ELMERS Xacto Precision Soldering Iron & Hot Knife Tip (X73780)

I bought this item with the purpose of cutting foam. I make costumes and other things out of EVA foam, and i wanted a hot knife to cut with a decent amount of precision. As a whole, the product works pretty well.Pros:-When warm, it cuts through 3/4 inch foam well.-Precise enough for my needs (A few 90 degree angles, just a matter of pulling the blade out and re-inserting at the correct angle.)-Cord and handle stays cool enough to handle.-Included stand is a nice addition. It holds the iron well while the tip is hot.Cons:-Not very quick to warm up. (About 5 minutes to get hot enough)-No case. I use my own tackle case to store it in.-Tip cools while you cut, it does not stay at a constant temp.You get what you pay for, but overall it is a pretty decent hot knife.

I bought this tool not to use as a hot knife to help me with large cuts out of books for my altered book projects. It definatly does cut a lot faster than a standard Xacto knife. the tool gets very hot which is good but it also makes me nervous at how hot it gets. You have to use alot of caution when using this tool. It is certainly a tool for adults. the other thing is the blade; when tighening the blade into the tool if the blade is too far down it wont tighen enough on the tool at will come loose with use ( I had this happen and the blade piece fell off while i was using it and burned a small hole in the rug. YIKES! I had to run to the kitchen to get an oven mit to pick it up and get it to the sink where it could cool safely.) If you are going to buy this tool it works well but be careful when using the hot knife.

Good

I make custom cups and this helps clean the epoxy off the rim. It heats up nice and fast.

Originally I got very excited about finally being able to use the Xacto blades I already had in a hot knife, but the problem is it doesn't work that way. The Xacto blades are too thin and simply cannot transfer any heat through the cutting edge. BUT there is some hope...I am cutting heavy nylon webbing with mine, but not with the blade tip. The package also had a round tip that carried heat much better. I made this into a more bladed tip by heating the unit up and hammering the round tip flat. This makes it a bit denser as well to hold heat. I then took the tip to a grinding wheel to make it even sharper. Works very well now. Just don't expect the blade tip to do anything that a normal Xacto handle can't.

I use to go thru hell to make hole on plastic to plant my plants but not anymore

It's easy to use for the most part. It's much longer than I thought so it's taking alot of getting used to

Work perfect for cut fabrics.