Oxo Good Grips utility knife

red dot: best of the best
red dot award: product design 2007

Safely stowed away – the fascination of functionality
The basic form of knives has been known since the early stone age. In the course of the 600,000 years of its form history, the knife has appeared in an incredible variety of shapes and in specific forms in different cultures. The more developed our world has become, the more the production and use of knives have varied. And similar to a blacksmith in the Middle Ages, who could improve a sword only through a new concept, design too considers knives today an exciting topic. Against this backdrop, the Oxo Good Grips utility knife is rather a modern day multi-purpose tool. Its design features a new blade storage and replacement solution based on an interesting interpretation and a new approach. The layout focuses on a lever mechanism: A large lever at the base of the handle pulls in the same direction as the door to unlock and open it in one easy motion. Upon opening the spring-loaded blade cartridge, the safe edge of the replacement blades comes slightly forth. Thus the blades seem almost to present themselves to the user. The sophisticated layout of the cartridge interior aims to prevent injuries and thus the user is aided through the blade replacement process with the help of visual cues at the tool-end. On sliding the new blade into place – in an intuitive manner and without particular user precision – it is held securely in place by a magnet. Once the blade has been replaced, the door can be swung closed, locked, and the knife is ready for use. With its intelligent functionality and appealing looks, the design of the Oxo Good Grips delivers a successful and exciting contemporary interpretation of a knife that is both safe and convenient in everyday use.