First invented by an entrepreneurial medical supplier named Sundel Doniger, the X-acto—an all-purpose cutting tool beloved by craftspeople, hobbyists, and artists—was initially popular with military surgeons, who liked the speed at which blades could be swapped into the aluminum handle. But medicine was a crowded field; more than 350 scalpel designs clamored for space on the operating table. Then one day, an X-acto employee needed to fix a print ad. This was in the literal cut-and-paste days, of course, so Doniger handed the guy a scalpel—stat!—and sliced open a new market. Even in the age of Photoshop, the X-acto is still what designers reach for when they need to create something IRL. (Photoshop's slice tool icon resembles an X-acto.) The company now makes 20 different blade shapes and sizes that all fit into the original screw-clamp handle, and the tool continues to reach new markets. Bakers use it to cut icing, leather craftspeople use it to shape belts, and architects use it to assemble models. You'll no longer find it in the surgical theater, but it's de rigueur for at-home surgery, like (carefully) extracting a nasty splinter.
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