Sometimes, straightforward tasks call for straightforward tools. For chores like opening boxes, cutting through packaging and scraping away gunk, the simple utility knife is fully capable. You can get reliably sturdy one for less than $10, but that didn’t stop a group of aerospace engineers who design prototype aircraft for a living from using their free time to make a maxed-out version that goes for close to $100.

They call it the X-1, and it’s currently funding on Kickstarter to the tune of over $22,000. So what do you get for that extra cash? Significantly material upgrades, for one; the group, which calls its new venture Resolute Tools, replaced the plastic and metal construction you’ll find at the hardware store with one made of Grade 5 titanium and aluminum-bronze alloy. They also took the design’s simplicity even further. Resolute replaced the conventional sliding switch (which many of us have known to fail) with a bronze piece that locks into a channel but can be removed when it’s time for a new blade.

Speaking of the blade, that’s the one thing the engineers didn’t fuss with. They built the X-1 around the replaceable trapezoidal blades that you can pick up for mere pennies. (Seriously — you can get a pack of 100 at Home Depot for $10).

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