Oh, Snap! Lenox Fast Snap Utility Knife Breaks New Ground
Most of us that use utility knives frequently can appreciate the convenience of snap-style blades. Breaking them off and finding where the pieces fly off to are challenges we have to deal with, though. The Lenox Fast Snap utility knife deals with these issues in a wonderfully innovative way.
Pros
- Snap blades easily with one hand
- Magnet captures snapped blade pieces
- Excellent handle comfort
- Durable build
- Excellent value
Cons
- No significant drawbacks
Editor’s Note: Check out our best utility knife article for our top picks in this category.
Using the Lenox Fast Snap Utility Knife
At first glance, the design of this utility knife looks very much like many sliding snap-off models. Using the plastic slider, you advance or retract the blade, or pull it back completely to replace it.
There’s no lock for your blade position, but positive stops keep it from sliding while you cut.
The shape of the handle clearly has some thought behind it and it fits well in our hands. The comfort and grip security levels come up several notches thanks to blue overmold on the base of the handle and the top back section.
If there was nothing else special about this design, Lenox would already have a winner on its hands… but it gets even better.
Instead of snapping off the used portion of your blade against the handle, the front section pivots out to snap it off. Start by pushing the front of the blade up to the indicator marked with an arrow. Press the red release on the top forward, then kick out to the left, and the blade snaps easily with one hand.
It’s very easy, but it’s worth noting that you need to do your snaps with your right hand (sorry, lefties).
Adding another layer of convenience, a magnet captures the section of blade you break off, so you can easily control when and where you dispose of it. We’ll take fewer razor-sharp blade pieces flinging around to our shop floor any day.
Lenox packs the Fast Snap utility knife with a carbide blade that we’ve enjoyed using. If you prefer other brands, such as OLFA, the 18mm blades ones fit perfectly.
Lenox Fast Snap Utility Knife Price
We expect retail prices to run $14.97 when this utility knife hits Lowe’s in December 2021. That’s a fantastic value for what you get.
The Bottom Line
Lenox knocked it out of the park with their Fast Snap utility knife. From the shape and feel of the handle to the snapping mechanism and magnetic capture, this is the best snap-style utility knife we’ve used. Unless your jobsite has specific safety requirements about the kind of utility knife you can use, we highly recommend giving Lenox a shot.
