Handi-Cut

This isn’t Cool Tools and I’m no Kevin Kelly, but I feel obligated to mention how much I love this Craftsman Handi-Cut scissor/utility knife/clipper thing.

Handi-Cut

My dad gave me one 10-15 years ago, and it’s one of my favorite tools. It’s obviously not a complete replacement for a utility knife, but when you can fit what you’re cutting between its blade and anvil, it gives you great leverage and control, and it makes a nice straight cut that you can’t get freehand.

Back when I got mine, there was only one size (now there are two blade lengths) and it didn’t have that little blade keeper on the inside surface of the handle. I’m generally suspicious of “improvements” to things that work well, but I can’t see how these additions would screw up the Handi-Cut. If I ever lost mine, I wouldn’t hesitate to replace it with one of the current models.

I was reminded of how great the Handi-Cut is this past weekend when I cut up an old bicycle inner tube into a set of cylinders to use as cord keepers for my various electronic paraphernalia.

One inner tube = enough cord organizers to last the rest of my life. http://yfrog.com/kjhsapj

4:41 PM Sun Jun 12, 2011

Cord keepers from an inner tube

Some of them are like sleeves for shortening cords, some like fat, heavy-duty rubber bands. They would have been impossible to cut neatly with a utility knife and would have dulled regular scissors.

As far as I know, there’s no “Sears Associates” program, so I get no kickback if you go out and buy one. It’s just a good thing to have in your toolbox.