As this article from the Washington Post attests, many of us fear opening all the toys packed in clamshell packaging more than anything else Christmas morning. One solution: the OpenX. Think of it as a utility knife with guards on both sides so you don’t stab yourself in the leg while trying to cut through that thick plastic.
Sure, it has an “as seen on TV” feel to it, but I’ll admit that I’ve ordered one. I’ve heard good things about them, and the design certainly makes sense to me. Do any of you already own one?
The one pictured comes from SmartHome for $5, and they’re available for the same price directly from the manufacturer. Pricing via Froogle runs about the same everywhere, except for the one jerk that wants you to pay $10 for it. Merry Christmas to you, too, scrooge.
The OpenX [MyOpenX.com]
The OpenX [SmartHome]
Street Pricing [Froogle]
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Me ma handed each of us one of these before we opened our gifts this Christmas. At first glance it looks like a utility knife would do just as well, but it turns out that the OpenX is singularly suited to the task of safely opening clamshell (and other) packages. When depressed, the black teardrop shaped lever reveals a small beak like blade that’s perfect for cutting through thin-but-tough clamshell packaging (and wrapping paper) without damaging the contents. After making a small incision in the packaging you hook the slotted portion into the cut and tear around the outer edges. The design of the OpenX gives you the leverage to safely apply a great deal of force which makes short work of the otherwise impenetrable packaging.
I believe the blades are replaceable, but I haven’t gotten that far yet.
[...] back in 2006 we wrote about the OpenX — arguably the most soundly-promoted of [...]