OLFACraft Knife, S-Shaped, 26B

This is a fine little blade, with no frills. The knurled knob for locking it is a little bit fiddly and difficult to unlock, but other than that i think this is a well made product. The Japanese still know how to make a great edge tool, even for a light utility blade like this.The blade (double sided, nice feature) is proprietary, if you want another you'll need to buy it from the manufacturer. The blade has a distinctly asymmetrical grind, but it's not totally flat-ground on one side like many layout and marking knives, more like it's flat ground with a visible back-bevel ground in. This geometry has actually been really nice in use, it feels precise in placement against a pattern or straightedge, and draws nicely through the material without trying to wander. The blade came sharp enough to test on wood and leather and performed well. It came machine-ground but it has a bright edge that makes me think it was power-stropped before packing, it was nice to use right out of the box, and seems like it will take sharpening and stropping well.The handle is almost elegant in it's simplicity, it feels clean and functional with good feedback while cutting. The blade is about twice as thick as an exacto or utility blade (its seems about 3/64" thick)Overall I'm really happy with this purchase. Shipping took forever and I was a little disappointed about that, but after receiving it I think that it was worth the wait. It's about 4" when the blade is retracted, and feels right in the hand and could hypothetically carry easily in the pocket (i wouldn't, the brass knob could unlock and let the blade extend) and it's been a great size for woodworking layout, leather trimming and basic utility-type stuff. I may purchase the Larger version of this tool for grafting plants, as this blade is a little on the short side for that sort of thing.

I love this knife. Great size and I like the angle as it comes out the end of the knife. Standard razor blade knives come out parallel to the handle. This means that even on a flat surface the only part of the knife you uses is the tip. Great for ripping through boxes or cutting through something you may be holding but difficult when you want to cut on a surface. X-Acto knives are too small for any heavy duty cutting. The olfa 26b and 34b both have a heavy duty blade. Both knives have thicker blades than a heavy duty razor blade knives. The 26b has two advantages over the 34b. 1. The double sided blades and 2. When the 26b is closed even if the brass locking Knob is lose it will not slide open in your pocket. The way it is built the knob has to be very loose to slide forward. The advantage to the 34b is that the blade is significantly thicker and a little longer. Usable cutting edge is 38mm on the 26b and 56mm on the 34b.

A simple retractable kiridashi style craft knife.

Olfa is known for its high quality cutting tools and this craft knife is no exception. There's no bells and whistles to this knife just a sharp sturdy blade that locks into place with a brass thumb wheel. That thumbwheel may be problematic for some people to use as it's rather small and flush to the frame of the knife. The double-sided blade slides in and out of the black coated steel handle and is fully adjustable for length.The thin profile of the handle precludes comfortable gripping in certain positions but also allows you to get a very close grip almost like a pencil for fine detail work. The handle also does have a lanyard hole and many people actually carry this as a EDC option. Keep in mind that both the steel of the blade and handle are high carbon and will be subject to corrosion if not given attention after use. All in all it's hard to go wrong with this knife at this price point especially if you're using it for tasks that would be too much for a standard light duty razor cutter.

A cheap little knife that I carry around with me every day. Perfect for cutting things open or making precision cuts by retracting the blade a little. There is a bigger version but I like the two sided blade so I can have a dirty everyday cutting side and a clean precision cutting side. Great for making marks in wood and starting holes to drill into. Threw a piece of paracord on so it's easier to find, by my own fault I let it rust a little but still works fine. Make sure to buy with an extra blade just so you don't have to wait for long shipping when you need the blade later. Great little packaging with a little origami bird.

So thus is a great utility knife. I love it but it has a single fatal flaw and that is the availability of replacement blades. Only place I can find them is ebay, $4.50 for 2...... and $27.50 shipping from Japan. At that rate it's better to just buy a new knife but I hate to throw away what otherwise would be a totally usable tool if the damn blades were able to be purchased. For thus reason, I can't recommend this knife.

Thoughtful design. Infinitely adjustable blade extension length. Blade is thicker than most utility/craft knives, in fact thick enough to be resharpened *and* it's reversible; when one side wears out, just remove it and flip it around. Offset bevel for cutting against a straight edge. Sturdy steel frame. Carbon steel blade will rust if neglected, so oil it or force a patina.

Was very satisfied with the blade quality, it came very sharp out of the box! When it loses its edge, give it a couple of passes on a strop and it'll be like new.