OLFA9mm Stainless-Steel Utility Knife (SVR-2) - Multi-Purpose Retractable Precision Knife w/Stainless-Steel Snap-Off Blade, Replacement Blades: Any OLFA 9mm Blade

I had this knife as a gift for christmas and loved it for crafts. I then j use it. almost daily for everything else. I have lost 4 of these so far and this is now im 5th buying. needless to say the knife is good enough for me to keep buying it once or twice a year since I always lose it. I also lose it before I even get to use a refill blade so I have roughly 5 extra blades right now. just buy it quality is great blades are always sharp. super easy to use never has bound up on me the sliding mechanism always works reliably. careful with teh clip on the end ive lost a few of those before too by just pulling it out my pocket. so just make sure it always there. product has no real design flaws other than being impossible to find once you do lose it. I tore my whole house apart and cant find teh 4 that ive lost. the design doesnt look comfortable but I promise you it is and works well. if you use the clip piece to snap off the blades pliers work fine but the built in clip part is much better so just dont lose it. for the price I dont mind buying another once year if it means I ave a really good quality knife when I need one.

Little bit of background... I do papercutting as an artform. In day-to-day life, I'm not very comfortable with scissors -- knives just work better for my general purpose cutting tasks. My standard go-to blade for light duty general tasks (opening packages, letters, cutting thread, cutting cable ties, etc.) and for my detailed paper cutting has been a #3 scalpel with a #11 blade. I greatly prefer carbon steel over stainless. I gave up on X-Acto blades long ago.I had always been aware of snap-off blade systems, and I had always trusted Olfa blades, having good experiences with their rotary cutters. Recently, I impulsively picked up the SVR-1 (not this knife, give me a second here) locally for full retail price. I was immediately impressed with the build quality -- the body is sturdy, the plastic part seemed unlikely to fail, the whole thing just felt exactly as minimal and exactly as engineered as it needed to be. The SVR-1 and the SVR-2 both come with stainless steel blades, so I checked Amazon to see if carbon steel blades were available. When I went to order some, I then also looked into this product, the SVR-2 with a blade lock. So, now I have both.The SVR-1 has no lock to speak of. They call it a slide lock, and yes the blade clicks into place, but enough pressure on the blade (a moderate amount) will send the blade back into the carrier. The lock on the SVR-2 seems like wizardry at first. You slide the blade into and out of place just as on the SVR-1, with no additional step. The blade follows a step behind, springily, like a caterpillar walks almost. Hard to explain, but the point is, you just slide the blade as you want, but no amount of pressure on the blade itself will send it back into the carrier. Amazing. I definitely recommend this one over the SVR-1, with one caveat -- the plastic bit is the lock mechanism, and it seems far more likely to fail than the simple piece on the SVR-1. When/if this will actually happen, I don't know. But it is a more complicated piece. Otherwise, it's the same sturdy stainless construction, the same easy load/use, the same useful and unobtrusive clip/blade breaker.So, what about the blades? For fine detail work, I still think the #11 scalpel blade will be better. But that's not always necessary, and when it's not, I think I'll be grabbing the Olfa. The stainless blades that came with both knives were typical stainless -- relatively soft, dulling more quickly than necessary. The carbon steel blades are amazing. Cannot stress what a difference they make. For day-to-day light duty utility work, they have already proven themselves. Being holiday-time, there have been a lot of packages coming in and going out, a lot of things to open, and this knife has been with me the whole way. When the blade dulls, breaking off a new tip using the clip is simple. Tips don't feel like they'll break off accidentally. This has been on my mind, though. In my paper-cutting, I often cut through many layers at once, and I often apply far more pressure than I should. I have broken scalpel blades. One shot up to my eye. I guess I blinked in time, my eye came out unharmed, but it sure didn't make me feel great. I'm willing to bet that the more controlled break, if it were to happen, on these breakaway blades would be more predictable. I don't really have any evidence to back that up, it's just a thing that's been on my mind.So, in summary, great design. Engineered/designed just the right amount. The stock blades are probably fine for a lot of day-to-day uses, but the carbon steel blades are not prohibitively expensive and are just wonderful. I really love this knife, and am probably going to replace the utility knife in my toolbag with one of Olfa's 18 or 25 mm snappers.

I use this little Japanese beauty on a near-daily basis, and every time I reach for it, I am glad that I paid a bit more for a high quality product. My mother has a few Olfa products that she uses for sewing, crafts, and the like, and as a teenager I was always impressed with their functionality, sharpness, and quality. Did I mention that the stainless steel blade that came with this little gem lasted about 3 months? Japanese companies know a thing or two about sharp edges. Let's face it: for small utility knives, there are many less expensive options; while perusing my local Dollar Tree aisles, I found a three pack of 9mm snap-off utility knives, which put the 7 dollars or so I spent on this Olfa in perspective. Nevertheless, I would buy another in a heartbeat: it's that well-made, and that handy. I use mine for everything from cutting heatshrink tubing off of electrical assemblies to slicing articles out of magazines. If you're even considering this item, my advice is to buy it: it's a fantastic piece of kit, you will not regret it.Pros:1. Stainless steel body. Looks great, takes a beating, fairly ergonomic.2. Locking mechanism. I was skeptical when I first opened the 5019, as the actual locking mechanism seems to be made mostly of plastic. I would have preferred metal. But after months of heavy use, it still locks up with a secure definite indent. There's a helpful audible click that lets you know that you've advanced one blade segment.3. Overall usefulness. I have electrician shears, large utility knives, folding pocket knives, etc, at my work table, and this is still the first edged instrument I reach for.Cons:1. Price: The knife itself can't do anything that a $0.99 hardware counter plastic keychain knife won't do nearly as well. But the the Olfa will last a lifetime, stay sharp longer, and be easier on your hands. And be a pleasure to use. The Olfa brand blades, while very effective and corrosion resistant, can be hard to find. And pricey. The SVR-2 accepts any standard 13-segment, snap-off utility knife blades. So you have options.Conclusion: This Olfa product is the best of its kind. Strong, sharp, easy-to-use, and long-lasting. I will purchase more Olfa products in the future. Seriously: buy this, you won't regret paying a bit extra for a quality tool like this!