~DIY on a budget, from Homebase~
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I have bought and used one of these value utility knives from Homebase and found that this particular item is cheap to buy and of a reasonably serviceable quality. If I compare this product to a similar one bought from a well known brand that gave rise to the term 'Stanley Knife', I feel that the Homebase product is a much cheaper option in terms of build, materials used and initial purchase price. The value range is well priced for a reason as it offers a cut price alternative over many big name brands and core Homebase product ranges, which I feel makes the range an attractive option.

Having used this product I feel that whilst it is perfectly usable and seems reasonably durable, it isn't the best of its type. I found that the materials used to make up the product were of a fair standard, with the outer body of the utility knife being quite strong, with a neat clean finish. The plastic part of the product which can be used to reveal the cutting blade and then retract it again after use, does seem to get stuck from time to time in my experience. I have sometimes found it to be rather difficult to use the plastic slide button to reveal just the right amount of cutting blade when using this item, which I feel is a let down.

The actual cutting blade that you get with the knife body is of a fair quality in my opinion as it has a good sharp edge to it when new. I found that when trimming wall paper the knife and blade worked to a reasonable level, with it giving a neat clean cut in most instances which I was pleased about. When using the product to cut medium weight vinyl, which was used to line wooden garden planters with, the blade still managed to cut through well enough in most cases, without catching, although the slide button sometimes didn't lock the blade in place correctly.

I did find that when using this to trim the vinyl planter liners, I did need to use a little more pressure on the knife handle, so as to get a good clean cut through the material. This meant that I had to hold the knife body quite tightly in order to keep control of the cutting edge, which in turn made handling the knife body a little uncomfortable for my hand. As the material used to make the hand grip part of the knife isn't formed from a soft grip type of material, I feel that it isn't all that comfortable to use this knife to cut thicker materials with over long periods of time.


~Product rating/ price~
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My over all opinion of this product is that it provides a well priced alternative to more expensive branded items such as Stanley Knives. Having bought and used this item and found it to be of a fair quality with some short comings, I feel that I want to give this a 3 star product rating. I would say that the knife body is durable and easy to open should you need to replace a cutting blade with a fresh one. I would have liked this to have had a soft grip handle, as I feel it would have made it easier to use the knife to cut thicker materials with. The plastic slide button can get stuck and doesn't always stay in place well. The cost of these knives is just £2.48 which I feel offers fair value for money.