Hello, It’s been getting quite warm in Tokyo, and we’ve had a string of very pleasant days. However, if you let the nice weather catch you off guard, you might find yourself suffering from cedar pollen. It has become that kind of season. I’m Okamura from the techo team.

When I was in prep school, I bought a ton of fancy pencils for art school entry exam sketches. During those gruelling days of tests, my only respite was sketching. I especially enjoyed the time spent sharpening pencils by hand with a utility cutter. I figured I was never going to use the pencils again, so I decluttered them. Because of that, the stationery I can truly say I’m obsessed with isn't the pencils themselves, but the knives I’ve used to sharpen them. I recently discovered a new utility knife, so I’d like to focus on that today.


A variety of knives for different uses

Even now, I still use a utility knife to sharpen my pencils. I also use them to unpack deliveries or cut the plastic twine when bundling up cardboard for recycling. Given the nature of my work, I’m constantly using a knife?to cut printed cards, posters mounted on foam board, and sometimes special materials like plastic. I have a certain sentimental attachmental to them; I even still own some that I bought back in elementary or middle school.



The other day, while browsing a general store, I saw a rugged-looking utility knife accompanied by a rare, handwritten display sign. It was the “Glanz” by SDI Japan.



It’s a knife designed with a mechanism to prevent the blade from wobbling. The blade itself is a “30-degree” type, which is extremely sharp and designed for precision work.



With most utility knives, you slide the blade in and out with a clicking sound. While convenient, that “click-stop” method usually leaves a certain amount of “play” in the mechanism, causing the blade to wobble slightly from side to side during a cut. Since the blades are thin, they also flex. When doing precision work, I feel like I’ve always had to subconsciously compensate for that wobble based on experience.

This knife, however, is a game-changer. While you can’t easily slide the blade in and out with one hand, it locks firmly in place just like a specialized design knife, completely eliminating that wobble. By lifting the lock plate located at the back of the body, you can adjust the blade’s length or replace it.



When the lock plate is raised, the body moves to create a gap. This is how the mechanism loosens its grip on the blade.


You can see the gap when unlocked.


The locked state.

As a test, I tried cutting out a logo from a nearby milk carton.



And... it’s out!



Setting aside the quality of the knife, my own precision and eyesight might be the real hurdles here, but the tool feels amazing to use. Perhaps because of its weight, the cutting feels very stable and smooth. There is almost zero wobble at the tip of the blade. However, unless you’re doing very intense, precision work, you might not notice a dramatic difference.

More than the performance, I personally love the locking mechanism. Sometimes, if you apply too much pressure or the blade gets caught, it can unexpectedly slide out or retract. Having zero worry about that provides a great sense of security.

The body is made of zinc alloy and has a heavy, substantial feel to it–almost like a “Super Alloy” robot.



I’m also obsessed with the mechanism that’s slightly visible inside the lock plate. It’s so cool!

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