Speedball linoleum cutter review › The Weekend Beckons

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The Speedball linoleum cutter is a very popular choice for beginners who are just starting out, learning how to create block prints. Professionals will occasionally use it, however it has some limitations that often have people moving onto different tools as their lino skills improve.

It’s an affordable all-in-one carving tool that allows you to have several lino cutting blades in one tool. The handle of the tool unscrews and has several different blades stored within. Whenever you need a different blade, you just unscrew the base, choose your new blade and swap it out.

Watch me review the Speedball linoleum cutter on my YouTube channel.

How to swap blades

The blade is held in place by a metal chuck. Loosen the chuck until the blade slides out, then slide in your new blade as far as it will go and tighten again. There’s no need to over-tighten. Just enough so the blade isn’t moving when you carve. Just make sure you’re sliding in the end of the blade that doesn’t have a sharp edge – you want the semi-rounded dull end inserted into the chuck.

This is theoretically simple but the mechanism can be finicky and your blade can get stuck. When that happens, I’ll often completely unscrew the chuck mechanism and then reassemble it.

Speedball linoleum cutter blades

The set I purchased came with five different blades:

No. 1 – Small V
No. 2 – Large V
No. 3 – Small U
No. 5 – Large U
No. 6 – Knife

The two versions of the V blade and two U gouges are going to be your workhorses. The small V will allow you to carve details, while the larger V and both sizes of U blades will give you choices as you carve away medium and larger sections. The knife blade is the least useful for me – it’s essentially an exacto knife-style blade.

Downsides

You can’t sharpen the blades. They must be replaced once they become dull. Fortunately, replacements aren’t very expensive but depending where you live, they can be hard to find. And if you sit down to carve and discover your tool is dull and don’t have a replacement, you can’t sharpen it. You have to go get a new blade. Don’t use a dull blade. You run the risk of cutting yourself.

As I mentioned above, the chuck mechanism often gets stuck. It’s annoying because it can really slow down your momentum. I eventually bought a second set so that I could have two blades ready to go at the same time.

You don’t have a ton of blade size options. There are a few, but selection is limited. When you start exploring more professional tools, you’ll discover all sorts of blade options, from tiny little blades that carve fine hairs to very wide, flat blades that remove excess lino quickly.

Is the Speedball linoleum cutter it worth it?

Yes! Any beginner will do well to start out with this lino cutting tool. It’s very affordable and allows you to carve a variety of different shapes, while learning what your preferences are for your tools. While I keep mentioning that it’s great for beginners, it’s still a valuable tool for anyone who isn’t interested in investing in the more expensive tool and are happy with the blade options.

Want to learn more about linocut supplies? Check out my blog post on best linocut supplies for beginners.