Gator
Well-known member
Afternoon gents. I'm sure many of you use the old stand by X-Acto knife as your go to hobby knife. While X-Acto has made a name for itself in the craft world, there are better alternatives.
As a sign professional, X-Acto use to be my knife and blade of preference until I discovered the Japanese manufacturer OLFA. Many of you have probably never heard of OLFA or another Japanese hobby knife maker NT Cutter. But I know you have heard of Tamiya. The one of the modeling knives sold by Tamiya is made by OLFA. While I am not sure of the other manufacturer, NT Cutter offers a handle that holds the same size blade.
Let's look at the Tamiya Modeler's Knife Pro/OLFA Precision Art Knife.
In a side by side comparison, you can tell the are the exact same knife. What makes this knife special is the unique blade that comes with it, the Art Knife Blade. With a 45° slant, the blade's tip is fine enough for detail work yet sturdy enough to handle sheet styrene. The sharpness of the blade is everything you would expect from the country known for samurai sword, extremely sharp yet very durable. I have yet to break a tip. OLFA also offers a precision tip blade similar to the #11 blade by X-ACTO, a chisel blade and a carving blade. Two different saw blades are also available. The Tamiya Modeler's Knife Pro retails for between $14.99 and $20.00 while the OLFA Precision Art Knife can be found for just under $10.00.
Tamiya's other hobby knife, the Design Knife, is a much smaller handle and geared more towards finer work. A good alternative for this knife is the family of NT Cutter's Art knives. Both are Japanese made and the blades, 30° and 45° are razor sharp and very durable. The 30° blade would be good for working with styrene while the 45° is a good precision blade for tape and decals. Both these blades come with the NT Cutter Art Knife while only the 45° comes with the Tamiya Design Knife. A resin handled NT Cutter Art Knife retails for $5.65 on Amazon while the Tamiya Design Knife retails for $15.85.
Pictured below is the resin handle Tamiya Design Knife and the NT Cutter aluminum handled Art Knife.
As a sign professional, X-Acto use to be my knife and blade of preference until I discovered the Japanese manufacturer OLFA. Many of you have probably never heard of OLFA or another Japanese hobby knife maker NT Cutter. But I know you have heard of Tamiya. The one of the modeling knives sold by Tamiya is made by OLFA. While I am not sure of the other manufacturer, NT Cutter offers a handle that holds the same size blade.
Let's look at the Tamiya Modeler's Knife Pro/OLFA Precision Art Knife.
In a side by side comparison, you can tell the are the exact same knife. What makes this knife special is the unique blade that comes with it, the Art Knife Blade. With a 45° slant, the blade's tip is fine enough for detail work yet sturdy enough to handle sheet styrene. The sharpness of the blade is everything you would expect from the country known for samurai sword, extremely sharp yet very durable. I have yet to break a tip. OLFA also offers a precision tip blade similar to the #11 blade by X-ACTO, a chisel blade and a carving blade. Two different saw blades are also available. The Tamiya Modeler's Knife Pro retails for between $14.99 and $20.00 while the OLFA Precision Art Knife can be found for just under $10.00.
Tamiya's other hobby knife, the Design Knife, is a much smaller handle and geared more towards finer work. A good alternative for this knife is the family of NT Cutter's Art knives. Both are Japanese made and the blades, 30° and 45° are razor sharp and very durable. The 30° blade would be good for working with styrene while the 45° is a good precision blade for tape and decals. Both these blades come with the NT Cutter Art Knife while only the 45° comes with the Tamiya Design Knife. A resin handled NT Cutter Art Knife retails for $5.65 on Amazon while the Tamiya Design Knife retails for $15.85.
Pictured below is the resin handle Tamiya Design Knife and the NT Cutter aluminum handled Art Knife.
