The Surprising $23 Find I Constantly Reach for During the Holiday Season (You’ll Want Two!)

This feature is part of Apartment Therapy's Gift Edit, our editor-curated collection of gift ideas. Need more inspiration? Check out all our guides here.

I’m intimately familiar with the struggle of breaking down boxes, as anyone who’s moved five times in just as many years and tests home products for a living would be. Like clockwork, every week I have to collapse a handful of boxes, and I’ll spend way too long hacking away at the tape with my too-dull pair of scissors. Sometimes, I’ll jab my finger in the process. Others, I’ll simply give up and leave a mountain of boxes in my entryway until they annoy me enough to try fully disassembling them again.

My flimsy retractable knife doesn’t quite cut it either; the open blade makes me more nervous than scissors. However, now that the holiday season is here and the number of packages at my doorstep are going to skyrocket, I know that I need to change it up. Luckily, one of my coworkers gave me a recommendation that’ll do just that: Slice’s Ceramic Box Cutter, which makes package-opening safer and hassle-free. Our commerce editor, Britt, says that it’s become one of her family’s favorites over the years, and she’s even gifted them to relatives. Read on to find out why you should snag one for gift-giving season, too!

Odds are, you’ll find yourself using this nifty box cutter more than scissors once you add it to your toolbox — and you’ll pretty much retire your traditional box cutters altogether, according to Britt. When you grip the uniquely shaped handle, you can safely use the ceramic blade to cut down boxes and open mailers and food packages. It also makes easy work of those pesky clamshell packages that always take an arm and a leg to pry open.

“What I love most is that the circular shape makes for an easy grip, and the ceramic blade cuts through packing tape and cardboard instantly while also being safe around fingers,” Britt says. “I get a lot of packages at home so we’re constantly cutting down boxes to fill up the recycling bin, and although we’ve been using this box cutter for months, it hasn’t worn out yet! Trust me when I say you’ll want more than one for yourself.”

Average Rating: 4.3/5

“I can’t say enough how amazing this box cutter is. It’s a big must at everyone’s house. I don’t know how I lived without it before. Opening packages is such an easy and quick process now. Safe for your product and fingers. Looooooove. Thank you for creating super tools!” — Elle 5

“I have been using this cutter almost daily since it came to QVC and love it as it works perfectly! I use it to open several types of packaging that I have purchased from the grocery store, and it works great! It is especially useful on plastic packs of water, soda, juice, canned soup, canned pasta, paper towels, and toilet paper as the plastic on those products is especially tough! This is an excellent product that I can’t live without!” — BetJ

“I ordered these to give them a try because I suffer from arthritis in my hands. This package opener is the best! The handle fits your hand perfectly. I don’t have to worry about the cutter slipping and cutting my hands. I like the ceramic blade. It cuts through plastic packaging, boxes, Mylar bags, and even snack bags of chips. On Mylar it creates like a perforated edge.” — TH5801

This box cutter will be a gift to yourself that keeps on giving, well beyond the holiday season. Best of all, it’s on sale right now, which is perfect timing, and if you add two more sets to your order, you can save $10. That way, you can give others as gifts, like Britt did. Just use the code SAVE10 at checkout! 

Buy: Slice Set of 2 Ceramic Box Cutters, $22.98 (normally $31)