How to Use a Boxcutter

When you’re cutting up cardboard or breaking it down, there’s no better tool out there than a boxcutter. I mean, it’s literally in the name of the tool.

The problem with using boxcutters is that it’s easy to cut yourself pretty badly if you’ve never used one or are using it as if it’s not a harmful device. Whether you’re in a hurry or don’t know how to use one, just know you need to slow down and use common sense. Check out our tips below.

Keep your eye on the blade at all times.

Don’t worry so much about where you’re going to be cutting, since cutting into cardboard boxes isn’t ever a precise and perfect thing you need to worry about messing up. There’s always more cardboard to cut if you really mess up. But if you mess up and cut your fingers? Sometimes that can be really bad and you can’t undo what you’ve done.

Don’t throw boxcutters.

It doesn’t matter if the blade is retracted, don’t throw boxcutters to others who need to use it. It could end very badly, so you may as well walk it over to them.

Always point away from yourself.

And make sure no one is near you when you’re about to cut. This is what you’ll hear most often from anyone teaching you to cut, because you don’t want to stab yourself by cutting towards your body. Always angle it away from yourself and pull the blade away from your body.

Store your cutter in a safe place when it’s not in use.

You want to make sure your blade is covered and locked when not in use. Even if it’s fully retracted, it can still come loose on accident. You just want to make sure that you, or someone else, don’t end up cutting your fingers or worse. It takes absolutely zero time to store it properly, so you may as well do it.

Don’t try to catch a falling boxcutter.

If you’re cutting cardboard boxes and the knife happens to fall to the ground, don’t try to catch it. This sounds like easy enough advice, but when you’re in the moment and your instincts are always to grab something that is falling, it’s actually easy to forget. Just make sure you remember this when cutting with a boxcutter so that you don’t cut your hand grasping the knife as it falls.