Nextool E20 Review: A Compact Utility Knife with a Built-In Blade Magazine

Introduction

Utility knives are nothing new, and the market stretches from around five dollars to tools costing hundreds, with every possible feature priority in between. So the reasonable question is what the Nextool E20 does that nobody else is doing. The answer is not one single feature but the combination of features in a very small form factor. The E20 puts a multi-blade storage magazine, a pry tool, a Phillips driver, a flathead, and a bottle opener into a package that is actually slightly smaller than the Gerber Prybrid.

Who This Product Is For

This is a tool for people who use a utility knife blade regularly and are tired of hunting for spares. If you only open the occasional package, almost any knife will do. But if you go through blades often, the E20’s approach to carrying and swapping them is genuinely faster than the usual single hidden spare, which often requires taking off gloves and finagling the second blade out of a handle.

Main Strengths

The headline feature is the side door. Open it and you get access to a magazine that stores up to three utility knife blades according to Nextool. Load them in, close the door, and you are set. It is possible to fit a fourth blade in some cases with the included thinner SK5 blades, but three is the recommended maximum because varying blade thicknesses affect performance.

Two locking points give you practical control over blade exposure: a small exposure that is great for opening packages, and a full-length position that offers a normal amount of blade for most cutting tasks. The more modest exposure is actually a benefit rather than a limitation. A blade works best when you can press hard close to the tip, and less exposure means you can flip the blade around and get a fresh edge on the reverse side without dealing with a dull overhang.

When a blade goes dull, slide it out, slide the carrier back in, and the next blade loads automatically. Repeat until the magazine is empty, then reload. The auxiliary tools are well executed too: the pry tool is genuinely useful, the Phillips driver is nicely formed, and the flathead covers occasional light duty. Laser-etched blade patterns are also available, which is purely a matter of taste.

Things to Consider Before Buying

The E20 is currently on Kickstarter for $30, having launched only a few days before this review, and it is expected to land around $35 on Amazon later unless it goes on sale. Ceramic blades are offered as a Kickstarter option, but they are arguably more of a novelty: they hold an edge longer when cutting, yet they are considerably more brittle and can chip or break under hard pressure. If you press hard when you cut, stick with steel. Also note that the blade magazine performs best with the recommended three blades rather than being crammed with four.

Buying Advice

The decision really comes down to the blade magazine, not the extra drivers. That is the feature that should make or break your purchase, and it is the one thing you do not get outside of significantly larger utility knives. If you burn through blades on a regular basis, a faster swap process and three spares on board in a pocket-sized tool is a compelling package at a reasonable price.

Conclusion

The Nextool E20 manages to fit a lot of useful features into a very small package at a reasonable price, and it does something few competitors offer: reliable on-board storage for multiple spare blades in a compact form. If a utility knife is part of your regular kit, this one deserves a close look.