# I Pit Packaging That Defies Opening **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [April 9, 2012, 4:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-packaging-that-defies-opening/618272 "2012-04-09T16:51:49Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![sachertorte](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sachertorte/32/3727_2.png) [@sachertorte](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sachertorte)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2012, 8:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-packaging-that-defies-opening/618272/21 "2012-04-09T20:07:12Z")
I have this: > **[Amazon.com: Slice Package Opener and Cutting Tool, Safe Ceramic Blade, Finger...](https://www.amazon.com/Slice-Package-Cutting-Ceramic-Friendly/dp/B00106JH5M)** > > Use this incredible new cutting tool from iSlice for many simple household tasks. The iSlice makes cutting coupons, opening plastic packages and scrapbooking a breeze. The ceramic blade stays sharp, but won't cut your fingers. With a magnetic back,... And I love it. It isn’t sharp, yet it can cut plastic. I have no idea how it works so well, but it does. Added bonus is I can’t cut myself by accident. My plan is to buy a bunch for christmas and give them to everyone so we aren’t passing around a pocket knife this year. ---
**Author:** ![drewtwo99](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/d07c76/32.png) [@drewtwo99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drewtwo99)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2012, 8:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-packaging-that-defies-opening/618272/22 "2012-04-09T20:35:12Z")
This problem is exacerbated when you are in an airport and buy things from those Best Buy kiosks. My boyfriend once bought a pair of headphones, and it took us a long time jamming the packaging with a ballpoint pen and prying it open before we could get them out. No one in the airport had anything remotely sharp or pointy, of course, so it was quite a challenge. Took a good 15 minutes of poking, twisting, jabbing, prying, etc, but we did it! Felt so accomplished afterwards too 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Ruby\_Slippers](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/94ad74/32.png) [@Ruby\_Slippers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ruby_Slippers)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2012, 8:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-packaging-that-defies-opening/618272/23 "2012-04-09T20:56:03Z")
> [@sachertorte](#): > > I have this: > [Amazon.com: Slice Package Opener and Cutting Tool, Safe Ceramic Blade, Finger Friendly : Home & Kitchen](http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00106JH5M/ref=ox_sc_act_title_1?ie=UTF8&m=A2G59EH67IJRRV) > > And I love it. It isn’t sharp, yet it can cut plastic. I have no idea how it works so well, but it does. Added bonus is I can’t cut myself by accident. > > My plan is to buy a bunch for christmas and give them to everyone so we aren’t passing around a pocket knife this year. I just ordered four of them. I had no idea there were so many gadgets out there for opening things. I think it’s a conspiracy between package makers and package opener makers! ---
**Author:** ![Anne\_Neville](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/b9e5f3/32.png) [@Anne\_Neville](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anne_Neville)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2012, 8:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-packaging-that-defies-opening/618272/24 "2012-04-09T20:58:17Z")
What kind of packaging do the package openers come in? ---
**Author:** ![Max\_Torque](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e9bcb4/32.png) [@Max\_Torque](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Max_Torque)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2012, 9:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-packaging-that-defies-opening/618272/25 "2012-04-09T21:27:55Z")
I went with this thing: [Open It!](http://www.amazon.com/Zibra-Open-It-ZPCOPEN-GZ-Package-Opener/dp/B004UIHITY/) It has offset jaws to snip around clamshell packaging and cut zip-ties and those twist-ties in kids’ toys. Plus, it has a spring-loaded utility knife in the handle to cut anything you can’t use the jaws on, and a mini screwdriver to open battery compartments. ---
**Author:** ![Lynn\_Bodoni](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e47c2d/32.png) [@Lynn\_Bodoni](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lynn_Bodoni)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2012, 10:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-packaging-that-defies-opening/618272/26 "2012-04-09T22:25:53Z")
> [@silenus](#): > > Explosives. > > Applied to either the product or the manufacturer. I vote apply to the manufacturer. > [@Yeticus\_Rex](#): > > A [$1 boxcutter](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:BoxCutter.jpg) is all you need, unless your Gustavo Fring…then you would use use a [$5 boxcutter](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Aaknife2.jpg) to open up those tougher, hard to reach jugulars. Again, I vote apply to the manufacturer. ---
**Author:** ![Morgyn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/morgyn/32/3041_2.png) [@Morgyn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Morgyn)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2012, 1:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-packaging-that-defies-opening/618272/27 "2012-04-10T01:36:03Z")
> [@NotBob13](#): > > I was recently told that a hand can opener opens these plastic clamshell packages well. I have not got the chance to try it, yet. I tried it, and it didn’t work. Maybe I was doing it wrong, but I could not get the cutting wheels to bite. Of course, it was also a very old can opener that I keep as a spare; I moved to the “smooth edge” type of can opener a long time back so I hardly ever use the old type anymore. Meantime, I found [this](http://www.amazon.com/Fiskars-158920-1001-Package-Opener-Screwdriver/dp/B004S8LU2W/ref=wl_it_dp_o_pC_nS?ie=UTF8&coliid=I3KJQKUE0NGIIO&colid=2FDU4IX0A8NCA)on Amazon. A bit more expensive than the others here, but it’s Fiskars, which has an excellent reputation for quality. That one \*\*sachertorte \*\*listed is cute, but I know I’d lose it. ---
**Author:** ![missred](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/missred/32/14096_2.png) [@missred](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/missred)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2012, 2:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-packaging-that-defies-opening/618272/28 "2012-04-10T02:04:38Z")
> [@Mr.Accident](#): > > For the zip ties, a decent pair of toenail clippers can remove them with no fuss or muss. For the plastic outer seals on bottles, I find that simply opening the bottle with the seal still in place will cause the seal to break and make for easy removal. The toenail clippers will also work for the clear plastic seal on bottle tops if they have a file that flips out. The file can also help get the inner seal started. The clippers themselves are also sturdy enough to cut the metal embedded wire ties and the plastic thingies that attach tags to clothing. I keep a pair in my thing drawer just for packaging tasks. ---
**Author:** ![Rachellelogram](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rachellelogram/32/8689_2.png) [@Rachellelogram](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rachellelogram)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2012, 3:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-packaging-that-defies-opening/618272/29 "2012-04-10T03:24:27Z")
> [@sachertorte](#): > > I have this: > [Amazon.com: Slice Package Opener and Cutting Tool, Safe Ceramic Blade, Finger Friendly : Home & Kitchen](http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00106JH5M/ref=ox_sc_act_title_1?ie=UTF8&m=A2G59EH67IJRRV) > > And I love it. It isn’t sharp, yet it can cut plastic. I have no idea how it works so well, but it does. Added bonus is I can’t cut myself by accident. > > My plan is to buy a bunch for christmas and give them to everyone so we aren’t passing around a pocket knife this year. I just looked at this thingie, pretty nifty. It has a very small ceramic blade in the tip that is, in a nutshell, sharp enough to cut plastic but dull enough to not cut you. I would guess it’d probably cut skin if you applied it hard enough, but casual contact won’t do it. ---
**Author:** ![Zsofia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/7bcc69/32.png) [@Zsofia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zsofia)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2012, 2:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-packaging-that-defies-opening/618272/30 "2012-04-10T14:41:20Z")
Doesn’t anybody else have a good pair of kitchen shears? ---
**Author:** ![Anne\_Neville](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/b9e5f3/32.png) [@Anne\_Neville](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anne_Neville)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2012, 2:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-packaging-that-defies-opening/618272/31 "2012-04-10T14:52:32Z")
> [@Zsofia](#): > > Doesn’t anybody else have a good pair of kitchen shears? My kitchen shears turned on me yesterday, and took a chunk out of my knuckle while I was trying to cut that damn zip tie. ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2012, 4:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-packaging-that-defies-opening/618272/32 "2012-04-10T16:20:50Z")
> [@sachertorte](#): > > I have this: > [Amazon.com: Slice Package Opener and Cutting Tool, Safe Ceramic Blade, Finger Friendly : Home & Kitchen](http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00106JH5M/ref=ox_sc_act_title_1?ie=UTF8&m=A2G59EH67IJRRV) > > And I love it. It isn’t sharp, yet it can cut plastic. I have no idea how it works so well, but it does. Added bonus is I can’t cut myself by accident. > > My plan is to buy a bunch for christmas and give them to everyone so we aren’t passing around a pocket knife this year. I have something very similar to that, if not exactly like it. It will cut paper (like a coupon out of the newspaper) or the shrink wrap on a CD or DVD but I don’t think it’s enough to open a hard clamshell package. For those I use boxcutters or kitchen shears. ---
**Author:** ![Jenaroph](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e8c25b/32.png) [@Jenaroph](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jenaroph)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2012, 4:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-packaging-that-defies-opening/618272/33 "2012-04-10T16:28:24Z")
> [@Zsofia](#): > > Doesn’t anybody else have a good pair of kitchen shears? I have used kitchen shears and then sliced my hand on the plastic as I cut farther into the packaging. You need your hand ABOVE the cutting mechanism, away from the plastic. ---
**Author:** ![Morgenstern](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f9ae1b/32.png) [@Morgenstern](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Morgenstern)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2012, 4:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-packaging-that-defies-opening/618272/34 "2012-04-10T16:33:27Z")
I can never find the scissors when opening one of those hard plastic wrapped packages. I end up attacking it with a knife and hoping the knife is strong enough to cut it. If not, I suppose the skill saw might. ---
**Author:** ![Skammer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skammer/32/143_2.png) [@Skammer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skammer)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2012, 5:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-packaging-that-defies-opening/618272/35 "2012-04-10T17:28:33Z")
The handle on my kitchen shears broke trying to cut open one of those plastic packages. ☹ ---
**Author:** ![Saint\_Cad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/saint_cad/32/18907_2.png) [@Saint\_Cad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Saint_Cad)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2012, 6:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-packaging-that-defies-opening/618272/36 "2012-04-10T18:29:01Z")
> [@Bosstone](#): > > There’s also [this little wizard](http://www.amazon.com/Plastic-Surgeon-44500-Package-Opener/dp/B0010SHGX0) which can handle most consumer packaging and is a fair deal cheaper. [This](http://www.amazon.com/SPLITTING-MAUL-FIBRGLASS-Size-Category/dp/B0071EHAM4/ref=sr_1_2?s=office-products&ie=UTF8&qid=1334082500&sr=1-2) is the one I prefer. ---
**Author:** ![Hal\_Briston](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/a9a28c/32.png) [@Hal\_Briston](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hal_Briston)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2012, 7:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-packaging-that-defies-opening/618272/37 "2012-04-10T19:25:22Z")
> [@FoieGrasIsEvil](#): > > That’s what I was going to say. Its not just the super-tough outer layer of plastic that requires a sawz-all to cut through, its those damn wire ties on every single fucking thing within the package. They take forever to remove to get the toy and its accessories out. Google “Amazon Frustration-Free Packaging”. Talk about a godsend… > [@Ruby\_Slippers](#): > > …many juice drinks now involves an outer plastic seal plus a perforated screw top plus an inner seal. Well maybe you should’ve considered the possibile reprecussions of that whole “Tylenol cynanide” thing, shouldn’t you! (Oh, don’t think we don’t know…we’re on to you!) ---
**Author:** ![Dr.Girlfriend](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dr.girlfriend/32/193_2.png) [@Dr.Girlfriend](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr.Girlfriend)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2012, 1:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-packaging-that-defies-opening/618272/38 "2012-04-11T01:11:05Z")
> [@Anne\_Neville](#): > > My kitchen shears turned on me yesterday, and took a chunk out of my knuckle while I was trying to cut that damn zip tie. My work scissors turned on me yesterday while I was trying to saw through four layers of that packing tape that’s reinforced with the stringy stuff. Scissors slipped and I stabbed myself in the thumb. All that tape just to keep some papers from escaping their cardboard prison. ---
**Author:** ![voltaire](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/voltaire/32/313_2.png) [@voltaire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/voltaire)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2012, 1:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-packaging-that-defies-opening/618272/39 "2012-04-11T01:59:36Z")
Every time this subject comes up, I post [this clip.](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bGVR1lwzVMw) (Ooops, fixed link) ---
**Author:** ![MeanOldLady](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/meanoldlady/32/10737_2.png) [@MeanOldLady](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MeanOldLady)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2012, 2:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-packaging-that-defies-opening/618272/40 "2012-04-11T02:47:13Z")
> [@Terr](#): > > Don’t start me on kids’ toys packaging. It took me an hour to free my Robosapien from his box. One fucking hour. Every. single. thing. was bolted or screwed on to the package. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-packaging-that-defies-opening/618272.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-packaging-that-defies-opening/618272.md?page=3)