[SCEtoAUX]

A long time ago Hobby Lobby had a sale on Excel #11 blades. I bought a whole bunch of them. Excel blades seem OK. I probably will purchase some of those Techni-Edge blades.

I have also found that the type of cutting mat used can affect the performance of the blade. Those hard Olfa rotatary cutting mats are more for straight cuts and gentle curves using a rotary cutter (those cutters with circular blades that roll along the cut). The hardness of the mat material can easily break the tips off of the blades. There are mats that are more suited for use with hobby knife blades. They feel softer and have more give so when making turns while cutting there is less chance of breaking off the tip.

Wayne, I did basically the same thing to extend the life of a blade. Took an old leather belt, cut off a section, and removed the shiny layer. Glued that to a piece of wood that was shaped to incorporate a handle. I use black stropping compound to hone the edge and tip of used blades.