An X-acto is only $2-3.00 and lasts forever. Coffee at DD or Hortens is $4.00 and lasts about 15 minutes. As for the blades, I like the pointy tip, not the 'angled tip' for your safety types. But again, $25.00 will buy 100 X-acto blades and last years, cheapies usually break, flex, or dull much faster because I don't think they get hardened correctly.