This 6mm-thin utility knife flicks open like something far more expensive, but its cleverest feature is surprisingly ordinary
The Jimmytronics Tarpon turns the humble box cutter into a seriously desirable piece of pocket-sized engineering
Some tools don't really need reinventing, and the humble utility knife is arguably one of them.
Give it a sharp, replaceable blade and a reasonably comfortable grip, and the job is pretty much done.
Jimmytronics clearly disagrees. Its new Tarpon Utility Knife takes one of the most basic cutting tools and turns it into something that looks more like precision EDC equipment.
The big attraction is its unusual manual out-the-front action, which you can activate by pressing the Tarpon's Fin Lock and sliding the blade forwards until it locks into place.
You can even flick it out with a quick hand movement, which is probably considerably more entertaining than opening a cardboard box has any right to be.
The movement is entirely manual, with the locking mechanism simply holding everything securely once the blade reaches either position.
Over-engineered in all the right ways
The rest of the Tarpon is similarly elaborate for something that's essentially designed to cut tape, cardboard and packaging.
Its body is machined from solid 316 stainless steel and measures just 6mm thick.
At 119.5mm long and around 100g, it's substantial enough to hold properly without becoming another bulky tool fighting for space in a drawer or toolkit.
It also has a reversible Cerakote-coated wire pocket clip, a lanyard hole, and a knurled wheel that lets you swap blades without turning the process into a miniature engineering project.
Despite all the precision machining and unusual deployment mechanism, the Tarpon accepts standard full-size utility blades, so when one gets blunt, you can simply replace it.
Jimmytronics is currently crowdfunding the Tarpon, with pledges starting at $68.
The campaign has already comfortably exceeded its original funding target.
As ever with crowdfunded products, you're backing a project rather than buying something that's already sitting on a shop shelf, so delivery dates and final specifications can still change.
It's also worth remembering that UK rules around carrying knives are strict.
Locking knives aren't covered by the general exemption for small non-locking folding pocket knives, so treat this as a utility tool for appropriate jobs rather than automatically throwing it into your everyday pocket.
Still, as an example of what happens when someone applies an unnecessary amount of engineering to a thoroughly ordinary object, the Tarpon is extremely appealing.
Check out the project on Kickstarter.
[via GearPatrol]
