Slice, Inc.
Slice, Inc., founded in 2008 and headquartered in San Jose, California, is a manufacturer of small hand-held cutting tools such as box-cutters. Its tools are designed to be safer and more ergonomic than previous tools for the same purpose.
History
Slice was founded in 2008[1] by T.J. Scimone.
Slice began as a product-design firm specializing in housewares and "developing ultramodern interpretations of kitchen staples like vegetable peelers and cheese graters." The company was successful in a "pocket-size ceramic blade" for opening packages and other shrink-wrapped items," according to Entrepreneur magazine, so "Scimone pivoted, vowing to make common tools like box cutters . . . both sleeker and safer." The magazine added: "It's that emphasis on aesthetics that has brought Slice to the attention of merchants outside the traditional business-to-business segment. The company's products are now available at retailers that include Michaels Stores and The Container Store, along with office-supply vendors."[1][2]
Products
The company is known as "a manufacturer of cutting tools that increase industrial safety."[3] Some of its products have been:
Ceramic-Blade Box Cutter, made in two versions – one a manual, three-position and the other an auto-retract. The former was a winner of the Red Dot Design Award for tools in 2011, with its double-sided ceramic blade featuring a rounded tip.[4]
Precision Cutter. Winner of the Good Design Award of the Chicago Athenaeum Museum of Architecture and Design in 2008, the cutter was designed by Karim Rashid, a "designer partner" within Slice. It has "a zirconium-oxide-based micro-ceramic blade that lasts longer than traditional steel blades and never rusts."[1]
References
External links
- About Slice, Inc., on the company website
- Core77, International Home and Housewares Show, 2011, statement by T.J. Scimone
- Sebil Kaede, "Advanced Safety of Cutter: Cut In With Designer's Eye," Nikkei Marketing Journal, January 9, 2012 (Japanese)