The Excel, soft grip hobby knife is the best I've used. I've been building aviation, automotive and naval models for over 40 years and this knife feels the best in my hand and offers the most control of any other type I've tried. The blade is thin and strong enough to remove sprue remnants with almost no marks left behind. The point of the #11 blade has proven to be excellent for shaping masking material without going through the material and marking your subject. The blade is also thin enough to raise masking material from delicate items such as canopies without leaving unwanted marks. Coupled with its performance is the ease of changing blades. The vice-end of the knife hold blades firmly in place and by turning the base to loosen, the blade comes out and is ready for a new one. (For safety, I recommend using pliers to remove the old blade to prevent cuts and/or stabs. Even used these blades are sharp!!) I've used this knife in other ways, such as removing excess material from around parts and/or canopies with great success. It is a precision tool that will yield excellent results without a lot of pressure. With finesse and practice, I believe you'll find this to be an excellent product too!

Very comfortable to use the blades that come with the item aren't the best