Open Cardboard Boxes Safely and Damage-Free

This video shows how the Slice^® Auto-Retractable Box Cutter will effectively open cardboard boxes without damaging the contents, unlike traditional box cutters. The ergonomic design of this Slice tool makes it easy to grip; it feels like an extension of your hand. The wrap-around handle protects your hand, and the finger-friendly^® blade is safe to the touch.

Slice also offers an Manual Box Cutter. Several other tools in the Slice line-up will easily open cardboard boxes. These include our Manual Carton Cutter, Auto-Retractable Mini Cutter, Manual Pen Cutter, and Auto-Retractable Pen Cutter.

We all open cardboard boxes on occasion, if not frequently. With the ever-growing popularity of internet shopping—I’m looking at you Amazon—many of the goods we purchase come to us boxed in cardboard.

Anyone in shipping and receiving, or other types of warehouse or office jobs, may have to open cardboard boxes multiple times a day. This task is relatively simple, but it can cause damage—to yourself and the enclosed materials.

How to Cut Cardboard Boxes Without Cutting Yourself

The first rule when you need to use any tool is to use the right tool for the job. This means you don’t get an open cardboard box by using a key, knife, scissor blade, pen, or flathead screwdriver. When you use the wrong tool for a job, it can be dangerous and it can damage the tool. Do. Not. Do. It.

There are plenty of tools that are appropriate for opening boxes. Your cardboard cutter tool could be a utility knife or pocket knife. Or, go for the tool that is literally made for the job: the box cutter.

Appropriate tool in hand, the next concern is not hurting yourself. The traditional cardboard cutter tool features a dangerously sharp blade. This cuts through your skin as quickly as it cuts through cardboard. This is true for traditional ceramic blades as well as metal blades.

Metal blades also dull quickly: they’re most dangerous when they’re overly sharp or excessively dull. It’s important to replace dull blades, but handling a blade poses a high risk for lacerations. You should handle blades as infrequently as possible.

Slice®: The Only Cutting Tools with Safety Blades

We make blades that easily open cardboard boxes but are safe to the touch. Every Slice tool features our patent-pending finger-friendly® blade grind.

Our blades are made of 100 percent zirconium, an advanced ceramic. Our proprietary design takes advantage of the extreme hardness of this material: our blades last up to 11 times longer than steel blades. This means they are a good value, and you’ll change the blade less often: that’s added safety.

Many Slice Tools for Your Box-Opening Needs

When an open cardboard box is your goal, consider the unique Slice J-hook Box Cutters; they were made for this job. Several other tools in the Slice line-up will also work:

• Auto-Retractable Pen Cutter
• Mini Cutter
• Manual Pen Cutter
• Manual Carton Cutter

The tool you choose depends on how you will use it. If the primary task for your tool is to open boxes made of double- or single-corrugated, either the Manual Box Cutter or Auto-Retractable Box Cutter is a great choice. For each, you must engage a slider button to expose the blade. With the manual model, the blade will lock into place. You must re-engage the button to retract the blade.

For the auto-retractable model, you must keep the button engaged to keep the blade exposed. If you release pressure on the slider, the blade retracts automatically. The right tool for you depends on how often you use it and the level of safety you need.

The Slice box cutter’s unique wrap-around handle protects your hand and provides a solid grip. This tool, like all Slice tools, is ergonomically designed to fit comfortably in your hand and to work as an extension of your hand. The front and back of this tool sit flush on the cardboard while you open your box, making the tool very stable and therefore less prone to slipping.

The Manual Carton Cutter is excellent for single-walled corrugated. The Slice pen cutters and Mini Cutter are general purpose tools. Some may prefer the smaller size of these tools. Each one fits in a shirt or pants pocket for convenient portability, and the Mini Cutter has a built-in magnet for easy storage.

How to Cut Cardboard Boxes Without Damaging What’s Inside

A sad reality is that millions of dollars of boxed goods are damaged or ruined before they are even out of the box. Why? Cuts and scrapes caused by the box-opening tool. Traditional box cutters expose the blade up to an inch, which can go right through the cardboard and straight to the contents.

Worry no more! This will not happen with Slice box cutters, pen cutters, the Mini Cutter, or the Manual Carton Cutter. The cutting depth of these tools is shallow enough to not disturb the contents in cardboard boxes.

Slice is longer-lasting and safer for you, and keeps your precious goods from being damaged. The next time you have to open cardboard boxes, which Slice tool will you choose?