handle used, can often be switched out for another blade when the need arises.
- There is also a wide assortment of handle styles available for many of the different X-Acto blades on the market. The most common is the straightforward pen-like metal shaft handle, which has a slotted tip at the end that screws in and grips the base of a blade. Other styles include a full pen knife, which includes a cover to fit over the blade; thinner stencil handles, for use with thin blades for delicate cutting; screwdriver-style handles for heavy carving; utility knife handles for blade retraction; and rounded-bottom woodcarving knives. Certain pen-like handles are also available with a rubberized barrel for a softer grip.
- Fitting an X-Acto blade and handle depends on the type of project the blade is expected to be used on. Lighter projects, such as thin cardboard or soft linoleum cutting, can be done with a thin-handled, triangular blade held like a pencil for precision, while projects with heavy carving or digging require a thicker handle that allows for a full grip. Similarly, projects that require lateral blade movement should use an angled blade with a handle that's easy to move, while those that require head-on or downward cuts should use a cross blade. Since blades can be switched out, it's possible to buy a single handle, as required by the project, and a number of blades for each occasion.
- X-Acto also makes a numbers of blade styles specific to woodcarving, and handles to use with them. Woodcarving X-Acto blades include those with a curved interior edge, an angled edge, and a flat edge with an angled tip. While similar in design to other X-Acto blades, these wooworking styles are thicker and stronger than those made to cut thinner materials. There are special handles made to use with these blades that are heavier, and notched to aid with gripping.
