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by Peter Brett - June 2009
The mid-size knife medium tough and medium size
Regular readers will be aware that OLFA was the originator of the snap-off blade knife. Originally inspired by the inventor, Yoshio Okada, extrapolating from the way in which chocolate squares were broken off the main bar. Since then we have all become used to these knives as a standard product and use them regularly without much thought. But if your business is the business of producing world-class knives then gaps in the market need to be ruthlessly exploited - hence the new MT-1 -the Medium Tough Cutter. Those with inside knowledge of the knife blade industry will know that the sizes that OLFA introduced in its first knife ranges became standardised - namely the 9mm for light use (paper and publishing industry favourite), 18mm wide for tougher applications and the 25mm wide blade used by carpet fitters, instrument makers and woodworkers everywhere. OLFA has now introduced the 12.5mm blade width - just between the 9 and 18mm widths. Clearly this has greater strength and OLFA tells me, is just as strong as the 18mm blade, but it is also wider than the 9mm blade and therefore not as flexible, but the whole knife package is just as light. Designers being what they are, it is not simply enough to change the blade width, new materials and customer demands have got to be taken into account as well. So the MT-1 is like an old favourite with a new slant.
What always impresses me about OLFA knives I have looked at is the sheer simplicity of manufacture - it is kept as basic as possible - and yet the sophistication of the concept shines through. It has taken me a while to look through other OLFA knives in my sample collection, but the impression remains- there is nothing fancy or complicated, but the whole idea works really well.
The MT -1 follows the same concepts in terms of sophisticated design and simple manufacturing. The yellow OLFA trademark body of the knife is made from 100% recycled resin. Unlike many other knives in the range the body has been milled on the top and bottom for extra finger grip.
The resin casing encloses a stainless steel blade holder casing which is obviously proof against the sharp blade it contains. It has a series of stops in it that enable the blade to be advanced a few millimetres at a time so the user has absolute control over the length of blade protruding. A simple milled autolock button holds the blade with a single extrusion through the blade. Although simple, the design has been worked out so carefully that it works without a hitch or a glitch. Blade changing is easy and blade advancement well controlled so the user works with it in a very instinctive way and it soon becomes the kind of tool that you reach for in many situations, knowing that it will be what you need.
To cap it off, literally, is the built in clip for holding the knife in your top pocket. This also doubles as the blade snap-off slot. It would be good to have a little reservoir to hold the snapped off pieces so that they can be disposed of safely , because I always find it hard to find a way to do that. I usually wrap the pieces in masking tape and stick them in a bin, but I still have a vague feeling I should be recycling high-grade carbon steel....
The real test of the knife is whether it lives up to its billing. The fact that the blade is a generous 0.45mm thick compared to the normal 0.38mm thickness of the light duty 9mm wide blade makes a huge difference to its feel and performance. The blade is definitely more rigid and more capable of following a straight line in thick corrugated card for example. And yet when I wanted to cut curves and shapes, as if I were an architectural model maker, the blade was narrow enough to enable tight curves to be made. The stainless steel body sheath really does a good job of supporting the blade and keeping it as rigid as possible. With the thicker blade I expected a bit more drama when breaking off blade segments. But, and with second thoughts, it is not surprising, the OLFA blade snaps without any drama or much effort and certainly without the danger of the segment flying off anywhere. This is not the case with all types of segmented blades, but OLFA clearly have the technology taped.
OLFA has aimed this knife at the market that covers professional craft and DIY workers, shipping warehouse operatives, paper and card modellers and general home use. It is certainly light and compact enough to be used around the home and its pen clip holder means it can be safely kept in a pocket.
For professional users, it sure beats carrying a standard heavy -bodied craft knife around in your trouser pocket. It is light and easy to carry and yet when I was opening a batch of parcels with it, the blade coped with reinforced tape and corrugated card with ease. It is actually so compact that the danger might be that it could be easily lost. At least the bright yellow colour makes it High-vis.
It is hard not to be impressed that a manufacturer is taking "green" credentials seriously by using recycled resin to make the handle. But I think that because the knife is so simply and effectively constructed using bent and not welded or moulded metal, it must be more "green" than many other alternative products.
Long standing OLFA retailers will no doubt let the MT-1 slip seamlessly into the OLFA product display and watch while it gathers new users. It is a simple idea, well done and simple ideas are most often the best ones in my experience.
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